wanting to eat vs. true hunger? - trigs

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-25-2003
wanting to eat vs. true hunger? - trigs
3
Thu, 06-29-2006 - 5:28pm
I have been in recovery for anorexia since February. I am doing okay and gaining slowly. I still have so much trouble knowing when to eat. I definitely can tell when I am truly hungry, but like last night, I wasn't physically hungry (as in stomach growling, etc.), but I WANTED to eat. I was almost crying because I wanted to eat so badly and was fighting not to. When I feel that way, am I supposed to eat, or is that the eating disorder trying to get the best of me? I don't know how to read signals like that and didn't know what to do. I wound up not eating and got over it all, but I am baffled as to how to handle it if it happens again. Thanks.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2005
Sun, 07-02-2006 - 12:10am

Hi KC!

 

 

~Diana~

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-25-2003
Sun, 07-02-2006 - 12:36pm

Yup, I am on a food plan and have been since February. The plan has changed over time and is an exchange plan. Initially it followed a 1200 calorie a day plan, but I am so obsessed with calories, that we switched it to strictly exchanges. I know it is about 1800 calories a day, but I am not supposed to worry about the numbers - just servings of food groups. The plan is the minimum I am supposed to eat - I can ALWAYS eat more, but I need to eat off the plan as a minimum. The nutritionist is trying to get me to trust my body more about what I eat and how much, so last week I was told to simply record what I eat and not worry about exchanges. She was going to look at what I eat over a week's time to see how it balances out. This all came about because I was starting to rebel against the plan. Sometimes I didn't feel like milk - I wanted more fruit, or I wanted more meat, etc. She saw that as a good sign and thought it warranted trying to see how I would do for a week or two "on my own." I think I am doing well. I choose good foods and am starting to get past that mentality of feeling like I failed if I eat something that is anxiety provoking for me. I just have trouble with what to do when I am not stomach growling hungry, but have cravings to eat something. I still am terrified that eating a treat of some kind will lead to overeating and feeling gross and overfull. Slowly I am getting better. I have found times that I can eat a treat without guilt or going beserk, but it is not 100 percent yet. One good thing is that I can eat more than the plan and not have to restrict to "make up for it." That is HUGE progress for me!!

Thanks for your help!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-28-2006
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 8:59pm
I was anorexic (and bulimic) about a year and a half ago, and it got so bad that my parents put me into hospital. I refused to go into real treatment but recovered on my own through a very difficult inner battle. I went through the very same thing of being terrified to give into food cravings when I wasn't truly hungry. The thing is, your body IS hungry, even if you can't feel it that much. You have deprived your body and now it is trying to make up for lost time. How do you gauge when to eat or not? The best advice I can give you is to not overstuff yourself and do what you need to in order to get the craving off your mind. If that means two snacks in between meals or making a meal out of snacks because that's what you feel like, then do it and get it off your mind. Just like you were saying, what you are trying to do is listen to your body. It may take quite a long time after you have reached your ideal (ideal physically, not mentally) body weight before you are "normal" around food again. They may not have helped at all, but best wishes on your recovery.