For an eating disorder sufferer to ask for options on my diet?

[Wanderlust81]

Ok I'm trying to improve my health and relationship with good. If I post my typical day on here wibu to ask for your honest opinions on it? I can't ask people in real life as I just get the age old response about "you don't eat enough" and I'm tired of it as I am trying but it's difficult!

Breakfast - "fuel" protein porridge pot. Protein yogurt drink. Coffee.

Lunch - cod in parsley sauce with quinoa and brown rice. Fibre one brownie.

Dinner - protein wholewheat wrap with quorn chicken, onion and peppers. 75g oven chips.

Personally I can't see how this example could be seen as unhealthy but the professions have again given me the whole "eyebrow raise" reaction and I'm just getting fed up now.

It's hard to work out exactly portion sizes. It looks ok to me, but are you losing weight/not gaining if you're meant to be?

I'm in recovery but I'd say that was a decent diet. Obviously if your portion sizes on it all are tiny or your running 10 miles a day then it's less good. However, for someone moderately active I'd say that was fine.

Could you add some fruit in the day and maybe salad with your wrap?

How about small portion of nuts?

MN posters mostly have extreme attitudes towards food and many seem to have miniscule appetites, so it won't be a rounded response.

What exactly has been said by the Professionals?

A bit light on veg. 75g of oven chips is a small portion - does this reflect your overall portion sizing?

I'm no expert but I'd say that you don't seem to have your five a day. It's not clear how much protein in terms of weight there is but it looks like more than you need. There's a calculation you can do on how much protein for your weight but people usually eat too much. Also do you have enough starchy food for energy? How do you feel energy wise?

It looks great to me, maybe try and include a bit more fruit?

That doesn't look like a lot, probably what I'd eat to try and lose a couple of pounds. Need more veg+a snack

I'm recovering but still a bit iffy in some areas. I won't eat breakfast, i'll have a snack of some pomegranate seeds around 11. Lunch i'll have salad or half a sandwich. Dinner I have usually a piece of chicken or something, a few oven chips and half a bag of steam veg. What you're eating sounds sufficient to me. You could maybe try introducing some healthy snacks? Some fruit maybe?

It isn't possible to tell if this is 'enough' by looking at the list. That is a question about portion size.

If you are losing weight, and don't need to -it is not enough
If you are gaining weight and don't need to - it is too much

The food looks ok - though you are choosing the same foods that someone trying to lose weight would select (because they fill you up but have few calories.)

Are you eating enough 'good' fats? You might not be - from the list above. ( If your skin/hair tend to be dry - you probably aren't.)

If you want to add more good things:
'oily' fish (salmon - mackerel etc.)
nuts
fruit
healthy oils (uncooked) - drizzled on good food.

It's fine if those are generous portion sizes - big portion of rice, 2 cod steaks, loads of veg

I suspect they're not if you're weighing out 75g of fries

Is it just me, or is it bad taste to ask for people with eating disorders to comment? This could be very triggering.

Who weighs chips?
Tbh you're taking the right steps in actually eating meals but don't forget that a great deal of recovery is also mental - are you under the care of specialists?

I find this a really insensitive thread..

The Fuel pot, protein drink and diet brownie seem symptomatic of a food obsession with good vs. bad foods, in the context of someone with an ED.

I would hazard a guess that 75g of oven chips is not many, and the fact you measure exactly 75g is not a good sign either.

I would advise you to engage with the professionals, as they have your best interests at heart, rather than trying to rationalise your eating by getting feedback from strangers online.

It strikes me that you're choosing 'faddy', diet related type foods (the protein porridge, protein wrap and fibre one brownie). Normal porridge with a handful of nuts/dried fruit might be better for breakfast? Lunch sounds ok but maybe add a yoghurt as a bit of extra protein? Dinner sounds a bit light, I'd consider using actual chicken (unless you're veggie obviously!) and maybe increasing the number and type of vegetables you're eating.

Also agree with @alpacasandwich re seeking professional advice.

I read this as the OP suffered from an ED not that they were asking ED sufferers to respond?

Bum "Faddy" is a good word - that's what I was struggling to articulate in my post!

It reminds me of ED habits like eating zero calorie jellies and the lowest calorie chocolate bars instead of actual food. The whole "processed diet food" genre. From experience, there are the junk food anorexics and then the ortho-anorexics; the former don't care what they get as long as it's within calorie limits, the other are obsessed with green juices and things but still restrict severely.

Op is recovering from an ED she isn't asking for ED sufferers to comment.

Honestly op that's the kind of intake I have when trying to lose weight so I can see why professionals are raising eyebrows. You need to be getting some more fats and sugars in you - more fruit and veg.

Fruit and veg?

Without knowing quantities is impossible to know if it is enough. For balance it sounds quite high in protein and lie in fruit and veg, possibly also loss in essential fatty acids.

You are doing really well to be in recovery and eating three meals a day. However they do seem to be low fat high fibre small meals. A portion of oven chips should be about 100g. I dont want to give advice on what to do but i think you ought to speak to those in charge of your care and see what they suggest.

My daughter is in ED recovery. She has RAN. From the start of her treatment she has had to eat six times a day, partly to keep her blood sugar levels stable, and partly to enable her to eat enough calories without having to eat a large amount of food at any one time.

At first glance I'd say you don't eat a lot of dairy/calcium food (especially important if your period has been affected) and you could do with more fruit and veg. Also I hope you drink more than you've written x

My d's typical day (she's veggie but eats eggs and dairy) would be..

Breakfast
Fruit juice. Either full fat yogurt with granola, or weetabix with full fat milk. If weetabix then a slice of toast and jam. Fresh fruit.

Snack
Glass of juice or milk with 2 digestives, or naked bar, or 25g nuts, or piece of fruit with 1 digestive, or cream crackers with soft cheese or houmous.

Lunch
Wrap/sandwich with houmous/egg mayo/feta and salad. Or soup&bread, beans on toast, medium jacket potato with beans. Small full fat yogurt or small cereal bar. Glass water or fruit tea

Snack
As morning snack

Dinner
Cashew nut and veg stir fry with noodles. Or bean chilli with rice. Or nut cutlet with couscous and salad. Or quiche with small portion New potatoes and salad.
Fresh fruit with yogurt or fruit corner or mullerice.

Water or fruit tea.

Evening snack
Mug warm milk (full fat) with biscuits or cereal bar

My d is starting to go back to sport so is keen to include lots of protein, so she eats lots of nuts and pulses. She would view 100cals of nuts very differently to 100 cals of crisps or chocolate.

Wow people here are insensitive, grinning over weighing chips. Anyone who is in recovery knows that eating just one chip can be a huge achievement, let alone 75gs of them. OP you are in the wrong place for support, people don't understand, they laugh and here, they don't mean it but you don't need that in your head space.

Speak to your therapist, see a dietitian (if you can) and take it one day at a time.

I've been in recovery for nearly 10years and sometimes it's still just one day at a time.

Very gentle hugs