As an additional note, I live in the UK - so while the US seems to have many more handy low-cal snacks around I might not be able to get ahold of them!

The reason I ask for lower calorie snacks is in that I want to build up my intake slowly, without shocking myself and starting to freak and restrict myself again. I have all intention of gaining, and am arranging to see my GP, but I want to know small things before I start on the bigger ones. I don't want to eat a palmful of peanuts right away and then suddenly have negative thoughts push through and ruin what I'm trying to start. I am not entirely sure if I'm making sense. x__x

Okay, so I guess I should rephrase. I want to start recovering from this but I do not want to wait until my doctor can set me up to see a nutritionist to do it. I was wondering how much I should start building my calorie intake up by, coming off of an intake of anywhere from 300-500 cals or so a day (not counting any exercise done). I know it has to be done slowly, but I do not know how slowly.

Yesterday I bumped my intake up by about a hundred calories on top of my usual and today I am aiming to do the same, but I do not know where to go from there. The reason I asked for lower calorie, but nutritious snacks and additions is because I want to build my intake slowly and subtly, so I get my intake up without any ED-part of me suddenly going haywire and causing me to go back to restricting or anything damaging like it. This is hard to explain.

Beans sound like a good idea - I love them. >> But, how much should I be upping my intake by?

As much as you can without wigging out.  Does 50 calories per day extra sound okay?  How about 100?

Buy a box of ziplock baggies and portion out some nuts (I personally like almonds, cashews, and pecans the best).  The nuts have good oils for your hair and your skin and are extremely nutritious.  Make another baggie with your favorite vegetable to have an extra serving of.

You need to get to a minimum of about 1500 calories per day as soon as possible, this still won't be enough but it will help immensely, a nutritionist specializing in undereating will be better able to give you guidance what to expect when. 

At 6' tall, you're going to want to get up to 140 lbs which will still put you on the low end of a healthy BMI.

Well, if it's any help, I managed to get my 350-400 average a day up to about 650 average in the past couple of days. I don't know if that is too fast and yes, I know it is still waaay too little overall. D:' A hundred a day sounds... doable, though I am still inherently scared. Rrgh. I have to get past this. ><

Keep moving those calories up.  If you have to, consider it like medicine (liver anyone?).  Your body needs them and will get sick(er) without them.  You can make them all healthy foods if that makes you feel better (BTW, we have some really bad myths floating around in the general populace as to what's healthy).

Avocados are excellent, you get calories and all those healthy fats that you need in order to digest vitamins.  Maybe some chips and guacamole or just slice it in a salad.  Artichoke hearts are lovely, so is broccoli.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of feta cheese to that salad, etc.  It's just adding that little extra here and there instead of forcing yourself to eat a lot more at once that will help you not to freak out.  Are you currently eating non-fat or sugar free items?  Ditch them for the full calorie version, you need those calories.

Linny: Thankyou for your concern, I really appreciate it (: For me it's not just scary in the sense of increasing how much I eat, but when I realise how skinny I am, too >< Seeing myself in a mirror the other day actually made me go "urgh" for the first time in a long while because I could see chestbone - and realised it wasn't attractive at all. Is it safe for me to jump from 600ish to 1200 in a day, though?

Whipple: Actually, most of what I eat as of the past couple of days has been in fuller fat versions/higher sugar versions, but not all of it. My biggest nutritional worry at the moment is how much salt I'm taking in. ><; I prefer savoury over sweet, haha.

So, I should go up by about 100 a day? Or more? x__x Oof, so confused! I've read a lot about bloating being common, too - any advice from anyone there?

The major problem I have with seeing a doctor is not actually seeing them, but being unsure if I will be able to do so in confidentiality - as in, without them contacting my parents. I doubt I will. Sadly I do not have supportive parents; my mother's told me if she finds out I have anything remotely like an ED she'll just have me put into a ward and left there. -_- I have a very supportive boyfriend, however, and he'll be with me for a week next week to give me a hand which I am really looking forward too. Positive motivation. I think I will arrange to get a GP appointment when he is here if I can, if not just to have that hand to hold. x:

The privacy laws appear to depend on your state if you're a minor.  You could call the doctor's office anonymously and ask to be sure.  Please do not let a matter of privacy prevent you from getting the help that you need.  If you're no longer a minor, you might have to contact the insurance company and request that your records and statements of services be sent to you instead of to your parents.

