For Harriet Brown's daughter, the calorie counting that accompanied her eating disorder didn't stop with recovery. On the contrary, she found herself having to track her intake just as diligently as ever in order to re-gain and maintain a healthy weight.

"Like many recovering anorexics, Kitty has a fast metabolism that seems to burn calories at a higher than usual rate. So she needs to eat more than the average teenage girl to maintain her weight, and she will probably need to do this for years to come."

One of the challenges of recovering from an eating disorder is that the patient often has to break every food-related rule he or she established. Fruits and vegetables are good, but so are ice cream, potato chips, and other calorie-dense foods. Given that we live in a society that has clearly defined which foods are "good" or "bad", it can be a difficult shift to make, and parental support is vital.

Aspen Ranch, a residential treatment program in Utah, offers an equine therapy program that helps troubled teens work through their negative emotions and behaviors.

Labels: calorie_restriction, healthy_eating, nutrition