questions!

okay recovering anorexia patient, for the past 3 days i've been binging alot so i have some questions to ask

1) what should i do if i have eaten too much fatty food in the past few days? (cookies, cakes, biscuits)

2) will i gain massive amounts of weight?

3) will i absorb all the calories and nutrients from the food i eat?

4) are oat digestive biscuits healthy?

5) if i revert back to a more controlled meal plan (2000 - 2500)calories? will my weight return to what it was?

   recently my binges have been like from (3000 - 5000 calories)

6) what are healthy snacks i can eat?

7) if i binged alot at one go, does the food all get absorbed or some of it is rejected cause it's an overload of food?

thanks!

Original Post by breathesofhope:

what happens if i eat empty calorie food as snacks to gain weight(on top of main meals?) instead of eating more healthy snacks?

then you'll increase your calories and be on your way to recovery. right now you should focus on eating enough and provided your body with the nutrients it needs to heal itself. as long as you're eating enough whole foods and nutritious items then adding in the empty calorie foods won't detract from the nutrients you are getting from your other food choices. that being said, most people strive for an 80/20 ration, with 80% healthy and 20% "free" calories for someone eating 2500- 3000 calories, which you should be eating for recovery, that means about 500-600 calories are free...and that's quite a bit. 

you have to remember that nuts, trail mix, cereal...those would not really count toward this 20% and are great snack foods, but they have nutritional value. also, yogurt, ice cream, granola bars, energy bars also have nutritional value. in fact, ALL FOODS, except maybe hard and chewy fruit flavored candy have some nutritional value so long as you're eating REAL meals, then having "empty" snacks won't be a problem. congrats on recovery!!

Why wouldn't you want to eat healthier snacks? It's your choice and your metabolism, so do what you want. All you need to worry about really is gaining weight - fat, muscle, or otherwise.

Though I do congratulate you on acknowledging there is a problem and wanting to recover, this thread is really frustrating to read. Rebelchick and others have answered your questions beautifully and in great detail, giving fantastic advice, yet you keep asking the same thing.

YES it's OK to eat cookies and biscuits.

NO the weight you gain will not be different from if you ate 3000 calories of oranges.

It would be GOOD and more HEALTHY both mentally and physically if you didn't get ALL your calories from biscuits and 'treat' food, because that's not learning normal eating habits. You will relieve yourself of some of the guilt, and eating whole grains and healthy fats rather than high GI food will help you feel fuller and less likely to keep eating biscuits.

That's pretty much all I can say. I think you need to talk to a professional, personally.

I have suggested seeking professional help in every reply I gave her.

Sometimes I think as much as people SAY they want to get better, they really don't mean it. They just want to be told that what they are doing is perfectly fine and dandy and they'll ask questions repeatedly until they are blue in the face or until those being asked give up and say "Yes, that's fine."

I'm saying "Yes, that's fine." And I think that this thread needs to be locked. There's nothing else to say.

Yup, yup and yeeeah-up. This thread is growing increasingly frustrating to read. Basically a calorie is a calorie and irrespective of form, it will contribute to weight gain. But putting aside the psychological aspects, calories gained from more nutritious foods will make the physical component of recovery a more rewarding transition. I certainly feel more energised and satiated from a balanced diet than I would from a diet of chocolate and crisps. I think you know what you're doing isn't particularly rewarding for your health, breathes, and I agree that this thread should be closed.

Hi breathesofhope..

Just came across your thread and while im not sure you're still struggling with ur questions and worries (i hope ur not!)..i just want to tell u i totally undersand..ive seen others' replies to ur queries and can see how ur repeted questions may seem frustrating and perhaps annying to them, but theyr probably not in your shoes.

As a recovering anorexic myself, i went (sometimes still am going) through the exact same binges/cravings ur going throough....i started craving all the previously no-no foods..everything i prevented myself frm eating, even stuff i didnt really use to like, i craved...i never had a sweet tooth but after the anorexia, i would have insane cravings for icecream and cookies and sometimes cakes....and then everyday id be self flagellating over the increadible calorie intake and hating myself for it....all my previously obsessively healthy eating habits were still there, but i just craved more sugar and sweets......then id keep asking myself and my poor mum the same questions and obsessing over the weight im gaining....

basically, ur body craves all this junk food....it will get better but slowly, live with it if u want to conserve ur sanity...i promise u u will gain very little weight coz itll take a LONG time for ur body to retrieve all the nutrients it wants and then spare that much for weight gain....learn to give in to the cravings and they will gradually decrease.....also, keep exercising just to keep the guilt at bay......this is like learning all over again to eat and enjoy food and not count calories obsessively....its HARD and sometimes u dont want the healthy stuff, just the things uve been depriving urself of...its ok...u will be fine.... 

yep, i agree with poshbird, and have been in the exact same boat.

YOU NEED HEALTHY FOOD. YOU NEED JUNK FOOD. don't deprive yourself of anything!

a calorie is a calorie, but certain calories also provide vitamins and nutrients, the ability to grow back muscle, etc. you need to make sure that you are getting enough of each of those, but there will be leftover calories. these can go towards your fun foods.

i know this is an old thread, but what fats do you eat besides your sweets? you may be craving fat. i did. try avocado/nuts/cheese/oils... how about trail mix? nuts are healthy, dried fruit it healthy, and chocolate to satisfy the cravings. and it's dense.

also try dark chocolate, and try different food combos like chocolate and apple or chocolate chips over yogurt with fruit and nuts. also i like greek yogurt (super high protein, rich and creamy) with an instant hot cocoa mixed in. that's good with strawberries, too. 

or have your sweets as treats like they should be. for a weight gainer this doesn't mean sparingly, but as a reward after a healthy, balanced meal.

and don't tell yourself you can't have them. aren't the forbidden the most attractive to us?

good luck. hope things are better for you now.

Hi Breathesofhope! I too struggle with recovery from anorexia, and I also have all these questions that I just want one single right answer to! But you know what? There is NO one, single, right, answer to anything about food or weight gain, and even weight loss for that matter.

First, let me congratulate you, yes congratulate,, for craving and EATING that junk food! That is a big thing that you're doing, many of us recovery from ED's have serious problems with  not letting ourselves eat the food we crave, but good for you! You can! Be proud! Everybody craves stuff, but it takes someone strong to give in and listen to their cravings! Be proud of yourself!! :)

It seems like your family's doing what mine tends to do:: They notice you're underweight and need to gain so they encourage you to eat more by buying snack food they know you love. And this is they're way of trying to help! If I were you I'd try talking to your mom or dad or whoever is buying this stuff for you and let them know your concerns about this, ask them for their help, I'm sure they would love to!

And your body is craving chocolate and cookies probably because; well I'm guessing you wouldn't let your body have it for so long, so your stomach's probably thinking "Oh yay! Now I can have the foods I love again, so let's make up for all the times I couldn't! But oh no! what if I've deprived again!? I better stock up now!"     I have also read that when you crave chocolate, sometimes it's actually a protein craving.. maybe you can try making a chocolate, peanut butter smoothie? Yum!

And I too suggest getting a team of doctors behind you on this!

Well I hope I help a bit! Good luck hun! :)