Meal plan

[Sammy987]

Hi everyone.

Happy Friday

I just wondered if anyone is on a maitain/weight gain meal plan.If so what are your choices for breakfasts and snacks .

I'm really struggling to see what's "normal"

My ED brain tells me everything is to much xx

[MEJones]

Hi Sammy987

I’m not on a meal plan and when I recovered I did it by using intuitive eating which meant having what I wanted when I wanted it. I found it hard to start with, as like you said your ED brain will do anything to make you feel guilty and to stop you from eating. I didn’t use a meal plan as felt this was just another manifestation of control and could have easily found myself becoming obsessed with the numbers. If you are using a meal plan & find it helpful, please remember to see those numbers as minimum calorie intake & not your maximum, if you want more food then have it, don't deny or restrict yourself.

As for breakfasts and snacks, here are a few things i liked:

- Porridge with whole milk, berries and honey + a piece of seeded toast with butter and fruit juices

- full fat Greek Yoghurt with Honey, seeds, banana & a 40g of granola + cup of coffee with whole milk

- 2 large Warburtons crumpets with butter & crunchy peanut butter + a glass of Fruit juice

- 2 x wholemeal toasted bagels with butter & almond butter + a banana and berries + a cup of coffee whole milk.

- Avocado on seeded bread with spicy chilli sauce & Fruit juice

For snacks I loved peanuts, cashews and pistachios, also having a piece of toast or 2 crumpets with peanut butter. I also like to snack on Nakd bars especially the cocoa orange one & the cashew cookie. If I were at Home and had time then a piece of cheese on toast was a good go to. Also mini cheeses were easy to manage & a good source of energy. I also really love the taste of 9 bars which are full of 9 nuts and seeds, full of protein & contain a good amount of calories.

At the end of the day it’s all about what you like and what you’re craving, I also ate copious amounts of chocolate, cakes, and high carb foods as I had deprived myself for so long, when you’re malnourished all you’ll want is fat & sugar even though your brain is telling you it’s wrong. Don’t ever feel guilty for anthing you eat. It took me a really long to realise that no food is bad, I was petrified of fats when the ED had hold of me but 2 months in to recovery I was eating magnum ice creams nearly every day.

It’s much harder to put on weight than your brain will let you believe so you will find yourself having to eat what seems like a lot.

Stay strong and tell yourself that you can do it! The fact that you’re seeking recovery/in recovery already shows so much strength. Good luck x

[Sammy987 in reply to MEJones]

ME jones thanks so much. so nice to hear from you and this has definetjy helped. your foods are so simular to what I would choose.

I often put nuts on my cereals and salads bit I worry as I know how much fat these can add on but there also very nutritious and That is what I need. I think I break down every calorie whixh freaks me out rather than just see it as a meal....

any ideas on the lunch front to...especially with hot weather coming up.. with work I will be out in the community alot so not able to have access to cooking materials at home to do things like egg on toast omellete c. can't wait to hear back from you..

while your at it misewell giveme some evening meals to. I've turned into this health conscious freak and all my meals are based around fruit and veg rather than enjoyment of other things. there are so many health products out there now it's easy to fall into a trap xxx

[MEJones in reply to Sammy987]

What you’re suffering from is 100% NORMAL with recovery it’s your mind trying to convince you that you’re wrong & should return to your old ways. Our brains create things called neural pathways which ingrain our behaviours and then they rely on them because they make them feel comfortable and safe, no matter how detrimental, it’s the same process for people who suffer from drug addiction or alcoholism, & ED’s are no different. The fact that you’re already on the path to recovery has taken huge amounts of courage so don’t ever be down on yourself if you slip up.

Wanting to count calories and only stick to “safe” foods is also a normal response to change, like you said there’s so many health products out there & so many silly messages regarding nutrition it can seem really overwhelming. I found that during recovery I just had to stop, I had to stop seeing myself as normal and relalise I was sick and I just needed to eat, no rules, no listening to all the nutrion noise, it’s hard to fight all those urges that tell you to stick to low fat or to not have too much sugar etc, but at the end of the day your body needs to be nourished again, you have a huge calorie deficit to fill and the quicker you can do this the clearer your mind will become, i can’t tell you how joyous it was when my mind snapped and I felt happier again.

It’s really all down to your personal taste but here’s some lunches & dinners i like/liked:

Lunch

2x Avocado, falafel and houmous wraps with salad, full fat Greek Yoghurt & a banana.

Philadelphia cream cheese bagel with Quorn ham (I’m pescatarian) & salad + 2 handfuls of Salted cashews, trek coconut flapjack & an apple.

2x cheese and onion pastry rolls with salad, a handful of Bombay mix, chocolate & seed snack pack, iced latte & Mini tomatoes.

Curried chickpea rice salad (used microwaved rice & make the night before) with a naan bread, 2 veggie samosas & mini poppadums (in the crisp aisle) mixed berry fruit salad.

Instant noodles (made the night before) with added Quorn and veggies such as peas, onions, asparagus + 2 handfuls of mixed nuts, 2x belvita biscuits spread with peanut butter & 2 Mini Oranges.

2x pittas filled with grated cheddar, salad & spicy chilli sauce. Mini bag of peanuts, 4bar kitkat, cheese string & Orange + an apple.

Dinner

Wholewheat Pesto pasta with grated Parmesan, salad and 3/4 pieces of garlic bread.

Leek & potato soup (with added cream) 3 thickly sliced pieces of tiger bread with lurpack butter & a muller rice for pudding.

Prawn (use chicken if you prefer eat meat) Singapore noodle stir fry with prawn crackers & 2 veggie spring rolls and a naked Bakewell tart bar for pudding.

2x Veggie fajitas with mixed veggies, cheese, refried beans and guacamole, served with Mexican rice (bag) and tortilla chips, followed by 2/3 scoops of ice cream for pudding.

1 large baked potato filled with garlic mushrooms, Quorn bacon, and veggies e.g peas and broccoli, topped with cheese & served with a side salad and followed by berry fruit salad with full fat Greek Yoghurt and honey.

Quorn mince & wholewheat spaghetti bolonase with Parmesan cheese, tomato & Herb flat bread and bread sticks. Followed by 4 scotch pancakes with Nutella.

2 large pizza pittas (add tomato and cheese + toppings to a pizza & pop in the oven) served with oven baked chips with mayo & side salad. Finished with an ice cream e.g magnum classic, Cornetto or the Ben & Jerry’s cookie sandwich (love these)

Hope some of this is helpful for you

Good luck & remeber that when the anxiety strikes, take some big deep breaths and keep on eating, the unease will pass eventually. X

[crazycrossstitcher]

Suggest you give abc a ring - they have a dietician who can help you with guidance - it is an individual thing and seeing a dietician might help alongside some counselling to look at issues - so an approach to the GP and a specialist ED referral would also help - I have peanut butter on biscuits and cake slices for snacks - with added cheese and raisons and yoghurts to sandwiches for lunch - large bowl of cereals for breakfast (usually muesli as this is nutritious and I love dried fruit). But do seek some professional guidance - it may seem prescriptive - but it does help you structure your eating and begin to get a sense of what is normal portions size.