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I am fairly new to the whole metabolism-raising world, so I’m really going to need some advice. I read Eat for Heat cover to cover and am fascinated by the principles and logistics of it all. I am recovering from an eating disorder and have gained the necessary weight back, but it’s still hard to wrap my mind around some of these concepts. I know I need to raise my metabolism significantly because I suffer from extreme chilblains (Raynaud-like swelling and itching of the fingers and toes), being cold all of the time, constipation, acne, trouble sleeping, and irritability. I kept track of my meals for a few days just so you guys could get a rough idea of what I’m eating, please let me know if there is anything you think I should change/add, remember I’m new to this all so any tips will be appreciated! :) Yes, I know I need more variety. But as a recovering orthorexic, it can be hard to add in foods that aren’t considered “safe” :(
Day 1
Breakfast: Soaked oatmeal with cinnamon, raw honey, and sunflower seed butter + organic plain whole milk yogurt with blackberries
Lunch: Sandwich on sprouted grain bread with half an avocado, spinach, tomato, sprouts, sea salt, and ground pepper + two hard boiled eggs
Snack: A Larabar
Dinner: Wild salmon baked in coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper + jasmine rice with grass fed butter and chives + steamed broccoli with lemon juice and sea salt
Day 2
Breakfast: A banana + soaked oatmeal with cinnamon and almond butter + organic plain whole milk yogurt
Snack: A Larabar
Lunch: Sandwich on sprouted grain bread with half an avocado, organic turkey breast, spinach, tomato, and sprouts
Snack: Two squares organic, free trade Belgian dark chocolate
Dinner: Two eggs scrambled with grass fed butter, sea salt, pepper, and chives + a sweet potato + steamed broccoli with lemon juice and sea salt
Day 3
Breakfast: An organic apple + soaked oatmeal with cinnamon, grass fed butter, and raw honey + two hard boiled eggs with sea salt and pepper
Snack: A Larabar
Lunch: Sandwich on sprouted grain bread with half an avocado, organic turkey breast, and raw milk cheddar cheese
Snack: A banana
Dinner: Wild salmon baked in coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper + jasmine rice with coconut oil and chives + brussels sprouts with sea salt and pepper
P.S. The only thing I really drink is water, I’ve been trying to reduce the amount that I drink based on my thirst, but it’s a lot harder than I thought! Especially because I have the symptom of dry mouth from overhydration.
I can’t give a whole lot of advice re the food part other than wondering if you’re eating enough calories overall. When I started I tracked calories for a few days to see how much I was eating when eating to satiety and I was WAY below the target amounts for my lifestyle and I couldn’t even reach them by eating till I was stuffed.
I would suggest you try swapping out the water for something with calories. Whether it be whole milk (my favorite) or juice or soda. It’s really no fun feeling thirsty so I’ve found it VERY helpful to drink the above as then I can drink whenever I feel like it without flooding my system and it’s made a huge difference.
Best of luck figuring out what works for you!
Yeah, I agree on the calories. It doesn’t sound like starvation or anything for sure, but you may be a bit under where you need. Do you still feel hungry or unsatisfied? It also seems like you may be a bit orthorexic still. All of your meals are very WAPF-approved sounding. It’s ok to add a little dessert 1 meal a day or have some refined flour once a day or every other day. In fact, when I was recovering from my eating disorder I had to work in a treat I liked (in my case something like animal crackers or pita chips or some cookies) every day. Just making sure you are really enjoying your diet, and that it’s not just very regimented.
How did you eat while growing up? You may want to try working back to that a bit. I am also a big fan of organic food, but there is definitely some room to open up your diet a bit. I do advise continuing to listen to your hunger signals in terms of amount of food (I assume your ED recovery involved getting back in touch with your hunger signals) and would not encourage force feeding or anything like that.
Agree that beverages with calories (like whole milk or juice) can be helpful eaten with meals for adding a few calories.
Fellow recovering anorexic/ortho here. I agree with the above regarding the amount and I have to say your menu seems heavily orthorexic to me, not just slightly. I suggest you up the cals but more importantly, start by going to Walmart or similar chain store and buying mainstream everything. No more grass-fed and sprouted and wild and avocado on everything. Go to McDonalds. Use regular old salt. I’m not saying almond butter and raw milk cheese cannot be consumed ever again but I do think you need to throw this stuff out for a while. You like oatmeal? Buy the pre-mixed flavored packets and add some Mrs. Butterworth’s maple syrup. Instead of Larabar, have a Snickers bar with Coke. Throw out the organic apples, save yourself some money, and have an apple fritter donut from Dunkin.
In my opinion, the state of being weight restored from an ED but still hanging on to such rigidity is the worst of both worlds. You don’t get the comfort of having the frail body (one of the “payoffs” for me) but you are still stuck in food jail and you aren’t able to really live. With the way you’re eating, I have a feeling your life still pretty much revolves around your food schedule. How could you possibly go out to eat with friends of have a day of spontaneity if you need regular access to sprouted bread and organic almond butter? For those of us in recovery from a restrictive ED I think Matt’s guidelines are great but I think the most important thing is to throw out the rules and not worry so much about what will increase/repair metabolism. You might look at that later but clearly right now your issue is rigidity, and the last thing you need is a new set of rules and restrictions.
I would also read Diet Recovery 2 and right now it’s free on Amazon for the Kindle version. To be honest and with all respect, your diet sounds so boring, bland and repetitive. You need to eat more and you need to add some junk food in there. You may want to drink something other than water. I was so sensitive to water because it was making me pee so much, even if I drank just a little. I ended up drinking the clear Gatorade or Sierra Mist which is made with sugar not High Fructose Corn Syrup. Eventually your body will adjust and your need for water may go up. You have to throw out everything you ever learned about food and trust in your body, not your brain. Eat what tastes good to your body, not what you think you should eat. Your body will reset itself in no time and you can relax around food. Also I used to be a bulimic and a yo-yo dieter. I was obsessed with food, thinking about it all the time, what I was going to eat and now, I’m actually bored with food. I was a health food eater and didn’t drink any soda whatsoever. The junk food stage didn’t last too long for me and I have no need for it now. I have no cravings and eat whatever I want and I’m at a healthy weight. It’s awesome to feel this way towards food. Good luck and remember to eat within 30 minutes of waking up and get the “Diet Recovery 2” from Amazon while it’s still free. It will make more sense to you than just reading “Eat for Heat.”
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