Mediterranean Real food diet

[MissMarpleSparkles]

Good morning!

Would anyone like to join me for a 'real food' diet that focuses on what I am calling a 'Mediterranean' approach (i.e. loads of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish etc).

I am 12 stone 8 and want to be circa 10 stone.

The problem is that I am a recovering bulimic, and so I find that I have a totally skewed approach to food. I flirt between bingeing and starving (I put on 2 stone when I stopped the vomiting). I have lost any sense of what normal eating is, and although ostensibly I 'love' food, i am terrified of it at the same time.

So, I am trying to relearn how to eat. Combined with that is I am trying to engage in self care overall and to look after myself better, and to take care of my appearance.

I'd love it if others joined me on my journey?

My approach is;

Good real food. Olive oil, loads of fresh fruit and veg, natural yoghurt. Fruits for puddings. Limit refined carbs but to not be too restrictive about it.

I am also a binge drinker so plan to cut out booze entirely and to relish plain water with lemon and mint, herbal teas, black coffee etc.

So, for example, my proposed menu for today is;

B - 2 slices of ham, sliced tomatos, warmed wholemeal pita bread
L- home made soup with vegetables and red kidney beans
D- not sure- tossing up between grilled fish and salads with lemon and caper sauce or baked chicken with orzo and salad.

My focus is to relish and enjoy great food, stop bingeing, stop being 'afraid' of food and to make every meal enjoyable and both spiritually and physically nourishing.

I am happy to lose weight slowly, as this is more a change for life rather than a quick fix. But I am very hopeful cutting the booze out will give some results fairly quickly.

Would love it if people wanted to join me on my new, happier and healthier way of life. :)

[Newsand]

Oh bugger, name change fail. :( Never mind.

I used this one for a query on relationships.

[Newsand]

Welcome humanfemale ! So good to have you join!

fish thanks so much for the Josie Spinardi recommendation.I have just ordered it from Amazon. I need all the help, advice and support I can get!

I have just had a delicious breakfast of fresh apricots, greek yoghurt, almonds and a drizzle of honey. Giving myself 'permission' to actually eat is quite a new concept for me!

[fishonabicycle]

I've just read a book by Josie Spinardi - might be worth you having a look - it's about addressing the bing/starve mentality of dieting?

[humanfemale]

Yes, I'd love to join you! I've been eating a similar way but bread is a massive stumbling block for me because I LOVE IT and end up overeating. But I've been giving up a lot of stuff recently (alcohol, coffee, limiting refined sugar) and am not ready to give up bread entirely yet. But I do relate so much to your feeling about food. I have been dealing with bulimia on/off for over ten years and it still rears up now when I'm having difficult feelings I'm fine for a year or longer but then a trigger will come along and take me by surprise. It's not easy.

But on the whole I'm in a good place with my diet and eating, not binging much or often and probably in the best shape and health physically of my life.

[humanfemale]

I highly rate the low GI (or low GL) approach to food. It's flexible, centred on good wholesome food and fits in with the way I like to eat which is also fairly Mediterranean, healthy, high fat, based around vegetables etc.

Also as a fellow recovering bulimic, giving up alcohol has probably been the single most crucial thing in my recovery. I limit sugar a lot too and feel and look a million times better for it.

Good luck!

[MissMarpleSparkles]

Thanks. :)

No therapy. I had counselling a few years back for food addiction. I was on ADs for a bit. (Off them now). I told my GP I was bulimic but had finally stopped vomiting, but she referred me at the same appointment to a slimming programme because I was putting on weight. (I found that unhelpful).

I am basically just muddling along really, but it is a work in progress. I feel reasonably certain the vomiting days are behind me, and in many ways can disregard the weight gain because of that- I feel better inside myself even though I am so much larger than I would like.

[GuybrushThreepwoodMightyPirate]

Good for you! Can I ask if you're having any form of therapy/counselling to help you as you recover from your ED? It's so hard to do on your own.