Recovery! :) Help??
ArtsyBrainz
Posts: 112 Member
Hi everyone, I’m recovering from an eating disorder and I decided to ask you guys for some advice. I was aiming to eat around 2000 some calories a day to gain 1/2 lb a week. I’m 5”1 Female and 80lbs ( yes I know I’m really low ). I want to get better and I use this app to help keep myself on track and making sure I eat enough in the day 
Lastly, if anyone knows of any good foods to eat to help gain some good weight that would be amazing! I also don’t exercise for obvious reasons. I’m usually very active at a healthy weight. Before anyone asks, I do not see any professionals till I get better. If anyone could help a girl out that would be amazing! Thanks!
Lastly, if anyone knows of any good foods to eat to help gain some good weight that would be amazing! I also don’t exercise for obvious reasons. I’m usually very active at a healthy weight. Before anyone asks, I do not see any professionals till I get better. If anyone could help a girl out that would be amazing! Thanks! 1
Replies
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Carbs are your best friend. Also take what you think is a normal portion and double it. For example. A normal amount of cereal is about a cup. Eat 2 cups. If that’s to hard try 1 1/2 cups. I have a different extreme of an eating disorder but my sister was anorexic and the tip of doubling helped her. Hope this helps!1
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So instead of seeking professional advice, you log onto a internet forum?
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No. I originally went and got professional help but they refused to treat me. That’s why I resorted to asking people who know well about nutrition to maybe at least help me or guide me in some sort of way. I’m pretty open to anything rn because I want to be healthy again.2
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ArtsyBrainz wrote: »Hi everyone, I’m recovering from an eating disorder and I decided to ask you guys for some advice. I was aiming to eat around 2000 some calories a day to gain 1/2 lb a week. I’m 5”1 Female and 80lbs ( yes I know I’m really low ). I want to get better and I use this app to help keep myself on track and making sure I eat enough in the day Lastly, if anyone knows of any good foods to eat to help gain some good weight that would be amazing! I also don’t exercise for obvious reasons. I’m usually very active at a healthy weight. Before anyone asks, I do not see any professionals till I get better. If anyone could help a girl out that would be amazing! Thanks!
May I ask why?
In general to gain, eat what you like but more of it. If certain foods trigger you to feel bad or want to restrict then you should avoid those in favor of foods that will help you stay on track and meet your calorie goal. Here is a post with a great list of calorie dense foods that you can eat in smaller portions while getting a higher number of calories. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p14 -
ArtsyBrainz wrote: »Hi everyone, I’m recovering from an eating disorder and I decided to ask you guys for some advice. I was aiming to eat around 2000 some calories a day to gain 1/2 lb a week. I’m 5”1 Female and 80lbs ( yes I know I’m really low ). I want to get better and I use this app to help keep myself on track and making sure I eat enough in the day Lastly, if anyone knows of any good foods to eat to help gain some good weight that would be amazing! I also don’t exercise for obvious reasons. I’m usually very active at a healthy weight. Before anyone asks, I do not see any professionals till I get better. If anyone could help a girl out that would be amazing! Thanks!
What? Why? The point of a professional is to help you get better.4 -
@soliver1999 : Thank you! I can definitely try to focus on the carbs more!
@puffbrat : Because of my weight being so low. They got scared but they didn’t want to be responsible. I’m trying to gain weight to maybe change their mind and show them that it’s okay to treat me again. If not I’m planning on finding new doctors which has been really hard considering where I live. Thank you for list!
@apullum : Yes, I know. I don’t know why they won’t take me back to treat me. I assume because of my low weight so I’m trying to ask around to find ways of gaining some weight so they feel more comfortable.
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ArtsyBrainz wrote: »Soliver: Thank you! I can definitely try to focus on the carbs more!
puffbrat: Because of my weight being so low. They got scared but they didn’t want to be responsible. I’m trying to gain weight to maybe change their mind and show them that it’s okay to treat me again. If not I’m planning on finding new doctors which has been really hard considering where I live.
apullum: Yes, I know. I don’t know why they won’t take me back to treat me. I assume because of my low weight so I’m trying to ask around to find ways of gaining some weight so they feel more comfortable.
