Need Advice..recovering anorexic struggling with caloric intake..

xJennyfromtheBlockx

Pls dont judge me. Im a recovering anorexic and struggle with my caloric intake. I have a very hard time with food. I was hoping for some support on this as usually I keep it very private. I am in great shape, washboard stomach, nice muscle definition but I struggle with the calories and food. I basically eat to live not live to eat. Any tips or suggestions welcome.

lishie_rebooted

I'd talk to your treatment team about this

Sydking

Just eat the foods you like?

dense calories like peanut butter or cheese, avocado, Fatty meat cuts

macgurlnet

xJennyfromtheBlockx wrote: »

Pls dont judge me. Im a recovering anorexic and struggle with my caloric intake. I have a very hard time with food. I was hoping for some support on this as usually I keep it very private. I am in great shape, washboard stomach, nice muscle definition but I struggle with the calories and food. I basically eat to live not live to eat. Any tips or suggestions welcome.

You need to address the bolded bit and I agree that you should speak with your treatment team so they can help.

~Lyssa

missiontofitness

Seconding talking to your treatment team.

bbontheb

First, you are very brave coming out and talking about being in recovery. I think it's a great step. Second, I don't have experience with anorexia (quite the opposite-binging/compulsive eating) but obviously, if you do have any treating physicians/dieticians/psychologists-this should be a priority. The fact that you are coming on to MFP and talking about is amazing. You can do this. Don't hide it-talking about it is progress. Third, I'm not an expert nor professional but to make it easier I would find a breakfast you could eat every day, lunch you can rotate, and same with dinners. I couldn't have too much variety at first for myself focusing on healthier behaviours because it was too much to worry about, too many calculations, too many concerns. Find one thing that works, and do baby steps. Build on small bits! If you manage to find one snack that you are eating (even with anxiety) perhaps try to stick through it and try the same thing again the next day, and so on. Smallllll steps. Not sure if it would help but just an idea.

shaumom

My daughter has a disorder that causes her physical pain whenever she eats food - she eats to live right now, too, and struggles with getting enough food in. I can share what we do for her. You're just looking for the tips and tricks and things, to help get more food in, yes? :-)

First, we make up some snacks ahead of time, so she really doesn't have to stop what she's doing in order to eat. That helps make it seem less of a chore, you know?

We set up alarms for times for her to eat, and she just pauses, grabs a bag or tupperware with a snack, and can go back to what she was doing while eating, if possible.

She also saves up entertainment with movies, TV, or books and only does them when she's eating something. If she can't work on something while she eats, she'll watch or read one of these instead. This has worked well, because she can eat something but she doesn't have to think about it as much; she can be distracted while she does it.

I think that last is what has made a big difference. If you are eating to live, it always feels like there's just no reward for it, yes? Not a tangible one, as far as our brains are concerned, anyway. So eating while doing nothing else is a pain in the butt chore. We decided to view it the same way we viewed any other chore - find ways to make it more enjoyable, to distract you while you do it, or to make it go faster so it doesn't seem like such a chore. Sometimes, that's doing it with other people, but that hasn't worked as well for us.


Re: calories and food - that one is challenging for my daughter too, and one thing that has helped is to make sure and add something a bit higher in calories to the daily snacks - nuts are good for this, or nut butters, avocado, or meats. Grains, too. Beans a bit, but not quite as much. She takes vitamins when she's at this point, personally. And then when she is consistently getting more calories, a good amount, she tries to increase the volume of the food, so she can get more nutrients, fiber, and so on, too.


hope that might be of use?

Wishing you good luck, hon.

mbaker566

HI
thank you for being here and being honest. Work closely with your team as they want to see you healthy.
Be aware internet advice does not trump them

also you might fit in here. I don't know how active the group is but the goal of this group would be the redefinition of their relationship with food
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/101992-overeaters-anonymous
this group seems moderately active and might have people you can be friends with here that understand you better than those of us who have not gone thru what you have
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/726-binge-eating-support-group

xJennyfromtheBlockx

Thank you guys so much. I do stay in constant touch with my councilors. They basically say I need to work on my relationship with food. How do you do that when you have a hate, hate relationship with something. I am eating about 500 calories a daily but burning triple during workouts. I know muscle is next to go but its difficult to get down the calories. Thank you all for the support and caring advice.

xJennyfromtheBlockx

A very special thanks and appreciation to Shaumom and Bbon..thank you guys so very much for the inspiration. I am going to try hard to follow some of the advice given. It is a disorder that has consumed me for years and I don't want to fall into the same patterns and behaviors again. You have all been a wonderful support to me.

bbontheb

Anorexia is such poorly understood disorder. Any disordered thinking around food needs to be examined more deeply in society. People assume it's just about food or weight. I have the opposite-I see food and I get this mass rush of fear that someone might beat me to it, so I would hide it and hoard to eat all myself. I would snap at people touching my food. Like wtf?! It's anxiety and control issues. I'm working on trying to find a level of balance in my life. It's hard but I'm not looking too long term. Each day is a new chance to try something again or different.

We hear that we need to work on relationship with food but I'm curious what are the techniques, and practical tips that therapists say to help guide this development? It doesn't sound that easy.

Curious, do you have a garden or grow anything on your own (veggies, herbs)? Here they have "plant therapy" although I think it's called something else. People can volunteer to help grow veggies, work in greenhouse, etc. I wonder if something like that might help with connection with food at all or maybe that's totally off the mark.

missiontofitness

xJennyfromtheBlockx wrote: »

Thank you guys so much. I do stay in constant touch with my councilors. They basically say I need to work on my relationship with food. How do you do that when you have a hate, hate relationship with something. I am eating about 500 calories a daily but burning triple during workouts. I know muscle is next to go but its difficult to get down the calories. Thank you all for the support and caring advice.

This is something you need to talk to your care team about. Only eating 500 and then netting negative calories is not a healthy approach to recovery.

Speak with them about more calorically dense items you can fit in, and how you should approach exercise. Right now your body needs much more than 500 calories to repair itself.

xJennyfromtheBlockx

Bbon,
I agree with you. Society thinks Anorexia is about weight and or food but I've learned through in house treatment, that its all about control. Unfortunately, I was in a 10 year relationship that was mentally and physically abusive. He was a fitness junkie and no matter how thin or fit I became it was never enough for him. Being called fat or mushy for years lowered my self esteem and broke my spirit. I couldn't control the situation but I could control what went into my body. After I began losing the weight, I got that praise from him that I had craved for so long. Little did I realize it would take sacrificing my health and well being. People are dying from this disorder daily and I definitely do not want to fall into this category. Although, I am not an obsessive eater, I can relate to your feelings. Its so hard letting go..or bot letting go. I dread the beginning of my day because I know food will haunt my day. All the should I's and I can't s rule my every waking hour. I am trying to come to terms that eating is a necessity like missiontofitness says. My muscles cant heal from my vigorous workouts without protein and fuel..yet its my constant demon and my inner war. Thank you for the daily support. It helps me realize. .im not alone, and everyone strughles with food at one point or another whether its restricting or over eating..