Structured Meal Plans

dmz1983

I recently started working with a dietician that has me eating 6 times a day. This is to help me get back in touch with hunger/fullness signals and normalize eating patterns. I'm one month in and I'm still very much struggling. A little background-I am not a meal skipper (could be better about adding in snacks) and my hunger signals are not absent. I'm struggling eating first thing in the morning when I still feel full from eating before bed! Does anyone have experience with a plan like this? Does it ultimately bring you to an optimal place with tuning into your body?

apullum

If you (or your insurance) is paying an RD to help you, then I would ask that person to adjust the plan to meet your needs. Meal timing does not do anything to “optimize” your body. You should eat according to any medical needs you have, and then according to personal preference.

MelanieCN77

apullum wrote: »

If you (or your insurance) is paying an RD to help you, then I would ask that person to adjust the plan to meet your needs. Meal timing does not do anything to “optimize” your body. You should eat according to any medical needs you have, and then according to personal preference.

OP's query was about "tuning in" to her body's hunger signals and optimizing those, not the body per se.

I agree with going back to your treatment professionals and talking to them about it. If this is part of ED recovery, I'd be surprised if they didn't discourage you from this kind of forum.

corinasue1143

On my first meeting with my dietician,(maybe 10 years ago) she didn’t know me and I didn’t know her. She suggested I eat 6 times a day. I struggled, too. The next time I saw her, we talked, and we changed it to suit my needs better. I really don’t know if it helped or not. I didn’t know anything when I first went to her. Was surprised at a lot of things I learned, totally shocked at other things I learned. I learned a lot of things that I don’t know how or when that happened, but I’m glad it did. I am more aware of my hunger and what it does to me after seeing her, but I really don’t know why. All this to say I don’t know if it helped or not, but seeing how much she was helping me, I trusted her, and I am glad I did!

snickerscharlie

dmz1983 wrote: »

I recently started working with a dietician that has me eating 6 times a day. This is to help me get back in touch with hunger/fullness signals and normalize eating patterns. I'm one month in and I'm still very much struggling. A little background-I am not a meal skipper (could be better about adding in snacks) and my hunger signals are not absent. I'm struggling eating first thing in the morning when I still feel full from eating before bed! Does anyone have experience with a plan like this? Does it ultimately bring you to an optimal place with tuning into your body?

Is your goal to lose weight in this process? Have you been diagnosed with an eating disorder? Some additional details will help us give you more tailored advice.

Duck_Puddle

Eating every 4 hours was part of my BED treatment plan - for the same reasons (“learn” hunger/fullness and normalize eating patterns).

It did help me a great deal. I didn’t experience hunger/full signals quite right and eating at set intervals for a while really did help get that dialed in better.

I had some challenges with the 4 hour schedule (4 meals a day)-I honestly don’t know how much was because it was off kilter from what really is my normal hunger schedule and how much was because I just didn’t want to do it.

But I’m glad I stuck it out because it did help me get in touch with “normal”.

If you don’t have any issues with hunger/fullness or normal eating patterns-talk to your RD about a schedule that works with you. If you have any history of restriction/binges-you might not really know if your hunger/fullness cues are “normal” (I thought mine were....)