how to eat after going off a crash diet for weigh management

Question
Dear Laurie Beebe,
       I know it was not a healthy decision, but having been eating disordered for years, it seemed like the only solution to me. After gaining weight from a pregnancy, I decided to crash diet to lose the weight; eating between 400 and 800 calories a day. I have reached the weight I am comfortable with now, but have no idea how to eat as it has always been a fear and I am worried about the starvation response and the possible slowing of my metabolism. I calculated my BMR to be a little over 1300 calories, should I begin to eat this amount at once, or stagger my calories back up to that number slowly to maintain weight. If I were to stagger those calories, by how much and in what time frame to achieve weight maintenance?

Answer
Hi Victoria,
I'm so sorry to hear of your long-time ED. They say this never goes away, but can be controlled...so I'm thinking even if you had the answer to a number of calories, it wouldn't be a great help. The fear and obsessive thinking does not go away on it's own.

I strongly suggest you consider treatment with a specialist. I won't personally consult with someone with an eating disorder unless they are in therapy because I don't want to contribute to an already ever-present focus on what to eat.

Let me know if I can help you find a good resource in your area. For you and your baby, I hope you get healthy, both physically and emotionally!

I wish you good luck and good health :)
Laurie

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