Eating intuitively to gain weight

Today I got asked aboout whether I followed a meal plan whilst I was eating proper recovery amounts and gaining weight or if I just ate intuitively. I thought that this was a great question so I thought I would write a post on the topic :)

While eating intuitively is something I am now working toward, I honestly dont know if it eating intuitively whilst you are trying to gain weight is a good idea or not. Perosonally, I know that I woud not have eaten enough in recovery to gain weight if I had not folowed a meal plan. I guess this is becausse when you are gaining weight, you actually need to eat an excess amount of food than what your body is necessarily telling you that you need at the time.

Perhaps the only time that eating intuitively would work in order for you to gain weight is if you were experiencing extreme hunger and were strong enough to give into your hunger cures 100%, but I honestly dont think that many anorexics would be strong enough to ddo that early on in their recoveries anyway. I honestly think that following a mel plan is the best way to recover and gain weight, but of course that is just my opinion. I would be realle interested to hear whether other people have been able to make full recoveries without meal plans or counting calories. :)

As far as counting calories goes, I would avoid it if you could as it really is an awful and destructive anorexic behaviour. Counting calories seriously nearly drove me crazy and I am so happy that calorie counting is no longer such a big part of my life. While I still do keep track of the approximate amount of calories I eat, eventually my goal is to not worry about calories at all and to just eat completely intuitively.

While it is better not to count calories in recovery if you can avoid it, to a certain thing it may be necessary. For example when I put my meal plan together, I designed it so that it contained a certain amount of calories, so that I knew I was reaching an acceptable intake each day. I think that the best thing to do if it was possible would be to get a dietician or a similar specialist to design a meal plan for you. This would mean that they can do the calories counting for you to ensure that your meal plan is suitable without you having to worry about numbers of calories yourself.

So while eating intuitively may be a fantastic goal for you to have one day, it may not be suitable for you to try and do that whilst you are gaining weight. Just as following a meal plan is not a healthy thing for you to do for the rest of your life. I guess you just have to do what is best for you in your particular stage of recovery and do what allows you to reach your goals and be healthy and strong!

Reaching your goal weight

Can I ask something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to..but how did you cope with the weight gain during recovery? I mean..I have gained quite a bit of weight since I started recovery, but still lower than the weight the doctors set for me. It's just that, I'm happy with the way I look now, and I'm afraid to gain anymore because I don't wanna loose the self confidence that I'm only starting to get now.. (sorry it sounds silly). Sigh, my whole problem with eating started due to stress from school - I guess you could say it was a coping mechanism. 

I've seen your before & after photos, and you look really good! A lot more happy too. What was the target weight the doctors set for you during your recovery (if you don't mind me asking.)?

After answering the first half of this questiona few days ago (you can read it here), I thought I better finally answer the rest of the question. Especially since it really is such a good question :) Honestly, you sound as though you are in a very similar situation to me at the moment. Although I have exceeded the goal weight my doctor set for me (She told me that I had to reach 50 kg but my weight has settled at 52 kg), I have been receiving some pressure from a few of my readers to gain more weight depite the fact that I have already reached the goal weight that my doctor set for me and I really don't want to.

Like you, I feel so happy and confident at my current weight and dont want to risk ruining that. I have the best relationhip now that I have ever had with with my body in my life and in no way does my anorexia interfere with me living life anymore. Even though I apprreciate the concern of my readers, they dont kow anything aboutt my heath and natural figure so Idont really think it is fair for them to say that I deinetely need to gain more weight, because they really cant know that.

I suppose in your case, you need to think about whether you are still underweight. If you are (if your bmi is still below 18.5) then I think you should gain more weight. Although it may seem as though you wont still like your body at a higher bmi, you most likely will! Just look at me, I accept my body now that I have a bmi of 19 which is something I thought I would never be able to do.

