"Meal Planning"

Sheffield Eating Disorder Service have been supporting me in recovering from my eating disorder and have been a really kind, caring and encouraging service to be supported by. They have also been willing to challenge me when I have needed it and I think that is a difficult balance to get right when working with eating disorders - so thank you.

I have recently been using the Recovery Record mobile app to help with monitoring my intake and meal planning and have found this has helped in the following ways: Recording more 'in the moment' (at the time of eating). It is less intrusive than having to write things down and feels more private because there is less chance of people seeing what I am doing and asking about it (e.g. at work). I think this removes some of the barriers to recording accurately. 

I have found that it has helped staff to see more clearly what I am eating so that they can give me feedback on portion sizes, the balance of my meals and general meal planning or suggested increases. It is very easy to get confused about what is and is not 'enough' food when you have an eating disorder and I know for me, at the start of recovery I had no idea what 'normal' eating looked like. Now that I am in a different stage of recovery it helps to get reassurance that my eating is still ok when it looks more flexible. The app has helped the staff working with me to really see what I am eating and to give me reassurance and advice. 

I also find it difficult for people to see what I am eating because of feeling judged for the amount/type of food and posting pictures on the app helps to challenge that because it is obvious what I am eating in a day and I have to tolerate someone seeing that.

It is helpful that staff can communicate with me through the app to give feedback through the week so that I am helped to stay on track when I need this. It is also helpful to be able to look back at previous portions or messages so that I can see what I might have been told in the past, and apply that to a current situation if I am struggling to work out what is 'right' and what might be the anorexic mindset clouding my thinking.

As always thanks to all staff for being so consistent and committed to helping people who use their service because it is a really difficult battle and having helpful support makes all the difference.