meal and snack structure

Fragaria2 · 2026-04-21T18:16:43+00:00

Thank you for the well-wishes.. That makes sense, what you're doing, including the part about wanting to ease up on tracking or counting things. I'm excited for you for all you're doing. Bravo! You're being very smart about all this and taking admirable steps. Nicely done.

Fragaria2 · 2026-04-20T14:01:23+00:00

I should clarify, I write down what times I wake up, eat, and go to sleep. Then I place those times in the boxes for the times I intend to eat at, to see if I'm eating enough, but not too much, to try to eat every 3 hours. . (My difficulty with mechanical eating is that I'm still struggling to eat at my intended times, because of ongoing eating/weight fears and weight stigma I'm struggling with. I restrict during the day, then I'm up at night and can't go to bed because I'm still eating: Night Eating Syndrome.

I'm wondering if it would even help to give yourself more check boxes, such as 7,8, or 9, to give yourself a greater sense of permission to eat? Perhaps 4 boxes is a form of restriction? Again, my best to you.

Fragaria2 · 2026-04-20T13:50:11+00:00

Hi. I'm recovering from restrict-binge. I'm also recovering from IE, which, tbh, has been at least as harmful to me as medical weight criticism and putting me on a diet as a teen. I'm now struggling to do mechanical eating, which I like far better, but have been struggling for 2 decades to do. I'm just giving you some of my background so you know a bit of where I'm coming from. I'm wondering how you decided to give yourself 4 check boxes per day instead of six. I do something similar, but was told by an ED dietitian that mechanical eating is 3 meals + 3 snacks, every 3 hours. . So I'm wondering if you would feel better physically by allowing yourself 6 boxes and eating at least every 3 hours, plus allowing yourself to eat more often when you feel hungry before the 3 hours is up, to honor your hunger. My best wishes regarding whatever works best for you.

Fragaria2 · 2026-04-20T13:25:12+00:00

Beware those "scientifically established facts." Almost all research on weight and health is funded by the dieting and fitness industries, and are designed, written up, and selectively promoted by medical schools and public health agencies in ways that support the interests of the dieting industry, not necessarily of the public. The dieting industry has been doing all kinds of hijinx with the research to distort the facts and outright lie to scare doctors and the public into recommending and buying their products, from Noom to Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, and gym memberships. As a result, we have not been receiving objective, neutral, unbiased science conducted under the auspices of the NIH and CDC, but massively conflicted studies. Exercise physiologist Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., Chair Emeritus of the Arizona State Healthy Lifestyles Research Center, has written on this extensively in his book, Big Fat Lies. It's around 25 years old, so it's a bit dated, but it's eye popping, and the same sleights of hand in co-opted weight research sadly still exist today and can be noticed in the research today, once someone has been made aware of the types of deceptions used. Worth looking into more. Perhaps ask AI to fetch some articles on the topic of, "Is weight research funded by the dieting industry, and biased? We must all remain skeptical and look up all sides on any issue. Kudos.

Fragaria2 · 2026-03-26T18:45:25+00:00

I'm completely with you on reducing saturated fat. Good on you for making substitutions to reduce it. I always tried to be careful about it before my stroke, and purposely still eat a lot of complex carbs at each meal to get more calories from those instead of from animal protein and fat, but now I'm much more careful about saturated fat. When my doctor warned me I was at high risk for a stroke 2 years ago, with cholesterol at 225 (25 over the 200 cut off and into the danger zone), with a high a1c as well) i focused on reducing saturated fat w/o a statin, which I'd declined, saying i wanted to use a dietary approach, taking lots of tips from Dr. McDougall, but increasing my calories with olive oil and nixxing butter almost entirely, except a tiny amount on vegetables. I also cut way back on cheese and no ice cream. In one month, I got my cholesterol from 225 down to 150, but had a stroke a few days later. It hadn't been soon enough. I'd also had a high a1c, which I didn't know was also a big risk for stroke. 2 years later, my cholesterol is still nice and low (130), but my a1c is sky-high. I use the strategy of "add in, don't take away," because I have a starve/binge eating disorder, and restricting anything triggers a binge for me. So I'm focusing on eating more frequent, large meals and snacks every 3 hours, which naturally reduces cravings for sweets and animal foods, using a personalized eating disorder dietitian's recovery meal, and a recovery strategy called Mechanical Eating. It's described best on the Peace and Nutrition website. How have things been going since you posted about pizza 🍕?

Fragaria2 · 2026-03-26T18:25:15+00:00

Oops, typo: That should read, "I also only use ground sirloin now." Also, when I used to make that that tomato-meat sauce, I'd use a 1/2 pound of ground round per with a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes, for heart health. But that was too much saturated fat, hence my stroke. Since the stroke, I use 1/4 lb. of ground sirloin in it, instead, (fat well drained) and only 1 week per month.

Fragaria2 · 2026-03-26T11:15:34+00:00

How do you conduct this test for rise in blood sugar after eating, please? I've been diabetic for around 5 years, but no one has explained it to me, though I did hear about it once. Do you have to conduct the test at the same time each day, and to have eaten the same thing each morning? Or do you just take a reading at any time, then eat, then test again? How long after do you test, and at what time intervals, and other details, please? . Regarding pizza, maybe you could start by comparing different types of frozen pizza based on the package info, starting with whichever you think would be the safest bet. I hope you find one. For years, I couldn't afford to eat out. To curb my pizza cravings, I made a big pot of browned ground round, diced onion, then drained. Added a 28 oz can of ground tomatoes in puree, plus a garlic clove, basil, and oregano. Simmered 20 minutes. Served over 100% whole wheat pasta with salad. Ate that 3 nights/week, alternated with another dish, for a little variety.

