How to fix your metabolism after an eating disorder is something so many clients I work with want to know. If that is you, I want to stop you right here and let you know that you are not broken! There is a lot of fear and misinformation out there around it. So let’s clear it up.
Your metabolism is not permanently damaged. It will respond to changes in your energy intake, and that is actually a good thing. It proves your body is working exactly as it should. As you go through recovery, your metabolism will recover with you. In this post I’ll explain what happens to your metabolism during an eating disorder, how it changes as you restore weight, and share my practical tips for supporting your metabolism in eating disorder recovery.
What is Metabolism?
Before we look at how to fix your metabolism after an eating disorder, it helps to understand what metabolism actually is. Metabolism refers to all the biochemical processes that keep your body alive – converting food into energy, building and repairing tissues, and eliminating waste. It has three main components:
- RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) — around 60–70% of your energy needs. This is the energy your organs need every single day just to function: heart rate, blood sugar regulation, temperature, breathing, and sleeping. This alone can be well over 1,200kcals, (which is why a 1,200kcal diet makes no sense for most people.)
- TEF (Thermogenic Effect of Food) — around 10% of daily needs. The energy your body uses to digest and absorb food.
- Physical Activity (PA) — the remaining 20–30%, covering daily movement and exercise.
It’s crucial to understand that the part of your metabolism that uses the most energy is not your physical activity, it’s your organs. Body organs are 15-40 times more metabolically active than muscle and 50-100 times more metabolically active than fat. The main thing that affects your metabolism is not your exercise levels but your genetics and how consistently you are eating. So if you want to fix your metabolism, the key is to eat enough, and eat consistently.
How does your metabolism change during an eating disorder?
Your body wants you to survive and thrive. Which is a good thing! Thank goodness if has a survival mechanism built in. When you are undernourishing yourself, your body adapts to protect you. I like to describe it as going into low power mode — like switching your phone to battery saver. Your metabolic rate can decrease by as much as 50–70% during restriction. This can happen in anorexia nervosa and also during the restrict stage of a binge eating disorder.
Signs of a slowed metabolism include:
- Slower heart rate
- Feeling cold all the time
- Slower digestion (bloating, feeling fuller faster)
- Loss of menstrual cycle
All of these signs can be experienced with a low body weight or a normal body weight. Maybe you can notice some of them in your own body now. I want you to remember that weight is not always a determinant. Whilst being a lower body weight can play a role. weight is not always a good guide.
How does your metabolism change as you restore weight?
As you start to renourish, eat regularly and rest more the body starts to feel safer.That trust signals your metabolism to speed up, increasing your energy expenditure even at rest. Maybe you feel warmer, have more energy, have a period, all fabulous signs.
Your metabolic rate can actually double during recovery as your body heals and restores so many processes at once. This is why fixing your metabolism after an eating disorder means eating more than you might expect – possibly more than others around you. Extreme hunger, during recovery is real, recognised, and completely normal.
Hormones play a key role here too. During restriction, leptin (which regulates hunger and energy balance) decreases, and thyroid hormones (vital for metabolism) become suppressed. As you restore weight, leptin rises — normalising hunger cues and energy expenditure — and thyroid hormones stabilise, contributing to an increased metabolic rate. Ghrelin (the hunger hormone) also increases to support appetite during recovery.
When your body reaches its set point or healthy weight, things level out. Your metabolic rate moves to its optimal range and your body works better! So you see, these metabolic changes are fully reversible, you are not broken.
Will I overshoot my weight?
This is such a common concern and I understand why! So many of my clients are worried that they will end up in a larger body than they are able to tolerate. I always like to remind them that the aim of recovery is to get to a healthy place for your body.
The Minnesota starvation studies from the 1940s showed this clearly. Thirty-six men were placed in semi-starvation, their calories were halved, they had to walk for hours each day. Their BMR decreased by 40%. When they were renourished, their bodies needed significantly more energy than expected, and there was some weight overshoot… BUT IT NORMALISED within a few months as the body settled back to its set point.
