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.

Yes not enough fruit and veg. The eyebrow raises maybe to do with the focus on protein and not carbs which is a weight control thing. Too many refined carbs and sugar Is bad for you but so is too much protein which can cause gall stones.

If you want a healthy diet I would focus on eating as much fruit and veg as possible. Especially veg. Really you should be eating 10 portions a day. Veg is also v low calorie generally so you can eat loads of it and stay healthy and be a very healthy weight.

Swap your protein porridge for normal porridge. Oats are really good for you. A great carb.

I would add some veg to lunch, maybe a steam bag of frozen stuff if you're short for time? Take a multi vit too if you're not already doing

After seeing the portion sizes I'd say they are small.

However, to go from a sandwich every other day with an apple every day (me at my worst) to that is bloody brilliant. Small steps. Add something small here and there. Tbh it really should be a discussion with your health professional, whoever that may be.

If you want to see the flip side, I'm in recovery. I'm a healthy weight and I run half and full marathons (which is why some of my portions are big)

For example:

Breakfast
Slice of toast with marg and jam (I no longer weigh or measure which is massive for me)
Half a glass of beetroot juice (for my running, it's bloody vile)
Glass of orange juice.

Lunch
Smoothie - spinach, frozen berries, blueberries, half/whole mango with chia and flaxseeds and coconut milk.
Half a pepper
Carrot
6-7 cherry tomatoes
All with a good dipping of humus.

Snack
Nuts and dried fruit mix

Dinner
Big (and I mean big, in regular person talk) bowl of pasta with quorn bolognase and lots of cheese (probably 45g)

Sometimes I'll have an evening snack too.

I did tend to skew my eating towards the end of the day as I'm genuinely less hungry in the morning. This in itself can be seen as unhealthy but it works for me.

To add context I've suffered AN, binge eating disorder and non purging bulimia (binge then resitricted and over exercised)

It has taken me almost 10 years to get to this point. I still struggle sometimes. I suffer body dysmorphia which I suffer in bouts rather than continuously.

Please don't take this as a smug/bragging post. I just think sometimes it helps to see what life is like at the end of that long and scary tunnel. Everyone is very different, I know this, but I hope in some small way my experience can help.

omg the idea of 10 fruit and veg a day! If you have a very small appetite it just isn't going to happen, different if you are you denying yourself of course and hungry. Even still that's a hell of a lot.

Even if you don't have an eating disorder you do get used to eating your usual amount and if faced with double portions of everything all day you would feel it was too much. This is what helps people who are overweight and go on a weight loss diet. So even if this amount feels right it may just be what you've got used to and not what you need to either gain or maintain depending on what you need to do. So don't go by what feels right look at what you calorie and nutritional needs are and work out what you need to have that way. Or if you have a professional advising you go with what they suggest. You might need to increase slowly over a few weeks or whatever so you get used to the amount of food.

I'd say you are raising eyebrows because it's very low calorie and not enough to maintain weight possibly. If you don't like fruit i'd look at adding full fat yougurt, milk and cheese plus nuts

To be honest I wouldn't worry much about the fruit and veg at this stage, I think aiming for 10 could fill you up without adding that many calories which is what your meal plan really lacks. Unless of course you are prepared to roast your veg/dress you salads in olive oil or serve your cauliflower in a cheese sauce. Yeah getting in fruit and veg would be good but I don't think it's your biggest problem.
The other thing is no one knows really how much you should be having without knowing your current height/weight and activity levels and gender. All of which will massively effect how much you should be having. (Although I do appreciate that you may not want to post that info.)

The avg person only has 2-3 servings of F+V a day. No HCP is going to tell OP she isn't having enough F+V with her history.

Your portions are tiny.

I don't have an ED but calorie count and am currently eating to lose. If I make a normal portion of porridge, I use 40g of dry oats with 150ml of milk. I don't weigh it with milk but it would definitely be more than yours. I'd then add either a banana or 40g or sultanas and a teaspoon of sugar.

A portion of rice or pasta is 100g in my house. 50g of quorn is nothing.

I think you need to stick with the professional guidance. You can get some support here but I'm always nervous to say too much on ED threads.

If professionals are telling you it's not enough, or unhealthy, listen to them. What anyone tells you on here is irrelevant as it will be too easy to use posts agreeing with you to reinforce your own ideas, and too easy to ignore those disagreeing with your diet.

Your health professionals know you, your disorder and what diet will work for you best. Listen to them.

It's a very controlled small intake diet. Obviously you have been unwell and this is a move towards getting better so I commend you on this.

Would you entertain more fats- avocados, salmon, mackerel, some sort of creamy mash? Obviously not on the same plate as that would be gross!

But honestly, well done on being in recovery and talking to your professionals.

Well done so far OP. 3 meals a day, and not horribly unhealthy choices. Certainly it sounds like portion sizes are small, lacking in good fats and probably not a full vitamin/mineral complement but looks like you are probably getting enough fibre and protein at least, and eating regular meals which is fab.

I agree with upping vegetable intake, especially leafy greens (calcium, iron) - side veg, salads or green smoothies perhaps - and different colours of veggies (variety of colours = variety of vitamins) perhaps try different veg to make chips/wedges with - sweet potato, butternut squash, celeriac, beetroot etc.

Healthy fats - omega 3/6 fatty acids - from nuts & seeds, olive oil, avocados & avocado oil, oily fish (fresh salmon, tuna, mackerel - 2 portions/week) if you are pescetarian. Easy ways to include nuts/seeds are in salads, stir fries, nut butters with apple wedges for a snack, nut butters on toast, adding hemp hearts to porridge for example would be an easy way to get a nice level of omegas. Avocado on toast or as a basis for a pasta sauce/'avonaise' salad dressing, or just as a side with a cooked breakfast or 'picky' type lunch.

I'm with you on the not being keen on fruits. I try to get my fruit portions in smoothies, adding dried fruit to granola/porridge (blueberries, goji berries etc), or adding small fruits to salads/main meals, for example pomegranate, grapes, pear, apple or citrus are easy to integrate into a salad without the whole thing becoming sweet. Put apricots into a veggie tagine, sultanas or dates into a curry etc.

As you eat dairy, incorporating small bits of cheese into meals can help up the calorie count, nice source of calcium etc. Tofu is also a good source of calcium.

Keep on keeping on, OP