Posts by missmunchkin

I haven't posted in a while, although I used to regularly, but I just wanted to say that its 2500 MINIMUM for females gaining. I know its really, really hard to do in the initial stages of recovery, but mipply your meal plan isn't even reaching 1500, and comments such as feeling "like a pig" and your dietician - who is only trying to help - being "evil" can be really quite triggering and negative on other people here trying to gain on much higher calories.

Yesterday:

B - Apple, blackberries and natural yoghurt; High-cal Granola with berries and milk

S - Carmans cereal bar; banana

L - Houmous, peppers and spinach baguette

S - Sunbites; Smoothie; Grapes

D - (Meal out) Vegetable risotto with cheese and pesto

S - Ice cream

xxx

jennie: Nutrigrain and custard is soo good isn't it!!! :p Can I ask how many calories you think you're having though, cause if you're aiming to gain weight you need 2500, and your menu looks less than that to me (I could be wrong though, ask lala!)

finleysmummy: Hmm, maybe it is the soy sauce. I certainly don't have that in any other meals. At least we aren't alone in this though! :) Can I ask what the recipe is for your homemade pie?! It sounds delicious :D

lala: At one point I did think I was lactose intolerant, but after having lots of stomach problems last year I ended up having an endoscopy and colonoscopy (my sister has Chrones Disease so they wanted to check I didnt have it too). The specialist thought the main problem could be too much fibre, so since then I cut down on insoluble fibre alot. This helped quite a bit, as did realising I was also allergic to lentils (in the peanut family lol). So no, I dont think I'm lactose intolerant, which is why I don't think its the quorn...I get the same problems if its with tofu.

Ooh, as lots of you guys like Trek and Nak'd bars, just thought I'd let you know that they are bringing out a new range of bars which are nut free! Thats good for anyone who is allergic - as i am to peanuts - and could only enjoy a few of them! =)

Today:

B- Apple; 2 slices wholemeal toast with almond nut butter; raisin granola with blueberries and milk

L- Red pepper houmous and watercress in a seeded wrap; 2 satsumas; oatcakes

S- Carmans muesli bar; fruit ice drink

D- Med Veg quiche with salad

S- (will be) oatibix minis with milk

Also, as ED awareness week started today, did anyone listen out for anything on Radio One, TV etc today?

Question (not sure if its too medical?):

For the last few nights, I've not been able to get to sleep for the sheer fact that I can hear my heartbeat really loudly. Its a really odd sensation, and I noticed it when walking around today too. It also feels really irregular and strong but weak at the same time (if that is possible). I'm not sure if its palpitations or something, or if I'm just being over dramatic, but I don't know if this is an unusual thing or not?

mashed - Wow, I hope you are feeling okay now :s Just keep that in mind, remember that it could happen again if you don't get to a healthy weight, and whenever you're tempted to cut corners in recovery, think back to how scared you felt on the plane. I'm really glad you enjoyed your holiday though...you deserved it! =)

Today:

B: big bowl of grapes; english muffin with butter; big bowl of raisin granola with blueberries and milk

L: egg mayonnaise and watercress sandwich on brown bread; packet of crisps; apple

S: huge banana; homemade cookie

D: tomato and mozzerella penne pasta bake; salad

P: warm nutrigrain bar with custard

S: (will be) cereal, milk and berries

I have a bit of a random question... does anyone else get really bad stomach ache after eating a stir fry?! I had one last night for the first time in a long while - it didn't agree with me before, but I assumed I'd be okay this time - and I had awful awful stomach pains, was extremely bloated and felt sick. I'm not sure if it is the volume and sheer amount of fibre/veg, or if its an allergy of some sort. I realise every stir fry is different (!) therefore its difficult to answer, but I was just wondering if anyone else gets the same after lots of veg...

xxx

Helloo :)

Just wondering, how many of you are from the UK? The weather where I am has been SO lovely today, it was almost like summer!

Today...

B: 2 satsumas; 2 slices granary toast with lots of almond butter; muesli with added nuts, dates and blueberries with ss milk.

L: Houmous and watercress in a seeded wrap; 5 oatcakes; big bowl of grapes

S: Mixed Berry Trek bar; huge banana (seriously, it was 3x the size of any i've seen before...I blame my mother :p)

D: Mushroom, Quorn and vegeable stir fry with wholegrain rice

S: (will be) Natural yoghurt, granola, raisins, sunflower seeds and honey; Horlicks with milk

Oh good :)

And I'll make sure I only post if it is the amount it should be!

