Research

Energy balance

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.

After reaching your goal weight, do not immediately drop your calories to 'normal' levels. Your body still burns energy at a higher rate. You likely need 50-60 calories per kilogram of body weight daily for at least 3-6 months to prevent rapid weight loss and relapse. This high intake will gradually decrease as your metabolism normalizes.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
the amount for weight maintenance is at least 50 to 60 kcal/kg/day for AN... caloric needs tend to normalize with time [18]... over the course of 3 to 6 months... showing a normalization of their metabolism (needing between 20 and 40 kcal/kg/day to maintain weight)
Enrica Marzola et al. · BMC Psychiatry · 2013

Why this rating

Based on longitudinal observations and review of metabolic studies.

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

narrative_reviewCited 175×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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