With the start of the New Year I’m trying to lose some weight, got my fit bit, workout videos on YouTube and a buddy to gym and swim with as soon as my lurgy does one.
Only problem is my diet. Since I was a very young child I was raised vegetarian and due to my grandmother indulging my childhood food faddiness I developed a deep phobia of food. I would only eat toast, chips and Dairylea dippers as a child, not one vegetable or fruit, and nothing for it to be hidden in. My teens saw me add smooth fruit juice, pasta, plain cheese and tomato sauce pizza ( no real tomatoes on it) and quorn in most of its forms. I have got better during my twenties and now can eat nuts, seeds and dried berries in porridge, but not alone, so I can get some goodness from these and fruit juice. I’m trying to add in more fruit in various forms and vegetables but I find this so difficult as my throat just seems to close right up and I end up having to spit it out. I really struggle with tastes and textures and they really do terrify me. It was only after I had to prepare food for my children that I was able to be in the same room as certain foods. I’ve put in a lot of work and thankfully they haven’t inherited my issues at all. I did manage a bowl of butternut squash noodles with lots of pasta sauce yesterday though ( my first ever actual vegetable!) and will be trying to make a ‘hidden vegetable’ sauce soon. I’d love to be normal and not have to try and trick myself in eating normally. For years I’ve lived solely on pizza and junk.
So far, this is what I have planned to eat.
Breakfast: porridge with chopped hazelnuts, dried berries and seeds. Or maybe a bran muffin. Greek yoghurt. Could also have a smoothie or glass of tropical juice with it.
Lunch: spiralised veg with some hidden veg sauce, or bagel with cream cheese and quorn ham, fruit bar.
Dinner: quorn based curry, spag Bol, fajitas, stir fry, sausage and mash, spaghetti and meatballs, toad in the hole etc. Spiralised veg where I can, cous cous, quinoa and lentils added where I can. Pasta would be red lentil pasta or wholewheat.
Does this look roughly all right? This is a massive change for me but I’m trying to be positive that I can manage it after so many years of reaching for a frozen pizza morning ( yes for breakfast 
), noon and night because I was to scared to try anything else. I know it’s still not the healthiest or most exciting but I think it’s an improvement.
I asked the GP for help overcoming this ages ago but because of the level of my phobia was told there wasn’t much they could do (He said CBT would be unlikely to work in my case) so I’m considering hypnotherapy, does anyone have any experience?
This is longer than I expected, so if you’re still here, thank you!