Although getting to a healthy weight is incredibly important, I think that there is too much focus on weight in recovery. Afterall, anorexia is a mental illness and I therefore think the way I think is more imortant then how much I weigh. So because my eating disorder thoughts are so rare ad weak these days and never stop me from doing anything I want to do, I really dont think it is necessary for me to gain any more weight at this stage. This does not mean that I have started restricting what I eat. I still listen to my body and eat atleast 2500 calories a day but I just dont eat all of the extra things that I never had an appetite for, but just ate because I knew I needed to gain weight.

Like you (the reader who asked this question), My anorexia was a coping mechanism for various things goiing on in my life, including the stress of school, frustration with my body, my alcoholic mum. The most important thing for us is that we learn knew coping mechnisms to use when life gets tough instead of these unhealthy ones. So if your anorexic thoughts are still really strong, this could also be a good indicaion tat you need to gain weight. My anorexic thoughts only improved draatically once I reached my current weight which is why I m confident that it is in fact a healthy weight for me to be at.

Also, how were you built before your eatting disorder? Have you always been slim or more solid? Although it may not be ecessary to go back to the exact weight you were before your eating disorder, you should atleast try to get up within you rnatral set point range. :)

This or that Quiz

I put together this little quiz using some questions I came up with myself as well as some that I found on the net. I hope that it helps you to learn something new about me and please feel free to do this quiz yourself, if you have your own blog :)

Cat or dog
No one in my family likes cats, we are all dog people. Also my little sister is allergic to cats so I don't think I would ever get one.

Pink or blue
To say pink was my favourite colour would be an understatement. I am basically obsessed with the colour and love buying  anything that is pink :)

Cereal or toast
I honestly cant choose, I mostly have both every morning. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day!

Country or city
While I enjoy the city in small doses, I am definetely a Country girl and my heart will always be in the country

Walk or run
Although I wish i wasn't so, I can rarely get motivated to run. I absolutely love walking however and it is not unusual for me to walk 10+ kilometers per day.

Samsung or apple
I started off with an Iphone however i now have a samsung Phone and tablet and I love both of them. I dont think I will ever go back to apple now.

Summer or winter
Definetely Summer! I have always preferred warmer weather but especially since having anorexia and being extra sensitive to the cold.

Ocean or river
Even though I love the beach, I think I prefer swimming in rivers as I am really frightened of sealife like sharks, sting rays and jelly fish.

Shorts or skirts
I like wearing skirts occasionally but I wear shorts more often. I love my denim shorts :)

Water or cordial
I like having juice or cordial occasionally but I mainly try to drink water and enjoy drinking water.

Straight or curly
I do like curly hair when it is not crazy or frizzy like mine goes 99% of the time. When this happens i either just put it up in a plait or bun or I straighten it. I like my hair straightened as it is quite long!

Chips or chocolate
While I have chips very occasionally and do like them, I eat chocolate daily and love it even more!

Apples or bananas
I eat more fresh apples then bananas daily but I like adding banana to things like icecream, yoghurt, oats, cereal, toast, nutella or chocolate pudding

Sand or snow
I have only been to the snow once when I was very young. I didnt like it much as my hands were freezing (I didn't take gloves). I have been to the Beach thousands of times however and still love it every time I go.

Maths or science
I was quite good at Maths and science at school however science was always what I loved, especially biology. I loved learning about cells and the body systems and still apply what I know to my own life on a daily basis.

Peas or corn
When I was very young, I hated peas and wouldn't eat them ever and corn was my favourite vegetable. Now however I am not so keen on corn and would probably consider peas to be my favourite vegetable.

Eye liner or mascara
For as long as I can remember, I have never been able to wear eye liner as my eyes water so much whilst I am trying to apply it. I am not sure if it psychological or if my eyes are just super sensitive but it is almost impossible for me to put eyeliner on. I wear mascara everyday however.

Salt or Pepper
I don't really use pepper at all. The only things I put pepper on is pumpkin soup and mashed potato. I LOVE salt though and whilst I don't add it to everything I eat, I always put way too much of it on my vegetables!

Myspace or facebook
I think I made a myspace account however I never actually used it as I just didn't like it. I do go on facebook daily though and think it is a good way to stay connected to people you would not be able to communicate with easily otherwise.

