There are so many women that ask me about eating disorder recovery meal plans, how much do I eat, when do I eat, what do I eat, how do I learn how to eat intuitively?!?!? There seems to be so much confusion and also controversy surrounding meal plans for eating disorder recovery. I hear from so many women that they were told to follow an eating disorder recovery meal plan, but they have trouble following it and then they feel like a failure…this can actually be counterproductive and contribute to the very same eating disorder behaviors we are trying to eliminate in recovery!
I personally used a meal plan in my bulimia and anorexia recovery, but only as a guide in the beginning so that I could ‘re-train’ my body, learn how to eat again and re-set my metabolism as I came into the re-feeding process. At that time, I felt as if I needed an eating disorder recovery meal plan, and there are many other women that work really well with meal plans. However, not every woman in recovery for eating disorders needs a meal plan! You will know whether or not you need one, and there are many other eating approaches in eating disorder recovery that might be more beneficial to you.
I wanted to share with you what a typical day looks like for me, food-wise. Now you have to remember that I EAT INTUITIVELY now, and I don’t plan anything out (except for family dinners on the weeknights for budgeting and planning purposes). I typically follow the schedule my body is on, eating when hungry and stopping when full. I don’t restrict myself from anything and nothing is off-limits! However, I do prefer to eat healthy foods and foods that fuel my body, give me energy and make me feel good! Oh yes, and of course they have to taste good too!
Bottom line is that I personally used a meal plan to learn how to eat intuitively and you can too! If you have any questions about how I did this, please let me know, I would be happy to share.
Here is a sample of what a typical day looks like for me now as I am fully recovered from anorexia and bulimia and have maintained my natural set point weight range eating like this for many years now. Remember this is a guide and you should take this and tweak it/change it according to your own personal food preferences, nutritional needs, and use it in a way that would best fit your own eating disorder recovery.
**Also remember to listen to your body when using a meal plan, tuning into your hunger and full cues as you begin to trust and tap into the wisdom of your body.**
Sample Eating Disorder Recovery Meal Plan:
7:30am
Protein shake made with 1/2 cup organic plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 T peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter (yummy!), 1 T local honey, 1 banana + splash of almond milk
1 Piece whole wheat toast with 1 T butter
10:00am
1 cup fresh fruit – kiwis, mangoes, pineapple, apples, grapes, etc
1/4 cup almonds or other nut based trail mix
12:30pm
Large green salad with cherry tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries, 1 oz brie cheese cut in chunks with serving of protein on top – (I just had this with a large scoop of chicken salad on top as shown in picture and it was delicious!) or you can substitute 1/2 cup tofu, hard boiled egg or 1/2 oz grilled chicken with 2 T balsamic vinaigrette dressing on top
6-10 crackers or serving of chips on the side
3:30pm
Raw veggies with 1/2 cup hummus
6:30pm
Homemade black bean burger (recipe below!!) on bun with cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato on top, anything goes!
Cooked veggies with butter and salt or coleslaw on side
Black Bean Burger Recipe for Eating Disorder Recovery Meal Plans:
2 T olive oil
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15 oz can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 T cumin
1/2 cup plain (I used whole wheat) bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease lightly
2. Warm oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add celery and onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
3. Pour beans into a large bowl and use a fork to mash into a think paste. Scrape vegetables from skillet into bowl and stir in egg, cumin and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Use your fingers to form into 4 patties (do not overmix). Place patties on baking sheet and bake until firm and set, about 10 minutes on each side.
These keep great in the fridge so even if you are just cooking these for yourself, you can always store in fridge or freezer as they make a easy quick meal for during the week or lunchtime!
8-8:30pm
1/2 cup frozen yogurt or dark chocolate or other desert item
So there you have it! This is a wonderful eating disorder meal plan that is a bit more adventurous than the bland, boring meal plans that are out there. I hope that helps. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Peace, Love + Freedom,
Hi
I love the sound of this one day meal plan – the balance of protein good fats and good carbs would work for me!!