Recovery is absolutely possible. Initial weight gain can sometimes centralise around the tummy area, this is the body protecting vital organs, and it is a sign things are working as they should. It can feel super uncomfortable and is often something I’m asked about in clinic. I want to be clear, this weight will redistribute. Studies on people recovering from anorexia show us this. Please be as kind to yourself as you can during this stage. Sometimes your body is still healing and it needs that extra energy, but is isn’t done yet.
If you want to hear more about this then I’d encourage you to tune into the podcast here.
How to Fix Your Metabolism After an Eating Disorder: The 4 R’s
Fixing your metabolism after an eating disorder takes time and consistency. Here are the four areas to focus on, I call them the 4 R’s:
1. Regular Meals and Snacks
Eat three meals and two to three snacks a day, going no longer than three to four hours between eating occasions. Your body needs routine to feel safe. Skipping meals or snacks works directly against metabolic recovery. Start the day strong – your metabolism is most active in the morning, so nourish yourself from the start and top up consistently throughout the day.
2. Renourishment
Eat enough, with a good mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates at each meal (bread, rice, pasta, grains, oats, potatoes) are particularly important for signalling safety to the body. Most people in eating disorder recovery will need more food than they expect – and that’s okay!!
Protein is also key: when the body is undernourished, it breaks down muscle to use as fuel. Standard portions of protein at each meal (eggs, Greek yoghurt, chicken, fish, tofu, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds) help protect and rebuild lean mass.
3. Restore Weight
As your weight restores, your resting metabolic rate increases ,because a larger body needs more energy to function. This is a positive sign of your metabolism coming back online. The body restores both fat and muscle together, and both are needed. Trust the process and your body’s capacity to heal.
4. Rest
Reduce exercise significantly during early recovery. Exercising whilst undernourished can compromise your metabolism further and delay healing. Prioritise sleep, warmth, and calming activities that support your nervous system: meditation, mindfulness, journalling, crafts, time in nature.
Restoring metabolism is not something that happens overnight. It takes time and work for your body to feel safe enough to restore function. So it is important to try and stick with the process. That is where having someone to guide and support you can make such a difference.
Practical Tips for Fixing Your Metabolism in Eating Disorder Recovery
Below are some top tips on how to restore your metabolism. Try to work on these consistently for a few months and you will start to feel the effects. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, these are all products I love).
- Eat enough (that’s 3 meals and 3 snacks a day). You can download my free meal planner guide here for more help with this.
- Eat regularly (going no longer than 3-4 hours between eating occasions). This can seem a lot but we need the body to feel safe and nourished.
- Eat carbohydrates at each meal (bread, rice, pasta, grains, oats, potatoes, crackers)
- Reduce your exercise (stick to short walks only, it’s just for now)
- Sleep and rest plenty.
- Stay warm (Think cosy blankets, these useful wrist warmers and layers of clothes. I also love these small heated blankets)
- Focus on calming activities to help the nervous system (meditation, mindfulness, journalling, crafts, being out in nature)
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What About Exercise?
Once you are further along in recovery and your healthcare team feels it is appropriate, physical activity can gradually be reintroduced. Strength-based movement (weights, resistance bands, Pilates, bodyweight exercises) can be particularly helpful for rebuilding lean mass over time.
But please, rest and nourishment come first. Movement can be a joyful part of life again, and it will be. Just not yet if your body is still in the early stages of healing.
You Are Not Broken
Knowing how to fix your metabolism after an eating disorder starts with understanding that your body hasn’t failed you, it has been protecting you. Your metabolism is not permanently damaged. Your body is resilient, adaptable, and capable of remarkable things. With consistent nourishment, rest, and the right support, your metabolism will recover, and so will you.
If you need support with this, you can book in for support with me here. I would love to help you on this journey.
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