Recovering Anorexic...Does This Look Like A lot of Food? I Feel Like it is...?

I am 19 years old and trying to gain some weight after anorexia. Right now I'm 5'4 and weigh 83lbs, and I need to start gaining some weight in order to stay out of the hospital. Yesterday was my first day trying to increase my calories, and here's what I had:



Breakfast

-6oz greek yogurt, 1c Kashi cereal, 8 walnut halves, peach



Lunch

-serving of whole grain crackers with 1oz goat cheese and 2oz lowfat chicken breast lunchmeat

-2T avocado

-2T hummus with raw veggies (carrots, cucumber, brocolli)

-8oz 100% apple juice



Snack

-apple with 1T natural peanut butter



Dinner

-black bean burger

-spinach salad with avocado, 1oz goat cheese, carrots, and 2T hummus as dressing

-8 small wholegrain crackers



Snack

-1/2cup lowfat yogurt

-1/2c cereal

-3 strawberries



I also drank water, and did not do any exercise besides a 20min walk.



I added up the calories and it was about 1800...about 300 more than I was eating before. I know that 1800 calories is just a maintenence diet and I will probably need way more to gain, but I felt like this was so much food. I just felt bloated and huge all day and the idea that I will have to eat even more kind of scares me. Does this look like a lot of food? Do you think it will get easier for me to eat more? Like will my stomach get used to it? I would really appreciate any advice!



Thank youRecovering Anorexic...Does This Look Like A lot of Food? I Feel Like it is...?
This sounds like the perfect amount of food for you. Don't worry about the bloated feeling, it will go away as you get used to eating this amount of food. Focus on the present. Day to day. When you are ready to increase your calories more, you can do so, but for now, just focus on today's calories. Don't completely shun exercise because you will build muscle by strength training (lifting weights, etc.) and muscle weighs more than fat. Anyway, keep up the good work. Best wishes! :)
That is a great start! The black bean burger might have a fair amount of sodium which could make you feel a bit bloated. The mental aspect of feeling huge all day will go away once you get used to eating more calories. Your sample day plan is an extremely healthy mix of good fats, carbs and protein. You are doing everything you should!Recovering Anorexic...Does This Look Like A lot of Food? I Feel Like it is...?
It is healthy.

congratulations.

for a recovering anorexic it mite seem alot.. and to me it does to.. but being healthy is a much beta feeling than when you thin.

To some that mite seem like a lie, but its the truth. Eat only as much as your tummy tells you and youll eventualy have your apitite back to normal.

good luck



xoxo

PS: your excercise is important
No it is not a lot of food and yes your body will adapt to it. But you can never adapt to something without the inclusion of a stressor. Without one, the body never has reason to change.
don't know about anorexia but I did lose down to that amount when I was 19 due to glandular fever and im about that height. I found it incredibly difficult to eat large amounts for quite a while after that and had to force myself but after a while my appetite did get back to normal so you stomach does get used to it. Impressed with you for trying it must be incredibly hard if the weight loss is due to anorexia rather than illness.



What about keeping the wholegrain stuff down a bit - I know its good for you but it is more filling. Perhaps if you ate non wholegrain crackers for a couple of weeks till your stomach gets more used to teh amounts?
It does look like not that much food, maybe a day when i have a bit less than average. Then again as a lad im supposed to get 500 more cals than you. From my own (not quite as extreme) experiences with weight i KNOW that it will get much easier to eat more as long as you stick with eating more than you are comfortable with for at least 2 weeks; the stomach stretches to make room for all the nice new things you are eating.

Good luck
First of all.. congrats on taking the steps to getting better!! You are doing the right thing for yourself!



What you have listed above sounds great, it does not look like too much food. Although you are right with your stomach not being use to it. It will eventually get use to it. I notice you eat yogurt, if you are bloated, maybe try substituting Activia yogurt - which would help minimize that.



Good Luck and stay on track! It is great to see you making steps in the right direction!