advice

Im recovering from anorexia despite eating lots of meals and snacks i still find myself getting quite hungry . I never know what is the best to eat to satisfy this any ideas ?

at what stage  is it ok to add long walks into my day like 45 minutes twice a day i have a little dog and im eager to take her.

also at the moment t im not doing anything with my days other than shopping , reading tv and internet . I often wake at 6 30 and my days are very long . im not sure i feel ready to work yet but i could do with doing something so i actually feel i have something to get up for other than eating . i also find myself getting even more obsessed with food and habits because i have so much time , i find myself doing crazy things like weighing my porrage out for the next day and doing thing way in advance but ive noticed these habits are becoming obsessional any help would be grt

Ooh Helen I used to do that (weigh the porridge out for the next day) Sometimes it feels like as you eat, you're anticipating the next meal, doesn't it? And such long days filled with nothing... That was what I hated most about inpatient... You're already obsessed with food when you go in, and then they put you in an environment where aside from an hour of therapy and the odd group that everyone tries to avoid, there's bugger all to do except look forward to your walk and think about the next meal. When I was at school (and well enough to actually go :P) I was lucky because that gave me structure and routine but I've struggled emotionally this summer with... well, boredom. Boredom = too much time for thinking = obsession = depression.

Have you thought about asking in your local charity shop if they need some help on one or two mornings a week? They always need people to sort through the bags of stuff (and sometimes there's some nice things!) It's voluntary of course, but it is something gentle and might give you some structure. Then if that goes well, you could perhaps look into getting a part time job?

Sorry if that's a really rubbish suggestion! Hope you're OK love, xxx

thanks that wasnt rubbish i found it very helpful h x

I agree - now that you feel well enough to want to do something other than resting, and I take it that although you are still very underweight, you are stable enough and eating enough to fuel more activity... you should look for some volunteer work. Perhaps not lon walks yet as this really does use alot of calories up that you need to conserve... but maybe 10-15 minutes twice a day would be fine :-)

It will also be a way to get integrated with normal routines and meet people too, I'm sure you'd have fun and it'd take your mind off of the illness for a few hours a day too! Just make sure it doesn't take over mealtimes and snacks though.. if anything you'd have to eat a bit more to replace extra burnage! xx

thanks smash h x