Different Change of Pace...*might be triggering to those with EDS*

[Autumn Leaves]

So, I am recovering from surgery. (during which I lost a lot of weight) I still get pains if I eat a lot of high-fat foods. (ie. Nut butters, trail mix, soy.) At first I started out eating nothing, going days without eating, only making it worse when I did finally have to eat agan (the dread bloating) :down: So resently I've started eating three meals a day. starting I began so full and stuffed quickly, now it seems I could eat and eat and kinda reach that 'full level' but the next hour I'll be hungery again. This is a big shock from living off of so little to wanting to eat every few hours.

Here's a sample of today:
B:half an apple (8:15 am)
L:1 cup Mac. & Soy 'cheese' (11am)
1: teaspoon of almond butter (11am)
2: two gram crackers with honey (tsp.2 honey) (12ish am)
3: cup of cereal with honey (tsp. honey) (12:30am)
4: another two gram crackers (12:40am)
5: two slices of bread, one tosted. (1 tsp. honey) (1pm)
6: handful of wheat thins..nibbler. (1:30pm)


~out in town~ Went for a mile walk in town
Returned home...
D: cup of cereal with soymilk, half cup frozen strawberries
1. handful of trail mix
2. Apple sauce
(went on a walk, did a little running (very sort run) came home)

1. 1 cup soymilk.
2. apple sauce
3. picked through the trail mix bag, got out dried pinnapples, rasins, cranberries. stayed away from nuts.
4. walk a bottle of Gatorade, mouth is sooo dry.

throughout the day I've had like four bottles of water, plus tea. I can't seem to stay hydrayted! :juggle:

now compaired to what I used to eat it looks like I'm joking with you all. Is this hunger normal? sould I be eating this much? how can I stop the 'snacking' making my meals bigger or smaller throughout the day? Maybe my body needs more protein...(?) (I sure do ask a lot of questions!) :D

my weight has went up about a lb or two, but then the next morning it will drop down. If I go without eating for a day or so it will drop well below what I am at now. Is that normal? :confused:

ok I'll end up this long post now!
Thank ya!

God Bless

P.S. not sure if this sould go here, or on the health board

[mayuko]

i don't think you need the might be triggering to those with EDs disclaimer. i think that's a given with all your posts.

that having been said.... sheesh, no wonder you're hungry every half an hour. i would be too, living off of crackers and bread. you're right in thinking you need more protein, though. you need WAY the hell more protein than that. also, your body would thank you if you fed it some veggies... :)

the hunger is normal. you've starved yourself so long that now your body's going AHHHHHH FOOD GIMME. i'm proud to see a food log coming from you that lists more than two items, by the way :up:

and a person's weight can fluctuate 10 lbs in a given day... water weight and such. my recommendation to you is to stay off the scale completely.

and that's all the constructive things i can think of to say for now. my head hurts.

[Autumn Leaves]

Well, If I didn't put that up there about people with EDs I am sure one of you would come along and bang me...better safe then sorry. :-/

[Virtue23]

Actually AL - this is one of the most encouraging posts I've EVER seen from you. :up:

I'm so proud that you're responding to your body by eating when you're hungry. Its such a HUGE step for you - way to go!! But yes, you must get more protein. If nuts are too harsh, try beans. Start off small but gradually up your intake, if its too much at first. Again, great to hear you're making bigger efforts to take care of yourself. :yes: You should really take the "triggering" part off of your title, many would be RELIEVED to read these posts.

[Autumn Leaves]

I counted up yesterday's intake (estamated) and it said something like 1,600. isn't that a little too much? I feel like I am eating out of boredom...maybe it's just me..

[meatless]

AL, 1,600 calories is definitely not too much. I have trouble keeping my consumption under 2,000 (and I'm inactive, but thin). You definitely need more protein and fruit and vegetables in your diet. Make sure that toast you're eating is made with a multi-grain type bread too. And don't be afraid of nuts. Yes, they're "high in fat" but if you're eating a diet like yours that doesn't really matter. You should have peanut butter on your toast instead of honey, as honey offers little in nutritional value. Graham crackers don't have much nutritional value either.

