Binge eating - anorexia's best friend, it seems

You could try getting into cooking recipies. IF you know youve got to get the ingredients then prepare them this builds up to getting to eat it. You need to try and learn to love food as a fuel, not a quick fix. I had a bulemic sister for many years, she turned vegetarian and a lot more time,effort and thought went into her food.
This might sound silly but take pictures of your body and compare it to pictures of other people body, realise how small you are and that putting on 10lbs will not do you any favours.
One last thing is eat in public. Eat anywhere and everyone in public if you can. Builds up confidence in eating a proper meal and not being afraid of eating.

This is the first post I've read on here without a single bad comment and such an overwhelming amount of honesty. I wish I was able to say you were my friend.

I sincerely hope you take your fight one day at a time - and when needed one hour at a time, there must be a waiting list of people around you waiting for you to say your ready for help, turn to anyone of them...your parents especially - be it once, twice or 10 times a day. It will help them understand too.

I came on here tonight because I felt like a failure and whats it all worth...I am now kicking myself thinking how 'easy' it is for each one of us to be our own worst critic and bully and I think my final push to this understanding is your open and honest message.

I fully truly look forward to hearing when your dark troubles turn into a success story which will inspire others. I always have and always will have an obsessiveness with weight, portion, calories, distances, goals, deadlines ect...but one thing I dont have to battle with is a medical condition - my problems are wrong choices.

I admire every word you typed in your opening post and have learned a lot from it about myself and others.

Keep your goals in mind doll. x

It is SOOO common for binge eating to take place after anorexia and other eating disorders. It's not your fault; it's not because you're weak or undisciplined. It's just what your body and mind crave after restricting for so long. It WILL stop. You have to trust the whole process though. If you get in a routine, get your meals back on track, and start eating a reasonable amount of calories on a daily basis, the urges to binge will almost go away like magic. Of course, this is also along with some great therapy to battle any emotional side to the bingeing... Have faith!

I can totally relate to this. I went through a phase of eating really really less for months on end. I'm not sure if I was anorexic but I definitely had most of the traits.

During my binge eating phase, I would eat a couple of hundred calories during the day for around a week and then one day in the week, I'd binge at night or sometimes for a full day as I just couldn't sleep and food occupied my thoughts to the extent that it was impossible to continue without eating. I didn't deal with it well at all, but you can.

Firstly, I'd advise not to put food into groups of 'good' and 'bad' foods. I know that may seem difficult right now as you're probably so used to doing that but nothing is bad when had in moderation. When you do categorise foods, you crave the 'bad foods' even more and then you binge on them. If I were to go back to when I was going through the same thing, I would have eaten more, a lot more then I had been eating. Try to eat frequently and don't let yourself get hungry.

Also, stop being so hard on yourself. Obviously you're binge eating because your body NEEDS food. It's not a sign of weakness at all! I remember how it feels, after months of control I would have this sudden need to eat (even when it hurts as there's no more space for more food). I just couldn't do anything but eat, no matter how much I tried.

I was just reading a diary entry that I had from that time earlier today (I used to have a online blog) and I was so thin (92 lbs) and yet so unhappy. I really hope that you get through this!

This must be really common - I did this too, after severe restrictions for a year, by which time I was anorexic and severely underweight (i.e., messed up head AND body!), I started treatment and almost immediately transitioned to binge eating. It was so exhausting!

I think it's important to accept that its a very normal part of recovery - your ability to regulate your food intake is totally messed up. I did it for about 6 months before I could start to respond more normally to fullness signals.

After a few episodes of eating to the point where I was in serious pain, I developed this strategy: I would binge eat initially, until I could make myself stop. And then I made myself wait for 30 minutes. And then I let myself eat more if I wanted. But the act of stopping and waiting, no matter how full I was or not, was eventually enough to help break the cycle. 30 minutes is not too long to wait, so it doesn't feel that hard to stop. Try 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, to begin with.

You can do it. It takes a long fricking time, though, so be patient. You will win.

I think it's wonderful you're reaching out, with an open heart and mind.

Has your family outright rejected the idea of eating bit more healthily, or have you not put it to them? I don't mean to criticize, or be rude, but the issue is that the consequences of ED for you are much greater than the consequences of an uncomfortable dynamic might be for them. Eating separately from your family, I would think, might perpetuate secrecy and shame. But who am I to say, i don't know. I think it is worth seeking their support, though.

You seem like a lovely person. I wish you all good things.

Make sure you eat a lot of protein - eggs, chicken, tuna. All this craving for sweet, salty and spicy is just your body begging for building blocks. Having enough protein sorts out everything, you will find yourself eating normally without even trying. Don't wait until you're hungry, get your protein portion weather you want it or not. I was underweight my whole life, don't worry, you'll get to keep your "bones" but your body composition will be better and you'll be stronger, healthier. You are not weak, you are not bad, there is nothing wrong with you and you need and deserve to eat just like anyone else.

It is SOOO common for binge eating to take place after anorexia and other eating disorders. It's not your fault; it's not because you're weak or undisciplined. It's just what your body and mind crave after restricting for so long. It WILL stop. You have to trust the whole process though. If you get in a routine, get your meals back on track, and start eating a reasonable amount of calories on a daily basis, the urges to binge will almost go away like magic. Of course, this is also along with some great therapy to battle any emotional side to the bingeing... Have faith!

This exactly. It will get better with time. Don't lose hope!

I have never been anorexic, but I have always struggled with binge eating. I cant speak from experience from your exact POV, but I can say for me at least, if I love myself enough, then I will make better choices.

When I get down on myself and start demoralizing my progress or my body then I will eat all the peanut butter in the house while telling myself "who cares, I am such a fatty anyway, it wont matter." then as soon as its gone, I feel like even more of a failure.

BUT, when I eat properly, especially eat enough to fight the hunger urges, and love ME, then I am good. I can say no to the whole jar and eat the serving size I want Im sure you will get there soon, but you know, it starts with the progress you make in your thinking first.

Put YOU first. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

I used to go gym, and eat around 1200 calories a day, me being short. After going down to 35 kilos from 65 kilos in 3 months, i was forced to start eating more and i agreed to it after hassling. But as i started eating to gain weight, i gained a lot of weight and i couldn't help it because everytime i'd eat healthy or especially count my calories like i did before, i always ended up binge eating at the end of the day. And that's one of the reasons i've gained so much weight and it was hell....this binge eat has to stop! But it is getting better..you're not alone beautiful, we can do this!!! I believe in you x

Hi, I haven't read all of the responses so I apologize if anything I say is redundant. I have been where you are...and I know how awful it is. I struggled with anorexia and bulimia through most of high school and college. I was also severely underweight and didnt even have a period at all for about 2 years. When I finally decided to recover, GOD was my biggest ally. It's hard for anybody who hasn't been through it to know how emotionally devastating an eating disorder (and the recovery) can be. During those early days of recovery, I struggled with binging too. The way I dealt with it was by allowing myself to have unlimited fruits and vegetables without counting the calories at all. So I ended up binging on those and feeling completely miserable almost every night, but the guilt was less intense and over time, it did get much better! I'm now 28 (about 5 years past recovery) and despite all those early binges and weight fluctuations, I'm not overweight today. That was definitely the fear early on that I would go from being emaciated to obese. I'm 5'5" and 124lbs. If you want to talk or just vent with somebody who's been there, please don't hesitate to send me a message. You can make it through this!