How many grams of fat for eating disorder recovery?
tryingharder123
Posts: 17 Member
Im 5'5 105 lbs taking in 2100 calories, I read people who are underweight call for more fat, im taking in Fat 108, cholesterol 584, sodium 2782, carbs 202, fiber 22, sugar 42, protein 103... im worried as i dont want to be taking in too much to do harm, but i know that fat is essential in repair. so how many grams is suggested? i cant find anything on it, I do see a dietitian and asked about it she seemed to say this was ok. my cholesterol is 584 daily intake because my 2 eggs equal 430... is this ok? most of my fat comes from dairy, milk, cheese, eggs. the rest comes from peanut butter, sunflower seeds. i have a lower blood pressure so im not to worried about sodium intake.. maybe i should even up that? i feel weak and my blood pressure hangs around 90/60.
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Replies
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Honestly, these question are too technical and specific for you to rely on random internet people for answers. You should take them up with your health care team.
In general--
ordinary levels of salt won't hurt you if you do not already have kidney or heart disease.
adding fiber is more effective as a first step to lowering cholesterol, than is tracking cholesterol intake.
if you get your proteins from cows, pigs, and chickens grown the standard ways in the US, you will get enough total fat in your diet if you get enough total protein in your diet.
In addition to total fat, you'd have to look up the minimum daily requirement for omega-3 fatty acids, which come from fish and vegetable fats, and be sure you eat at least that amount.
vitamin supplements may or may not help, but if you take an ordinary 1 a day type vitamin (and aren't allergic to any of its ingredients), they won't hurt you either because your body can dump any excess vitamin at those levels. So you may as well take one.
Be wary of taking megadoses of any single vitamin or mineral, unless prescribed by your doc (eg: niacin for some forms of high cholesterol). Some vitamins compete for absorption with others and so you can create problems if you go way over target on a single item.0 -
That calorie amount seems low for someone in recovery. At inpatient clinics they put small, petite girls on 3000+ calorie diets. Additionally, the bigger evil is this: Part of recovery means trying to get away from micromanaging your intake the way you are right now. You may not be doing your BODY harm, but you're still giving into the mental drive the ED is pushing you towards by micromanaging your food intake. By resorting to this tactic you are setting yourself up for inevitable relapse.0
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^^ yes, what she said. Too technical for internet. Ask your medical team.
I say this from a place of love and since I've been through this myself as a teen and young woman. Please stop obsessing over the numbers. It does not help in your recovery process.
Eat a varied, healthy diet from all food groups (minus allergies) with zero restrictions, and recover, because that is what is important, not the numbers.0 -
I think you're overthinking this a bit. Your intake and macros sound fine. Follow the caloric intake guidelines of your doctor and eat reasonably balance macros and you will be fine.0
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I think you're overthinking this a bit. Your intake and macros sound fine. Follow the caloric intake guidelines of your doctor and eat reasonably balance macros and you will be fine.
Yes, listen to this guy about following your doctor's advice. But not about the macros portion. You shouldn't be monitoring or worrying about macros or anything pertaining to the numbers. By logging the numbers you are succumbing to the psychological mechanic that drives the ED, that sense of restriction & deprivation via extreme control.0 -
Im 5'5 105 lbs taking in 2100 calories, I read people who are underweight call for more fat, im taking in Fat 108, cholesterol 584, sodium 2782, carbs 202, fiber 22, sugar 42, protein 103... im worried as i dont want to be taking in too much to do harm, but i know that fat is essential in repair. so how many grams is suggested? i cant find anything on it, I do see a dietitian and asked about it she seemed to say this was ok. my cholesterol is 584 daily intake because my 2 eggs equal 430... is this ok? most of my fat comes from dairy, milk, cheese, eggs. the rest comes from peanut butter, sunflower seeds. i have a lower blood pressure so im not to worried about sodium intake.. maybe i should even up that? i feel weak and my blood pressure hangs around 90/60.
I think your worrying after you've been told by the dietician that this is OK might be your ED talking. Can you journal your worries to bring up at your next appointment with whomever you see for that condition specifically?
This way you can have kind of a place to draw notes from for talking points for your next meeting. There is a "notes" section of your food diary. If you skimmed through that weekly prior to any ED specific meetings/appointments you'd have a ready list of most often worrisome thoughts to work through if talk is any kind of therapy in your recovery.
