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I’m scared to try gluten yet! I would likely do fine. I don’t have celiac. But, I’m just scared b/c I haven’t eaten it in so long, and 2 of my kids and my mom have also been gluten free for a while (they’d all shown symptoms of what I thought was gluten-intolerance, but now wonder if it was really due to low metabolism). I guess I’ll know when the time is right to try it. I would LOVE to no longer be slave to gluten-intolerance when it comes to beer and pizza with friends or birthday cake at a party…
I was scared too and my sister and aunt have celiac and my grandfather who is now passed did as well. But I don’t have celiac and think before it was just low metabolism or my body adjusting to eating things again. All you can do is just honor your feelings and eat gluten when the time is right. No need to rush. You don’t need to eat it but I do find that it is freeing to be able to eat whatever I want. I think that being free of food anxiety has been a huge part of the healing process for me.
Thanks everyone! I’m trying to put together a meal plan. The past few days I’ve really been freaking out, in a year I’ve more than doubled my anorexia weight, I’m now obese and all of the gain seems to have gone to fat and I really suffer from muscle weakness. I think stress and not enough sleep is the biggest issue but maybe I should avoid PUFAs? Being on the REDS I tend to take thigs to extreme though and that would probably create more stress. I’m not sure how to proceed.
Hi Natty, I wouldn’t worry too much about PUFAs and Matt mentioned in his books that if you switch to cooking with coconut oil and butter (instead of PUFA oils) that you’ll be good. I also am not eating as much chicken (I ate a ton before because it was lowest in calories and high in protein) or pork. I’m actually not eating much meat at all but I do have some grass-fed beef a few times a week. This isn’t because I don’t want to eat meat, rather it and veggies were a main stay of my diet for the past few years so it’s nice to eat starch again.
I struggled with REDS too and take things to the extreme and it still causes me a bit of unease to eat out but I do it and am having fun with it and the food I eat. I also remember Matt writing that if you eat out you can avoid some PUFAs by avoiding items filled with mayonnaise or fried (don’t restrict too much though and if you love some fried food every now and then it’s all good). I would focus on your stress and getting enough sleep as those are really healing. Have you tried meditation or mindfulness practice to help with stress? I have found these incredibly helpful for daily life and sleep. What exact questions do you have about how to proceed? As far as meals, I’d use your biofeedback as a guide. Does your breakfast satisfy you and make you warm? If not, try a few different things. Same for lunch and dinner and snacks. Try and have as much fun with it as you can.
Saisrice, I too used to eat chicken everyday! Now, not so much.
I haven’t tried meditation, it would be nice to try it though!I’m not sure what to do. I guess I should eat more because I’m super hungry right now, but whenever I respond to that hunger I instantly gain a few kilos! I eat the 3000 minimum recommended in Youreatopia and I know that if I’m hungry I shold eat more but I’m so scared that I’m going to gain so much weight. But then again I guess I got here because I wasn’t eating the amount that my body really wanted (keeping the metabolism low) plus the stress. I feel like I’m hurting my body no matter what I do, I have chest pain on the left side especially when I’m cold, I’m not sure if it’s because of my weight or because of my metabolism. It sometimes get better after a warming meal so I would think it has something to do with circulation (if it’s heart realted)? But it doesn’t last long. I feel like I should be eating all the time to keep myslef warm and full. But what if I make things worse by eating more and am clogging my artries or whatever? Also my muscles are nonexistent and weak, I can’t do much else than sit or lie on my bed without my muscles and bones hurting or getting tired. I feel like I’m slowly killing myself and don’t know what to do to get better. I wish someone could just tell me EXACTLY what to do, what and how much to eat, how much to rest etc. I feel like I did this time last year when I weighed 47 kilos, the only difference is that I’ve gained over 50 kilos since then and I’m carrying it as fat on my weak body.
Sorry to whine, it’s just been a long day and it sucks not having all the answers, not being able to trust doctors, family not understanding…
But Saisrice, you’re always very helpful, I’ve seen you post on Youreatopia too! I hope everything’s going well :)It’s not that simply switching to butter and coconut oil means “you’re good.” It’s just that I like to keep people thinking about what is realistic and sustainable. Do what you can and pick your battles with simple changes that don’t put a dent in your social life, your wallet, etc.
Natty, try not to worry about clogging your arteries or killing/harming your body by eating. I was so worried about eating veggies from the farmer’s market, grass-fed meat and not much else. Now I still enjoy the farmer’s market and grass-fed meat but also enjoy a shake and a handful of fries from McDonald’s (my most dreaded place before) every now and then. I know that eating food (and some unhealthy food at that) is healing for me. It seems like you just need to try and trust your body as much as you can. Eat whenever you’re hungry, eat as much as you want, eat what sounds good, and rest when you want. It’s normal to be tired and want to lie around. If you’ve had an eating disorder than that is especially true and you should rest on your bed for as long as you need to. Load up on good books, videos, etc. Do you like reading books about recovery? If so, I have about 3 that I just finished and would be happy to send to you. I also have a bunch of non-recovery books if you tell me what you like.
I know that resting and being inactive for as long as you need to is mentioned on youreatopia and on this site as well (or at least in Diet Recovery 2). Your body is working really hard on repairing your internal organs and everything else and it needs the food and rest. Your body may seem weak but it is strong and it is resilient. Rest as much as you want! don’t push yourself to do anything. I often enjoy walks and sometimes gentle yoga and may begin doing a tiny bit of exercise but I honestly have felt so tired that last few days that I’ve been just enjoying watching tv shows. I’ve even left a pile of dishes because I’m just so exhausted.
I understand you wanting to have someone tell you exactly how much to eat, what to eat, how to rest, etc. I really wanted that too (and still do sometimes). It felt so scary to just eat but I promise you it gets better and gets easier. Seeing the proof in the biofeedback (seeing my temps go up, getting my period 2 times) has really kept me going. I have gained weight and that has been a hard adjustment but I really don’t think I’ve gained any for the past month. I have no idea since I’m not weighing myself but I think my body is the same. BUT my stomach bloating has gone down. You will not gain forever.
If you’re interested in meditation please let me know and I’ll post you some things that I like. You may have seen them on other posts so I don’t want to be too annoying posting them again. Mindfulness meditation has been my savoir during this challenging time and I can’t recommend it enough. My email is lilyasais@gmail.com
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