Bipolar 2 and healthy eating

kichinjaaa

Hello!
I’m hoping for some advice from people that have been in my situation..
So i’m 20, female, and was diagnosed as bipolar type 2 about a month ago. In march i had an attempted suicide and lost 9kg in a month (im 163cm and my usual weight was about 53 kgs, after - 44), then i started taking proper meds (before i was wrongly diagnosed and was just taking antidepressants and alprazolam) and i regained my weight in a very short period. Though, i am not happy, i walk everywhere i go and do go running or do some other kind of exercise about 2-3 times a week, eat relatively healthy, dont drink anything other than water/tea/coffee, but i have an unhealthy habit of binging on food sometimes (especially at night), i’m really starting to hate my body and even though i am happy for the first time in my life thanks to meds, i still tend to eat my feelings and when i do - i dont log the calories i eat here.. the worst part is, when i get these cravings, i literally dont care about any of my accomplishments (eating healthy for a few days, staying off sugar etc), i feel like an animal.. and im too ashamed to talk to anyone about this.. help?

kommodevaran

Well, you are an animal, and animals naturally seek pleasure and comfort. Trying to deny yourself that, and feeling like a failure when you can't, sets you up for overdoing it. Shame is a natural consequence, that unfortunately just anhances self-destructive behavior. Honesty, and seeking support, counteracts shame, because you learn that everybody has something we are ashamed of. My concrete suggestion is to plan meals and treats, and allow yourself to enjoy everything you eat, and not try to do impossible tings (stay off sugar) or vague tings (eat healthy, if you don't know what it means).

blameames

Hi! 25f with bipolar 1 and a bunch of other mental health issues here, including disordered eating. I also recently had
1) a HUGE weight gain related to medicine (about a year ago, but I’m still dealing with it) and
2) multiple suicide attempts about six months ago. I spent a month inpatient, and then did another seven weeks of outpatient therapy.

I tend to starve instead of binge, but I know exactly what you mean about not caring about accomplishments and feeling totally out of control. I don’t know how much I can help, but I’m happy to listen if you need someone to talk to—especially about our similar experiences. Hang in there, friend. ♥️

passenger79

I have Bipolar II only diagnosed last summer and like you have been on various Ad's before also been on Seroquel up and down and now doubling the dose of Lyrica.

I hear you about binging at night too I could be doing so well and when I'm low it all goes out of the window.

My advice is one day at a time.
Don't think about binges you had and just concentrate on staying In a deficit for that day even take it hour by hour .

I don't know how big your deficit is but try not to to be too strict or be "all or nothing "( I'm like that ).
I do what I can when I'm well and try not to beat myself up too much when I don't and just want to hide away from everything.

Also find activity you really enjoy and try to replace food at night with that .
I just recently discovered yoga and although I was so sceptical and in no way will it ever "cure me " I find it helps me relax and just forget about all the other crap for a minute.

Be kind to yourself you 've been through alot and Bipolar is hard thing to live with so don't make it any harder on yourself on days you mess up just get back to it again .

HilTri

I am BP II. I have found exercise to be my saving grace. It has help me deal with the depression. I too like to eat at night, I was binging although the food I was eating was health, it was still binging. I eat light during the day and save the bulk of my calories for the evening. I also have my regular evening snacks of a Fiber One bar, yogurt and granola and a cup of decaf. Bipolar is no joke but it is completely manageable. I have created a recipe to help me out. Get plenty of sleep, eat well, exercise, meds, therapy, journaling and making sure is do all of those things everyday. I try to create balance. Good luck

CarvedTones

Another BP II. I was a big time binge eater, especially after drinking and I was a down drinker. Lamictal was my magic drug. While I was ramping up dosage, I had an episode of expansive hypomania and outed myself on closet drinking, prescription drug abuse and food binges to my doctor, wife/family and anyone else who would listen. That turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. In 3 days I will be 11 months sober. I have lost 64 pounds since then and maintained it for a couple of months. I tend to obsess and manage to focus that on good things - tracking food, steps (walking) and lately I have taken up SUP paddling and now I am all about that. The obsession isn't really a good thing but if I can at least channel it in good directions it isn't as bad.

I was first diagnosed many years ago but was in denial and went to different doctors displaying depression and ADHD instead, so they put me on ADs that gave me irritable hypomania and gave me adderall that I abused. I don't recommend that. Finding the right magic mix to stay pretty stable is really important. Don't put up with a mix that isn't working; hound your psych/doctor to get it changed if you are still having a lot of trouble (but some of these drugs do take some time to start working; so it can't be too quickly that you complain).

mbaker566

good advice here
binges happen. even to nonbipolar people
when you can try to think of food as fuel.
i heard/read this the other day
-unless the problem is hunger, food isn't the solution.

if you have any issues, talk to the doctor or therapist. you might be in a honeymoon phase-not a bad thing-so if it ends, don't be discouraged. you'll find a great happy medium in time

congratulations on finding help and wanting to improve yourself inside and out

CarvedTones

Oh yeah, one other thing and this one is tough. Mental illness is not our fault. You have to get past the shame and talk to people (medical professionals and people close to you) about what's going on when you have urges, depression or other issues. The hard one for me is euphoria; I get happy puppy hypomania and when it happens I don't want it fixed. But I annoy others (tend to be an arrogant *kitten* when hypo). Anyway, try not to keep everything to yourself. It's really hard because most of us hid so much for so long because we didn't want to say we were broken out loud.