Anorexia recovery: Calorie suggestions?

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  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    How to put this delicately. If you 'binged' kind of recently, your flabby belly as you put it might just be a 'full' belly? Give your system a few days to move things through. And don't mistake your uterus, intestines, or protective layers of skin for flab.
  • veggieshark
    veggieshark Posts: 153 Member
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    I'm not anorexia but the other end of the spectrum. Are their certain foods that cause you to binge? I have triggers so that's why I am asking. I am doing Paleo now because of my carb intolerance. I don't eat any grains or beans at all. I did 30 days of Paleo, and then I tried to add dairy and grains. I felt like crap and was depressed, plus ate out of control. Now I am back on track and I realize that there are certain foods that mess up my way of thinking.

    As far as counseling or a therapist try your local medical schools. Sometimes they have interns who will see you for free. Also a 12 step program might help you. If you get ahold of your local Over eaters Anonymous and ask them what you asked us. There are quite a few anorexia sufferers in that group. They might be able to help you change your body perception that you have about yourself to a healthy one. Add me if you would like :)
    Health foods are my trigger foods. Peanut butter, granola, bananas, raspberries, cereal, triscuits. Thank you for your insight, it helps. c:
  • veggieshark
    veggieshark Posts: 153 Member
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    This is your long-term health we're talking about here; it's not a waste of anyone's money. Heck, if I had the money for it myself, I'd offer to pay for you, deadset! It's very important that you have proper educated ongoing post-anorexia care, as even now there is a psychological side to your journey as well as the physical one.
    It's just that my dad's going through a divorce right now and is paying for so, so much. That's very sweet of you to say. I've had a psychologist in the past when I was at one of my peaks of anorexia but she refused to work with me anymore because I refused help...

    I know, I know, but this is one of those things that's just too important to feel guilty over. It's also not your fault you've gotten unwell and need some extra help. It doesn't have to be a psychologist, at this point a dietician with some background in anorexia recovery might be even more helpful. Are you in a position to work at the moment? If it makes you feel better, maybe you can just get a "loan" from your dad and pay him back as you're able to.
    I actually believe my school has a free counselor who specializes in self-harm and eating disorders (I'm trying to recover from both). I'd made an appointment to start seeing her but then I decided I wanted to recover on my own so I figured I'd better not waste her time when I'd figured out what I wanted to do. :/
  • LisaKunz
    LisaKunz Posts: 73 Member
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    I am 28 years "post" anorexic. Anorexia is a MENTAL illness; you NEED counseling to change your THOUGHTS behind your behaviors. I'm not sure if I can call my journey a success or not - I rationalized eating so well that I gained too much weight and that brought new health issues. I know I still have unhealthy thoughts about my eating, my body, my weight... I don't believe it's possible to get over it on your own, or even with a short-term counseling session. You can probably get yourself to a number on the scale that you can live with, but that doesn't mean your anorexia is gone. Look hard in your area for local resources. Even call the local high school and ask where they refer teens with anorexia. Maybe the county has dieticians. Maybe there's a Christian recovery center in your area that has a sliding fee scale. It's worth it. It's not about the calories or the number on the scale. It's about being healthy and being the beautiful woman God created you to be.
  • defyallodds
    defyallodds Posts: 21 Member
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    please see a nutritionist...especially with suffering from anorexia, it's a lot more complicated than just going on a very slow weight gain diet because it could lead to you not gaining enough weight, to you slipping back into the anorexia, to so many things. also, with anorexia it's about a lot more than just weight...so my vote is for you to see a nutritionist who has experience in eating disorders and/or therapist....
  • FlynnMacCallister
    FlynnMacCallister Posts: 172 Member
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    This is your long-term health we're talking about here; it's not a waste of anyone's money. Heck, if I had the money for it myself, I'd offer to pay for you, deadset! It's very important that you have proper educated ongoing post-anorexia care, as even now there is a psychological side to your journey as well as the physical one.
    It's just that my dad's going through a divorce right now and is paying for so, so much. That's very sweet of you to say. I've had a psychologist in the past when I was at one of my peaks of anorexia but she refused to work with me anymore because I refused help...

