Remembering to eat when life gets busy

In my own recovery, I do not think there are ever any excuses for not eating my recovery intake every single day. Perhaps it may be hard to properly follow a meal plan if you travel overseas or get gastro or something like that but simply being busy is not a legitimate excuse not to eat enough in my opinion.

I believe that if you truly want to follow your meal plan, you will always be able to find time to eat, no matter how busy you may be. Yesterday I knew that it was going to be difficult for me to fit all of my meals in as Yoga started at 6:00pm, which is the time I usually have tea. I did not see this as a reason not to eat as much however and I still managed to eat my full recovery intake of calories.

I did this by planning ahead and carefully thinking about my meal times. I had my breakfast at 5:30 which is my usual breakfast time and I had my morning tea at 8:15 as I had to be at tthe supermarket to work by 8:30. My lunch break was at 12:00 so I ate lunch then and also prepared my snacks for the afternoon. I ate a packet of potato chips and a large portion of grapes at 3:00 which is my usual afternoon tea time and then had a cup of tea with my work colleagues at 4:00.

I knew that I would not be able to fit in my hot chocolate that I usually have after my dessert each night so instead I ate a large apple at 5:30, before I fished work at 5:45. I also thought that having this snack then would stop me from getting so hungry at yoga. After work I went straaight to the gym where the yoga was being held and didn't get home until almost 8:00. I ate soup and fresh bread (something quick and easy but still substantial) for my tea, 2 hours later then usual and then had chocolate pudding and icecream half an hour later.

Ever since developing anorexia I have had very strict meal times that I felt as though I needed to follow. I would get extremely anxious and grumpy if for some reason I was not able to eat at my normal meal time. I no longer feel anxious or upset when I can not eat at my usual meal times (5:30, 9:00, 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 7:30) I only see these meal times as a guide. I believe that being more flexible with meal times is essential in order to recover as you can not have a 'normal' relationship with food otherwise.

Some people may argue that they do not want to put their lives on hold while they are in recovery but I honestly dont think you have to put your life on hold in order to eat recovery amounts. With a bit of careful planning and orgaisation, you can still eat your recovery intake of food, no mattter how busy you get. In recovery you need to see eating as a priority but you also should not let it stop you from having a life. You just need to find a good balance so that you can stay happy and healthy while in recovery.