I need help with getting over Ana

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I’ve been struggling with Anorexia for the past 6-7 years and I honestly never truly realized that I had an eating disorder until earlier this year, since everything I have done has always felt very normal to me. I’m a lot healthier than I have been, I’m 102 lbs, versus the 90-ish I was at the beginning of the year. I still struggle every day though with not feeling comfortable in my skin as I’m gaining weight, and just how much easier it would be to revert back to my old ways. I’d just like to hear some helpful tips please, and thank you for taking the time to read this.
-Jesslyn

Category: Tags: asked December 3, 2013

4 Answers

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I assume old ways means feeling alright with yourself and that you are gaining weight. I guess its uncomfortable but they aren't fats thats for sure, remember that your body is 'growing' its developing muscles now, fats will come much,much later. I can only help you a bit on the food though, sorry.
First thing is first, no 3 meals a day stuff. Break it down to 6-9 meals a day, I'm not kidding. Find small food to eat during non lunch time like break, maybe small carbohydrates like biscuits to buns and to bread with butter. Try adding other kinds of food/flavours to what you eat. Like bun with butter or jam. You cannot just eat carbohydrates, they only last a short while. Once you feel comfortable, eating those with no problem you can move on to something more complex. As for meal times, don't bother with carbohydrates, you would have eaten enough during your non meal time. Try food which you really like that is not entirely carbo but in small amounts.
once you are more comfortable with eating that amount you can increase the amount a bit by bit and avoid putting so much you feel sick, just slightly stuffed and not bloated. I guess thats all I can do.
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I'll second what FeatherLight said. Definitely don't eat lots of carbs. Proteins and fats are what you need most of. But do eat some carbs because some of them are beneficial and necessary. Try getting your carbs from raw fruit if you can--it's one of the best ways. (Even better, if you have a blender, make smoothies from raw fruit--combined with a base like plain yogurt or something. Depending on the fruit, you might want to add some extra sweetness; apples, pears, and grapes are all good for that, as well as natural sweeteners like monk fruit, stevia, and sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol.)
But while we're talking about carbs, I have to mention how harmful refined grains can be. If you can at all manage to stay away from wheat in all its many forms, you will be better off for it. Also try to steer clear of things like white rice, and opt for brown instead. Refined grains are a major cause of so many people having diabetes--they spike your blood sugar which isn't good for your pancreas and can reduce your body's ability to self-regulate. Look for things with a low Glycemic Index (GI).
For protein, stick with things like turkey, chicken (if you're not a B blood type), and lean beef (unless it's grass-fed, in which case don't be afraid of fattier cuts because it's actually good for you). Beans can be good for protein as well, but don't forget tree nuts--they're also rich in minerals, which are very important to have in your diet. Some good ones are walnuts, pecans, and brazil nuts.
Fats are a hard one because you really need them, but most fats you'd typically eat aren't that good for you. Typical cooking oils won't be of any help to your body (like canola, soybean, vegetable, etc.), and animal fats can hold toxins generated by the mass-market breeding process. DEFINITELY stay away from ANYTHING FRIED. Even if it says it contains no trans-fats, don't believe it. Frying always creates trans fats. Chances are, it has less than the FDA says it has to have in order to be specified on the label. But even if it did have none, the frying process creates plenty of other toxins that are even more harmful that trans fats.
One of the best fats is coconut oil, which is mostly medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Your body can use those in some pretty nifty ways (mainly for energy) compared to all other fats. If you want, you can even buy pills of MCTs. If I recall correctly, they even reduce your risk of heart disease.
In a nutshell, the best diet has lots of vegetables, a medium amount of fruit and meat, and minimal other carbs. Lastly, some pills almost everyone should take regularly: probiotics, enzymes, and vitamin D. Probiotics keep the bad bacteria in your gut from flourishing and thus making you sick; enzymes help you to thoroughly digest your food to get the most nutrition out of it and to avoid gut bacteria having to process it for you (which leads to things like gas and diarrhea); and vitamin D because most people these days are low on it, due to the modern mostly-indoor lifestyle. It wouldn't hurt to get your doctor to check your vit. D levels though before starting a regimen. It is possible to overdose--though extremely unlikely for most people. I personally have a disorder that seems to be caused by low D levels, and (when I have it) I try to take about 15,000 IUs per day. I buy NOW brand D softgels that are 5,000 IU per softgel. And when I take it consistently, my muscle spasms go away. FWIW.
Hope that helps.
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Trust me, the last thing you want to do when recovering from anorexia is to keep yourself on a strict diet. There's really only one key element when recovering from ana: time. It's difficult, but you have to give yourself time to adjust back into your body's natural way of eating. For lack of a better phrase, you have to wait for your mind to reteach itself how to feed your body properly. It's extremely frustrating, but you've made it this far already, and I know you must be a very strong individual to come out on top of such a disease. My advice to you would be to seek help from friends and family members, both for moral and physical support. Also, if you haven't been to see a doctor, you should. They're your best resources when it comes to sticking with your recovery.Best of luck to you, I hope you realize how beautiful and courageous you are. Never let yourself think otherwise.
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Hey, first of all I want to say I'm proud you're gaining weight and I know how you feel :) I got over ana after 3 years in August. I'm a guy and I never thought they could and just like you I didn't know until the last year of it, and I have to tell you that it is a good sign that you can accept it :) That's what started my road to recovery. I had huge problems with my stomach. I couldn't stand it and I'd hate seeing myself in the mirror, when dressing, or in the shower. I still feel uncomfortable with how I feel sometimes for just a moment but then I remind myself that I'm fine and that I have nothing to worry about. I was never overweight but I still got it. I don't know if you know or are comfortable talking about it but if you can find what the source of your insecurity is then you can focus on that. When I realized that it was my stomach that was bothering me I worked to try and feel comfortable with it. I got invited to a birthday pool party that was all girls and I was very scared to go, but I did it. And look where I am, five months later and I'm over it. When I went to the party and had my shirt off I realized something; nobody saw what I saw. The horror I felt about my own body, nobody else could see. They saw the real me and that's when I started accepting myself for who I am; a normal guy.I'm like brand new to this site but if you ever need any other help I'll be here for you and I wish you the best of luck. I hope my story helped you :) -Noah