Having an eating disorder is about more than the physical — much of it is mental and emotional as well. Now that you are on the road to recovery emotionally and mentally, it is time to get back on track physically as well. However, it can be pretty difficult to regain your appetite back after dealing with an eating disorder for so long. Well, here are some tips that may help you overcome the challenges of a loss of appetite pretty quickly.

Eat Smaller Portions

Seeing too much food on your plate can be overwhelming. Try lessening your portions either by not letting your food go outside of the inner circle of your plate or try using a smaller plate altogether. If this is still too much for you, The Emily Program suggests grazing on nutritious but tasty snacks throughout the day instead. Keeping your favorite foods on hand can help encourage cravings.

Supplements

According to CBD Rescue, CBD oil can be one of the best supplements for helping you to regain your appetite. CBD oil can act as a remedy to other symptoms of not eating, like headaches and lack of sleep. Many people find that after taking the supplement for just a few days, they begin to sleep better, have less anxiety, and with the lessened stress, have more of an appetite.  You will want to consult a doctor when it comes to the complete range of supplements that will work for you.

Watch Others

This may sound strange, but you may want to try watching other people eat if you want your appetite to come back. One of the quickest ways to feel hungry, even if you just ate, is to watch someone else eating. This is because seeing and especially smelling food causes your body to release a hormone called ghrelin, which is responsible for increasing your appetite. However, you want to be careful about what you watch so that you don’t become easily turned off. For instance, binge-watching Mukbang videos may not be a good idea when you are first recovering.

What is a Mukbang video?

Try looking at pictures of nicely plated food either on social media or in a magazine to help get those stomach juices flowing.

The road to recovering from an eating disorder can be a rocky one but you should take it slow and be patient with yourself. Even a small morsel of food is still progressing so celebrate the small wins and don’t stress the end goal. You will get to full recovery just by taking it one bite at a time.