Purging After Eating

wynn217

I try very hard to stay within my nutritional goals each day, as we all do. I always go over my sugar grams, because I drink a lot of Lactaid FF milk.

Over the past several weeks, if I've eaten something really fattening I'll throw up. I have this major "fiendish" feeling sometimes and I'll go get something really sweet, last week was a secret trip to Luby's for lemon ice box pie. I bought and ate 2 in the parking lot, then came straight home and threw up.

Guess I just wanted to let someone know.

Ohgezzlyn

You might want to try to stop purging as quick as you can, it become addicting, and will give you chest pains and it will just take over your life.
Good Luck

Alatariel75

Nip that in the bud. Speak to your doctor or someone you trust. Do not get into the habit of purging. So many bad results, both physically and psychologically.

meggiepie515

Tell a close friend, or family member.
Don't harm yourself like this. Bulmia is a long, hard, destructive path. You'll lose relationships, your health, and your self respect.
Please tell someone important in your life.
Good luck! You have my support.

wynn217

Is this Bulimia? I thought a few times wouldn't hurt, especially if it's something so fattening?

Alatariel75

Is this Bulimia? I thought a few times wouldn't hurt, especially if it's something so fattening?

If it isn't yet, it is the start of it. That's exactly what bulimia is.

rbeckner711

Perhaps you need to back away from the lactaid a bit. The sugar grams may be triggering yo-yoing due to hyper/hypo glycemia.

As to the purging, I probably don't need to tell you that it leads to electrolyte imbalances and bad teeth. You might consider some counseling intervention, especially if this is new behavior. Some workplaces offer free EAP.

I know that my eating can become very skewed when I get stressed. When ever I start eating the wrong things or even too much of the good things, I redo my diet and add protein and bulk to reduce cravings. Walking also helps me.

Don't beat yourself up. We all have demons we fight.

Rose

kelfran1

I writing this under the assumption that you know that this behavior is very bad for your health. Be very careful in this territory, as I know that purging can very quickly snowball into an out of control thing. Even with occasional purging, the effects on your digestive system can be devastating.

Do you live alone? If not, I would suggest letting another adult in your home in on this secret. That way they can offer support in person and sort of keep an eye out for when you might be triggered to either go 'fiendish' or when you are returning from such a trip to make sure you do no harm to your body afterwards.

Do you have any rewards built into your diet at all? Perhaps to stop the purging, you can build some small rewards in with a system (1 small slice of pie for every 3 hours of working out, etc.)

No matter what, please don't keep this a secret from the people in your life who care about you the most.

redraidergirl2009

If you eat something "bad" and purge by throwing up or using laxatives then yes it's a budding eating disorder. Please tell a trusted friend or family member and get help. I know it's hard to come to terms with and you may do it without realizing it's an ED, but even just telling someone close in your life can help you.

meggiepie515

this is exactly how bulimia begins...every addiction begins with the thought " a few times couldn't hurt".
DON'T do it. PLEASE get help.

minsooky

This sounds like classic bulimia. The earlier you can stop it, the better because an eating disorder is really nothing you want to deal with. I say this as someone who has spent the last 6 years recovering from it. I recommend stopping right now and speaking to someone about it, because this is not normal behavior

acraw558

I don't think any of us can tell you if you are bulimic or not. it's a personal thing that you would need to talk to a qualified doctor about.

inducing a "purge" isn't healthy for your body or mind though. there have been times when i've had a weak moment and ingested 3 candy bars within a short amount of time and then immediately regretted it. i think that feeling of regret and pain you get after doing something like that is actually healthy.

hear me out!

you just ate 1000 calories in 10 minutes. you did something bad. so you feel bad. bad feelings=i want to change. i don't feel good when i do this so i'm going to choose not to do this anymore.

when you purge, it's like you're telling your body, "i feel bad, but i'm going to make up for it by getting rid of it. so now eating that huge amount is ok because it's gone. so, if i do it again, it doesn't matter because i can get rid of it again."

see the difference?

here's a link to the DSM-IV's clinical definition of bulimia nervosa. i encourage you to check it out and determine if you need help. http://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders/classifying-eating-disorders/dsm-iv

good luck to you!

kelly_e_montana

May or may not be clinically bulimia since you've just started doing it and you may not meet the criteria for number of binges/purges per week but it's definitely disordered eating. The sooner you correct this behavior, the better. The more you do it, the more it gets wired into your brain and the more difficult it is to re-wire it with healthy behaviors. No weight loss is ever worth purging.

Just an FYI, calorie restriction often sets off a cycle of disordered eating that then goes to binges and in some, purges.

I have been fighting bulimia and/or binge eating disorder my whole life and I cannot tell you enough to seek help NOW before it becomes a habit. I am NOT KIDDING!

littlelily613

It's disordered eating, but it doesn't become bulimia until you do it to a certain frequency for a certain amount of time. I was diagnosed with bulimia when I was 19, and even I never thought it was a harmless thing to do...I just didn't care. OF COURSE it's a harmful thing. People with long-term bulimia often have damaged teeth and esophagus as well because of all the acid that comes up with the food. You can lose electrolytes, and can have a heart attack and die from that and the heaving. Every time you do it, it is damaging. If you can stop, STOP before you get too far into it. You might even want to talk to a counsellor before you have full-blown bulimia. It is not a glamorous or fun disorder, and it really makes you feel terrible once you are out-of-control with it.

kelly_e_montana

you just ate 1000 calories in 10 minutes. you did something bad. so you feel bad. bad feelings=i want to change. i don't feel good when i do this so i'm going to choose not to do this anymore.