Also, good news bad news: I've never had an ED. This is bad news because I can't offer specific tips. This is good news because I have no triggers or issues accepting someone recovering onto my FL. As long as you are not pro ED I can handle any recovering people on my FL who are at any stage in their recovery. I feel safe to do so. I have several recovering or recovered people on my list and they've been there awhile so I guess they like it so you are welcome to FR me and let me know if you'd like me to introduce you once you are there.
:flowerforyou:0 -
Im 5'5 105 lbs taking in 2100 calories, I read people who are underweight call for more fat, im taking in Fat 108, cholesterol 584, sodium 2782, carbs 202, fiber 22, sugar 42, protein 103... im worried as i dont want to be taking in too much to do harm, but i know that fat is essential in repair. so how many grams is suggested? i cant find anything on it, I do see a dietitian and asked about it she seemed to say this was ok. my cholesterol is 584 daily intake because my 2 eggs equal 430... is this ok? most of my fat comes from dairy, milk, cheese, eggs. the rest comes from peanut butter, sunflower seeds. i have a lower blood pressure so im not to worried about sodium intake.. maybe i should even up that? i feel weak and my blood pressure hangs around 90/60.
I think your worrying after you've been told by the dietician that this is OK might be your ED talking. Can you journal your worries to bring up at your next appointment with whomever you see for that condition specifically?
This way you can have kind of a place to draw notes from for talking points for your next meeting. There is a "notes" section of your food diary. If you skimmed through that weekly prior to any ED specific meetings/appointments you'd have a ready list of most often worrisome thoughts to work through if talk is any kind of therapy in your recovery.
Also, good news bad news: I've never had an ED. This is bad news because I can't offer specific tips. This is good news because I have no triggers or issues accepting someone recovering onto my FL. As long as you are not pro ED I can handle any recovering people on my FL who are at any stage in their recovery. I feel safe to do so. I have several recovering or recovered people on my list and they've been there awhile so I guess they like it so you are welcome to FR me and let me know if you'd like me to introduce you once you are there.
:flowerforyou:
Great post.0 -
Thankyou everyone! my eating disorder was unintentional brought on by stress and being too po'd at the world and life situations to have an appetite lol. The only ways in which i restrict is by fear of my blood sugar going low if i get the wrong combination of foods in one sitting. I am sure the lows are due to me being under weight, of course i have cravings, oatmeal cream pies etc.. but i havent gave in because of my low blood sugar issue.. i tend to run mid 60's upper 70's and feel uncomfortable there even if i eat every 2 hours by 2 hour mark i drop and 1 hour after eating the highest i'll get is 90 somethin. im hoping when i increase caloric intake again that these lows will go away for good!
There is anxiety at the base of my worrying about macros, its not for restriction purposes i actually track to make sure i hit my caloric intake or i go under, the reason i worry about macros is because i have health anxiety and fears of following in my dads foot steps and getting a massive heart attack. lame and irrational i know. but everyones got somethin right.
I agree that 3000 may be where i'll end up at, i was told my minimums are 1500 just for basic body function, breathing, keeping my heart beating, lying in bed doing absolutely nothing. 1900 was the very least i should have thats enough for daily activities ( bathroom, eating, etc) without exercise. 2400 is what i need to gain, im working on adjusting my diet to fit more stuff in! 3000 + is what i believe to be needed for tissue repairs etc. luckily i havent been underweight for to long borderline with a bmi of 18.5 but last 4 months at bmi 17. its frustrating as like i said it was unintentional.0 -
Thankyou everyone! my eating disorder was unintentional brought on by stress and being too po'd at the world and life situations to have an appetite lol. The only ways in which i restrict is by fear of my blood sugar going low if i get the wrong combination of foods in one sitting. I am sure the lows are due to me being under weight, of course i have cravings, oatmeal cream pies etc.. but i havent gave in because of my low blood sugar issue.. i tend to run mid 60's upper 70's and feel uncomfortable there even if i eat every 2 hours by 2 hour mark i drop and 1 hour after eating the highest i'll get is 90 somethin. im hoping when i increase caloric intake again that these lows will go away for good!
There is anxiety at the base of my worrying about macros, its not for restriction purposes i actually track to make sure i hit my caloric intake or i go under, the reason i worry about macros is because i have health anxiety and fears of following in my dads foot steps and getting a massive heart attack. lame and irrational i know. but everyones got somethin right.