Tea or Coffee
I don't really drink either on a regular basis. If I ever have a hot drink, I am more likely to have a hot chocolate. I have never drank a coffee from a cafe so have only ever tried the instant kind and if I ever have a cup of tea, I like it to be sweet and milky.

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings
Definetely Harry Potter. I have all of the books and all of the movies which I have enjoyed watching on many occassions with my little brother. I have never been able to get into Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit. I have started watching the films a few times but find them boring so either turn them off or fall asleep.

White or wheat
I love all bread as long as it is fresh and love the smell of freshly baked bread. I prefer wheat bread (or wholemeal as I call it) but also like white. Most days I eat 4 slices of bread which is probably too much but I love it so I don't really care, haha!

Black or White
Growing up, whenever I played chess with my brother he was always black and I was always white as I thought wite was a girlier colour the black. I quite like the colour white and have had white laptops, phones and other electronic devices too.

Tattoo or piercing
I have both my ears pierced and my belly button pierced. While I like the piercings I already have, I dont think I will ever get anymore piercings. I haven't got a tattoo YET but really want to get a recovery tattoo.

Please, just ask

I know that the types of posts that I write has changed a fair bit since I first started my blog and I guess this is because my life has changed so much since then. I used to write about various topics and issues that were relevant to my anorexia at the time but now, those types of things are not really relevant to my life anymore, so I forget to write about them. I guess that this is a good thing really as it shows just how my life has been turned around and it shows just how much progress I have made.

In saying this, I do not mind writing about those types of things that used to effect me and that I used to write about in order to help any of my readers out. I have been thinking and have realised that there are probably a lot of you who are in a much earlier stage of recovery then myself and what is relevant to me, is not necessarily relevant to you. I honestly don't mind writing about anything at all from my past or present, all you have to do is ask :)

You can also go back and read my old posts that I wrote in the earlier stages of my recovery as well if you are looking for any guidence or advice about a articular topic. Other then that I will try to remember back to what life was like in the earlier stages of my recovery and I will try to write a bit more about overcoming various challenges I was faced with.

Some people may question whether it is healthy for me to be thinking back to when I was sick so much as in a way it may be stopping me from moving forward but I honestly dont find it harmmful to me at all, at this stage of my life anyway. If anything, remembering back to the bad times just reminds me of how terrible life used to be and makes me never want to go back to that. It also makes me appreciate how wonderful life is at the moment, now that I am so much closer to making a full recovery.

Initially I made my blog mainly to try and help myself in my own recovery and I honestly believe that my blog has served this purpose extremely well. Now however since I am in such a good place, I feel as though the most important role of my blog is to help others others. So please, if you have any ideas about how Ican help you or anyone else, I would love for you to share them with me. Don't be shy, just comment any ideas or questions below or if you would rather, you can email me at: karlygraham94@gmail.com

 

Keeping motivated and never giving up

'I wanted to ask how did you keep so motivated while you were gaining. It must of been a challenge living by yourself. When you got closer to your target how did you push that little bit more. Did you ever think "this weight will do" when you were nearly there?'

This is a really good question and I can remember back to a time when I simply wouldn't have been able to keep fighting and keep moving forward  in my recovery. ow however, I know that I have the strength I need to keep fighting no matter what and to never give up. In order to get to this stage whereby I was ready to actually recover, quite a few things happened.

Firstly, I rached a kind of rock bottom whereby I was just so fed up with living the way that I was and desperately wanted to live a normal and happy life. I guess in order to recover, you need to want recovery more then you want your eating disorder and that is exacty how I felt. This means that everytime I am tempted by my anorexia to do the wrong thing, I have the prospect of recovery there to keep me on track and to make me keep fighting. I know what listening to my anorexia leads to and I do not want to live like that anymore. 