You didn't do something bad! Food is neither good nor bad. You used food for feelings or boredom rather than to quell hunger. Food can even be used for pleasure, within reason. Here is a great book I really recommend: The Rules of "Normal" Eating: A Commonsense Approach for Dieters, Overeaters, Undereaters, Emotional Eaters, and Everyone in Between! by Karen Koenig. You need to learn about cognitive issues surrounding calorie restriction, binges, and purges.

Don't get so caught up in the dieting mentality here on MFP that you manage to sabotage yourself by developing disordered eating. Almost no eating disorder counselor would recommend most of what is suggested on MFP *for someone with disordered eating*.

Mr_Bad_Example

You may not meet the full criteria for a diagnosis of bulimia just yet, but there are plenty of options out there for you to find someone to help.

Best advice - find a therapist who specializes in these types of disorders to get a hold of this now before it gets out of hand and damaging to your health (mental and physical).

Warchortle

Trading one eating disorder for another...

ambervaldez79

Next time u purge think about those strong acids eating away at Ur teeth and esophagus. Put on your big girl pants and educate yourself. Seek some counseling.

lilpoindexter

SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY.

terijoestoes

Is this Bulimia? I thought a few times wouldn't hurt, especially if it's something so fattening?

Are you serious? What about throwing up seems normal? Can you keep it up for the rest of your life? Why not learn to eat healthy and get over the food addiction

wynn217

Thanks everyone...I plan to get help. Didn't know it could really hurt you so bad.

courtneynicole619

It is not good, even a few times is very bad. If you cheat on your diet go for a walk to burn off the calories.

ambervaldez79

We all struggle. Food is everywhere. Don't feel ashamed, but u must realize that this will ONLY lead to failure and damage. You're better then that.

SmartWhatever

Omg... no. No good. Is this for real?? Control yourself and stop.

DaniH826

I try very hard to stay within my nutritional goals each day, as we all do. I always go over my sugar grams, because I drink a lot of Lactaid FF milk.

Over the past several weeks, if I've eaten something really fattening I'll throw up. I have this major "fiendish" feeling sometimes and I'll go get something really sweet, last week was a secret trip to Luby's for lemon ice box pie. I bought and ate 2 in the parking lot, then came straight home and threw up.

Guess I just wanted to let someone know.

Hey, welcome to bulimia. I did that for 10 years many moons ago.

Go see a counselor and get your head straightened out. You have bigger issues than calories and food.

pterradactyl

No no no, please stop. It's honestly a lot better to go over the cals and try to do better the next time. You really don't want to start that up as a habit, and even a few times can leave you with injuries. Try to get help if you are struggling on your own. Good luck!

col443

You need to find a counselor pronto. First off you stated that you are taking secret trips to go and buy food to binge. Then you are purging. This is the start of an eating disorder. Please, tell someone close to you that you trust and get some help.

ghhosstt

it's very violent on your body and what starts off as "once in awhile after I'm too full/something fattening" quickly becomes "why not after every meal? I'll lose weight faster" but your teeth will rot out because of the stomach acid, your electrolytes can become unbalanced, which can lead to kidney problems, heart problems ... and you don't have to be doing it for very long to have bad things happen. A girl I know who was doing it for only a few months died due to complications with her heart. And that's just what it does to you physically. I've heard the mental strain is agony.

I actually think it's a good sign you wanted to tell someone, even a forum. I think you can sense that yeah, it's kind of a big deal. I know everyone else has said this already, but If you can't stop please tell someone and/or get help.

pinkcloudrising

You said, "Guess I just wanted to let someone know." Thank you for sharing this with me. You are very brave to give this secret away. Bulimia is when you eat a large amount of food and throw it up using fingers, objectives such as spoons, or syrup of ipecac, use a laxative or a device induce a bowel movement. I was bulimic for years and it is one of the most devastating of the eating disorders. On top of the rapid physical decline, It is humiliating on an incomprehensible level -- sticking your face in a toilet bowl (sometimes public toilets) willingly. I would not wish bulimia on my worse most hated enemy it is that serious.

What is really going on with you? Bulimia isn't really about weight control or losing weight. It might seem that it is but it is not. It is about emotional release. It is about self-punishment and denial. It is violent and punishing -- physically, mentally and spiritually. The large amounts of food cover up feelings. You are literally stuffing feelings, pushing them down by putting as much food as you can on top of them. But feelings always find a way to come out. So you get into this cycle of having the feelings and you start eating and soon you have to eat more and more food in order to keep those feelings at bay, and then you have to get rid of it -- binging and purging.

If you are willing, there are Overeaters Anonymous meetings near where you live. They are also online meetings. Please attend these meetings and connect with other bulimics who are struggling with it and / or recovering from it. It can be done, no matter how far you are into the cycle.

I'll keep you in the light of the spirit over the next few days. May you find peace now.

Justjamie0418

Hope you stop and find something else to calm how you feel. (If that's it)

I went through a VERY devastating time in my life and when this thing happened, I couldn't eat due to nerves and when I DID eat I felt sick and would stand in the bathroom WAITING to throw up. Finally I made myself and felt so much better, this made me feel like I had control in a time I had no control of anything and I was in a very very bad place. This led to me trying to make myself throw up to feel even an ounce of power/feel good feelings. This lasted only about 2 weeks but it was snowballing QUICK. I pulled myself out of it when I went to my moms for a weekend. I am so glad I did. It's pretty scary!

ghhosstt

Thanks everyone...I plan to get help. Didn't know it could really hurt you so bad.

I didn't see this post, it makes me happy to hear this.