I agree that 3000 may be where i'll end up at, i was told my minimums are 1500 just for basic body function, breathing, keeping my heart beating, lying in bed doing absolutely nothing. 1900 was the very least i should have thats enough for daily activities ( bathroom, eating, etc) without exercise. 2400 is what i need to gain, im working on adjusting my diet to fit more stuff in! 3000 + is what i believe to be needed for tissue repairs etc. luckily i havent been underweight for to long borderline with a bmi of 18.5 but last 4 months at bmi 17. its frustrating as like i said it was unintentional.
Hey there. I've been there.
Are you working with a therapist to help you sort this out? Eating disorders are control disorders and it sounds like you have anxiety issues that cause you to seek control (the way you treat your macros). This isn't lame, BTW, it's completely normal for ED patients. I would strongly suggest you work with someone who can help you with the root of your anxiety, which will help alleviate some of the pressure you feel around food, which will aid your recovery.
Best of luck to you.0 -
You definitely need to talk to your doctor, not a fitness forum.0
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I am definitely not pro ed. i joined a support group and it breaks my heart that people actually restrict intentionally. or think they are ugly, or fat, disgusting etc. it really really tears me up. I am someone who wants to gain. I believe all shapes and sizes are beautiful and i dont care what weight i end up at as long as my mind and body is healthy! My ocd had me in such a stressful place that I lost my appetite, when i noticed the weight fall of i tried eating anything and everything but was only able to hit a max of 1500 cals a day that was when we realized i had a problem, i wasnt restricting but my appetite was so suppressed by stress that eating became a chore as i didnt want food. Then came vertigo as i was trying to eat anything and everything i started to get weak legs spells and feeling faint. I still get this but i believe its slowly getting better, my body was trying to tell me "hey eat something now or i will make you feel bad to where you have to" sort of thing.. i believe this is my body's way of telling me 1500 cals was not enough and that it had enough of my stress and poor eating habits. I am hopeful that this "noise" my body is creating will stop. im 24 i have so much more to look forward to then having to be sedentary due to being weak all the time. food is healing and im trying to stay positive and believe eating will work lol. when i walked into the docs office they were sure i had a ed.. i looked at them like "really, how, i do??" i guess its called atypical ed when you undereat and have the weight of a anorexic even if theres no purposely restricting.
Thankyou so much for being so supportive, you guys are all great, and i'll definitely send ya a request! I figured i would kinda tell my story, put it out there, that way if anyone else is going through similar they can reach out. my case wasnt the typical ed. but i do have fears around foods because of what the caloric deficiency has done to my body (low blood pressure, blood sugar) its more of a "what can i eat" to not drop low then a "i dont want to eat"0 -
I definitely have anxiety, I'm actually meeting with my doc next week to discuss therapy options. I am in therapy with a regular counselor but i need a psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders. my therapist is great but talk therapy isnt good enough for me anymore. i need some cbt to work through my fears.
My anxiety around my blood sugars is im afraid of how low i'll drop, so i guess thats where the control and worry with food comes in. a 64 made me feel awful but i need to get the concept that i dont have diabetes my body will raise the levels when they get low no matter how bad it feels. of course the anxiety part of me says.. its going to drop so low im gonna faint or have a siezure.. IF i eat the wrong food combination.. sugar. but i crave sugar all the time, maybe its lack of causing my lows lol. wouldnt that be somethin.0 -
That calorie amount seems low for someone in recovery. At inpatient clinics they put small, petite girls on 3000+ calorie diets. Additionally, the bigger evil is this: Part of recovery means trying to get away from micromanaging your intake the way you are right now. You may not be doing your BODY harm, but you're still giving into the mental drive the ED is pushing you towards by micromanaging your food intake. By resorting to this tactic you are setting yourself up for inevitable relapse.
Yes. This EXACTLY. I'm in recovery from both anorexia and binge eating disorder (I'm an all-or-nothing gal!), and I was almost three years in before I could even consider coming to MFP without the calorie countering triggering me into anorexia. Are you attempting recovery by yourself, or are you following the advice of a professional trained in eating disorder recovery? If you're trying to do it by yourself, I strongly suggest you get help from a therapist or registered dietitian with extensive experience dealing with eating disorders. Otherwise, you will get in your own way.
