Wee Intro & Question!

millux

Slim for Summer!
Hi guys, I'm starting slimfast tomorrow! :D

I wanted to try SW but I just can't eat that amount of food, even though I know it works. I'm on medication that zaps my appetite so I struggle to eat until dinner time so I'm hoping slimfast will be an easy way to give me calories without having to sit down and physically eat. I'm putting on weight because I'm not eating enough! Hopefully with more calories in my body, I'll be able to burn more fat and not go into starvation mode. Once my body gets used to consuming calories during the day, I want to switch over to SW and start eating well! Does this sound like it will work? :)

Sorry if that was confusing, I'm not good at explaining! :p

Anyway, how much have you lost so far on slimfast?
& How are your energy levels? I'd love to know!! :)

Thanks everyone~
 
Hiya, I'm not really sure if SlimFast is the right product if you're trying to consume more calories at the moment... Boots has a product that's specifically designed for people who've lost their appetites. I can't remember exactly what it's called right now, but that might be more what you're looking for. Have you talked to a pharmacist or anyone about it? The should know what product is best for you. (keep in mind, this is just my opinion, and I'm no doctor, but I think your plan sounds like it should work.) Have you talked to your Dr about your appetite loss?

I've been doing a mix of slimfast and calorie counting, and I've lost 3 stone so far. Can't really comment on the energy levels though -not getting enough sleep doesn't do much good!
 
Wow, I had no idea that Boots had such a thing! I'll have to check it out!

Yup, my Dr has just recommended that I "try to eat more" but it's really difficult, I just feel sick & I have IBS so eating is frightening at the best of times anyway, but it's a small price to pay for being on the right medication in my opinion. I'll definitely try to find the boots thing & will mention it to my Dr if I see them anytime soon. Thank you! :)
 
Hi

I agree with Canadatogo. I'm a nurse but although I am not qualified in dietetics I think a conversation with your doc about your anorexia and a referral to a dietician would be more appropriate. You need to make sure you are getting the right nutritional components and Slimfat won't do that. The product in the chemist would be better; it's called Ensure and is aimed at getting nutrients into people who are not eating for various medical reasons so is not a "diet" product. The GP and dieticician will be then able to guide you on how to gradually introduce foods. A big trick with anorexia is to start off small; most of us have really bad perception of what is a normal food portion anyway so maybe you are falling into that trap and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of food your eyes see on the plate. You might want to consider the following to help retrain yourself:
1. Ensure you sit down for a "meal" 3 times a day
2. Use the "hand" principle ..the fleshy palm part is the size of your protein portion, clenched fist is your carb portion and open hand (palm and fingers) is your veg portion. Use a side plate rather than a dinner plate (most modern side plates are similar in size to old dinner plates).
3. Try not to focus so much on quantity but quality and start off small, if at first you only eat a small amount of what is on plate don't stress, it's more about the sitting down and the mental retraining.
4. Sip on ensure during day (rather than drink in one go); you will then avoid malnutrition without "filling yourself up" - the pharmacist can advise you on how many cartons to aim for.
5. Give yourself time! Don't set unachieveable targets (e.g. I will all my dinner), aim for smaller ones which will then boost your confidence when you achieve them e.g. "i will sit at table and take one bite of each food type" then anything above that will be a bonus. Aim for gradually improving over a period of months rather than over 1-2 weeks.

Hope that helps

Good luck and take care of yourself

Carr
 
Thx!

Dr's are helpful most of the time, but I'd hate it if one just told me to try to eat more! I think it'll just be a matter of listening to your body and taking things slowly.

oh! I just remembered! Complan is what it's called. Google it if you've got a chance. Hope it works for you!
 
Thank you so much for all that information, it's really helpful. I've picked up a lot of "tricks" etc about trying to get yourself to eat better & mentally prepare yourself, I was in hospital with eating disordered girls left-right-and-center a few years ago. You're right though, I am very overwhelmed when I look at a plate of food. It just seems like sooo much even if it really is just a wee handful of veggies. I'll have a look at Ensure, I do always worry about my lack of vitamins etc. Thanks again, Carr. :)
 
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