What types of specialists are refusing to treat you? A general practitioner? A psychiatrist? A dietitian?2 -
I am glad that you are seeking help somewhere, even if it is here. Deciding to make a change is an important first step.
Before you suffered from your eating disorder, what did you like to eat? Trying to start to eat more of that would be a good first step. There are also a number of calorie dense foods, which are foods that have a lot of calories in them for the volume of food. Nuts, Peanut butter, avocados, full fat cheeses, salmon, oils, butter, cream, etc. Do not worry so much about if a food would be considered "unhealthy" or not. The healthiest thing for you is gaining weight, and you should do that with whatever food possible.
You have quite a bit of weight to gain, so if your body can handle it, you should aim for closer to a pound per week than half a pound. That could get you where you need to go sooner.
I wish you luck on your journey, and hope that MFP and this community can help you get healthy.
*I am not a medical professional and my advice should not be considered as such.5 -
I think it's great you have the mindset to get up to a healthy weight! Obviously most of us aren't professionals here (including me!).. So, I'll just give some tips that I used when I needed to bump up my calories. If you aren't eating often enough, maybe you could set timers to eat every 2 hours or so. That way you'll have reminders to eat and hopefully it'll become custom in the future. Try pre-logging your food in advance. It might be easier to stick to it if you've spent time planning your day and can see it laid out in front of you. You could also add more fattening things to your meals. It doesn't necessarily have to be more food. Just smaller amounts higher fat/higher calorie foods to increase your daily calories. You could add a nice amount peanut butter to your toast, eat whole milk yogurt, add mayo to your sandwiches, eat salads with dressing and cheese, cook in good amounts of oil/butter, etc. Nuts are a good low volume, high calorie snack. Snack on foods you like. Anyway, I hope everything goes well for you! : ]2
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@puffbrat : Doctors and dietitian. They work together.
@MikePTY : I’m glad you asked! Well, I used to eat whatever I wanted. I’d often have a chocolate bar and a entire bag of goldfish crackers or cheese it’s. I also used to drink a lot of chocolate milk & sweet tea. Even than my highest weight was 110lbs. I ate whatever I wanted back than... idk what happened. I guess I didn’t like how I looked & people were really pressuring me with it. I was also athletic so everyone expected you had to be fit. I was good up until one point and then I just drastically went downhill and the ED creeped in.. now it’s really hard including with so many negative influences and well the anorexia itself. By the unhealthy statement, does that mean I can eat anything I want & it wouldn’t do any negative to my body? I was told if I had to gain weight that I had to do it the healthy/right way or I’ll look horrible as a result. Which really scared me. Ive been eating a lot of peanut butter recently & bagels. The reason I said 1/2 lb is because I want to gain but I don’t want to freak myself out right away. I wanted to ease in at first. Get used to the gain.
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@DaintyWhisper : I eat every 3 hrs I have 3 meals and 2 snacks everyday. Thanks! I eat those foods already. I shall try and add more fats & carbs. How many calories do you think I should be eating? I was trying to stick to 2000. Since a runner eats that much and I’m sedentary ( for now until I’m healthier ). 0
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ArtsyBrainz wrote: »@puffbrat : Doctors and dietitian. They work together.
@MikePTY : I’m glad you asked! Well, I used to eat whatever I wanted. I’d often have a chocolate bar and a entire bag of goldfish crackers or cheese it’s. I also used to drink a lot of chocolate milk & sweet tea. Even than my highest weight was 110lbs. I ate whatever I wanted back than... idk what happened. I guess I didn’t like how I looked & people were really pressuring me with it. I was also athletic so everyone expected you had to be fit. I was good up until one point and then I just drastically went downhill and the ED creeped in.. now it’s really hard including with so many negative influences and well the anorexia itself. By the unhealthy statement, does that mean I can eat anything I want & it wouldn’t do any negative to my body? I was told if I had to gain weight that I had to do it the healthy/right way or I’ll look horrible as a result. Which really scared me. Ive been eating a lot of peanut butter recently & bagels. The reason I said 1/2 lb is because I want to gain but I don’t want to freak myself out right away. I wanted to ease in at first. Get used to the gain.
