ED recovered - not falling back into bad habits

free8gent

I struggled with anorexia and bulimia during my teenage years and early 20s. I gained a lot of weight over the past few years, and ended up weighing far more than ever before this past summer. My doctor informed me I was obese and my blood pressure was higher than it should be (I am only 28). I managed to lose 35lbs through exercise and moderate calorie reduction, but am still in the overweight range.

I have been working out and focusing on healthy eating, but it is starting to become more and more of a focus and source of stress. I believe that at this stage in my life I cannot afford to revert to the unhealthy habits of my past, but I also do not want to have the mental turmoil associated with obsessing about weight loss. I also feel that I have to make sure I keep things in check, because I recently moved abroad and do not have a family doctor anymore or the option of seeing a therapist. I don't have friends I can talk about with this here either, and it is hard to talk about on the phone with people back home.

For anyone who has also recovered from an ED, how have you managed to lose weight successfully afterwards? By that I mean what has helped you to keep things in perspective and avoid falling back into obsessing about your weight, exercise, and eating habits?

tinfoilforests

My story is not as severe, and since my struggling with food two years ago I've gained about 20 pounds. My boyfriend is a huge support factor for me. We started dating right at the peak of my disorder, and he's seen me crack and start eating EVERYTHING in sight, to eating nothing for days, and to eating like a carefree individual. When I told him that I wanted to work on getting fit again, of course he was concerned. Hell, a part of me was even concerned. I can't just, revert back to that awful time. Being tired, miserable, cold all the time is not an option.

So what I've done instead is do all my grocery shopping myself, instead of letting my family do it for me. I focus a lot on eating all-natural, REAL food, not "food products." If I look at ingredients for something and can't recognize more than I do recognize, there's a problem. I stick to produce sections a lot. Greek yogurt has practically become my favorite thing in the past few weeks. But I find that I do eat a solid 3-4 meals a day still. I've even, in the last week, managed to go through an entire half-gallon of peanut butter ice cream, and the scale still told me that I've lost 3 pounds since New Years.

I've started weight training, too. I find that being so pathetically out of shape motivates me even more, while I'm standing in front of a mirror, struggling to do squats when there's a woman next to me who's having no problem doing 3x more weight than I am. I find that wanting to be strong and energized, as opposed to just wanting to be skinny, is keeping me on track.

free8gent

Thanks for your response. I am glad to hear you have a supportive boyfriend to help you through. I am also focusing on eating healthy fresh foods and limiting processed foods. I agree that weight training helps too - I find feeling stronger does good things for my self esteem.

Do you track all of your calories? Do you keep track of your weight / measurements? Over time I am finding myself increasingly consumed by calories, calories burned, weight, inches, etc. Now that my weight loss has slowed / stalled at times, I am finding it a huge emotional blow. This is not what I am aiming for, as I want to be healthier both in mind and body. I think tracking my calories is helpful to ensure I am getting in the right number of calories and eating enough protein, fat, calcium, etc. That said, I don't like this encroaching feeling that my weight loss progress or lack thereof dictates my mood and how I feel about myself.