    I know, I know, but this is one of those things that's just too important to feel guilty over. It's also not your fault you've gotten unwell and need some extra help. It doesn't have to be a psychologist, at this point a dietician with some background in anorexia recovery might be even more helpful. Are you in a position to work at the moment? If it makes you feel better, maybe you can just get a "loan" from your dad and pay him back as you're able to.
    I actually believe my school has a free counselor who specializes in self-harm and eating disorders (I'm trying to recover from both). I'd made an appointment to start seeing her but then I decided I wanted to recover on my own so I figured I'd better not waste her time when I'd figured out what I wanted to do. :/

    You wouldn't be "wasting her time"; the best time to see a counsellor is once you've made up your mind, because they become a key part of your support team. I still think a dietician would be a good approach right now, but the counsellor could be just as good. Consellors and therapists are there to help you get things organised in your head, and to give you advice, support and encouragement to get to a healthier place.
  • chammich
    chammich Posts: 104 Member
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    Hi..the trigger foods that you listed are all high in carbs, except the peanut butter. Maybe there is a pattern? I can't eat anything high in carbs, even fruit. It sucks but it is what it is. Have you researched carb intolerance? Interesting stuff what carbs will do to the body.
  • queenbeejulie
    queenbeejulie Posts: 20 Member
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    I don't really have any advice, I just wanted to say I have been where you are, and know how hard it is, feel free to add me if you want to chat :)

    I have come to a place where I finally will choose health over weight, and I have to say, that physically, I feel fantastic having gained some weight. Emotionally it is tougher because I am not used to seeing myself this way, but I have realized that I love feeling healthy and not fainting/ getting tired/ getting stared at/ getting commented on how thin I am/ growing too much hair on my body because my body was trying so darn hard to heat itself/ all the other crap that comes along with an eating disorder. I still look in the mirror and know that I see a distorted and unrealistic image of myself, but knowing that helps me to try to see past that. I think about all the women in my life who I consider beautiful... my sister, my friends etc, and to be honest none of them are even close to the size 00 that I was... they are more like size 8's and 10's or more and they are beautiful inside and out. I strive to be like them, and to accept myself... I know you weren't looking for a lecture about recovery, but here I am.

    I think for now, take it a day at a time, try to learn to love yourself and value your health, eat as healthy as you can, and slowly increase your exercise. Get professional help if possible and if not, do everything in your power to just remain REASONABLE (meaning no extremes in either direction... binge-eating, starving, excessive exercise etc). Big hugs to you!
  • heyghoge
    heyghoge Posts: 153 Member
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    I actually believe my school has a free counselor who specializes in self-harm and eating disorders (I'm trying to recover from both). I'd made an appointment to start seeing her but then I decided I wanted to recover on my own so I figured I'd better not waste her time when I'd figured out what I wanted to do. :/

    please reconsider! she is a counselor. it is HER JOB to help other people, including yourself! you are in no way wasting her time, giving you help and support and advice is what she is trained to do. please don't take it the wrong way when i say that maybe relying on only yourself for recovery might not the best strategy, at this point -- it doesn't make you a less capable person or anything of the sort. it's totally ok to rely on other people to help you build a new structure to stand on, so to speak.

    be well. i hope things get better for you, EDs are tough.
  • Pifflesmom
    Pifflesmom Posts: 134 Member
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    This
    Any eating disorder is a mental disorder and in order to recover from it, one must understand the reasoning behind it. IMHO, you're going to need to change your mindset or you're going to have a very difficult time overcoming it - and that takes the help of a good and compassionate therapist. Speaking from my own experience from the other side of the fence, it wasn't until I realized WHY I felt the way about my body that I did, that I could truly go forward to make the changes.

