Current research suggests an even bigger number of average calorie expenditure. Scientists now believe that a moderately active female needs around 2,400 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. For men, this amount goes up to 3,050 calories.
No wonder then that I found it impossible to stop bingeing while restricting my intake to 1,500 calories.
No wonder that countless people all over the world face the same problem.
Dear Readers,
Please find below a very interesting post from Richard and Ali Kerr from HealED. We hope you’ll find the post below helpful in your journey to recovery and healing.
So, how much should I eat?
It’s no secret that restriction is one of the most common causes of bingeing.
At the height of my bulimia, I was either bingeing and purging up to 10 times a day, or limiting my intake to less than 1,500 calories.
I felt like I was stuck in a swing that just kept on going from one extreme to the other.
There was no in-between.
Regular eating became a distinct memory.
When I decided to truly recover, once and for all, I had to get to grips with the concept of normal calorie intake first.
How much food did I really need to consume?
What number should I aim for in order to prevent binges?
You’re probably all too familiar with the FDA’s (US Food and Drug Administration) standard recommendation of 2,000 calories a day.
What you probably don’t know, however, is that the original number was 2,350.
In 1993, scientists and nutritionists determined that this was the average amount of calories needed to sustain a moderately active person. The FDA simply decided to make things simpler by rounding the number down from 2,350 to 2,000.
A difference of 350 calories might have seemed minor to them at the time.
In reality, this is the number of calories in a whole meal.
For some of us, it means the difference between regular eating and a bingeing habit.
Current research suggests an even bigger number of average calorie expenditure. Scientists now believe that a moderately active female needs around 2,400 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. For men, this amount goes up to 3,050 calories.
No wonder then that I found it impossible to stop bingeing while restricting my intake to 1,500 calories.
No wonder that countless people all over the world face the same problem.
So how can you know if you’re eating enough?
The truth is that there’s no single answer. The number of calories burned every day varies from person to person.
For example, I’m 5’2, relatively active and don’t go under 2,200 calories.
Your case might differ from mine.
Nevertheless, I can assure you that 1,500 calories are not enough to sustain a person recovering from binge eating.
As long as you continue to deprive your body of proper nutrition, it will fight back.
A good rule of thumb is starting out with no less than 2,000 calories a day.
Then, as you move forward in your recovery, you can adjust this number accordingly.
If after a few weeks of consuming this amount of food you’re still experiencing intense binge urges, try upping the number.
Remember, you don’t have to count calories obsessively. Having a rough idea of how much food you consume during the day is more than enough.
What I’ve learned over the years is that gaining weight isn’t as easy as your disordered thoughts might want you to believe.
If you’re already at a healthy weight and moderately active, the calories you consume are used up to sustain your body and your active lifestyle.
Even more importantly, during the process of recovery, these calories are used to heal you.
It might be difficult to start eating enough at first, but I encourage you to keep on trying.
Believe me, every struggle is more than worth it in the end.
Your friend and coach,
In strength,
Ali & Richard
We offer one-to-one online coaching for binge eating & bulimia.
Get matched with your coach here: https://bingecode.com/
