meal plans & calorie surplus | anorexia recovery
stage two: initial calorie surplus, goals, and meal plans
(if you are someone who is literally STARTING recovery --> read this)
- if you are just beginning to recover, do not start intuitively eating. chances are, you are not going to feel hungry or full (your hormones are messed up), so in order to fix that imbalance, you have to watch the number of calories that you need and see if it reaches 2500-3500.
- i will guide you through your recovery through stages. read carefully, and once you reach the end of all the stages, congrats!
so if i wanted to make a change. how many calories were necessary? i was eating roughly around 1200 a day, so should i bump it up to 1700? 1700-1900 was actually my maintenance, so i did not know how i came across that conclusion. NO.
though that amount deemed horrifying to me, i decided to go along with it. i did not see any harm in it since it gave me a chance to eat a lot and to also give my body a break.
TIP 1# increase your intake slowly.
- i cannot stress that enough because what usually happens is that you get excited, you eat 2500 out of the blue, and then you feel guilty. you are supposedly feeling guilty because of the bloat, cramps, and nauseousness from the food you ate. this can lead to relapse, and in recovery, the more relapses you have, the longer you are making your journey.
- keep adding 300+ calories to what you are usually eating everyday till you make it to 2500. in that way, at least your body is getting used to it.
TIP 2# meal plan is so important. do NOT focus on your ED foods. do not eat the same old thing everyday. otherwise, you are not truly recovering if you are still holding on to these safe foods.
- you need VARIETY. you need your protein and carbs, so do you not avoid them. do not decide to all of a sudden, go vegan at this point. your body is suffering, and i myself could not understand it until i researched the effects of anorexia and realized how much i have been damaged. your bone density, heart, and even your nerves shrink. EVEN your muscles shrink (i used to be a runner, and my muscles literally shrunk. never have i thought that i would go through this mess)
TIP 3# STOP looking at social media, more particularly of instagram models. STOP comparing yourself to others. STOP body checking.
- you will feel so so much better when you stop all of that. believe me.
TIP 4# Make a goal weight (a healthy goal weight --> at least 18.5), and be realistic with how long your goal will take. if i weighed my opinion in this, i believe that it will come in a short amount of time (dont panic, i will explain how and why in later steps)
TIP 5# go out with friends. relive the opportunities you had missed. go to restaurants. stop focusing on food while you are friends or family members. just let it go.
these were parts of stage one.
stage two ---> when your hunger and full cues come back...
(if you are someone who is literally STARTING recovery --> read this)
- if you are just beginning to recover, do not start intuitively eating. chances are, you are not going to feel hungry or full (your hormones are messed up), so in order to fix that imbalance, you have to watch the number of calories that you need and see if it reaches 2500-3500.
- i will guide you through your recovery through stages. read carefully, and once you reach the end of all the stages, congrats!
so if i wanted to make a change. how many calories were necessary? i was eating roughly around 1200 a day, so should i bump it up to 1700? 1700-1900 was actually my maintenance, so i did not know how i came across that conclusion. NO.
the real answer was 2500 - 3500+
(i will explain why later why that certain amt was needed).
though that amount deemed horrifying to me, i decided to go along with it. i did not see any harm in it since it gave me a chance to eat a lot and to also give my body a break.
TIP 1# increase your intake slowly.
- i cannot stress that enough because what usually happens is that you get excited, you eat 2500 out of the blue, and then you feel guilty. you are supposedly feeling guilty because of the bloat, cramps, and nauseousness from the food you ate. this can lead to relapse, and in recovery, the more relapses you have, the longer you are making your journey.
- keep adding 300+ calories to what you are usually eating everyday till you make it to 2500. in that way, at least your body is getting used to it.
TIP 2# meal plan is so important. do NOT focus on your ED foods. do not eat the same old thing everyday. otherwise, you are not truly recovering if you are still holding on to these safe foods.
- you need VARIETY. you need your protein and carbs, so do you not avoid them. do not decide to all of a sudden, go vegan at this point. your body is suffering, and i myself could not understand it until i researched the effects of anorexia and realized how much i have been damaged. your bone density, heart, and even your nerves shrink. EVEN your muscles shrink (i used to be a runner, and my muscles literally shrunk. never have i thought that i would go through this mess)
TIP 3# STOP looking at social media, more particularly of instagram models. STOP comparing yourself to others. STOP body checking.
- you will feel so so much better when you stop all of that. believe me.
TIP 4# Make a goal weight (a healthy goal weight --> at least 18.5), and be realistic with how long your goal will take. if i weighed my opinion in this, i believe that it will come in a short amount of time (dont panic, i will explain how and why in later steps)
TIP 5# go out with friends. relive the opportunities you had missed. go to restaurants. stop focusing on food while you are friends or family members. just let it go.
these were parts of stage one.
stage two ---> when your hunger and full cues come back...
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