[zoebird]

i would start to move up toward 2000 calories over time and diversify your diet. YOu need more protien and more vegetables particularly. otherwise, it's good that you're eating. eating when your hungry is helpful. keeping blood sugar levels even is extremely helpful.

personally, i eat 6 times a day: three meals and three snacks. My meals are slightly larger than my snacks and each one is balanced in protien, fat, and carbs (30% protien; 15% fat; 55% carbohydrate--more than half complex carb, less than half simple carb). I get between 1800 and 2200 calories per day (depending upon my hunger/needs that day).

I do this to keep blood sugar and hormonal levels even in my body. this is important for overall function and health. it helps the body heal and maintain itself. Three meals a day is an outdated, and potentially harmful model. If possible, eating 5 to 6 times a day is your best option.

[pseudo_vegan]

It's GREAT that you're eating when you're hungry, but to get healthy you really need to be mindful of what you're consuming.

For right now, go with what's easy for you. If high-fat foods (even the good fats) are upsetting and difficult to digest, integrate them back into your system slowly. Don't rush it, just pace it.

With the graham crackers and whatnot...that's a lot of not-so-nutrionally-dense food and sugars that spike your glucose levels, resulting in the "Oh I'm hungry" feeling like 30 minutes later.

Like meatless said, if you want to eat toast, etc. like that make sure it's a thick, hearty piece of wheat and/or multi-grain bread. Consider at least an all-fruit spread instead of honey, if you can't handle a nut butter yet. You can also have hummus and spinach on toast or in a toasted pita and that's really good too.

Regardless, keep up the eating...you're doing great!

:nigel: Cheers!

[mayuko]

Well, If I didn't put that up there about people with EDs I am sure one of you would come along and bang me...better safe then sorry. :-/

i was being kind of snarky last night. i apologize :)

[ynaffit]

I counted up yesterday's intake (estamated) and it said something like 1,600. isn't that a little too much? I feel like I am eating out of boredom...maybe it's just me..
no, it's not too much, it's too little! i'm really glad that you're doing better with your eating, though. :up:

[FreshTart]

no, it's not too much, it's too little! i'm really glad that you're doing better with your eating, though. :up:

:sign:

[bluewisdom]

AL, I am honestly amazed, shocked, and yet so proud and happy to hear about your obvious improvement.

You are doing wonderfully. Your body is loving you majorly right now, because you are finally giving it the nourishment it deserves and needs to not only survive, but live.

Keep up the GREAT work. It's worth all of the struggles and the pain once you can finally say to yourself (and have it be true), "I'm healthy."

<3

[porvida]

HOLY CRAP!!!

YOU'RE EATING!

oh my GOD, I'm proud of you. PLEASE keep this up. NEVER go back! it's not worth it!!
you do need more fresh veggies, there are a lot of carbs but at this point I dont think thats bad, necessarily...its FOOD.
and freshtart and ynaffit are right. it is too little. but its SO much better.

[desolationangel]

that's awesome!!! keep it up!

[bluewisdom]

For the fresh vegetables, instead of just having raw fresh veggies (which is healthy, but too low calorie), do what I do sometimes:

Step 1: take your zucchini, squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc and chop them up into bite sized chunks

Step 2: put them in a bowl that is microwaveable

Step 3: put some water in the bowl and microwave the vegetables until slightly soft

Step 4: drain the water

Step 5: drizzle some olive oil on the vegetables (or if that is too much fat: dip the vegetables in hummus or salad dressing)

Step 6: enjoy!

This is better than fresh vegetables, because they are cooked (which makes them digest easier). Also, you are dipping them in substances that contain calories (your choice of olive oil, hummus, salad dressing, nut butters, etc..whatever you want/feel comfortable with - as long as it isn't broth of course!) You could also dip them in tomato sauce, which is very low fat yet still caloric and healthy.

:)

[soy_nut]

Bless you Al! It's good to see you working on consuming more. Keep it up!

[Azalea]

:hamster: