My meal plan

Hi.

I've been in treatment many times for my eating disorder, and every program I've been to has a slightly different way of handling the food situation. The first program I really went to used the calorie system, where basically I counted out every single calorie each day, down to a T. Every detail. If we were missing 5 calories, we would replace it with a pretzel or cracker. Pretty obsessive right? Yeah. 

Other programs and hospitals use the diabetic exchange system, and that's what I'm using now. It consists of 6 food groups - Starches, protein, vegetables, fruits, milk, and fats. You have a certain number of exchanges that need to be eaten throughout the day. It's a little tricky to get the hang of, but after a while you get used to the portion sizes. I still measure out my servings of food  - I'm hoping some day soon I won't have to measure everything! It's a little crazy making. 

My meal plan is pretty large right now. 

14 starches

11 proteins

2-4 veggies

5 fruits

4 milks

8 fats

and yes, it's a lot of food. 

But it's what my body needs right now. Maybe I'll post an example of what I eat on a typical day.