Make your recovery your own

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately is the fact that everybody's recoveries are different. While it is ok to look for inspiration in others, you should not try to imitate others too much as what is healthy for some may not necessarily be healthy for others. For example Although I find it easier to keep a basic count of calories to ensure I am eating my calorie target each day, this does not mean it is the best option for all recovering anorexics. Not everyone is recovering without professional help as I am and counting calories should therefore be avoided if a doctor or dietician is able to put together a meal plan for you.

Similarily, you may find making a certain change much harder than others around you and this is completely fine. It does not mean that you aren't as strong as them as I guarantee there will be other recovery challenges that they find more difficult then you find them them too.

While reading recovery blogs is a fantastic way to motivate yourself in you own recovery, dont let others influence your recovery too much. I find that many people who are reaching the end of their recovery or who have recovered become super active and eat quite healthily but I am determined not to let this influence how I behave after I recover. I need to focus on doing what is healthy for me and what makes me happy. This does not mean that I will never exercise after I recover, but how much I exercise should not be influenced by others around me but only by what I enjoy.

Also, dont let the foods others eat influence your own diet whilst you are in recovery or once you are recovered. I worry that when I share my meal plans it may be triggering for those around me that need to eat even more than I do. It is so important that we all remember that we each have different energy needs and therefore require different amounts of food. This is what I tell myself when I hear people say they are recovering on 2500 calories or something like that. This is much less then I am eating at the moment and while it may be enough for others, is not enough for ME.

My recovery meal plan includes lots of typically 'unhealthy foods' like cakes, chocolate, puddings and icecream as these are the foods that I believe are the best for ME to eat for MY recovery. These are the foods that I really enjoyed before I got sick and also foods that have a high calorie density which help me to reach my daily calorie goal more easily. I refuse to let what others eat influence what I eat myself as I know that what is healthy for them is not necessarily what is healthy for me.