Sticking to my meal plan

I can honestly say that I have fully followed my meal plan every single day since starting to recover. I think that being able to stick to your recovery meal plan (if you have one) is necessary for a successful recovery. Even if I get really full half way through my meal, I keep eating until I complete the entirety of each meal. I always scrape every bit of food out of my bowl or off of  my plate as by doing this I know that I am beating my anorexia.

I love going to bed each night and thinking about the fact that I have successfully beat my anorexia, once again by eating everything on my meal plan. I also like being able to feel proud of myself, for doing what I know is right for my recovery. No matter what happens at my weekly weigh ins, I never need to feel dissappointed in myself as even if I dont gain enough weight, I know that it is not through anything I have done wrong.

I believe that if I was not able to stick to my meal plan or if I ate less than my calorie target I would be giving into my anorexia and giving it strength. The scary thing about anorexia is that the more you give it, the more it expects. For example if you listen to your anorexia and skip morning tea one day, it will expect you to do the same thing the following day and it will most likely want you to skip another meal too.

To me, following my meal plan is not a matter of choice. I do not think of following my meal plan any differently then I do showering, brushing my teeth or sleeping. It is simply something that I need to do, every single day. I think that anyone can follow their meal plan as well as I do, you just need to try and develop the same mindset about it that I have. Even if you have cheated on your meal plan in the past, it is never to late to stop. If you are able to successfully do this your anorexia will eventually stop trying to convince you to restrict your intake.

I cant remember the last time my anorexia tried to get me to eat less then what is specifed on my meal plan. It still gets angry when I eat, but it doesn't try to get me to eat less as it knows that it is a waste of time, as I simply refuse to do that. I suppose that one of the reasons I am like this is because I am such a perfectionist and once I set my mind to anything, I become obsessed with doing it no matter what.

As soon as I decided once and for all that I wanted to get better and therefore needed to follow my meal plan, I instantly felt as though I had no choice but to do that, no matter how painful it may be. In fact I am actually quite terrified about not being able to follow my meal plan one day, even if it was for a very genuine reason like having gastro.

If your anorexia does try and convince you to cheat on your meal plan, tell yourself the following; 'Following my meal plan, no matter how painful it may be wont kill me, however listening to my anorexia will'. To me, when you put it like this, there really is no choice when it comes to whether you should follow your meal plan or not.
Following meal plan= you getting stronger/anorexia getting weaker= you recovering

Although I always stick to my meal plan, this does not mean that I do not substitute foods for others if I am certain that they contain the same amount of energy as what was on my original meal plan. I cant stress enough how important it is to try and start seeing your meal plan as something you need to follow. I know that I would not be able to recover if I was not able to stick to my meal plan as well as I do. This is the only way you can show your anorexia who is boss and eradicate it, once and for all!