Most parents will make a remark like yours about those with eating disorders, but that's when the situation does not apply to to you or to them.  Everything changes when it becomes personal.  I doubt that your parents will try to do anything to undermine your efforts at recovery and you can't just get parked in an institution unless you are severly underweight.  You could also tell your parents the truth about your not eating enough/losing weight/feel tired, etc. and that you're concerned that there's a medical issue without raising the eating disorder issue.

You could talk to a clergy member, a school counselor, go see a doctor on your own without the benefit of your parent's insurance, etc.  BTW, a specialist in disordered eating would be my recommendation unless your insurance requires that you see a gp first.

Unless you've got a specific health reason to worry about salt, then just get your 6-8 glasses of water per day and don't worry about it unless it gets really high.  You might retain some water due to the sodium but probably not too much.

It's up to you, if you think you can jump to 1200 calories then do it.  If you can't do it right away, add 50-100 calories per day or even more on days when you can and you'll be up there in a week or two and aiming for the 1500 and then 1800 or whatever the nutritionist/doctor/therapist ultimately recommends.

I should have probably mentioned (I don't know if I did) I am in the UK. I am also 18, and according to my boyfriend that should make it illegal for my doctor to speak out of confidentiality if I request it. I honestly cannot afford to tell my parents about this; my mother is a woman who believes the world does not know stress or sickness like she does because of how much pressure she can come under from her workplace, and my father is an abusive, narrow-minded drunk. As for seeing a specialist, I do not know how to get ahold of a nutritionist or specialist through the NHS without seeing my GP first.

I managed to get up to just under 800, today. I am going to aim to do the same target tomorrow and then up it again come Saturday - it was strange to be eating more or less all day, even on little things! Out of curiousity, though, is it normal for me to be hungry quite so fast after I consume a meal (anywhere from a half hour after a snack to an hour/hour and a half after larger meals - dinner, lunch)? o_O I don't remember getting hungry at that pace even when I ate a regular diet! Also, can anyone make any reccomendations for bloating? I drink plenty of water and green tea, and while it's not too bad I have gotten a bit windy. ><

I'd still check with the insurance company and see if you can get any statements of service sent to you, just to be sure.  Hopefully you'll eventually be able to tell your mom, but since you're an adult you get to do your own thing.

You can call the gp's office or your insurance company and find out what the procedure is.

I believe that being hungry is a good sign.  If you can do it without freaking out, add a spoonful or two of peanut butter or something.  By a bit windy do you mean that you are passing gas or are you feeling bloated?  If it's gas from beans, if you're eating canned beans, try rinsing them twice and maybe try beano or gas-ex.  If it's from beans that you've cooked yourself, soaking them overnight and then quick cooking them helps reduce the gas.

Gas from eating in general! x__x I'm passing wind, but it only comes after a while of having a puffy stomach. I know bloating is meant to be fairly common when starting to put extra food in again but it's darn uncomfortable or embarrassing sometimes. ><

Lalabanana,

First of all, congratulations on helping yourself to becoming a healthy person. You'll get there sweetheart, just have patience and listen to the good people on this thread. We're all here to help you. Many have been where you are now and have recovered and are living their lives once again. Listen to them and take note of what they say. I am underweight but not due to anorexia. I had a lot of anxiety and stress and the weight just fell off. I looked awful. It's not nice, is it? I am putting it on again now and am happy to do so.

I am in the UK too and if you see your GP he is obliged to keep anything you tell him confidential. He will NOT tell you family. To do so would put his job at risk as he could be struck of the medical register. Go see him and explain what is happening. He can help, I am sure.

Meanwhile, keep posting here and letting us know how you're doing.

Love

Taffy

Taffy: Ahh, thankyou so much! That thought has put me at ease a little more, now. >< My mother's pretty serious when it comes to her threats about my health so her finding out about this would be disasterous. I need positive support rather than her, uh, blunter methods.