Energy balance
Patients with anorexia nervosa require significantly higher caloric intake (70-100 kcal/kg/day) to achieve weight gain compared to healthy individuals, due to a hypermetabolic state and high diet-induced thermogenesis.
If you have anorexia nervosa, standard calorie counts will not work to restore your weight because your body burns energy excessively during recovery. You likely need to consume 70-100 calories per kilogram of body weight daily, starting lower and increasing gradually under medical supervision to avoid refeeding syndrome. This high intake is temporary and necessary to normalize your metabolism.
AN individuals appear to become hypermetabolic during weight restoration, such that they need an increased caloric intake to maintain a safe weight after recovery... caloric intake would need to be increased, in steps over time, to somewhere between 60 to 100 kcal/kg/day to show sustained weight gain.
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of literature (1960-2012) and clinical guidelines (APA, NICE), though specific RCTs are limited.
Source
Nutritional rehabilitation in anorexia nervosa: review of the literature and implications for treatment
Enrica Marzola et al. · BMC Psychiatry · 2013
DOI 10.1186/1471-244x-13-290
More from this paper
- Post-recovery weight maintenance in anorexia nervosa requires significantly higher caloric intake (50-60 kcal/kg/day) than healthy individuals (30 kcal/kg/day) for at least 3-6 months to prevent relapse.Good
- Restricting-type anorexia nervosa (R-AN) patients require more calories to gain weight than binge-purging-type (BP-AN) patients.Moderate
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