How do you get yourself to eat?

I finally talked about my ED with my T today. It's been creeping up slowly through the years, but has now gotten to the point that denial and attempted rationalization wasn't doing it, so I figured I might as well admit it and try to come to terms with it and get over it.

Since I'm mainly a restricter, and I probably won't be seeing T for about a month, she gave me homework...and that is to eat (or at least try to eat) 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, all proper serving sizes. I told her I would try, but I don't even know where to start. I mean, I've been skipping breakfast since I was about 13, so almost 10 years now, and currently, I average 1 small meal and 1 snack a day. For one, I don't really get hungry. I also feel guilty after eating, so it's not exactly something that I want to do.

So, any tips? I mean, honestly, even thinking about the task is extremely overwhelming and almost brings me to the point of tears. I can't imagine how hard doing it will actually be.

Eating a couple of meals a day is healthy and I believe we all deserve to be healthy. Give yourself the time it need. Maybe you can start to eat a simple apple for a meal and then build from there. And also if it feels overwhelming when you eat one thing that I usually said to myself in my most difficult times was that it´s better to feel overwhelmed and pain than to not feel anything at all. We can do a lot if we set our minds to it I hope this maybe something here could be helpful for you. Lot´s of love <3

Although its a good goal, I think going from one meal and one snack to a full three meals with two snacks is pretty drastic to do! It might be reasonable to try working up to that goal more gradually over the next couple weeks. Then have a solid week or two with your goal met by the time you see t again.
If you have a hard time eating early in the morning you could try having a fruit smoothie, boost, ensure, or some other liquid nutritional breakfast. If thats too much in the beginning you could start out with a glass of milk, chocolate milk, soy milk, fruit juice, just something to start you getting in the habit of having something in the morning.

You can set alarms on your cell phone or computer to remind you its time to eat if you don't get cued by a hungry feeling. For snacks especially it might help to have things that are easy to grab like protein bars, fruit, crackers and peanut butter, all the places you spend the most time. Bedroom, living room, desk at work, backpack at school, in the car, etc. Try different schedules for eating too. You could have two snacks after lunch and a late dinner, or a bedtime snack, or any schedule that works better for you. It might also help to invite friends or family members to share meals with you. That way even if you forget, they'll remember. And hopefully, even if you don't really feel like eating, you will want to see your friend.

It will be difficult, but I hope it will start getting easier soon. Keep trying. You're being very brave.

That's the goal for the next couple of weeks. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

I tend to drink either coffee or a smoothie in the morning. My smoothies are pretty good -- I use Greek yogurt, bananas and whatever other fruit I feel like throwing in there. But after that, I generally eat nothing until about 3pm and then dinner around 7.

The reason I eat dinner regularly is that it is expected of me by my family (I live at home). So that's the one meal that isn't too bad.

Thanks

I have to tell myself that food is fuel and I need fuel. You can't run a car on an empty tank, and you can't run your body on one either. I went from eating one meal a day to 3 meals and 3 snacks a day when I was inpatient. Very hard and very uncomfortable, but I was able to do it. Those are just feelings and they will go away. When I left treatment, I put alarms in my phone to remind me to eat snacks, because I knew they would be the first things to go. After my second trip inpatient things were a lot easier. I eat 3 meals a day and usually 2 snacks. I am a year out of inpatient and am just now getting my hunger signals back. My stomach does not "growl" still, but I do feel hungry. If I am by myself, I really have to make myself eat a meal regardless of if I have that hungry feeling or not, because there are days that I don't feel hungry. Food is fuel and I need fuel.

It's almost 5 and I'm just now getting around to "lunch" I guess since I didn't eat anything during normal lunch hours and it's not dinner...and I'm having a hard time with it. Like really hard. I've just conditioned my body to the point that eve if I do feel hungry which is rare, I ignore it and then it goes away.

I guess I didn't realize just how hard this was going to be. I've seen it from the outside with one of my best friends who is now a recovered anorexic...but going through it yourself...it's so different. This is the first of many challenges I know I'm going to have to face, and even though I want to rid myself of Ed, there's just that security blanket feeling of it.

You know how they say to only buy clothes you look really good in? I'm kinda trying to do the same with food. When im in a grocery store, I feel like I SHOULD buy this but NOT ever that. So im trying to select just a few things and get into a habit of having those foods be there for me. Like make them dependable. Instead of something im fighting with. For a while I was buying chobani yogurts and eating those all day long practically! Now im making soft tacos with guac and broccoslaw and having small pieces of fruit and small hits of protein. But the main thing for me is, quick to make, not TOO much choice, but not too boring either. And not too stuffy feeling. That was the hardest part. Portion control. What is the RIGHT amount to put on your plate? Too much is bad, not enough is not good either because if you try to fix it, it can quickly become too much. Then you feel like crap.