Leigh 87 Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I am recovering from being a little underweight, and am wondering what normal gals maintain on? I am 5 ' 5, or 166cm, and about 120 lbs. I aim to get to about 115 - 116 as my ideal weight. I ate about 2500 cals to gain weight to 120 lbs and only recently decreased to more normal amounts, and have lost a teeny bit of weight, although nothing serious. I eat about 2000 - 2200 a day at the moment, with exercise. i ate 2500 to gain weight, from 110 - to 120 lbs, because apparently, I had to gain to a BMI of 20 to restore my health after being underweight. Whatever. if I ate the recommendations, which is about only 1660 cals for me (if I do no execise), I feel like I would be very small again. BUt apparently, after an ED, it is better to maintain on higher amounts, like 2000 - 2200 completely inactive. Anyw ays, I am just interested as to what amount of calories the girls here eat, to maintain their weights. I never got professional help, but I have read a lot about it, and for full recovery, so many ppl say to eat higher than normal amounts to maintain, after u have been underweight. They say if I cannot maintain on HUGe amounts, I should just gain weight, because it isbetter for me. Whatever though - I like being slim ( but still healthy), and my logic tells me that if I just eat a normal amount, like other girls my size, and if I eat at LEASt what he standard calorie calculators say, and am not hungry, then what is the matter? Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperxcutx Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 When I recovered from my bulimia, I gained a good 10-20 lbs. After starving yourself, your body automatically stores whatever nutirents you put into it as fat, because you traumatized it into starvation mode. To maintain your current weight w/ exercise, just eat 2000 calories. 1600 is a normal calorie decifit for 150lb women looking to lose 1-2 lbs a week. Link to post Share on other sites
jean-luc sisko Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 It also depends on your metabolism, and level of exercise. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Leigh 87 Posted September 13, 2010 Author Share Posted September 13, 2010 I don't think 2000 with exercise is enough to really lose. My body does not NEED to lose at this point, it is just for vanity. I want to be as thin as I can, without being unhealthy and too thin for my body type. If I ate 2000, and burnt 400 - 500, that would still only be maintenance, according to the majority of calorit calculators. So I would have to eat about 1700 - 1600, WITH exercise, to lose. As long as I can maintain my goal weight, of about 116 lbs, on the recommendations, I feel it is fine. On the other hand, it is a BAD sign if you CANNOT maintain a low weight on the recommendations - for example, if you only maintain the low weigght by UNDER EATING, then it means your body is not supposed to be at that weight to begin with. So I will see what happens. I only have 500 or 600 cals left and it is onlt 12.00 today. I may eat 2000 SOME days, and 1600 most days. WHAT I am doing is AGAINST what some eating disorder experts say; they say that after an ED, you NEED to keep a BMI 20, and it is foolish to lose more. The thing is, being slim and doing Pilates and keeping healthy is part of who I am, and I have the knowledge about nutrients and calories and whaT IS dangerous, for me to be able to be as thin as possible, but without being unhealthy. IT IS RARE that a person like me, who has had an eating disorder, CAN stay at a low weight; it is normally very dangerous to do. But as long a sI look and feel healthy and can function well, and am not clouded my disordered thoughts around food, I think it is OKAY for me to want to lose a few lbs. Many women, especially in the LA regious of CA in the USE ( I am in Australia by the way), ALSO have the goal of being as thin as possible. MANY of these women are very haqrdcore about it, and eat only 1200 a day, and WORK OUT a LOT, with spin , Pilates, and etc. Where as I am at least going about being thin in a healthy way. I am going as thin as I can for MY body type, and would NEVER eat under the 1600 recommendations. In fact, to maintain 115 - 117 lbs, my goal, I feel I could eat 1900 - 2000 WITH exercise. But only to maintain. To lose 1600 - 1700 with exercise sounds more feasible. I was 120 last time I weighed but it is my period and I have asked my dad to hide the scales until after my period. Link to post Share on other sites
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