Honestly, another huge motivator for me is all of you, my readers. I really dont know if I would have been able to stick to recovery as well as I have if it wasn't for you all. Apart of me did want to stop gaining weight before I reached my goal weight and whilst I was still underweight however I didn't want to do this as I felt as though if I did, I would be letting all of you down. I want to recover to prove to everyne that making a full recovery is possible, as long as you believe in yourself and i wouldn't be able to do this if I did not reach a healthy weight.

I think A huge reason why I can now stand up and fight my aorexia is because I truly do believe in myself and I know that I am strong enough to do it. Before I started to believe in myself, I would give into my anorexic thoughts as I didn't think I was strong enough to fight them. Now, each time I get a strong anorexic thought, instead of giving into it, I fight it. I tell myself that I don't need to give into my anorexia and that through fighting, I will get even stronger and get even closer to making a full recovery.

Many people presume that recovery must be hard for me as I am living on my own however this has not been the case for me at all. Since I didn't develop anorexia until I was 17, my parents never really took charge of my recovery and never tried to control my intake as I simply didn't let them. Everything that I have done since starting my recovery I have decided to do completely on my own. In a way, I think that this is a good thing as it has meant that moving out was not hard for me in terms of my recovery at all, as nothing really changed. 

I guess the thing about recovering on your own is that you desperately need to want to recover for yourself, as if you dont, you probably won't have the motivation or determination you need in order to recover. If you feel as though you only eat to make your parents happy or to please other people, then moving out and living on your own woud not be a good idea at all. It would most likely lead to a relapse for sure as you would not feel 'pressured' to do the right thing at all. This is why wanting to recover for yourself is incredibely important. 

Also, I suppose my readers kind of act as my support system to a certain thing. Instead of thinking, 'I need to eat so that I dont dissappoint my parents', I think, 'I need to eat so that I dont dissappoint my readers.' Of course I do want to get better for my families sake too. I know I have put them through a lot and I know that making a full recovery will make them really happy. But I never felt as though I needed to eat whilst recovering to please them as I have always just done it completely on my own.

I hope that this answers you question Sonya, thanks for such a great post topic idea <3 x

Ask me Anything

I am struggling a little at the moment to come up with some good ideas for post topics so I would love any suggestions. Whether you just want to ask me a single question, multiple questions or if you have a particular post topic you would like me to write about, please just comment below and I will answer it/them as soon as I possibly can. It feel as though it is getting harder and harder for me to think of good post ideas now that I have already published so many posts and I don't want to get too repetitive. But I know that the possibilities really are endless, I just need to be a little more imaginative and creative. 

A questionnaire from a reader

Q: When and where were you happiest?

A: Hugging my dad, spending time with my sister, strangely enough at work (especially at the supermarket)

Q: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A: A dolphin

Q: What is your most dislike?
A: Anorexia

Q: Who is your hero of fiction?
A: I have always dreamt of my own prince charming, coming to rescue me ;)

Q: How would you like to die?
A: Saving some body I Iove or peacefully of old age

Q: Which talent would you most like to have?
A: I love music and listening to songs that mean  lot to me however  am not a ery good singer. I have always wiished I could sing!

Q: Where would you most like to live?
A: Honesty, probably where I am already living. It is beautiful here and am cloe to all the people I love. If I had to chose another country to live in, I would probably chose somewhere like the UK.

Q: What is your greatest fear?
A: Of never meeting the right guy and having a family. I am also really scared of sharks.

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: My dad is the most wonderful person I have ever known and he has achieved so much in his life. He has always been a wonderful role model for me and is the strongest person ever. He inspires me to keep reaching for my goals and dreams every single day. 

Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
A: I am always bubbly and cheerful and likek to help others.

25 Questions about me

1. What is your middle name?: Jayne

2. What was favorite subject at school?: definitely biology, in particularly human biology. I love learning about biology and even do it sometimes, just for fun.

3. What is your favorite drink?: Maybe Up and Go's (Vanilla, Caramel and Banana are my favourites) I also like milkshakes but havent had one in ages, as I have milky Up and Go's everyday.

