Binge eating after anorexia recovery?

garupo

Hi everyone. I'm glad I found this group, I like the community and support. I struggled with anorexia for just a couple of years, and I've been in recovery for 3 years now. I mantained my GW for about a year, but now I can't stop bingeing on everything and anything almost every day... even the foods that I was so terrified of before. The guilt and shame are still the same and the desire to lose weight is still there but I don't seem to be able to stick to any goal or meal plan again... even just normal. I try to start over eating healthy every single day and fail. I kind of wish my anorexic self could help me out a little, but it's gone. I feel trapped and powerless.
Can anyone relate to this?

dk6boys

I can totally relate. I felt like I had to binge or else I was giving into my ED. I had to eat that food or else I felt like I was restricting. Now I'm overweight. I'm trying to lose weight in a healthy way but its torture.i wish I could restrict strongly again just to have strong willpower again.

Mersie1

This is very common. I've slowly been pulling myself out of this cycle. The ED nutritionist I've started seeing says she believes it's bec I was still restricting- not calorically, so I was thinking I was in recovery, but I was restricting in terms of which foods I would allow my self eat. Plus, I was still undereating. Which seemed insane to me as I was eating above the calories of many on this site- she has been helping me to only focus on my own needs. I kept thing tomorrow, I'll be back on track. This went on for over a year. I am now truly not restricting. I have foods that otherwise terrified me to eat, desserts, foods w no nutritional
Value whatsoever, I've also increased my calories and carbs- guess what- no bingeing. It still feels weird, But my weight is settling down- as it should when you nourish and do not binge and I've had NO urge to binge. Now I just need to be patient and continue this until it becomes more habit and familiar!!! Add me if you like. I wish you both the best! ED sucks!!

Carren591

After recovering from my ED (Anorexia), I started binging constantly with the occasional mistake of purging. I've been recovered for three years now, and am way above the healthy weight I wanted to maintain. I feel like I'm starting to restrict again because the binges make me feel so out of control and reinforce all the negative things I think about myself.

Mersie1

Just checking in w you all- how everyone doing?

garupo

This week was a little better. Still some not very good choices and still above my goals, but at least not out-of-control bingeing.
Thank you all for the replies, good to know I'm not the only one.

SnowWhite767

Hey, I'm in the same place with the binge-eating issues. I've had bulimia on and off for maybe 10 years, and it is hard to strike a balance after that. Especially when your body perception is no longer just due to dysmorphia but ACTUAL weight gain. You don't really know what "normal" eating looks like. Anyway, feel free to add me. I'd like to have some MFP friends who have similar issues.

nixthebrownies

I thought I was alone in this. Struggled with anorexia for years in my teens, dabbled in purging, laxatives etc, and now I’m struggling with binging all the time. I thought I was crazy for having gone from one end of the spectrum to the other.