Used to be NocturnalGirl - recovering from ED

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ThatNocturnalGirl
ThatNocturnalGirl Posts: 8 Member
in Introduce Yourself
If anyone remembers me, feel free to add me. :smile: I miss the social aspect of this site.

I am currently recovering from an eating disorder and support would be much appreciated. Happy to return the favour.

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  • KA___
    KA___ Posts: 71 Member
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    Thought I would bump this up for you.
    A lovely friend
  • ThatNocturnalGirl
    ThatNocturnalGirl Posts: 8 Member
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    Just bumping this again because I am in need of some friends. Struggling to balance my love of lifting weights, diet, law school and bulimia recovery and just life in general.
  • mikestobbs1
    mikestobbs1 Posts: 294 Member
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    How do you recover from bulimia? Serious question. Is it like an addiction?
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
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    @mikestobbs1
    bulimia
    noun: bulimia nervosa
    an emotional disorder characterized by a distorted body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by fasting or self-induced vomiting or purging.

    One of my friends have been in recovery for years, it has taken a lot of counselling and support from her GP and the experts and a lot of slip ups over the 10+ years I have known her. Not easy, food is not something you can avoid like alcohol and drugs.

    To OP I wish you every luck in your recovery, you can do this, sounds like you are getting treatment that will help you to recover.
  • ThatNocturnalGirl
    ThatNocturnalGirl Posts: 8 Member
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    @Bonny132
    Thank you so much for your kind words and for also explaining that to the previous poster haha. I hope I can get control of my life and ED, it really took over everything.

    @mikestobbs1
    The question regarding how to recover is pretty complicated. It requires a lot of intense therapy and support as suggested by Bonny. I was admitted to inpatient for weeks (involuntarily though) and I'm still not 'recovered' so I can't quite answer that well.
    It's not an addiction but it can be in ways. Really it's a mental illness.
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
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    I am sure it will take you a fair amount of time, but baby steps is the way to go, my friend takes it one day at a time. Each day is a small victory for her.
  • mikestobbs1
    mikestobbs1 Posts: 294 Member
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    I don't understand if the desire is to lose an extreme amount of weight then why binge? Is it purely so you can purge or is it a self control then guilt?
    I mean no offence with these questions I am just genuinely intrigued. Thanks.
  • mikestobbs1
    mikestobbs1 Posts: 294 Member
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    Bonny132 wrote: »
    @mikestobbs1
    bulimia
    noun: bulimia nervosa
    an emotional disorder characterized by a distorted body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by fasting or self-induced vomiting or purging.

    I know what it is I meant as in how you overcome it
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
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    mikestobbs1 wrote: »
    Bonny132 wrote: »
    @mikestobbs1
    bulimia
    noun: bulimia nervosa
    an emotional disorder characterized by a distorted body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by fasting or self-induced vomiting or purging.

    I know what it is I meant as in how you overcome it

    You overcome it like anything else that affects you mentally, by going to the bottom of your issue(s) and dealing with it. For my friend, it has been 15 years on and off with counselling, eating plans, more counselling and friends supporting her. Different people are affected differently, so I can only comment on how it affects my friend, as that is where my knowledge comes from. For her food is an control issue, she looks in the mirror and sees a fat person, which she loathes, and depression sets in, she looses control and eats anything in sight, even to the stage of defrosting food and eating it half defrosted. She explains is like she totally looses control, feels unworthy and disgusting, and the only comfort she finds is the food. Then the guilt sets in, and she needs to get rid of the food, so she purges till she has nothing left inside her, then drinks water and continues again until she sees no trace of food coming up, this is when she panics and thinks some food must have left her tummy, and goes for the laxatives, and feels depressed and disgusted with herself for loosing control.

    Apart from talking through her issues with her counsellors, her friends rallies around her and we help her rebuild her self esteem, we're there when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and ensure we're not judgemental when she has a slip up, which are becoming more and more rare. We've learned to recognise the signs of when she needs more emotional support to help her avoid slip ups. She is skinny, always have been, but when she goes on a downer, the woman in the mirror becomes bigger and bigger, and she hates her image more and more, which sets her off.

    I don't think she'll ever be fully recovered tbh as she is confronted with food every single day, for her she is fit and healthy as long as her environment around her is controlled to the extent it does not affect her (by this I mean as long as her depression is kept under control, her bulimia is dormant, if her depression is allowed to fester, the bulimia comes back with a vengeance) Mental illnesses are complex, and there is no universal cure. You want to loose weight? CICO. Unfortunately, the same does not work for mental illnesses, as they often has root in something that has affected you emotionally at some point that you need to learn to deal with.

    But this is just from personal experiences with my friend, but I hope that helps a bit at least @mikestobbs1
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
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    [quote="mikestobbs1;33740368"]I don't understand if the desire is to lose an extreme amount of weight then why binge? Is it purely so you can purge or is it a self control then guilt?
    I mean no offence with these questions I am just genuinely intrigued. Thanks.[/quote]

    Because bulimia is a serious mental illness not a desire to lose an extreme amount of weight. It's not a lifestyle thing, it's an illness. Treatments can include cognitive behavioural therapy, different kinds of psychotherapy, anti-depressants and support from a variety of professionals.

    @ OP - I wish you the best in your recovery.
  • tinyfruitprincess
    tinyfruitprincess Posts: 15 Member
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    Oh my god! I remember you! I used to be friends with you in 2011-2012 and we both were struggling and were very sick ):
    totally adding you, I hope you can fully recover! o:)
  • EricC2lose
    EricC2lose Posts: 23 Member
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    Glad to hear you are recovering. Not everyone gets to that stage. Stay strong and love yourself <3
  • ThatNocturnalGirl
    ThatNocturnalGirl Posts: 8 Member
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    mikestobbs1 wrote: »
    I don't understand if the desire is to lose an extreme amount of weight then why binge? Is it purely so you can purge or is it a self control then guilt?
    I mean no offence with these questions I am just genuinely intrigued. Thanks.

    Everyone has different reasons behind why they do it. The binging and purging is a coping mechanism for me. It's greatly linked to my anxiety and depression. I also had anorexic tendencies prior to hospitalization so most of my weight loss was from undereating. It's a very hard illness to control, when I have an episode I feel like I'm not myself. There's definitely a desire to lose fat but eating disorders are a lot deeper than just that.
  • ThatNocturnalGirl
    ThatNocturnalGirl Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your kind wishes on my recovery :) and thanks for giving your own input to the questions about bulimia.
  • mikestobbs1
    mikestobbs1 Posts: 294 Member
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    Oh wow that's deep. Yeah that's explained it really well thank you. Hope your friend and OP can beat it one day. Thanks.

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