I understand wanting to go slow to ease yourself into it and not freak yourself out. That makes sense.
I think varied diet is important. That doesn't mean that you should just eat chocolate and crackers, but that you can have a wide range of food in your recovery. Here is a good article on that: https://www.verywellmind.com/food-variety-in-eating-disorder-recovery-4159544
I imagine at some point, doing exercise to help you rebuild some of your lost muscle will also be incorporated. However what exercise or when that is appropriate is not something I would feel comfortable recommending and really would need to be done while being overseen by a professional.
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Also, here are some eating disorder resources that MFP provides: https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources3
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OP...Speaking a someone who doesn't know a lot about EDs. Try to be careful about going to the opposite extremes...binging. Instead of just stuffing yourself with anything and everything try to plan out well balance higher calorie meals along with some healthy snacks. Select pasta dishes with higher calorie sauces. Snack on peanut butter and crackers. Add some avocados to some of your meals. Make sure that your meals taste good and that they include foods that you like. As you find foods that you like make your helpings a little larger.
I think gaining for you might be just as difficult for you as those who are trying to lose weight. Take your time...add to your food intake gradually in order to let your mind accept that your are now eating more.4 -
@MikePTY : Thank you! Yes I agree. I am going to wait to exercise after I get healthier in my weight
I’ll check out the links!
@Annie_01 : I am also afraid of that. However, I was told that I would never be a binge eater. I’ve always never enjoyed food that much. I always ate little mindlessly. I think rn it’s constant thought of food because of how malnourished and unhealthy I am right now. Plus, eventually when I get higher up I’m slowly going to introduce exercise so even if I did binge I would end up getting into shape and burning it off. I don’t eat in large amounts either. I eat till I’m satisfied. I eat throughout the day but that’s because I have to in order to get healthy again but it won’t be permanent. plus 3 meals & 2 snacks a day isn’t binging. In fact, I think most people eat this a day to lose, maintain or gain weight. It just seems a lot for me because I’ve always just ate very little but enough to keep myself healthy. Plus I’m very active person. Just not at the moment because of the ED. 0 -
ArtsyBrainz wrote: »@soliver1999 : Thank you! I can definitely try to focus on the carbs more!
@puffbrat : Because of my weight being so low. They got scared but they didn’t want to be responsible. I’m trying to gain weight to maybe change their mind and show them that it’s okay to treat me again. If not I’m planning on finding new doctors which has been really hard considering where I live. Thank you for list!
@apullum : Yes, I know. I don’t know why they won’t take me back to treat me. I assume because of my low weight so I’m trying to ask around to find ways of gaining some weight so they feel more comfortable.
If a medical professional is refusing to treat you, it would be important to know why. That could have a huge impact on safe and healthy courses of action for you. Did this happen with one treatment team, or have you tried multiple professionals and they all refused to treat you?7 -
@apullum It happened with 1 treatment team and my health care doctor. So 3 doctors total. The other one that is the second closest won’t take me because of the insurance. It’s complicated to explain. The treatment team told my heath care doctor not to treat me. That’s why my health care doctor doesn’t see me anymore and cancelled my appointments.0
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Another thing that may help is just getting into a better head space. My sister never did anything for herself. She told herself she didn’t deserve it. So my family and I would regularly take her to a spa or to get her nails done. Heck you could something as simple as getting up in the morning and writing 10 things you like about yourself. It’s incredibly hard at first but it will get easier. You just have to be willing to put the work in! Good luck on your journey and never give up on yourself, there are plenty of people around you that haven’t given up
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@soliver1999 Thanks! That sounds like something I can try as well! 0
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