Food Groups: Starchy Foods

I thought I'd do a post educating both people with and without eating disorders, because I think that if people understood what a healthy balanced diet it, then there would be far less people suffering from eating disorders out there.A lot of people think "eating healthily" means eating fruits and vegetables etc., and cutting out fats, dairy and carbohydrates from our diet. But that couldn't be more wrong.

We need fats, fats and carbohydrates in order to live!

Our body cannot function properly without them, so why there is this whole image of certain food groups being 'bad' for you, I simply do not know.

So I thought I'd do a post on eating well. This is acording to a dietician too- I'm not just making things up!

I'm going to split this into 5 sperate posts, so here is part one...

1) Starchy Foods

(We don't call these carbohydrates, because other food contains carbohydrates as well. Starchy foods is more accurate.)

Why do we need starchy foods?

• Gives us slow releasing energy
• Keeps our blood sugar levels steady
  - This is VITAL for the whole body, especially the brain.
• Helps sleep
• Contains essential vitamins

How often should we eat them?

Shoud be a base for each of the 3 meals a day we eat.

Image via here.

Examples:

Bread, potato, rice, pasta, chips, couscous, gnocchi, oats, breakfast cereals...

..............................................................................................................................................


Look out for the rest of the food groups over the next few weeks!

Hope this is helpful,

Hannah xox

Let's start today

"Stop saying 'tomorrow'; 

start saying 'today'."

Hannah xox

Personal Progress #1

Sorry I've been away for a while - it's nearly GCSEs and I've been so busy! Just thoght I'd update this blog on my process :)

I get weighed once or twice a week at the moment, and yesterday I found out I am 0.1kg away from my target band! (A band is a 1kg zone where you are supposed to be at). I am so excited; I was so hopeless a few months ago because I never thought I'd get there. I felt so depressed- what was the point in trying if I couldn't do it?
Well to anyone out there recovering who is reading this, just rememeber that no matter how likely or unlikely it seems, it is possible.

I've been eating out every so often, and I'm actually learning to enjoy it again! I had the most delicious brownie, which feels pretty weird to have to be honest; it's just so odd that I'm finally at the stage I can have that and enjoy it again. Of course the guilt comes with it, but I can learn to deal with that. At least the rational part of me knows it is good and urges me to keep going.

I've eaten lunch at school a few times over the last 3 weeks, which is actually a huge achievement for me as it's hard being there to eat when it reminds me of how I was when I was at my worst. But now I know that there is more to life than being skinny, and I don't want to be that sad and scared little girl now. It's time to enjoy the rest of my life and the opertunities that will only come if I am well.

I now go to school 5 mornings a week and 3 afternoons, and I'm doing alright at catching up the work. I don't really feel part of a group at school- but I have 4 amazing best friends who have stuck by me through everything, and I would not be where I am without their wonderful support and love <3 (So if any of you read this; thank you, from the bottom of my heart).

My body image isn't great, but I'm learning to just move past the fact that I think I look fat, and just accept my body for the way it is. We will all have areas of our bodies we don't like, whether you have an eating disorder or not, but life isn't about your physical apperance. Looks don't matter- you can do anything you want, regardless of your shape and size. Well, that's what I've learnt. Confidence is all you need, and I will work on that [my confidence is that of a gnat].

Hope you're all doing well, and hope this wasn't too boring! Just wanted to show that it is possible to get back to a normal life after having an eating disorder :)

Hannah xox

Raising awareness in action!

Today is the 7th and final day of Eating Disorders Awareness week! 

And for the last day of this awareness week, I finally managed to post something on my personal instagram! (didn't manage Facebook because way more people follow me, but I'm proud I managed something at least.)

I had to cut down what I wrote below so it wouldn't go over the max words it would post, but I thought I'd post the longer version on here.

Today is the last day of Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2014, and I have finally plucked up the courage to post something about it. I feel physically sick posting this, but I am determined to raise awareness and break stigma about eating disorders, so I'm doing it anyway.

But why should I be ashamed; why should I hide it? 

If I had broken my leg I wouldn't be afraid to tell someone, so why should eating disorders be any different? They shouldn't.

I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa on the 9th May 2013, and I've been at the Priory for 4 months recovering from it. It is only with their help and huge amounts of support and encouragement from my family and few close friends that I've nearly beat it.

Last year was hell. At my worst I was so cold all the time, I couldn't focus on conversations at all, I fell behind at school and felt weak and tired. I'm just thankful my parents spotted it before it got any worse or went on for any longer.

You don't "choose" to have an eating disorder.

It starts off as an innocent idea to eat healthily and stop eating so much chocolate etc, but before you know it it can spiral out of control and become a full-blown eating disorder. 