4. What is your favorite song at the moment?: I actually have no idea. I dont listen to ery much music. I have a Taylor Swift CD in my car but besides that I just like listening to any of the latest popular songs that are on the radio.

5. What is your favorite food?: My all time favourite food would probably have to be Creamy Vanilla LeRice, although it hasnt been at the supermarkets lately so I am worried it is no longer available in tasmania :0 I dont know what I will do if this is the case!

6. What is the last thing you bought?: The very las thinh I bought would be a new wireless keyboard for my tablet. My last one broke when I spilt a glass of water on it :(. Hopefully I dont break this one as it is very annoying trying to type on the tablet screen, especially when I am writing long blog posts.

7. Favorite book of all time?: Growing Up I loved the Silver Brumby however my all time favourite book would probaby be a Jodi Picoult book, maybe My Sisters Keeper.

8. Favorite Color?: PINK! I am totally obsessed with pink!

9. Do you have any pets?: Growing up I always had HEAPS of pets on the farm. But now I just have Tess, my Kelpie Collie cross as well as my new canary.

10. Favorite Perfume?: I dont really wear perfume. I do have the Brritney spears Fantasy perffume which is quite nice though! :) 

11. Favorite Holiday?: The roadtrip my family and I took around Australia. We travelled 10 000 kilometers in 1 month and it was a truly amazing experience.

12. Are you married?: I am not married and dont know If I will get married. I want to meet a guy who I will spend the rest of my life with but getting married isnt that important to me.

13. Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?: I have never left the country but am rreally excited to explore some other parts of the world in the future.

14. Do you speak any other language?: No, I have only ever spoken English. I think that Australians are generally quite lazy when it comes to learning other languages.

15. How many siblings do you have?: I have two brothers, one older than me and one younger than me. I also have a little sister. I am much closer to my sister then my brothers, but Istill love my brothers of course!

16. What is your favorite shop?: Would it be really sad if I said the supermarket? I honestly prefer grocery shopping than clothes shopping or any other type of shopping. 

17. Favorite restaurant?: The Bark Mill Tavern. This is the best place to eat out in the town that I live in. The meals consist of typical pub food but all have a nice twist to them. So  guess the meals are kind of like Pub food done really, reallyy nicely? The meal I usually get is grilled fish of the day with chips and salad. 

18. When was the last time you cried?: A couple of weeks ago I temporarily lost Tess my dog. She was only gone for an hour or so but I was terrified that something might happen to her. I was quite upset whilst I was looking for her and cried and cried when I found her, I was so happy.  

19. Favorite Blog?: I cant choose. The blog I have been following for the longest is A life without Anorexia but I follow many now that I love.

20. Favorite Movie?: My all time favourite movie would probably be My sisters Keeper. I have seen it so many times but think it is a truly beautiful movie. I also luve firest Gump and can quote most of the movie, I ave seen it so often.

21. Favorite TV shows?: I like to collect tv series and wrote this post about my favourite ones.... Other shows I love are Family Feud, My kitchen Rules and masterchef.  

22. PC or Mac?: PC. I used to be an apple girl but not anymore. I love my samsung phone and tablet!

23. What phone do you have?: I have a Samsung s5 which I really love!

24. How tall are you?: 165 cm. I always considered myself to be short but I am actually taller then the average Australian woman. I quite like my height :)

25. Can you cook?: I can cook anything as long as I have a recipe. I dont like cooking without instructions though as i just consantly worry that I am doing somehing wrong. I am also really good at cooking quick meals that are delicious but only take a few minutes. This is really good when I get home late from work and dont want to eat latte.  

Answering questions

Favourite car I have owned?

I have only owned two cars but my favourite is the one I currently own. A white Toyota Corolla. There isnt really anything special about my car but I am proud of it because I bought it myself with my own money, just like the last car ai bought. I believe you appreciate things more when you have to work hard for them yourself.

Favourite song?

This is a tricky one. It would probably be summer of 69 or a Taylor Swift song (since she is my favourite artist)

The most fun road trip I have ever taken?

