To ask you about what I eat in a day?

[oldbeforem]

Posting here for traffic!

This is honestly not a competitive undereating or goady thread – I am just looking for genuine advice.

I have had a very restrictive / disordered diet for the past 10 years and I genuinely have no idea how much normal people eat. I have been referred by my GP and I am currently on a waiting list for NHS eating disorder therapy but that might take months and I am determined to start taking action now.

Can I ask you to critique what I am eating in an average day? However, I know there is no ‘normal’ and everyone is different. I need to increase veg but this more about volume and also enjoying foods I haven’t had for years!

Breakfast – either two Weetabix with milk or yoghurt, fruit and granola

Snack – two biscuits

Lunch – shop bought sandwich and crisps

Snack – two biscuits

Dinner – pasta / veg / fish / pizza and a small pudding

My only drink is water!

Oh, and also, three meals + two snacks is absolutely normal and recommended as part of ED recovery so your plan absolutely makes sense from that perspective. Definitely worth making sure that you're using full fat diary options and getting enough iron-rich foods (red meat / leafy greens etc)

Well done OP, you're doing an amazing thing. Try not to read too much into the "swap" suggestions - while you're waiting for professional treatment, eat what you can. Sounds like you're doing great so far.

I would see a dietician and not ask on here. Wish you all the best.

Hi OP, sounds like you've had a really tough time with food. While you're planned diet isn't 'perfect' it's probably a big improvement.

My only feedback would be to have good fats and/or protein as a sandwich filler where you can.

Good luck, I hope it helps you!

The mind boggles why people think it’s constructive or fair to comment at all on whether OP is or isn’t eating the correct thing when they have confessed to having an eating disorder. I really hope you find the help you need OP, you won’t find it here, sorry.

OP has posted nothing about how much exercise they do, surely that’s a crucial element to commenting on how much food/fuel OP needs? This would no way be enough food for me.

I would swap one snack for some fruit.
The suggestions for a more nutritious lunch are good.
If you eat a sandwich i would suggest a big plate of veggies for dinner with a fish or some chicken.
The days you can swap the lunch to get some more veggies, eat the pasta/pizza for dinner.
Satnwich and then pasta just seems like a lot of empty carbs, which isnt very nutritious and might not fill you properly.

Don’t think this kind of thread is adviseable for OP given her eating disorder.

For the snack add in a handful of pecan nuts. You can get those little nut snack packs from Tesco. You need more carbs. Rather than a shop bought sandwich which won’t be that tasty, try a wrap filled with tuna, avocado, mayo, spring onion. Delicious. For your afternoon snack try cream crackers, few slices of cheese (you can get lots of different kinds already portioned out in variety packs) plus some pickle/cucumber/tomatoes. For your evening meal how about getting a slow cooker? That way it takes the stress off preparing. You could slow cook a chilli and have it with rice and creme fraiche.

oldbeforem that’s a very normal days eating OP. Please be aware that mumsnet food threads are always full of competitive under eaters and as a person with an ED, you won’t necessarily get good advice.

Your current plan represents ‘normal’ for the vast majority of people who I work with (I just know about their eating habits as it is a favourite topic of conversation in ten staffroom At lunch!) who are all healthy weights.

What about your portion size for the evening meal? In my option a ‘normal’ portion is 75g - 100g of pasta plus veg and protein.

Good luck OP, I think it’s a really good idea to have a simple daily food plan that you can easily follow.

If you ate more high calorie foods (nuts, peanut butter, full fat milk shake, Greek yogurt, avocado, cheese, olive oil drizzled on more or less anything savoury!, toast and butter) they would all give you more calories and more nutrients than 4 biscuits per day.

But as pp have noted, ED clinics don't worry about nutrition when someone is severely underweight. They get people to eat anything - junk food, cake, chocolate, puddings, pies. Because it is an emergency.

This sounds like a completely normal amount of food to be eating (assuming your dinner is a reasonable size!). You've already identified the need to introduce more veggies in the long term but this is a great start. I think, particularly at the beginning where you may well struggle to stomach the full amount of food per meal if your body isn't used to it, then you will need the biscuits to keep your calories up.

I wish you the very best of luck, you're taking on a major personal challenge by the sounds of it so don't underestimate the importance of having friends and family that know what you're doing and can support you when you have a wobble.

It sounds like that daily diet would be good progress for you, OP. Good luck.

Try throwing in some nut butters, and maybe swap out one portion of biscuits for yoghurt or another protein.

I'd add a lot more vegetables and protein at each meal, and cut out the snacks.

That sounds great. A friend has been having ed treatment for the past 3 years and her plan is broadly.
So generally: large bowl of cereal + toast, snack, meal deal for lunch (no low fat options and no snacks below 100 cals) an afternoon snack eg cake, toast, cheese and biscuits, normal portion of dinner + pudding. Milky drink/hot choc or fortisip before bed.
No exercise other than walking allowed currently, is weighed weekly but you might want to avoid this before you start treatment. Is your gp monitoring you/doing bloods whilst you are awaiting treatment? Your BMI is v low and you need things keeping an eye on.
Good luck, it's a hard journey, but itll be worth it

Ignore people telling you to cut out snacks etc. I'd focus on eating calorie dense food for now and you can increase fruit & veg once your BMI is a bit higher.

When I was recovering from the cusp of an eating disorder I also found it useful to have a target daily meal structure that I could stick to - some new rules. So if you like the structure of your plan then that is great.

Mine was that I had to have a home-made smoothie every day (which I loved and was made with a banana or two, yogurt, apple juice and whatever other fruit there was around) which I could have in a couple of goes, plus one meal with a portion size that someone else would recognise as a meal.

Well done for making a start.

I know you are awaiting therapy which is fab. This might be helpful in knowing what you should expect from your gp in the meantime. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng69/ifp/chapter/Check-ups-for-people-for-anorexia

I’d suggest you return to your gp or go to a different one and if they won’t send you to recovery or therapy ask to see a dietitian. A bmi of 16 is very low.

Please be honest with the gp about your diet previous to this new one.

Best of luck.