I definitely need an eating plan to help me – I have purging disorder and have huge amounts of anxiety around food especially unhealthy food / large portions – oh heck, basically about anything?!!!
Did you see a nutritionist or an eating disorder specialist to write your initial plan?
Emma
Hi Emma!!
Awesome, I am glad you like this!! My intention is to continue to post these one day meal plans so that it can give you some fresh new ideas but also sort of like a reference point. However remember that no two women are the same, and the amount of nutrition you need during the day can vary greatly based on your individual body type, exercise/movement level, preferences, age, lifestyle, etc but it’s a good plan to get started with and tweak/change as needed to fit your own preferences, hunger levels, etc. So many women that I work with think that they are eating “enough” yet in reality they are not which can lead to other symptoms which is really why I recommend beginning with a meal plan if you have never done so, one that meets your nutritional needs and learning how to eat based on that.
For example, many of the classic “eating disorder symptoms” that we think come from the ED – such as emotional deterioration, lack of energy, lack of control around food, binge eating, food rituals and obsessive thoughts about food – are really just signs of starvation, and so making sure you are getting enough nutrition during the day is of great importance. My clients a lot of times surprised by the amount of food that I consider “normal” and so that’s why I love posting stuff like this. Also, it’s helpful to remember that with intuitive eating, some days you eat more and some days you eat less. I shared this as a sample because it is very typical, but you have to remember that each day can look completely different.
I actually did see a dietitian in my recovery… I actually took this very same meal plan with the exchanges to her and said, “If I eat all of this food, will I gain weight?!” Haha seems funny now, but it was exactly the reassurance I needed to have faith and trust the process that I would maintain my natural set point weight range, even eating this amount of food which seemed to be a lot to me at the time.
Have you followed a meal plan in the past Emma? I know it can be difficult with the anxiety around food, but that is exactly what a meal plan can help you do is relax about the food so that you don’t have to worry about what you are eating, or how much, or when. It really helped me at the time, but it is not for everyone. What do you feel is holding you back in your own recovery?
Thank you so much for commenting Emma!!
Peace, Love + Freedom,
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Can I become a “client” even though I’m in the UK?
What’s the process / cost / etc.
Hi Emma!
Absolutely ~ I work with women all over the world via Skype or phone coaching sessions. I offer private one-on-one programs and offer group programs as well – the next group program will launch in April 2014, I am so excited!! The first step is to set up a 30 minute discovery session with me to answer any questions you have and to see if working together would be a good fit for you and that is when I can share with you the package options + pricing and what I would recommend for you. My assistant should have emailed you with a link to set that up… if not you can click here to set up your free 30 minute session based on your own time zone: https://healingfored.appointy.com/
Yayyy!! Looking forward to chatting with you Emma and getting to know you better Emma!!! 🙂
Blessings,
Lauren
I can’t afford to see a dietitian but I’m more than willing to follow a meal plan.
May be contacting you soon for some guidance! Xo
Hi Kara!!! Sounds wonderful, let me know when you want to chat — I would love to answer whatever questions you have and help you along your journey girl!! 🙂
Thank you for posting this. I am seeing a dietitian and have a meal plan but am gaining weight so fast. Is this normal? She weighs me every time I go in and she says my weight is going up but she doesn’t change anything and I’m getting worried.
I know, I have the same issue!! Anyone have advice? Thanks! =)
I know you’re saying about it’s a normal amount, but it really does seem a lot. Is there a possibility you could post a meal plan with a much smaller amount of food. I do really want to recover but that’s much too large a step and scary for me to even force myself to have. I’d cave in before even starting. Maybe I could see that meal plan as a later goal but right now that would just result in me purging no matter how hard I tried. I would really appreciate it if you could.
