How To Overcome Restrictive Eating

*This post was originally written for my Instagram account*

Ideas of how to address lingering restriction in recovery…

– Choose the highest cal & most scary option wherever possible.

– Ask, ‘What would pre-ED me have eaten?’

– Let the eating disorder chatter away but try to ignore the thoughts & threats.

– Notice a food ‘rule’ or restriction: address it… If any doubt that the choice you are making is the illness or not – address it!

– Never save calories!

– Address compensatory behaviours (see my posts on exercise / movement).

– Remind yourself that you cannot overcome restriction with restriction!

– Remember that diet food usually tastes like s**t compared to the real deal!!

– Recovery should not feel comfortable – feel anxious, do it anyway!

– Always add butter to bread, milk to coffee/tea – when recovered you can decide if you like it – now is ensuring restriction is not getting in.

– Think of food, dreaming of ice cream – eat food, eat ice cream – now & not later.

– Eaten & still hungry? Eating more is never wrong!!

– Imagine explaining to an alien that you have an illness which left you starved / malnourished & you are treating it by not eating all you want & ignoring your hunger … see how mad it truly is!!

– What would you advise someone else?

– Avoid judging what and how much you want to eat and listen to your body!

– ‘Opposite actions’!

– Go fast.. ‘slam on the gas’ and eat all you crave or go stepwise into addressing restriction but make progress!!

– Use your life values to remember what you really want from life.

– If using a meal plan, see it as a MINIMUM.  Do not let a plan be a tool to restrict.

– Eat out or something someone else prepares so loosens cannot control.

– Choose foods of unknown energy value –  STOP buying diet / low cal / low fat foods – Ben & Jerry’s NOT Halo Top!!

– Remind self your body has been starved & malnourished – needs lots of energy, fats, nutrients to fully heal.

– Fear of weight gain will never go unless it’s faced – eat, gain weight & learn the world does not end.

– Weight gain alone is not recovery!

– Ask others to help.

– Live the life you want tomorrow today – this meal / snack COUNTS!