So this is a bit of a shocker... life changing information

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lemonsquare6
lemonsquare6 Posts: 51
in Motivation and Support
I did not know one could be bulimic without vomiting... somehow stumbled upon a read about this. After a binge one can have purging behaviour such as vomiting, laxatives, diet pills, fasting or excessive exercise. I knew about the first two but not the latter.

I don't know in what form exercise is excessive so can't say anything there.. but on the fasting topic... I am intrigued because I know I have fasted in the past. Nothing extreme but definitely only after binges. Wow.. should I be concerned? To me, I feel a fast is healthy as it feels it gives my body a chance to rid of the toxins I slammed it with.. but maybe it isn't?

I always thought binge eating disorder was its own thing. And forgot people with bulimia binge too... hmm

Sorry if this is not an appropriate place to post this!

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  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
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    There are lots of different disordered eating patterns, and most fall under something called ED-NOS in the DSM, "Eating Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified". That's stuff like "anorexia athletica", where a person exercises excessively, patterns of binge-restrict that don't fit into technical anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa...it can get pretty grey. And purging doesn't have to mean only vomiting, it's any kind of ridding oneself of food.

    But an eating disorder, no matter what form it takes, is really about what's happening in a person's head. Just the actions alone don't mean someone has the disorder unless it has the accompanying thought processes, which are typically of control and self-disgust. It's not the day of fasting but the reasons behind it, you know?

    I'm here after a long struggle with binge-restricting, just restricting, and occasional purging, and I can tell you that it's the never ending thoughts of "if I can just eat like this, then my life won't be like this and I will fix things" and that kind of thing that are the real hallmark of an eating disorder, not what you put in your mouth.
  • lemonsquare6
    lemonsquare6 Posts: 51
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    There are lots of different disordered eating patterns, and most fall under something called ED-NOS in the DSM, "Eating Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified". That's stuff like "anorexia athletica", where a person exercises excessively, patterns of binge-restrict that don't fit into technical anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa...it can get pretty grey. And purging doesn't have to mean only vomiting, it's any kind of ridding oneself of food.

    But an eating disorder, no matter what form it takes, is really about what's happening in a person's head. Just the actions alone don't mean someone has the disorder unless it has the accompanying thought processes, which are typically of control and self-disgust. It's not the day of fasting but the reasons behind it, you know?

    I'm here after a long struggle with binge-restricting, just restricting, and occasional purging, and I can tell you that it's the never ending thoughts of "if I can just eat like this, then my life won't be like this and I will fix things" and that kind of thing that are the real hallmark of an eating disorder, not what you put in your mouth.

    Well written! You make some solid points here. It does have quite grey areas depending on the behaviours and psychological challenge.

    I just like you come from a binge eating disorder. However, only later did I develop the restricting part where I'd be on a strict diet out of nowhere or just fast for 40 hours. I'd go longer if I didn't reason with myself to say "well, then now after 40 hours would be definitely an unhealthy fast." So I'd finally eat something. I never seemed to associate that the post binge behaviour would be part of it all too.. I felt that was when I was the most sane, haha.. as opposed to how out of control I'd be during a binge.
  • svelt123
    svelt123 Posts: 173 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Everyone is here to offer advise or to assist you with your journey of becoming healthy.
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
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    You should only be concerned if you feel out of control. After big dinners (e,g, thanksgiving) I would eat a really small amount the next day (pretty much a fast) but I never felt ashamed and gross about it, just trying to even out my weekly cal intake.
  • lemonsquare6
    lemonsquare6 Posts: 51
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    You should only be concerned if you feel out of control. After big dinners (e,g, thanksgiving) I would eat a really small amount the next day (pretty much a fast) but I never felt ashamed and gross about it, just trying to even out my weekly cal intake.

    I wonder if one can convince themselves they are in control during a day fast.. and just succeed that way. Everything feels like denial
  • XLombardX
    XLombardX Posts: 23 Member
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    I did not know one could be bulimic without vomiting... somehow stumbled upon a read about this. After a binge one can have purging behaviour such as vomiting, laxatives, diet pills, fasting or excessive exercise. I knew about the first two but not the latter.

    I don't know in what form exercise is excessive so can't say anything there.. but on the fasting topic... I am intrigued because I know I have fasted in the past. Nothing extreme but definitely only after binges. Wow.. should I be concerned? To me, I feel a fast is healthy as it feels it gives my body a chance to rid of the toxins I slammed it with.. but maybe it isn't?

    I always thought binge eating disorder was its own thing. And forgot people with bulimia binge too... hmm

    Sorry if this is not an appropriate place to post this!

    Hi Lemonsquare,

    You say that you binge and then fast to get rid of the "toxins"...do you think of food (or too much food) as being toxic to you? This worries me to read. I would also wonder what triggers the binges in the first place? I think you should try to see a therapist if you can afford to. I've known many people with ED, and it's best to catch them early. You may not have ED, but you're engaging in ED-like behaviour and you definitely have disordered eating. It's great that you're open to the possibility that you may have ED, because that means you're open to the possibility of change.

    It's interesting that you talk about "control" too...that's a key marker for ED. I'm not trying to scare you, but I would really urge you to seek professional help. Take care of yourself :)

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