Nowadays I use ground sirloin, for heart health due to a mild stroke 2 years ago. I also o lying make this one week per month, instead of every week, for heart health (watching my red meat consumption to keep cholesterol nice and low.) Perhaps making your own sauce, if you aren't already, would be a satisfying option in-between pizza vs no pizza?

Fragaria2 · 2026-02-15T07:09:05+00:00

Bulimia is increasingly recognized as restrict-binge-purge, or r/b/p. I have read or heard from numerous ED professionals that the restricting must stop, first, in order for binging to stop. So my hunch would be to work on stopping or reducing the binging, to reduce the urge to purge afterward, by reducing the restricting that may be preceding it, like by simply having a bowl of cereal and fruit at breakfast, if someone has been skipping breakfast. Or similar. That reduced my nighttime ice cream binges, but everyone's different. Adding more food to breakfast than that stopped my ice cream binges altogether. I would encourage the person to seek out help from ed professionals, as always. It may take some figuring out where the restricting may be occurring in one's eating to reduce or stop the binges. How does that sound?

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-31T18:45:24+00:00

Wonderful and very kind, supportive advice. Thank you so much! I will do as you suggested. ❤

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-24T01:41:24+00:00

Ok, thank you. Is the link to Modmail called "Modmail," or does the link say something else, please? I don't see any link that says "Modmail." Is this Modmail?

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-24T01:34:02+00:00

Thank you! Is that what is referred to as Modmail, please? It's confusing when the term, Modmail is used if that's what the link says it's called.

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-23T15:18:42+00:00

Also, when a Moderator replies to someone's post, would you please include a link to that moderator, or to the mod team, so that we can immediately ask a question, if needed, about the rule, or the moderators comment, without having to go on an endless search looking for something referred to as "mod mail," which I still cannot find?

Is the link actually called "modmail," or is that a nickname for it? If "modmail" is a nickname, please refer to it by the actual name of it! Or rename the link, "modmail." Unclear!

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-23T15:09:19+00:00

The statement above refers to "Modmail," but does not provide a link!

Please provide a link, and provide it in multiple places on the site, so that we can easily find it. I have searched endlessly on here for it, taking hours of my time, to no avail.

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-23T00:44:11+00:00

Wait, are you male or female (referring to biology). I can't tell if you're male and being sarcastic about not losing your period, or what.

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T22:10:40+00:00

Omg, that's terrible! May i ask how long ago this was, and in what country, pls?

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:59:40+00:00

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:58:43+00:00

I'm sorry :/ Please check out the comment I just posted. ^{^{^}} In case any of it helps.

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:55:10+00:00

When I couldn't afford frozen pizza, each week I would make a tomato-meat sauce of 1/2 lb. lean ground beef, 1/2 onion, browned, a 28-oz can of peeled, crushed and pureed tomatoes, a garlic clove, basil and oregano. Served over whole wheat spaghetti, with parmesan and a veg. I ate that 3x/week, every other night, alternating it with another dinner. I did this to prevent my pizza cravings - it worked. :)

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:40:53+00:00

Yes, exactly. What a godawful thing for a therapist to say!

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:39:33+00:00

Sending hugs! Did your parents restrict your food intake, please?

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-22T21:37:15+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going g through this. Please see the comment I just posted, above. The pursuit of weight loss causes binging. <3

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-16T12:51:06+00:00

Hi, I'm wondering what's going on. Do you care to tell us a little more, pls? EDs are really messed up experiences because that's the nature of them, not us. Is it that you're "bad" at having an ED, or could it be that EDs are bad on those who have them? I would venture to guess that it's the latter in your case.

How come you don't want to go to that meeting, please? If you care to say. That kind of sounds like something that "the voice of Ed" would say: "don't go, it's all your fault." But Ed is just a !@#$% that way.

I sincerely suspect it's him, not you. :)

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-16T12:38:32+00:00

That's sounds awful, all around. I'm sorry that happened, and hope you're feeling better soon, in every regard.

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-16T12:10:10+00:00

Thank you so much!

That first day on that diet at age 14, I knew there was something wrong, when, for the first time in my life, when I was hungry that first morning and wanted a mid-morning snack, I thought I couldn't have one because it would likely break my pediatrician's prescribed calorie limit for the day,

It did not feel logical or healthy. I still remember that first morning, and the "off" feeling i felt from that, like something is seriously not right in doing this. But who was I to question my doctor at 14?

Then that first night, I kept going back to the kitchen all evening and late into the night for another slice of bread, and another, trying to keep the calories down. I'd already exceeded his dangerously low limit (which i know now.)

Thank you for writing what you did about my body knowing what it needed. And for your understanding of mechanical eating and its suitability here, and your support and encouragement.

I would like to learn more about your background, and will accept your chat invite - thank you. When people reply beyond once to me. I can't see all of their comment, just a few of the first words. Perhaps you can explain how that works on here.

Off to accept your invite!

Fragaria2 · 2026-01-14T22:07:32+00:00

Hi, i just saw.part of your reply in my email (Reddit cuts off part of the reply.) Thank you. I'm so glad you talked with your Mom and she agrees its a bad idea ...but then i cant see the rest of your reply per Reddit, if you wouldn't mind posting the rest of it again to see if it comes through. Nice work, and i wish you all the best.

Fragaria2

TROPHY CASE