In 2007 I went on a road trip 10,000 kilometers around Australia in one month. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget how much fun we had. We drove through bush, rain forest, dessert, coast, city, outback etc And it was an experience I will never forget. To give you an idea of where we drove, we visited every capital city you can see on this map exccept Perth.

My favourite gift?

Probably the gold signet ring my parents bought me for my 13th birthday. They actually bought it for me while we were on our road trip around Australia. I love my signet ring and never take it off. 

My favourite dessert I have ever eaten?

While I love hot pudding and icecream, I think that my all time favourite dessert would probably be pannacotta. I havent eaten it for years but we used to have it when I was at boarding school and it was delicious.

The prettiest natural lanscape I have ever seen?

probably while driving along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. We saw alot of pretty towns along the coast and we also saw the 12 apostles.

Favourite icecream ever?

I have never been fussy when it comes to icecream, I love it all ;) but my top 5 icecreams would be soft serve icecream in a waffle cone, mcdonalds hot fudge sundae, marvelous creations icecream, rainbow paddle pop and mango gelato.

Question time

I found this 'favourite things quiz' online but since It would take me forever to answer them all, please just comment the corresponding numbers of ones you would like me to answer. Also feel free to ask any questions that you want me to answer that may not appear on the list :)

The 101 Favorite Things Quiz

1. Favorite pet I ever had

2. Favorite car I've owned

3. Favorite meal out, ever

4. Favorite food I've cooked

5. Favorite food from childhood

6. Favorite drink on a hot summer day (include event)

7. Favorite drink on a cold winter night (include event)

8. Favorite conversation I've ever had with a person

9. Favorite total meal that I cook (list all items)

10. Favorite movie of all time

11. Favorite book of all time

12. Teacher who changed my life, and why

13. Professional mentor who changed my life, and why

14. Favorite item category to go shopping for with a girlfriend

15. Perfect day out - what, where, with whom

16. Favorite color

17. Favorite artist

18. Favorite song

19. The best paid entertainment I've ever seen

20. Favorite hobby activity that makes me get lost for hours

21. Most rewarding time I've ever spent volunteering

22. The most exciting secret I've ever been told

23. My greatest skill (past or current)

24. The best advice I've ever been given

25. The best advice I've ever given

26. The year of the best birthday I ever had... and why

27. The coolest natural wonder I've ever seen

28. The most fun road trip I ever took... where and with whom

29. The nearest close call I've ever had

30. My favorite flower - purchased

31. My favorite flower or plant - personally grown

32. My best hair day ever?

33. The most favorite gift I've ever gotten - what and from whom?

34. My most suspenseful moment

35. My most unexpected achievement?

36. The most rewarding volunteer experience I've had

37. My favorite paid employment, ever

38. The favorite dessert I've ever eaten

39. The prettiest natural landscape I've ever seen

40. The most scared I've been by a bug or critter

41. My favorite household chore

42. The favorite piece of jewelry I've ever bought for myself

43. The best cup of coffee I've ever had

44. The hardest question a child has ever asked me

45. The most important time I've had to "be there" for a friend

46. The most unusual pet I've ever had

47. The prettiest shiny object I've ever owned

48. The most treasured book in my library

49. The most important tool in my craft/ hobby stuff

50. The coolest handmade gift I ever gave anyone

51. The best anonymous thing I have ever done/given

52. The most healthy and vital time in my life was/is?

53. The worst thing I ever got away with

54. The kindest thing a stranger ever did for me

55. The kindest thing I ever did for a stranger?

56. Favorite perfume

57. Favorite household cleaner smell

58. Favorite outdoor smell

59. Most fun I ever had on a Saturday night?

60. Favorite song I ever danced to and with whom?

61. Favorite dinner my mom made

62. The happiest moment I can remember

63. Song that makes me move no matter how bad I feel?

64. My favorite patriotic experience?

65. My biggest moment of celebrity

66. My one favorite item of clothing?

67. The one item I would take to the desert island?

68. The one person I loved who never knew?

69. The most fun sporting event I ever attended?