Today:

B - Melon slice; Handful of grapes; English muffin with butter; Big bowl of raisin granola (gotta love Country Crisp!) with berries and milk.

L - Houmous and watercress sandwich on wholemeal bread; Baked crisps; Large banana

S - Dorset cereals muesli bar; Apple

D - Vegetarian sausage toad-in-the-hole with carrots, broccoli and sweetcorn.

S - Haven't had it yet...wanted to ask for some ideas on what is best. There is an apple crumble in the fridge that I could have with ice cream, or Magnums and things like that in the freezer. One of those would be a quick way to get the 500 calories I need, but I do worry that I have too much sat fat in a day. Does that matter when gaining? If it does, there is always more cereal :)

Is that Treat toffee sauce not lactose free? My sister has that all the time!

Thank you so much for all the replies everyone :)

Tomorrow is going to be another fresh start, I hope. Its just so difficult keeping in the right frame of mind all the time I guess! I'm working on it though.

agruskin: I haven't had my periods for 4 years, so I'm getting pretty desperate about getting them back. If you're talking about the Pill, I'm not allowed to go on that at the moment, I think I'm too young. True about other people being at different stages, but it seems to make the ED so much louder. They're allowed to be thin, so why can't you etc etc... stupid, but hard to ignore. Its my life though, and my decision. I need to make the right one :)

chirpp: Hiya, we really are in quite a similar situation! I know I can manage 2500, I managed 3500 in IP (!), its just getting round to it and getting used to it again! Can I ask whether you plan your meals in advance, or just go with it?

askewing: Thank you :) And you too. I'm guessing you're just gaining weight for another reason, so good luck!

lalabanana: Thanks. I read that in the paper the other week too. Its scary, I know, especially because she didn't look really ill. I'm really sorry if you knew her well, must have been a terrible shock. My friend - who's funeral I went to - died from her anorexia. I met her in IP and we stayed in touch, but since turning 18 she went really downhill. She was only 19 when she died. What annoys me is that, even after going to her funeral, I didn't have a sudden change of heart like I thought I might. If anything, it got harder :s I don't understand why, because of course I don't want to end up like her, or the girl in the article, but I still go around thinking it won't happen to me...I guess thats the first thing that needs to change.

I don't want to keep putting it off. I've been doing that for years. I've already missed so much...my school prom, school trips, school in general!...for the sake of my ed, and because I didnt put on weight. I can't go on missing things. I want to go to uni next year, and I dont want my health to jeapordise that. With my periods though, is it still likely that they will come back? It just seems like forever since I've had them, and I don't know what (other than weight gain) I should be doing to help them return.

boppityboops: I like the way you put that, about not regaining your health. It makes sense. I never settle for second best in other things, so why my health? I don't do much competitive sport - apart from badminton - but I want to be stronger to exercise in general. Another motivation I guess :) Thank you.

As for BMI and all that, is it best to get to 20? Thats what seems to be what most people say on here. Or shall I start with 18.5 and go from there?

Thanks again everyone :) I really appreciate it.

xxx

Thanks for all the replies.

You are right about the weight, I know that. I guess I just need to stop making excuses. Its just difficult when I look so much better, to not actually BE healthy yet!!!

As for BMIs, what is the recommended level to get to? I've been told so many different things by so many different people :s

xxx

Hey

I haven't had my period in nearly 4 years now (I'm 17, got them at 11) due to having anorexia. I've had lots of treatment, and now after a relapse I'm nearly at my target weight.

My BMI will be (in hopefully 2 weeks!!) 18.5 and that is what I'm aiming to maintain at. I know its the low end of healthy, but its much better than the 12 i was at my lowest!

I eat lots of healthy fats (almond nut butter, olive oil, seeds etc) and also a fair amount of other fats (meaning I do eat desserts and cheese now!) so I dont think fats much of an issue. I don't even do that much exercise, I'm slowly building up to my usual routine.

So what else do you think I can do? I'm getting desperate as its been so long without them...

And, just thought I'd add, that my doctor and team don't think tablets are a good idea, because they want them to come back properly.

Thank youu !

xxx

To be perfectly honest with you it sounds like you are making excuses and kidding yourself as to why you should stay at a low weight.

I am recovering from anorexia and you sound exactly like I did when at my lowest weight; yes I was much lower than you are now so it wasn't feasible, BUT you are still underweight and no matter how much you think it is "natural" it is still unhealthy.

Like someone else said, if you were overweight but ate to hunger I'm sure you would still be determined to lose weight to get to a healthy BMI. It is the same with being underweight...you will have numerous health problems in the near future if you do not gain weight.

