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.

I noticed that there doesn't seem to be any fruit at all. I'm not a great fruit eater myself but my diet isn't great either.

kaykay that is so interesting.

I would have thought this would be the perfect place to ask for advice tbh, it is anonymous and a whole wealth of experienced posters to give their ideas and suggestions.

It's not insensitive to point out that the reason her current health professionals are 'raising eyebrows' is because like the rest of us on here we can't know without descriptions of size whether the portions are large enough to sustain life.

Weighing chips may show that the other ingredients are really small portions.

You don't eat much veg, and no fruit at all according to what you've posted. Maybe try adding some to your diet?

I'd say u need some good fats like nuts and seeds. There is little calcium and iron that days plan. I would also add some fruit to get more fibre.

If your exercising u would need to eat more.

If periods have stopped then oestrogen levels in the body are low. This can affect bone density which is why osteoporosis is a concern in people with eating disorders. This is why it's important to get plenty of calcium x

I agree with others that it's very difficult to advise someone on food who has an ED.
That food all sounds very dull and bland. Just fuel and no fun or flavour.
However if you are struggling to make yourself eat and those meals appeal to you they aren't bad.
Could you add in some snacks, milky drinks, fruit, nuts, salad? Not just for health but to bring some pleasure into eating?

I don't see anybody grinning over weighing chips... just people pointing out that it may be an indication that portion sizes are still too small, which is after all what the OP was asking about.

Personally, I'd be losing weight on that diet, and I'm not overweight.

The professionals you're involved with will be looking at the whole picture when it comes to whether that's appropriate meal choices for you, particularly since exercise can make a huge difference. Do try to listen to what they're telling you, even though it's frustrating to be told the same things over and over again. Slow progress is still progress, try not to get too fed up.

Looks like an ed focused meal plan.sorry.but it does.obsessive.over healthy and restricyed right down

...on a more positive note, well done for eating 3x per day, it's bloody hard

And ur life,food doesn't need to be like that.a battle.your amazing fr even fighting but looking I'd say u need mre help.arebu seeking help fr ur thoughts,happiness etc.
It's hard to advice on here.many many mixed and emotional food issues on the boards I'm not sure ul get the most helpful response because this is an illness in ur mond whwras posters without ed will see ur meal plan/food AMD can't make the perhaps needed responses because ur thoughts triggers,anxiety come from the demon b*illness attackinh ur rational head.some will.but I don't no my gut tells me this thread wont help.of course people mean so well often.aaaargh I can't explain it.I just want u to be ok and I'm unsure the mixed answers on here will do that over something as huge as this illness and food plan/mental chatter.

I've suffered AN for 15yrs. I know how hard this can be. I've done inpatient and intensive outpatient ED programmes. You don't say what ED you have or where in recovery you are. The meal plan for someone with AN trying to gain weight is v different to one for someone with AN or BN trying to maintain weight. In a hospital setting patients are generally expected to gain at a rate of 1kg per week. This is generally done with three meals and three snacks a day. Then when switching to a maintainence plan snacks, desserts or add ons to meal (e.g bread and butter with evening meal, or additional juice etc) are dropped.
Do you have a dietician?
The other thing to consider is whether you are looking to tackle 'fear foods' at this stage or if you are focusing entirely on weight gain.

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

Nobody is grinning about it. Lots of us have experienced EDs, actually.

I don't eat fruit as I don't like it.

Portion sizes are -

Porridge pot (70g)
Yogurt drink (100g)

Cod in sauce (140g)
Rice (55g)
Fibre brownie (25g)

Chips (75g)
Quorn chicken (50g)
Onion 1/4
Pepper 1/4
Olive oil (1tsp)

I'm vegetarian but eat dairy.

Those are very specific amounts-have they come from a dietician or set program?

That's about 700 calories I think. Perhaps someone will disagree with me on calories?

No, it's not enough to sustain life in a human long term.

No it's the amount I have agreed on. It's an improvement, trust me! Before the chips wouldn't have even featured. Neither would the porridge or rice.

Agreed with whom?

This amount is what you have agreed with health professionals at this point so that you can learn to cope with ever increasing amounts until you reach a healthy and life sustaining intake?

If the above is what's happening you don't need our opinions - you already have a plan

221 + 76 + 101 + 159 + 90 + 150 + 45 + 50 = around 892 calories.

It's a very controlled diet and you are eating tiny portions.

I eat a tiny amount and have managed to survive for almost 52 years, run half marathons etc. I don't have an ED though (I don't think) so very different reasons but does dispel the myth that people can't live happily on rather little food.

But we don't know that this is the final meal plan or building up to. If OP hasn't been eating you can't jump straight on to a full meal plan. You need to stay v low to start until the risk of refeeding syndrome has passed then increase slowly

lifebook - as an average you probably eat more than 900 calories a day, most people of a healthy weight who aren't trying to lose weight eat more than that.

My dogs calorie intake is 900 calories - she weighs just under 10kilos

Well done for 3 meals a day esp if you have had a restrictive eating disorder- that must take a lot of strength and determination

It's difficult to comment without knowing how the professionals are approaching your recovery with you and what stage you're at in the process.

Two of my close friends have been through recovery for restrictive-EDs. If this was them, and thinking back to what they said about their recovery journies, I would feel concerned about the focus on foods which make marketing claims about their protein/fiber content.

You can do this, OP, but it's a long journey. Listen to people who are trying to guide you to a better place. You've made a good start. Hang in there. x