How to Establish Eating Habits When Recovering From Anorexia

One of the main issues that an anorexia patients have to deal with is their perceptions of food. Those suffering with anorexia have a complex relationship between their body images, their perceptions of food and their desire for control over both. Your eating habits during recovery from anorexia need to be established with long-term health goals in mind.

Things You'll Need

• Weight and health goals
• Sack lunch
• Zinc
• Multi-vitamin supplement
• Therapist
• Notebook for journaling
• Vitamin D

Instructions

1. Schedule regular appointments with your nutritionist to reinforce your new eating habits. Nutritionists will help you establish a food and exercise diary, as well as provide tough love when you skip meals. You can get a referral to a nutritionist through your primary care physician.

2. Take care of psychological issues that contribute to anorexia and other eating disorders by speaking with a therapist. A therapist with past clients who have dealt with anorexia can get to the core issues that caused poor eating habits in the past.

3. Balance your caloric intake throughout the day to avoid the internal peaks and valleys that contribute to bad eating habits. You need to steadily increase the number of calories and meals you eat while recovering from anorexia. Excessive calories in a few large meals can lead to digestive problems.

4. Pack a lunch that meets the eating habits you establish while recovering from anorexia. This lunch should be well-balanced with fruits, vegetables and low-fat meats that will help you meet your calorie goals throughout the day. A bagged lunch at work can help you avoid eating bad foods, save money and establish a healthy routine.

5. Stick to a set of vitamins and minerals that will help you maintain your new diet while recovering from anorexia. You should take vitamin D and multi-vitamin supplements once a day to help you round out your diet. Minerals like zinc have been shown to help anorexia patients add weight at a healthy rate.

6. Chart out long-term weight and health goals when you develop eating habits. You can utilize spreadsheets to compare your calorie intake with your doctor's goals on a daily basis. Print out a copy when you head to your next appointment to demonstrate your commitment to the prescribed program.

Tips & Warnings

• Eat with your friends, family and work colleagues to reinforce your new eating habits following anorexia. You can maintain your healthy habits by keeping close friends around who are familiar with your struggle with anorexia. Appoint at least one person in your group to help you maintain your eating habits at each meal.