DURING RECOVERY...
Think of your body and weight like this:
You have a water hose, and no water is running through it. You turn on the water. Now, water is running through the hose, and it is functioning properly. You pick it up and notice that it feels heavier now that there is water running through it. But, it doesn't LOOK any bigger!!
IT'S THE SAME WAY WITH YOUR BODY!!!
The scale may say you weigh more, but it is only because you NOW have the vital nutrients and minerals that you need in your body for it to function correctly!
When you first start to eat again, your body is going to be retaining water and thus makes you "feel" fatter. Of course, fat is not really a feeling, though, so how does it REALLY make you feel?
Your stomach may distend (swell up after you eat and take awhile to empty) due to the fact that your body isn't yet used to digesting a "normal" amount of food. This WILL pass...your stomach will go back to its normal size as soon as your food gets digested. Raw food are the hardest for your stomach to digest, so you may want to avoid them for the first few weeks while you are getting used to eating again. Cook veggies like carrots and broccoli, and eat soft fruits (i.e., bananas) instead of hard fruits (i.e., apples).
If you are having abnormal bowel problems, be sure to drink plenty of water and eat high-fiber foods. This should fix itself in due time, but if you are constipated for SEVERAL days, contact your doctor.
Tell yourself these things:
" I must take food as if it were medicine."
" Eating this average-sized amount of food will stop me from bingeing later."
" This food will not lead to an uncontrolled amount of weight gain."
" Eating average-sized, well-porportioned meals is part of becoming better."
" I am pretty. I am intelligent. I want to be healthy."
" I WON'T give up until I am recovered."
" God made me just the way he wanted me!"
You may need to establish a plan of "mechanical eating" until your body gets used to eating and you can better interpret your hunger and full signals. Mechanical eating is when you establish a non-dieting eating plan (and stick to it), eating nutritious portions of food at the same time each day.
For example:
Eat breakfast right after you wake up (or within the first hour)
Have a snack
Have lunch 3-4 hours after your first meal
Have a snack
Have dinner in the early evening
It's important to eat three meals a day, and never skip a meal! Skipping meals will only set you up for a late night binge.
GET RID OF YOUR HOME SCALE WHILE YOU ARE NORMALIZING YOUR EATING PATTERS! I took a hammer to mine. It felt pretty good, too! :)
Stick with a "mechanical eating" pattern, as described above. If you allow yourself to eat average sized meals during the day, you won't be so hungry later on.
Find ways to distract yourself after you've eaten a meal, and get away from the kitchen. Call a friend, take a short walk, listen to some of your favoite music, or read a book.
Give yourself other pleasures...take a long, hot bubble bath and relax...watch a new or favoite movie...find or participate more in a hobby (fishing, acting, singing, sewing,...heck, even making a web page!!) MORE ON NEXT PAGE...
