i am a recovering anorexic and want some advice on starting on a 1000 calorie meal plan

Laura,

I think you're awesome! And am so glad you are working on your recovery. I have a couple of questions for you:

1. How many calories a day were you eating before you went up to the 1,000?

2. Have you gone up to the 1,000 yet?

3. How slowly do you want to gain weight? (For instance, is one pound a week a good amount? Or is that too fast for you?

4. How long do you have to wait until your therapy begins?

Here are some excellent 100-calorie snacks from Web M.D.:
1. Half an apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
2. An orange and a few dry-roasted nuts
3. 10 cashew nuts
4. 10 almonds
5. 2 ounces of lean roast beef
6. Half a small avocado
7. 3 ounces cooked whole-grain noodles with 1 fresh tomato and 1/2 ounce hard cheese
8. 1 seven-grain Belgian waffle
9. 4 mini rice cakes with 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
10. 3 ounces low-fat cottage cheese and 3 whole-wheat crackers
11. 1/4 cup fat-free ranch dressing with mixed raw veggies
12. 6 Wheat Thins crackers with two teaspoons of peanut butter (or any nut butter)
13. 1 small baked potato with 1/2 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream
14. 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce with 1 slice of whole-wheat toast, cut into 4 strips for dunking
15. 1/2 cup frozen orange juice, eaten as sorbet
16. 2 large graham cracker squares with 1 teaspoon peanut butter
17. 3 handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, seasoned with herbs
18. 4-6 ounces of no-fat or low-fat yogurt
19. A 5-ounce tossed salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and 1/4 cup fat-free dressing
20. Half a "finger" of string cheese with 4 whole-wheat crackers

And here's a calorie counter where you can type in the name of any food and see its calorie count:

http://caloriecount.about.com/

And this is an article you might be interested in. It's an interview with Kathleen Young Psy.D, from healthyplace.com. Young has fifteen years of experience treating eating disorders, and she is talking about recovery from anorexia here:

http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/transcripts/treating-anorexia-the-recovery-process/menu-id-58/

Please tell me if this is the kind of information that helps you. We at EmpowHer would love to be one of your stepping stones toward recovery, Laura.

Laura,

First of all, we're so glad you found EmpowHer. Thank you for your question.

Have you been treated for anorexia? Are you under the care of a doctor and/or a therapist?

Have you begun maintaining and/or gaining weight again?

The most important thing for you to do is to focus on your nutritional needs. Since you aren't eating a lot of food, you want to be sure that what you do eat is good for you. That includes:

-- Lean protein, like eggs, chicken, turkey or fish
-- Vegetables
-- Fruits
-- Whole-grain breads, pasta or cereals
-- Low-fat or nonfat dairy, such as milk or yogurt

You'll want to spread your nutrition throughout your day so that you don't feel overwhelmed. You can eat small meals 5 or 6 times a day rather than larger meals 3 times a day, which may help.

Here is one example of a daily meal plan, which comes from a treatment center:

Breakfast: 1/2 English muffin with 1 tbsp butter, 8 oz skim milk, 1/2 banana, 1 hard-boiled egg (yes, white AND yolk)

Snack: fruit or 4 oz juice

Lunch: 3 oz chicken breast, 8 oz skim milk, 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 c. broccoli w/1 tbsp butter, 1 c. grapes

Snack: fruit or 4 oz juice

Dinner: 4 oz fish, 8 oz skim milk, 1 slice of bread w/1 tbsp. butter, 1/2 c. cooked squash, 1 c. pineapple

Snack: fruit or 4 oz juice

I know that may look like a lot of food to you, but the key is to just take it slowly and go easy on yourself.

What do you most need help with, Laura?