Friend me if you'd like. I've been there.0 -
I definitely have anxiety, I'm actually meeting with my doc next week to discuss therapy options. I am in therapy with a regular counselor but i need a psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders. my therapist is great but talk therapy isnt good enough for me anymore. i need some cbt to work through my fears.
My anxiety around my blood sugars is im afraid of how low i'll drop, so i guess thats where the control and worry with food comes in. a 64 made me feel awful but i need to get the concept that i dont have diabetes my body will raise the levels when they get low no matter how bad it feels. of course the anxiety part of me says.. its going to drop so low im gonna faint or have a siezure.. IF i eat the wrong food combination.. sugar. but i crave sugar all the time, maybe its lack of causing my lows lol. wouldnt that be somethin.
Yes, good. You definitely need to work through your food anxiety and a professional can help you. And, your life will be so much better once you've conquered it.0 -
need to get the concept that i dont have diabetes my body will raise the levels when they get low no matter how bad it feels. of course the anxiety part of me says.. its going to drop so low im gonna faint or have a siezure.. IF i eat the wrong food combination.. sugar. but i crave sugar all the time, maybe its lack of causing my lows lol. wouldnt that be somethin.
I'm confused by this part. If you eat sugar, it causes your blood sugar to DROP? Can you explain the mechanics? Or are you talking about the "sugar crash" you get if you eat the wrong types of sugar?0 -
That calorie amount seems low for someone in recovery. At inpatient clinics they put small, petite girls on 3000+ calorie diets. Additionally, the bigger evil is this: Part of recovery means trying to get away from micromanaging your intake the way you are right now. You may not be doing your BODY harm, but you're still giving into the mental drive the ED is pushing you towards by micromanaging your food intake. By resorting to this tactic you are setting yourself up for inevitable relapse.
Yes. This EXACTLY. I'm in recovery from both anorexia and binge eating disorder (I'm an all-or-nothing gal!), and I was almost three years in before I could even consider coming to MFP without the calorie countering triggering me into anorexia. Are you attempting recovery by yourself, or are you following the advice of a professional trained in eating disorder recovery? If you're trying to do it by yourself, I strongly suggest you get help from a therapist or registered dietitian with extensive experience dealing with eating disorders. Otherwise, you will get in your own way.
Friend me if you'd like. I've been there.
This, too. I couldn't have counted calories when I was in my initial recovery. It would have triggered my ED. No one even discussed calorie counts with me - they just wanted me to eat.0 -
need to get the concept that i dont have diabetes my body will raise the levels when they get low no matter how bad it feels. of course the anxiety part of me says.. its going to drop so low im gonna faint or have a siezure.. IF i eat the wrong food combination.. sugar. but i crave sugar all the time, maybe its lack of causing my lows lol. wouldnt that be somethin.
I'm confused by this part. If you eat sugar, it causes your blood sugar to DROP? Can you explain the mechanics? Or are you talking about the "sugar crash" you get if you eat the wrong types of sugar?
I was told its from being calorie deficient and that its NOT reactive hypoglycemia, but i feel that it is indeed that because i will start with a blood sugar of 80, eat my 1/2 cup of ice cream add peanut butter in it to soften the blow lol rise to 97-104 at 1 hour after and drop to 72 at 2 hours after. im not sure what exactly is happening, but doc reassured me it wasnt any type of diabetes and that those numbers are still within normal range that below 60 is true hypoglycemia. and dietitian used the term "starvation hypoglycemia" but i FEEL hypoglycemia at 70's-60's but i also have a lower blood pressure and know those symptoms can mimic low bs. so without checking my bp while its happening im not exactly sure. i can be at a 85-90 blood sugar and feel these weak in legs/faint symptoms0 -
I think your worrying after you've been told by the dietician that this is OK might be your ED talking. Can you journal your worries to bring up at your next appointment with whomever you see for that condition specifically?
This way you can have kind of a place to draw notes from for talking points for your next meeting. There is a "notes" section of your food diary. If you skimmed through that weekly prior to any ED specific meetings/appointments you'd have a ready list of most often worrisome thoughts to work through if talk is any kind of therapy in your recovery.
Great advise. You can also print your food diary with notes so you can take the whole thing with you to the nutritionist.
Why are you checking blood sugar if you've been told you aren't diabetic? I found that once I quit eating a lot of processed sugar and ate fruit instead, I craved sugar less. Stick to the routine the experts gave you and give it a chance to work.0 -
Honey MFP isn't the place for you right now. It's helping fuel this obsession with your intake.
