Tips For Eating Disorder Recovery

This is a topic that hits me personally. Since I began my recovery, I have been an advocate for those embarking on this grueling process. I want to share this with you because recovery is hard. It takes time, and there will be probably be relapses. But, you aren't alone, and you can do this.

I still remember the day I had gotten the diagnosis. I was 15, and I honestly felt proud of being able to say I officially had Anorexia Nervosa. Why? Well, that was the disorder talking, and possibly my own relief to know that while this may be my 'normal,' it wasn't supposed to be. My therapist named him Ed; Ed, short for Eating Disorder. When we talked, we talked about how Ed 'distorted my mind' and made me see things that weren't really there. At the time, I didn't believe her. I absolutely was that 'fat' girl in the mirror, who else could it be?

I remember being so mad that she was trying to turn Ed against me. Ed was comfortable, and unlike much else in my life, something I could rely on. To me, Ed wasn't just a diagnosis. I wanted to believe that Ed was a friend, someone who helped me cope with my stress and told me what I had to do to make the anxiety over my body go away. But, Ed was no friend at all, it nearly destroyed me. It took me years to see the true extent of the damage.

While most of the memories of my eating disorder are fuzzy, one thing my therapist said truly stood out: it takes, on average, 7 years to recover from the worst of an eating disorder. But, your battle will be lifelong. Not only that, but gaining the first 10-20 pounds back will be difficult.

It has now been 9 years since that day, and I can truly say that her statement could not be more true. Yes, I have recovered. But has it completely gone away? No. It's hard, but I want you to know that you will make it your 7 years. To help you or your loved one with the process, I want to talk about a few things that helped me along the way.

Eat What You're Comfortable With

When you're recovering from an eating disorder, you don't have to instantly be okay with eating your most triggering foods. To some people, eating a burger can be like no big deal, but if this is your trigger food, then it could send you into a relapsing spiral if you have just one bite. For this reason, my first big piece of advice is to eat what you're comfortable with. If that's just salads and protein shakes, perfect! There are ways you can either "sneak" extra calories into your favorite foods or add some similar ones to you daily diet.

For me, muffins were my vice. I loved--and still love--eating them. I would buy them at coffee shops and made my own every day. To add some more calories into my diet, I let myself have an extra muffin each day. I even started drinking an extra protein shake after my workout. While it may not have been much, it did help me start to recover. I was able to gradually add more food to my daily routine by eating things I liked and felt good eating.

If you're going the salad route, add some nuts or cheese to your salad. Or, you could start putting your salad on a tortilla and make a wrap. If you're like me and really liked protein shakes, have an extra one! Once you start adding more food into your daily routine, your body will start to come out of starvation mode and help you along the way; you'll start to feel hungry again. But most importantly, eat what you're comfortable with and try not to push yourself too much. You need to eat to heal, but forcing yourself to eat triggering foods may push you over the edge into relapse.

If Working Out Helps, Do It. But Make Sure You Eat

If you're like me, you might take working out too far and enter a whole new level of eating disorder. But, if working out gives you a reason to eat, then do it.

For me, this was probably the most important part of my recovery. Many people don't know this, but anorexia and bulimia are how people attempt to exert control over their lives. This is why puberty can be especially triggering for adolescents; they can't control the changes in their body so they control what they can: food.

Whether you go for a walk or decide to train for a marathon, just make sure to workout in a way that's healthy for you and your body. When planning your workout routine, try not to exceed an hour and a half each day. I say this because you don't want to over-work your body and end up with a stress fracture or injury. If that happens, you won't be able to work out at all, and working out can no longer be your outlet. In a perfect world, you'd be working out for 30 minutes to one hour for 5-6 days each week. Don't forget to take that day off, even if it's just to spend a day walking instead of intense exercise.

When it comes to choosing a workout or exercise type, there is a world of options. You could even combine some if one sounds more interesting than others. For example you could:

• Run or jog
• Elliptical
• Walk
• Hike
• Lift weights
• Yoga
• Bike (outdoor or indoor)
• Swim
• Attend workout classes
• Zumba or dance

The most important part of this is to establish a routine that you can rely on. Personally, I liked to workout in the morning so that I can enter my day with a clear head. But if you're more of a night owl, plan your workouts for the evening or afternoon. Something I really like to recommend is having a workout partner. That way, you have someone making sure you workout for an appropriate time, but also pushing you to work hard and maybe even try something new.

