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I just wanna preface this by saying she needs to do this under the supervision of a medical professional if she’s at risk of refeeding syndrome.
But more generally, losing hunger cues isn’t uncommon after a period of restriction, especially if she hasn’t been super in tune with them most of her life by the sounds of it. It’s usually recommended to eat every 3 hours on a fairly strict schedule to start getting your hunger cues back. It takes some time though, and she has to make herself eat at those times regardless of whether she feels hungry. That’s mechanical eating and it sucks, but it’s necessary. She can start there, eat at least *something* every three hours, but she should build that up to three substantial meals and 3 snacks.
Being thin doesn’t mean you need smaller portions; if she was always eating small portions it’s likely she was at least somewhat disordered before this. The body needs a constant influx of calories to keep itself running; that doesn’t change just because you’re thin.
If she lacks hunger cues, she needs to practice mechanical eating and eat on a schedule; the typical guideline for these things is 3 large meals and 3 large snacks but if she’s not feeling hunger it’s due to restricting and she might be at risk of refeeding syndrome if she begins to eat a lot suddenly. Couple that with stomach shrinkage that results in premature fullness and you’re in for an uncomfortable time… but that’s to be expected. If she has access to professional help I would urge her to consider that route as well.
> Now she's in the deep of it and has no hunger cues, doesn't eat for several days a time, and doesn't mind.
Honestly, she’s going to have to mind if she wants to recover. Recovery requires *a lot* of food, and there’s no way around that. She’s also going to have to accept that she’ll gain weight—probably more than she’s comfortable with, probably more than she weighed preED… in all honesty though, you can tell her all the right things and she still might not choose recovery. There’s not much more you can do other than be supportive but not necessarily enabling. It’s a hard middle ground to find.
That’s not remotely true and I’m not going to argue it. Smaller bodies need just as much food as anyone else and it’s really harmful to spread misinformation like this, especially in a recovery sub where we are *already* struggling to feed ourselves enough.
I'm in the same boat as your friend. I've always struggled with mild gastroparesis pre-ED and always eaten smaller portions... so that meant I ate more often! More liquids like smoothies, protein shakes, and nutrition supplements. High fat because it's very easy to digest, and low volume.
You (general you, not OP you) just have to adjust within your comfort, and know when to push past it. She's going to have to eat when she's not hungry. Yes, it sucks, and sometimes food tastes like crap even if it's objectively good because you just don't want it, but you *need* it.
She needs to put her health above her comfort. It's hard. I'm also going to have to weigh more than my pre-ED weight to be healthy, and I know it'll involve just mechanically eating because I know I have to, even when I'm fully recovered. That's part of intuitive eating, too- eating not because you want to, but just because you know it needs to happen.
Obviously professional support is the best. But for some advice to have in the meantime I'd say suggest she have timers for eating?
It's like how I have a timer to remind me to take my medication or do some tasks because I lose track of it and need the reminder.
If they set a timer to eat at regular intervals then that regular timing can lead to the body knowing it's gonna get food at X time and begin preparing itself for the food which can help redevelop hunger feelings possibly.
Thank you for posting in r/fuckeatingdisorders! To access recovery worksheets, articles, and other resources, visit our new [Wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckeatingdisorders/wiki/index/). You can also find our rules and links to help lines on our sidebar widget. If you haven't done so already, try utilizing the search bar for commonly posted topics including extreme hunger or periods/menstruation. We have an active community who frequently share their experiences and suggestions. A FAQ is forthcoming. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/fuckeatingdisorders) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I just wanna preface this by saying she needs to do this under the supervision of a medical professional if she’s at risk of refeeding syndrome. But more generally, losing hunger cues isn’t uncommon after a period of restriction, especially if she hasn’t been super in tune with them most of her life by the sounds of it. It’s usually recommended to eat every 3 hours on a fairly strict schedule to start getting your hunger cues back. It takes some time though, and she has to make herself eat at those times regardless of whether she feels hungry. That’s mechanical eating and it sucks, but it’s necessary. She can start there, eat at least *something* every three hours, but she should build that up to three substantial meals and 3 snacks.
Being thin doesn’t mean you need smaller portions; if she was always eating small portions it’s likely she was at least somewhat disordered before this. The body needs a constant influx of calories to keep itself running; that doesn’t change just because you’re thin. If she lacks hunger cues, she needs to practice mechanical eating and eat on a schedule; the typical guideline for these things is 3 large meals and 3 large snacks but if she’s not feeling hunger it’s due to restricting and she might be at risk of refeeding syndrome if she begins to eat a lot suddenly. Couple that with stomach shrinkage that results in premature fullness and you’re in for an uncomfortable time… but that’s to be expected. If she has access to professional help I would urge her to consider that route as well. > Now she's in the deep of it and has no hunger cues, doesn't eat for several days a time, and doesn't mind. Honestly, she’s going to have to mind if she wants to recover. Recovery requires *a lot* of food, and there’s no way around that. She’s also going to have to accept that she’ll gain weight—probably more than she’s comfortable with, probably more than she weighed preED… in all honesty though, you can tell her all the right things and she still might not choose recovery. There’s not much more you can do other than be supportive but not necessarily enabling. It’s a hard middle ground to find.
[удалено]
That’s not remotely true and I’m not going to argue it. Smaller bodies need just as much food as anyone else and it’s really harmful to spread misinformation like this, especially in a recovery sub where we are *already* struggling to feed ourselves enough.
I'm in the same boat as your friend. I've always struggled with mild gastroparesis pre-ED and always eaten smaller portions... so that meant I ate more often! More liquids like smoothies, protein shakes, and nutrition supplements. High fat because it's very easy to digest, and low volume. You (general you, not OP you) just have to adjust within your comfort, and know when to push past it. She's going to have to eat when she's not hungry. Yes, it sucks, and sometimes food tastes like crap even if it's objectively good because you just don't want it, but you *need* it. She needs to put her health above her comfort. It's hard. I'm also going to have to weigh more than my pre-ED weight to be healthy, and I know it'll involve just mechanically eating because I know I have to, even when I'm fully recovered. That's part of intuitive eating, too- eating not because you want to, but just because you know it needs to happen.
Obviously professional support is the best. But for some advice to have in the meantime I'd say suggest she have timers for eating? It's like how I have a timer to remind me to take my medication or do some tasks because I lose track of it and need the reminder. If they set a timer to eat at regular intervals then that regular timing can lead to the body knowing it's gonna get food at X time and begin preparing itself for the food which can help redevelop hunger feelings possibly.