Do you have your periods? That is one sign. But also, the fact that you are eating SUCH "healthy" foods shows that you are not naturally this thin. If you were eating high calorie foods along with it, then fair enough, but you are not. Also, 1860 calories is weight loss calories for many people, and so until you are eating around 2200 you cannot say you are "naturally" maintaining this low weight. Your activity levels are actually quite high, despite not doing loads of exercise, so this will mean you need to eat even more than a normal sedentary person to keep healthy.

Lastly, the fact that you are counting calories, and even coming on this website, indicates that you do have some issues surrounding your food and your weight. I admit that I have a problem, but you seem to be denying you do. If you are even questioning whether or not you are healthy, you probably aren't. This rings alarm bells for me as it could be the beginning of an eating disorder...please try to get some help before things get worse. If you genuinely do not have a problem with gaining weight, then get on and do it and make yourself healthy!

xxx

Hiya

From looking at your profile I would guess you are not at a healthy weight for YOU. If you are all of a sudden seeing these new bones protruding, whilst at the same time you have been calorie counting and actively losing weight, then I would say you are taking this too far.

I know you don't think you have an eating disorder, but this is exactly how mine started..just wanted to get "healthy" and a bit slimmer. And I too "promised" myself I'd never go below a certain weight, however, once you start it's not so easy to stop.

The fact that you want to be the lowest possible BMI is not a healthy thought. I know this children's BMI calculator says you can be healthy at this, in a couple of years you'd be considered seriously underweight at 100lbs. These calculators allow for teens who are having massive growth spurts and not teens who are dieting to get to that weight. Many of my friends WERE healthy at a lower weight at your age, but they ate lots and lots of food and never had any worries about their weight...except they wanted some boobs!

Please don't think that what you're doing is healthy, because its not. This is a time of growth and development and dieting to stay at a low weight is preventing that, and also possibly leading you to a severe eating disorder which will make you anything but happy.

Sorry for ranting. I just hate to see anyone going down this horrible path!!

Good luck hun

xx

Hi guys :)

I just got back from my GP and he thinks it could be something more serious than an intolerance, so he is referring me to the same specialist as my sister (who has crohn's disease) and wants some checks done - possibly an endoscopy :s

I hate the idea of operations or anything like that, so I'm hoping I can just have a scan or something!!!

So, in the meantime, do you guys think I should still avoid milk, or just continue having it? Or I could try some tomorrow, then if it makes my stomach really bad then just stop and try rice/almond/soya stuff again?

Thanks so much for the help :D

lalabanana

I get the massive bloated stomach and wind too, although mainly it is vomiting/diarrheoa and feeling nausious. Problem with my stomach is it has always been my "problem" area (in that its what I've always focused on since developing my ed) so I'm often not sure how bloated it really is! My main issue though (and sorry to be graphic!) is that I had bloody diarrheoa yesterday, and this is apparently serious. So I'm scared it could be something more than lactose intolerance

On holiday we'll just be eating out. We are in a hotel for breakfast, and then it'll be restaraunts for lunch and dinner. I took french GCSE and I'm taking it as an A Level, so I don't have a problem conversing, it's just not being able to eat my usual foods thats the problem! :P I think I just need to try really, really hard to let up on my control and try to just go with it for a week. It would be a massive step in recovery if I can do it and actually gain weight!! And I'll definitely take some cereal bars and stuff :D Thanks

spoiled_candy

I haven't tried rice milk, but I've seen it in the supermarket! I've also seen oat milk and almond milk...are they any good?

Good idea!  I'm gonna do that now so I don't forget tomorrow! I do feel bad when I go to the docs though, as its like I'm always there (have to go weekly for weight/bloods) and I think he must get sick of me!

Thanks again :)

Dorset mueslis are DELICIOUS! My favourite is the blue box (not sure what its called!) Anyone else tried them?

Also, sultana bran is a pretty tasty cereal. As for granola...my list could be a mile long, but my faves are Jordan's Country Crisp with raisins, or Marks & Spencers apple and cinamon crunch!

I don't think it really matters how many carbs you have each day as long as you are also having some protein, fats, and fruit and veg.

Carbohydrates are essential to give us energy, and if you are very energetic then they are the best thing to have! And if you're having wholegrain cereals and breads then its even better :)

My sister has Crohn's Disease so needs lots of calories, and she has these drinks called Scandishakes, which are REALLY high cal and small to have!

Try them :)

I myself have banana build up drinks cause they are nice too.