Any other binge/purge people trying to recover?

cupcakekate28
cupcakekate28 Posts: 31 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Title says it all really, I've been through a few different eating stages but I've got myself into a binge/purge cycle :( I eat a balanced diet, include treats, but something sets me off and I binge - then I feel bad, scared of getting fat, so I throw up. Now I'm empty so I have something small, something else.....too much, so I throw up again.....I hate this and I hate myself, if anyone is going through something similar please add so we can support eachother in recovery :(

Replies

  • 23PR
    23PR Posts: 1 Member
    Hi Kate,

    Yes I was stuck in this cycle for about 3 years. I finally managed to break it by using this site. I set myself a daily target of say 1600 where I knew I possibly couldn't gain weight. This allowed me to eat without feeling any guilt, and meant that when I go out for dinner or eat junk food, I can cope with it because its within my allowance. Its been 4 months now and its still working. Try using that as a method to quit. Good luck!
  • thinmintme
    thinmintme Posts: 63 Member
    I know exactly how you feel and exactly what you're going through, as far as the disordered eating is concerned.
    My goodness, all the setbacks I have had, all the times I've eaten food only to panic at feeling full, at gaining anything from those calories, sending me straight for a bathroom...

    It's pretty bad. It's pretty sad. And I don't want to be this way forever.

    It's usually a bad mood or anything that will make me focus on my body image (and negatively at that) that will send me into a spiral for a few days. And then I end up dehydrated, with low blood pressure, headaches, feeling like a mess. It takes a week or so to feel 'better' after that. It'll happen again, months down the road but it's still the same mess, the same process.

    I wish you the best of luck and I hope we and everyone else experiencing this can get past it once and for all.
  • emmawoolf84
    emmawoolf84 Posts: 243 Member
    Hey there,
    Im not currently going through this, & haven't in years - but when I was younger, I too was in what seemed like a perpetual cycle. Feel free to message me privately. All I can say it that all habits can be broken - ALL - with some persistence (even if we fail habitually at first) & hopefully some help & guidance. The best thing you can do is find someone who you can share this with - a lifeline. I believe it'll help you recover much quicker.
    Best of health!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Title says it all really, I've been through a few different eating stages but I've got myself into a binge/purge cycle :( I eat a balanced diet, include treats, but something sets me off and I binge - then I feel bad, scared of getting fat, so I throw up. Now I'm empty so I have something small, something else.....too much, so I throw up again.....I hate this and I hate myself, if anyone is going through something similar please add so we can support eachother in recovery :(
    I'm going to be blunt here. You don't need support for your bingeing and purging from others who do the same thing, you need to get to a doctor now and get yourself into a treatment program. The support comes once you have made that forward movement. It's very difficult to stop on your own. Online support might help but you need real-life help. If you have not already done harm to your body, it WILL happen soon unless you get help.

    I'm lucky I didn't harm myself with behavior when I was in my late teens and early twenties, but it sure led to a lot of shame and self hatred. Thank God I found my way to recovery.

    Please call your doctor.

    edited for clarification.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Oops, double post? Sorry.
  • Yes, I have had the same problem for several years, on and off. It started after I was diagnosed with anorexia when I was 16 and then forced to gain weight. When I stopped being monitored as closely after I'd gained enough weight, I tried to restrict again but ended up binging and then purging. Right now I'm in college and binge especially when I drink. I throw up very rarely now but instead exercise excessively to get rid of the calories. I'm sorry you're going through things like this too :( I think for me finding happiness in other areas of my life has been what's made this better the times it's been less severe. I tend to binge because I'm lonely and stressed, so dealing with those feelings other ways like with friends or activities can help. Best of luck, girl, I know it's tough.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
    Title says it all really, I've been through a few different eating stages but I've got myself into a binge/purge cycle :( I eat a balanced diet, include treats, but something sets me off and I binge - then I feel bad, scared of getting fat, so I throw up. Now I'm empty so I have something small, something else.....too much, so I throw up again.....I hate this and I hate myself, if anyone is going through something similar please add so we can support eachother in recovery :(
    I'm going to be blunt here. You don't need support for your bingeing and purging from others who do the same thing, you need to get to a doctor now and get yourself into a treatment program. The support comes once you have made that forward movement. It's very difficult to stop on your own. Online support might help but you need real-life help. If you have not already done harm to your body, it WILL happen soon unless you get help.

    I agree, seek real-life help. I'm recovering from EDNOS with a history of binge/purge episodes.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    Ahhh really sorry to hear you do this, Sounds like your in a circle and cant get out of it.

    Maybe you should seek professional advice

    Maybe personal things, relationships, work, men, confidence, life etc are setting these things off!

    Good luck xx
  • Hi,

    I know how you feel, i have the same problem. The purging with me is all about how i feel.
    If i feel really fat after staring in the mirror, i will purge. If i have a good feeling of how i look in the mirror then i wont.
    The guilt of eating someting i like, or eating too much kills me, so i need to purge.

    I dont do it everyday, as i said its just the way i feel about myself everyday.
    In the weekend i cant stop myself from eating alot, i feel guilty and purge.

    I agree with the others we do need help. Just dont know were to start.
  • jrskillings
    jrskillings Posts: 14 Member
    You appear to have an eating disorder. You NEED to seek psychiatric help.

    Not knowing what state you live in, your family situation, or your age, I can only give general advice. Do you have health insurance? Do you have a regular medical doctor you can go to see? You could start with him/her. Tell your doctor straight up what your situation is, and see if he/she can refer you to a proper mental health facility. Don't be too scared or ashamed to say anything... You may feel like you'll be judged, but coming out with your problem is the bravest thing you can do.

    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

    That is a link to the National Eating Disorder Association. It has information on support groups, treatment referrals, and all that jazz. It also has a helpline where somebody will walk you through finding treatment.

    As said before, I can only give general information to you. I hope you (and some of the other posters) will consider getting help. Good luck.
  • Oh gosh yes, I've been doing so well I recently had a baby and lost all my pregnancy weight and even lost some extra I'm at the fittest I've ever been and now I can't stop binging and purging, I've battled bulimia on and off since I was about 14 :/ I feel like all my hard work is going to go down the drain so I joined this site to help me reach my goal and become healthier!
  • kreationsforhome
    kreationsforhome Posts: 102 Member
    This is the story of my life. I started at 13. I am getting professional help. I see my doctor every month and a therapist weekly but it doesn't help. I love the feeling of binging and then being completely empty. sad but true. I agree seeking help is good but it really helps to have friends to talk to who understand.
  • My purg method was overexercising and fasting but yes i was stuck in that cycle for years. I wish i could give you some proper advice. The hardest thing is not to purge after binge i guess, when you manage to go through that it'll get easier. For me usually it was 2 weeks of overexercising and fasting after a binge but once you learn to get through the feelings of guilt binges will diminish. They usually happen as a response to starvation ( purging) and our bodies are trying to compensate for the damage we've done. But you have to learn you do not punish yourself and feel guilty for breathing too much or sleeping too much. Therefore you shouldn't feel guilty for eating, it is a natural humn instict.
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