But the most important part of establishing a workout routine is making sure you are still eating enough. When you workout, you're burning a lot more calories than you probably used to, so making sure you eat healthy foods, such as carbs and proteins, will be very important. Luckily, working out will increase your appetite, so it may be easier to eat your meal afterwards. Even if it's just adding a large protein smoothie from your favorite smoothie shop, those are life-saving calories.

Plan Out Your Diet

One of the biggest things that your eating disorder gave you was control. So by planning out your diet, you can maintain that control, but also make sure you are eating enough to sustain yourself. When I was at my lowest, I got the privilege of speaking to a dietician. She helped by showing me just how much I could eat and maintain a healthy weight. Needless to say, I was shocked by how much food that was able to eat. She helped me plan my first week of food, and I was so excited.

After that, I began planning all my meals. It really helped me maintain control over what I ate. When you plan your meals, it's easier to make sure you're eating enough and from the right food groups. Plus, the planning piece can be fun! You can try a bunch of different recipes and plan for healthy dinners. If you're like me, then this planning will carry over for the rest of your life. To this day, I still meal plan. In fact, I've gotten so good at it that I can meal plan for a month in advance. Is is obsessive? Maybe, but it does help me make sure I'm eating healthy.

However, diverging from the plan did cause some anxiety. So, you should try to plan for the nights when you get a call from some friends who want to go out for dinner or when your partner wants to take you out on a date. You could also tell your friends and partner that you need a few days of heads up before these events. That way, you can have some time to prepare yourself.

How To Manage The Body Distortion

I may not be a psychologist (yet, I'm in the process of going back to school to get my doctorate), but I did find a few ways that helped me manage the body distortion. Body distortion is probably one of the trickiest parts of an eating disorder. Even if you weight less than 100 pounds, you can still look in the mirror and see someone who's overweight.

Unfortunately, this is one of the last things to go away during your recovery process. In fact, I still have days when the distortion comes back and I see a person other than myself in the mirror. When this happens, it's so weird; I will literally go from seeing someone much larger than I am to my actual body. It's pretty creepy and still catches me off guard. So, how do you deal with this?

When you're first trying to recover, the best thing you can do is try to rationalize. Sadly, this is much easier said than done, especially if you catch a small glimpse of yourself before you can prepare. But, if you come up with some phrases ahead of time, you can get yourself out of that funk. You need to figure out how to convince yourself by telling your brain that what you're seeing isn't real.

If you tend to focus on one body part, start looking at yourself as a whole person, not just a stomach, legs, butt, or arms. By doing this, you're looking at your whole body, which is more likely than not perfectly proportional.

I also personally hate this piece of advice because body positivity is supreme, but I found that avoiding mirrors helped. If seeing yourself in the mirror is a trigger, then try to avoid them or at least only use them for make-up and hair. You won't need to avoid mirrors forever, but it may help in the early stages of recovery.

If you have a Fitbit or Apple watch, take it off. If you're like me, then you are probably a slave to the calories and steps it tracks. However, taking it off may be difficult because it's your reassurance that you're being active enough and eating within your calorie range. But, take it off anyway. It will take about a week, but it will help you become more in-tune with your body.

Stop using the scale. There is so much information out there about the difference between the weight of fat and muscle. As an athlete, I've always been more on the muscular side. When I've compared my weight to friends my same height, I've always found I'm about 10 to 20 pounds heavier than they are. Definitely doesn't help the distortion, right? So, stop weighing yourself and start using measurements.

Final Words

I hope that you found some tips that may help you with the recovery process. It's hard, and sometimes you'll feel like your friends and family don't understand. If you aren't already, try to find a therapist to help you find coping mechanisms and managing your eating disorder. Talking it over with someone neutral can really help you navigate the disorder. There are so many resources available, so I hope you can find one that works. But, as always, remember you're not alone. And you can do this.

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Thank you for reading!