Recovered Eating Disorder Help...

duckykissy

I spent several of my teenage years avoiding meals and restricting food in order to lose weight. It didn't work and not entirely because I would have a cycle of not eating several meals and then eating several meals worth in a siting. I got over this, mostly. Several years ago I went crazy hard on the calorie counting and it was just awful to put it plainly.

Bringing me to the now- I've decided to start off 2018 healthier, starting with mental health. I've been seeing a therapist and he told me today that I am not to count calories at all. However, I am currently 100 kgs (220 lbs) and my gp reckons I should lose at least 30 kgs but probably closer to 40.

How do you set yourself up to lose weight without counting calories?

sytchequeen

just one idea - visual portion sizes. If you can see what a portion of protein / green veg / starch should look like on a plate (maybe draw on a paper plate), and stick to it you could control the amount eaten without looking at numbers?

edited to add: I appreciate you understand the pitfalls having an eating disorder, so only you will know if my idea has any merit...

LearningToFly13

sytchequeen wrote: »

just one idea - visual portion sizes. If you can see what a portion of protein / green veg / starch should look like on a plate (maybe draw on a paper plate), and stick to it you could control the amount eaten without looking at numbers?

edited to add: I appreciate you understand the pitfalls having an eating disorder, so only you will know if my idea has any merit...

This is a good idea. You can actually buy plates that have sections marked for each food group so you can eat a balanced meal but you dont overfill your plate. I can't remember what they're called. I'll go have a think and get back to you

LearningToFly13

Amazon sell them, they're called portion control plates

cshern

Thank you for opening this thread. As a fellow eating disorder affected person, this is encouraging for me to hear.

beemcbe

Although physiologically weight loss is tied to calories in versus calories out, it’s fully possible to lose weight without counting them.
Start reading or watching videos about carbs, proteins, and fats to learn when and how often to eat them. Incorporate lots of veggies into your diet, especially green ones because they have few calories but lots of fiber which helps keep you feeling full. Plus they are just good for you in general. A food journal may be a good idea. Document not just what you eat, but when and why. This will help you notice any patterns that may need to be broken (for example, I tend to head right to the kitchen when I come home from work not because I’m hungry, but because it’s a habit). Eat when you are hungry. Accept that some days you will be hungrier than others and that’s okay. The portion control plate may also be helpful.
Above all, as someone with a history of an eating disorder, it’s important for you to focus on not setting diet and exercise “rules” for yourself, in any way. As you probably know, it’s easy for those rules to become way too strict and out of control. That would be a good topic to take to your therapist. Stay open and honest with him/ her and get regular feedback about what you are doing and whether it is healthy.
Good luck!!

beemcbe

You might also consider having a consult with a dietician or nutritionist. Most people don’t know that a lot of chain grocery stores have then on staff and consults are cheap!

duckykissy

Thanks so much everyone! I'll look into portion control plates. I'm not sure if I can easily get m here, but I can always try using them as a guide for my own plates. I really think this portion control and the lack of exercise are my biggest problems. I also really like the idea of questioning what I eat - am I really hungry or just bored?

kommodevaran

Set reasonable boundaries, try to avoid strict rules. Eat 3 or 4 meals per day, and use "the plate model" - you can do it with real plates or just use your eyes - it's designed for dinner type meals, obviously - there's one for weightloss (1/2 vegs, 1/4 starch, 1/4 protein), one for maintenance (1/3 vegs, 1/3 starch, 1/3 protein), and one for weight gain or endurance athletes (1/4 vegs, 1/2 starch, 1/4 protein). If you do this, and use a normal size plate, and serve yourself once, and don't stack your food, and you eat just as sensibly for your other meals, you'll lose weight.

To make things easier for you, plan meals you look forward to eating, make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment ready in time, and sit down and enjoy your meal. Even if you don't "feel like" eating, if it's time to eat, you eat. After some time, you'll be hungry right before meals, full right after meals, and just empty the rest of the time.

Yes, you can ask yourself if you're hungry or bored. You are hungry if you want to eat some food, if just about any food sounds good, and if you haven't eaten for a long time. You are bored if you just want something nice tasting, easy to eat. But be prepared that the want to eat even if you know you're just bored, can be just as strong, if not stronger, than the need to eat when you're hungry, and your brain will do its best to convince you to eat even if you don't want to. There are two different systems in your brain, that have different goals - one "primitive" part that is there to keep you alive, and one "modern" that knows about the recent and overwhelming food abundance. It can be difficult to silence the primitive part. Your best "defense" is good habits for eating, sleeping, exercise, stress management and self-love.

Psychgrrl

duckykissy wrote: »

Thanks so much everyone! I'll look into portion control plates. I'm not sure if I can easily get m here, but I can always try using them as a guide for my own plates. I really think this portion control and the lack of exercise are my biggest problems. I also really like the idea of questioning what I eat - am I really hungry or just bored?

If you’re not used to exercising, start gently. Just walk. Around the block, down the street and back. I provide endless entertainment to my apartment complex by walking laps around it while watching TV. And one cannot watch The Walking Dead without reacting. Just try and get moving a little more. It doesn’t have to be “exercise,” just getting your body going.