The poster above brought up a great point- why are you monitoring your blood sugar if you don't have diabetes? That is disordered.
It's also normal for your blood sugar to dip after eating sugar, that's how your body works but because of your disorder right now nothing anyone says is going to get through because you believe you have reactive hypoglycemia- you don't, you've been told by a medical professional you don't but your eating disordered side is hanging onto that because they you have an "excuse" to obsessively track something.
Is your dietitian trained in eating disorders? That's really important. If they are that's doubly good and an extra reason why you really need to speak to them about these things not us. I'm sure a lot of us could support you with the emotional side of it all though- I've been where you are- it does get better but you've got to let go of the counting and it's so damn hard and your mind screams at you with so many "reasons" why you have to count, why it's good to count but it's lying to you. But again there's a lot of eating disorder recovery sites out there that might be a better support group rather than a site focused on counting and nutrition right now.0 -
Honey MFP isn't the place for you right now. It's helping fuel this obsession with your intake.
The poster above brought up a great point- why are you monitoring your blood sugar if you don't have diabetes? That is disordered.
It's also normal for your blood sugar to dip after eating sugar, that's how your body works but because of your disorder right now nothing anyone says is going to get through because you believe you have reactive hypoglycemia- you don't, you've been told by a medical professional you don't but your eating disordered side is hanging onto that because they you have an "excuse" to obsessively track something.
Is your dietitian trained in eating disorders? That's really important. If they are that's doubly good and an extra reason why you really need to speak to them about these things not us. I'm sure a lot of us could support you with the emotional side of it all though- I've been where you are- it does get better but you've got to let go of the counting and it's so damn hard and your mind screams at you with so many "reasons" why you have to count, why it's good to count but it's lying to you. But again there's a lot of eating disorder recovery sites out there that might be a better support group rather than a site focused on counting and nutrition right now.
Thankyou, all of you are right. it is hard. I check because i have dropped to 64 and once i seen that, that instilled the fear in me that i will drop lower because of the symptoms i get. I am seeing a dietitian who specializes in diabetes and eating disorders i got pretty lucky there. met with he once so far hoping to come up with more meal ideas at next appointment ( im sure we will) . i can relate completely to the mind screaming at me with reasons of why i have to check, so many "what ifs" what if i dont check and am not aware my bs is low and that i need to eat.. ugh wish i could just trust my instincts to know when to eat lol0 -
You need a doctor's appointment grams for that
I'm sorry for sounding harsh but I really hate seeing someone get some broscience advice when it comes to their health. It's been done too much and its not worth it. Go see your doctor, if you have more concerns ask him but I wouldn't ask here because one post might just convince you of the wrong thing to do.0 -
need to get the concept that i dont have diabetes my body will raise the levels when they get low no matter how bad it feels. of course the anxiety part of me says.. its going to drop so low im gonna faint or have a siezure.. IF i eat the wrong food combination.. sugar. but i crave sugar all the time, maybe its lack of causing my lows lol. wouldnt that be somethin.
I'm confused by this part. If you eat sugar, it causes your blood sugar to DROP? Can you explain the mechanics? Or are you talking about the "sugar crash" you get if you eat the wrong types of sugar?
I was told its from being calorie deficient and that its NOT reactive hypoglycemia, but i feel that it is indeed that because i will start with a blood sugar of 80, eat my 1/2 cup of ice cream add peanut butter in it to soften the blow lol rise to 97-104 at 1 hour after and drop to 72 at 2 hours after. im not sure what exactly is happening, but doc reassured me it wasnt any type of diabetes and that those numbers are still within normal range that below 60 is true hypoglycemia. and dietitian used the term "starvation hypoglycemia" but i FEEL hypoglycemia at 70's-60's but i also have a lower blood pressure and know those symptoms can mimic low bs. so without checking my bp while its happening im not exactly sure. i can be at a 85-90 blood sugar and feel these weak in legs/faint symptoms
Are you sure that isn't from panic?0 -
sounds like your eating all the right things, i would increase your cals by a couple of hundred thou. I think a big part of eating disorders is over analyzing what you eat, how much and calories ect, since your in recovery you should probably try to not over think all the specifics too much, just try to eat more of what you enjoy eating.0
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