Advice for Refeeding

Eventually you may decide to try a more regular-type food intake. This sounds much simpler than it actually is, particularly if you've severely restricted or been purging.

Tums are your friends, don't leave home without them. There will be much stomach acid. It will hurt like a lot. Watch your acidic-foods intake, like fruits and veggies, because they can be particularly hard on insides before your chemical balance re-establishes itself.

Yogurt. Stick with the nonfat kind if you like, but eat as much as you can take, helps re-establish healthy intestinal flora.

Also ginger snaps. Great for settling the stomach.

Just because you're eating doesn't mean you have to eat lots. Diet and nonfat foods are perfectly acceptable. Hell, everyone else eats them... and it doesn't seem to register with watchers that there's a difference between a 600-calorie plate of turkey and a 150-calorie package of fat-free turkey slices, or a 200-calorie bottle of Sobe and a 15-calorie bottle of Sobe Lean. Exploit as desired.

Bread products are great. Fiber is vital for rebuilding and strengthening atrophied intestinal muscles. Be warned, though... there may be gas, irregularity, and general discomfort for a while as this happens. Always know where a nice private restroom is.

Soy milk. The nonfat kind if you like. You will need extra protein if you have much muscle to replace, and it's pretty low-cal.

Avoid saturated fats and cholesterol.

Continue to take your vitamins.

Listen to your cravings, your body will have a very good idea of what it needs to take in for proper reconstruction. Continue to take whatever precautions against binges you need.

Re-hydrate. Very important as your body gets used to processing food. Drink beverages like V8, soymilk and non-acidic fruit juices. Reminder too that you should be drinking 8 glasses of water every day.