I feel you. There would be times when I would prefer ordering a delivery to serving a plate of food I have already cooked.
Been struggling with eating disorder for the past few years, and the last year I have been trying (without success) to keep a healthy diet. Ordering delivery online is the biggest issue for me.
Buying groceries that I know I am going to throw has helped a lot. The shame of throwing rotten veggies has motivated me many a time to start cooking whatever is left before it’s rotten, I view it as trigger to cook. Also, not having groceries can be a barrier to cooking.
I have trouble accounting for all the effort required to prepare a dish. Tasks like washing the dishes, buying groceries, cutting vegetable, etc take time and energy. If I don’t plan for those, I will get tired at some point and completely give up cooking.
When everything seems too hard, I try to do something small. Usually, this is washing a couple of spoons or glasses. Sometimes this is enough to trigger my fixation and get buttload of work done. Because, this is not consistent my trick is doing often with zero expectations so I don’t get discouraged.
Now, I am trying to constantly build excitement for cooking. It’s a new experiment, but the idea is that if I have triggers around me that will remind me I want to cook, it make it easier for me to cook. I have installed a mirror on my living room (I don’t like my shape right now, and that feels motivating somehow), and next I will pick some posters to hang around the house.
Thanks for the question, I hope I am able help even the tiniest bit.
yes! I mean pathological demand avoidance, I literally forgot there is another meaning to the acronym 🤣