I have been battling bulimia for several years and I need to find a way to eat the right amounts s the right time. I think this plan will help mea olo
Really loved your meal plans they are very motivating I’m glad that I have followed your 4 days meal plan could you please suggest for me other meal plans?
Best of wishes
Hello. I was wondering how you created your meal plans? Were they based in exchanges for a balance of carbs fats and proteins (percentage?) ? How did you learn what balanced meals and days look like?
Is this not a huge amount of food???? Is this a weight gain plan? My RD has not been helpful in the fact she doesn’t make plans to help me eat. She just gives me lists of “good” foods. I need amounts.
I’ve had Bulimia and Binge eating disorder for a little over 2 yrs, and my mom refuses to talk to a specialist even though multiple Therapists said we should. I’m 16, go to school, and have a job that I work from 5-9 on school nights and mostly till closing 5-11ish on weekends. Even though it’s been 2 yrs I’m still about XX lbs overweight for being 5’4 and weighing XXX. Would this be a good meal plan for me since I don’t want to gain anymore weight while tying to recover?
Hi.I am a girl from Singapore turning 16 in January next year. I am currently suspected of suffering from Anorexia and I really want to break free from this monster that plague me. However, i need guidance and I do not have the financial means to apply for your sessions.What should I do?
It was really hard to know how much food should be consumed each day to start the healing process, causing either a relapse or just eating to little in general.Now that I see this I have hope for a better future,thank you.(:
I love this as a guide….Thanks Lauren!!!
I would love to be able to follow a meal plan, but for some reason I always fail because I am so used to binging and purging all the time…No matter how much I eat I am still hungry! Thank you for this though, I will use it for a guideline in planning meals for myself 🙂 Hopefully it works, *fingers crossed*.
I am struggling from compulsive overeating disorder (I was officially diagnosed with binge eating disorder). I honestly don’t think that amounts of food listed here are excessive compared to my meal plan, which ranges from 1800-2000 kcal per day. My meal plan is also supposed to set me to natural weight over the time. Maybe somebody who is not overweight would be able to maintain weight on that plan currently.
From my experience I realized that it is not to much the quantity of food you it but it’s quality. Theoretically I could eat less amount of food that was more energy-dense, like pizza and ice-cream and actually gain weight. From what I can see this plan about sounds pretty balanced in terms of how much protein, fat, carbs and fat everybody needs daily. I understand it is a big change when you go from eating almost nothing or very low to what an average person eats daily to satisfy their nutrition needs.
How do you all see this as a lot? My mother gives me so much more… is that bad or abnormal (She controls what I eat and how much)? I always feel like it is too much though I’m recovering and right now supposed to be gaining weight but how do you know how much (like calories/servings) you’re supposed to eat in a day? And how do you know what is your normal weight or when your metabolism has stabilized or when you have normal hunger cues again?
Hi there,
I am on weight restoration plan in IP and the quantities are probably about double what you have here.. :/Especially breakfast and lunch. This seems more like a maintenance plan? my family who are not on gaining meal plans would likely eat more than this.
Hi. Thanks for your site.
This isn’t a meal plan. It’s a one day menu.
It would be more helpful to provide the exchanges on which this menu is based, so that we can see what to exchange for items, to actually use this as a meal plan. There are foods on here I don’t care for. Please label this as a menu, not a meal plan. It’s misleading and counterproductive, because unless someone wants to eat exactly these foods, it’s impossible to know what to exchange then with. I say this even as someone knowledgeable about exchange s, but find it impossible to know exactly what exchange s you’re using here for each.meal. . Thank you.
I need a 2000 calorie exchange meal plan! Can I have some help?
Hello it’s A pleasure to come across a person like u to help out others who are in need of some help you once probably needed to ! Thank u God bless
My questions I have are
1. What if I’m so focused on caloric value how do i handle that’?
2. When u where ready to recover and said it’s enough how did u know what and how much to start eating ??
3. What happens if I swell up ? How do I get rid of that ???? And is it true that once u restore u begun to like your body ???