Anorexia isn't just "being skinny". It's in your head; you can't concentrate on anything except food, exercise, calories and body image. You lose everything: your friends, your happiness, your health. And no matter how thin you get, you will never be happy with your appearance. You don't see yourself how you really are, your perception becomes warped and wrong. People with eating disorders aren't "attention seeking", they don't want the illness any more than any other person. It's hard to recover from when you're in the grips of the illness, no matter how hard you try. But it is possible.

Also, just because you see yourself as bigger than you actually are, does not mean that you think everyone else who are normal sizes are fat; it doesn't work like that.

You don't have to be thin to have an eating disorder either; it's a mental health condition, and being underweight or overweight are just physical consequences/ symptoms of it.

Eating disorders can come about for all sorts of reasons, but often they are caused by stress and feeling out of control of your life. People turn to food as a way of coping, and it is so easy to fall into the grips of an eating disorder. But they only create more problems- and need lots of help and support to overcome.

If you think you know someone suffering from an eating disorder, tell someone about it. You might just save their life.

* * *

And you know what? So far I haven't had a single mean comment for it, and quite a few people had like the photo which means they must support it, so it was worth it after all. I've also had a few really lovely comments- even from people I hardly know! That makes me so happy.

Hope you all had a good Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2014,

Hannah xox

Attitude Towards The Past

Today is day 5 of Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2014.
(It's gone by so quickly!)

Before when I looked back at the past, I saw only the bad things that I had done and the people I had upset. Instead of thinking "Well, I just have to move forwards from this and learn from my mistakes", which would be the logical and healthier attitude towards it, I would think, "I have done so many bad things in my life, and I deserve the same pain back so I should punish myself. I was mean and therefore I do not deserve happiness". But that is wrong. Everyone deserves happiness. Yes, everyone will feel sad at points in their life, but at the same time, you should also experience happiness.

"Don't let the sadness of your past and the fear of your future take away from the happiness of your present"

Image via here.

Without sadness you cannot truly feel happiness, so yes- to a certain extent everyone is sad at some point and that isn't a bad thing.

You have the right to feel any emotion; no matter how silly or stupid you think your emotion is, you are allowed to feel like that, and it is much better to accept how you are feeling and learn how to deal with it and move on, than not accept it and struggle to ever let yourself feel emotions.

I think partly my eating disorder developed as a way of punishing myself. And now that I've had therapy and learnt to understand mental health and recovery better, I have no realised that punishing myself won't change anything; It will only leave me to regret more things about my past.

Instead of regretting having an eating disorder, I am thankful for all I have learnt from it, and the people I may be able to help with my experience.

There is always a positive and a negative way of looking at every situation, and I think it's time I started focusing on the positive, and that's my tip for anyone reading this post too.

So, instead of judging your past, take a deep breath, and let go.
It's never too late to start again and become that person you've always wanted to be.

Hannah xox

What is normal eating?

Today is day 4 of Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2014.

I think many people suffer from forms of disordered eating, even if it does not affect them in such a way as eating disorders such as anorexia.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is also about promoting a healthy attitude towards food. The question is, what is 'normal' eating?

In the adolescent eating disorders unit I go to, we do a group called food and me, and today we learnt what 'normal' eating was, so I thought I'd share it with you.

They are only my brief notes, but I hope this helps give a perspective on what a healthy attitude towards food is, and maybe even help you spot signs of disordered eating in yourself or your friends/family if they are the opposite of some of the points.

One point I forgot to add on this was that people who eat in a healthy manner do not avoid particular food groups, they eat a healthy balance of all of them and do not think too deeply about what food/ food group it is that they are eating.

I hope this helps, and if anyone wants me to expand on this please comment below or email myjourneywithrecovery@gmail.com

Stay strong and raise awareness and promote healthy eating!

Hannah xox

Fundraising for Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Today is day 3 of Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2014.

As well as raising awareness, I think this week would be a good time to raise money for eating disorder charities such as "beat" in the UK, and "NEDA" in the USA.

But the question is, "what can I do to raise money?"

So I thought I'd list a few quick ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

* * *

Things you could do to raise money :

• Friendship bracelt/ bracelet or jewlllery making and selling
• Painting nails/ Makeovers/ Doing hair
• Cake sale (yes it is ironic, but as a school or class it is still a good thing to do, and is always guaranteed to make money!)
• Ask your school to make events/ do an assembly etc.
• Sell handmade cards or crafts
  etc.

Even doing chores around the house to earn some money and donating it contributes- and even if it isn't a lot, it does add up of everyone does it.

* * *

Our fundraising efforts! :

Here are some posters we made at the inpatient and day patient adolescent eating disorders unit I go to, advertising Eating Disorders Awareness Week and the things we have planned for fundraising:

Have fun, and go on and raise awareness and some money if you can.

If you do anything to raise money and want to be featured on this blog, please email me on myjourneywithrecovery@gmail.com - I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you!

Hannah xox