    I wish you the very best in your journey.
    :flowerforyou:
    please see a nutritionist...especially with suffering from anorexia, it's a lot more complicated than just going on a very slow weight gain diet because it could lead to you not gaining enough weight, to you slipping back into the anorexia, to so many things. also, with anorexia it's about a lot more than just weight...so my vote is for you to see a nutritionist who has experience in eating disorders and/or therapist....
  • LuneBleu85
    LuneBleu85 Posts: 217
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    I read a book once while housesitting years ago for a psychologist called "Life without ED", it was such a great book. I have never suffered with an eating disorder but in my teens I was scouted as a model and struggled to try to lose more weight (I am 6 feet tall and was 125lbs at this time), it didn't work but it left me with feelings of failure and disappointment in myself and my body. Reading the book inspired some much healthier habits in me.
    I hope you find good support here! I think that counting your calories (even if your goal is a healthy amount) could be dangerous in the recovery progress. That's just my opinion. Best wishes to you on your recovery :flowerforyou:
  • juliesummers
    juliesummers Posts: 738 Member
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    bump to read later.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
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    What little advice I do have has already been said repeatidly in this thread so I just wanted to tell you that I understand how you feel. I know your struggles and I wanted to extend a sympathetic ***Virtual HUG*** to you because you need it. I really hope you either get help that works for you or learn to love yourself the way you are. 125 is tiny tiny tiny. Take care of yourself.
  • boggsmeister
    boggsmeister Posts: 292 Member
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    Just a thought. Maybe you could change your goal to gaining muscle weight. It may be that a completely different mind set is really what you need.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    I use to eat 500 to 1000 calories a day and some body builders eat about 800 calories a day to shred the last few ounces of body fat that they have. Obviously, low calorie diets are meant to be temporary. The general rule when you want to up your calories from a VLC-diet is to add about 100 calories per day until your body is use to it. So basically, add an extra 100 calories for a few days and then after those 3 days add another 100 calories to your diet. When adding calories, choose protein over carbs to help build and maintain muscle mass. Try it with all All whites, egg whites, since it's much easier to count the protein and fat content in them.
  • veggieshark
    veggieshark Posts: 153 Member
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    Gah, thank you all so much for being so supportive and helpful. I do think I can do this. I may return and seek help from a professional if I can and I'll definitely be trying to balance a higher calorie intake with good exercise, cardio, and strength training. I don't want it to be about the numbers anymore. I want good body image and health.

    Thank you all for the wishes. :blushing:
  • veggieshark
    veggieshark Posts: 153 Member
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    I use to eat 500 to 1000 calories a day and some body builders eat about 800 calories a day to shred the last few ounces of body fat that they have. Obviously, low calorie diets are meant to be temporary. The general rule when you want to up your calories from a VLC-diet is to add about 100 calories per day until your body is use to it. So basically, add an extra 100 calories for a few days and then after those 3 days add another 100 calories to your diet. When adding calories, choose protein over carbs to help build and maintain muscle mass. Try it with all All whites, egg whites, since it's much easier to count the protein and fat content in them.
    I totally agree with the adding calories every certain amount of days. I'm hoping someday I can work my way up to 1500 or so totally comfortably.
    I'm going to get some sleep now, I haven't slept properly in a week, thank you all again!
    Feel free to add me.
  • angielautenbach
    angielautenbach Posts: 119 Member
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    Everything I was going to say has already been said. I think that if you are detemined to do this on your own you can. People recover from drug addictions by themselves when they want to. My personal opinion would be to strength train and keep you calories at a min. of 1200 a day. Strength training will get rid of your "flabby belly". I wish you the best of luck. Dont give up, you are worth it.
  • Kenzietea2
    Kenzietea2 Posts: 1,132 Member
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    First off, it makes me glad to see someone who seems genuine in her quest to recovery! Congrats :)
    As others have stated, we are not professionals and it would be very beneficial to you to see a nutritionist and therapist in order to keep on the right track and know how many calories you need. If you don't have insurance and can't see a nutritionist, there are therapy centers that provide therapy (even ED specific) and base what they charge off of what you can pay. You can sometimes end up getting free therapy.

    And although this is probably a long ways away, lifting weights will make you leaner and appear thinner but still allow you to be at a healthy weight. When you get to that point, I highly recommend it.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    First of all, congratulations on caring about your health. That is a BIG step. Have you figured out why you are anorexic? That is an important part of recovery. YOU are worth it, please get help with this. It's too hard to do it alone and stay healthy.
    Recovered anorexic here, 23 years now. :) I finally decided to get help when I started having chest pains after eating as little as 300 calories a day for weeks. I had 2 little girls that I didn't want to leave behind. Because I had no control over things that happened/were happening in my life, I wanted to be in control of something, anything.. so when I started losing weight it made me want to lose more. I felt like I was in control but I wasn't.

    What I would suggest, like many others, is to see a nutritionist and TRUST them when they tell you how many calories you should have. Most health departments have one on staff that will help you for free.
    Eat at least your minimum calories, set honestly by you and MFP, and eat as many of your exercise calories as you can. I know it's hard but your body needs the minimum of 1200 calories to stay ALIVE. The extras from exercise will help you build muscle as you're working out and you'll get that 'toned' look that you want. And you know that when you're anorexic you have no muscle because you have starved yourself.
    Please please get help. You are worth it and you'll be happier after you know why you're doing it and have a different way to cope.
    Also, I'd like to add, calculate what you 'should' weigh and go for the bottom number at first. For example, if for your height you should be 130-160lbs, aim for the 130 to be healthy. You shouldn't be below that number.
    Good luck. <hugs>

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