70. The favorite place I have ever traveled to where I'd spend my whole life if I could?

71. My favorite moment as a parent

72. My favorite moment as a sister/brother

73. My favorite moment as a spouse or significant other

74. My favorite moment as a daughter/son

75. My favorite flowers to receive in a delivery?

76. My favorite cooking or kitchen smell?

77. The most significant change I've had to go through and how it made me better

78. My "biggest deal" memory of childhood

79. My favorite non-relative adult growing up

80. My favorite aunt or uncle

81. Best Sunday afternoon I ever had?

82. Favorite ice cream ever and from where?

83. Favorite musician?

84. Favorite famous person I've admired, living or dead, whom I'd like to meet?

85. Favorite environmental sound (rain, thunder, etc.)

86. Favorite person to take a walk on a beach or in the woods with?

87. Best time I've had playing with a pet

88. Nicest thing I've ever done for a little kid?

89. Favorite TV rerun I could watch 50 times?

90. Favorite item no one knows I own?

91. My favorite story/experience of the paranormal?

92. The one "splurge" grocery item I have never yet splurged on?

93. The most competent activity I do?

94. The one food item I can never run out of?

95. The favorite picture I've ever taken?

96. The most fun game I've ever played?

97. The biggest secret I still safeguard? (don't reveal it!)

98. The hardest I ever laughed in my life was...

99. My favorite fabric to pet is?

100. If I could go anywhere, be with anyone, be doing anything, right now,,, Where? Who? What?

101. If I had one hour to live, what would I spend it doing?

And the questions YOU would like to add! :)

Questions and Answers (part 1)

What are some of your pet peeves?

- when people open up a packet of something i.e. a packet of biscuits, take one out and then they dont wrap the packet back up so that the rest of the buscuits go Stale

-when people always leave just a mouthful of food in their bowl or on their plate.

-when people dip a dirty knife into a spread jar or container i.e. getting butter mixed in with the jam or getting toast crumbs in the butter

-people chewing on gum with their mouth open

-when people (particularly old people) tell you the exact same story every time they see you

-when people get a dog but never take them for walks. they just leave them tied up all the time

-when people think its ok to call someone skinny, but not fat

-when people are really friendly and speak to you when they are on their own but completely ignore you if they are with other people

-when someone starts watching a movie with you but then get up and leave only 5 or 10 minutes before it finishes

-when males refuse to do the washing up because they think that it is a females job

Favorite foods?

This is a really hard one for me as I honestly love food but my all time favourite foods are pretty much everything in my meal plan. My favourite snacky foods are Cashew butter, cakes, creamed rice, fresh fruit, chocolate bars, apple pie, pudding, icecream and custard. My favourite main meal foods are oats, fresh bread, pasta (lasagna, carbonara, ravioli, pasta salad), vegetables, chicken parmigiana, rice, and hot chips. Growing up I only ever ate very basic foods so still do now. The only things I really drink besides water are Up and Go's, hot chocolate and coke zero.

Do you think you'll keep living in Australia or move somewhere else some day? 

I honestly have never considered moving outside of Australia, probably because I have never even travelled outside of Australia before. Of course if my future husband needed to move to another country for some reason I would go as well but at this stage I probably dont see myself living anywhere other than Australia otherwise. If I did move over seas I would want to go somewhere that spoke English as I cannot speak any other language and I really am terrible at trying to learn new languages. I think that Australia really is a wonderful place to live and I feel very lucky to live in such a safe and fortunate country. 

What where the main reasons too decided to recover?

I guess the main reason I wanted to recover was just because I was so fed up and exhausted with my life the way it was. I wasnt 'starving' myself for about 18 months before I decided to recover but I was very underweight and my life completely revolved around my anorexic thoughts and behaviours. I hated the way I was living and knew that if I did not want to be miserable for the rest of my life I needed to make a change. I was also tired of hurting the people around me, particularly my dad. I could see that I was breaking my dads heart through being sick and couldn't bare to do it to him any longer.