Need Advice and Support
alisabalestra
Posts: 3 Member
I developed an ED around 2007 - primarily BED but, during and after weight loss, anorexia and bulimia. My purge is exercise, not vomiting. I am a marathon runner and work out (strength classes, yoga, etc.) 7 days a week.
My bulimia has been severe the past few months - so much so that I have gained nearly 10 pounds since May (from 114 to 123). I am 5"6 and at my heaviest weighed 174 pounds. Unfortunately, I am still the 174 pound person I once was albeit in a smaller body. There are times where I have objective binges (3,000+ calories) as well as subjective ones. Regardless, my bulimia is causing me a great deal of stress and anxiety. I am seeking support through a therapist (who I have seen regularly for two years, three years from 2006-09) and a friend who has recovered from bulimia. Yet, I need support and advice.
Like many of you, I have "trigger" foods and struggle with overeating/bingeing on the weekends, at social gatherings, and when I am stressed/anxious. Eating is a way of coping, and despite having distract away strategies, I do not practice them (or have not found ones that actually work). I have read Fairburn's _Binge Eat No More_ to no avail. I wonder if I am just weak, undisciplined, or disgusting. Perhaps all three.
Yesterday I had a binge after two days of eating normally. I could feel it coming on all day and was embarrassed that I let a binge happen. Again. The longest I went without overeating recently was 8 days. I am now starting at day 1 again. I threw out some trigger foods (chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels), even though I/my wife bought them recently.
What distract away strategies do you use to beat the binge? How do you deal with trigger foods? Help.
My bulimia has been severe the past few months - so much so that I have gained nearly 10 pounds since May (from 114 to 123). I am 5"6 and at my heaviest weighed 174 pounds. Unfortunately, I am still the 174 pound person I once was albeit in a smaller body. There are times where I have objective binges (3,000+ calories) as well as subjective ones. Regardless, my bulimia is causing me a great deal of stress and anxiety. I am seeking support through a therapist (who I have seen regularly for two years, three years from 2006-09) and a friend who has recovered from bulimia. Yet, I need support and advice.
Like many of you, I have "trigger" foods and struggle with overeating/bingeing on the weekends, at social gatherings, and when I am stressed/anxious. Eating is a way of coping, and despite having distract away strategies, I do not practice them (or have not found ones that actually work). I have read Fairburn's _Binge Eat No More_ to no avail. I wonder if I am just weak, undisciplined, or disgusting. Perhaps all three.
Yesterday I had a binge after two days of eating normally. I could feel it coming on all day and was embarrassed that I let a binge happen. Again. The longest I went without overeating recently was 8 days. I am now starting at day 1 again. I threw out some trigger foods (chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels), even though I/my wife bought them recently.
What distract away strategies do you use to beat the binge? How do you deal with trigger foods? Help.
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I try to stop eating while doing other things. For instance, watching TV. If I'm watching TV and think "Hm. I want food." I try to tell myself. "Ok, after the show is over." Most of the time, by the time the show is over, I don't want food any more. If I do, I repeat the process. Also, If I make sure I don't eat while doing other things, then it takes more effort - I can't multitask. Most of the time I won't have time to "just eat" and do nothing else, so I don't.
Boredom is my worst enemy. During the school year that's not really a problem. But during breaks, it's a killer. So I just try to keep busy. I'm sorry if this isn't helpful, but it's what I can think of right now.0 -
I stop having any trigger food in my house, it's hard and not possible every day since I have 2 kids and a husband, I buy specially things just for them and tell myself that's forbidden foods for me....
and yet sometimes when I am out, restaurant or invited to eat in family or friends I can't resist and I feel that some food can bring me to binge... when I feel the urge of bingeing coming I make something else, cleaning, doing dishes.
I was invited this afternoon and there was a lot of cupake and muffin with chocolate, I ate four(2big and two small), I wanted to eat more and more but I stopped and say it's ok you didn't have eat that much for the rest of the day you can allow to overeate but don't binge...when I really want to eat something I buy it but just one portion, eat and moving from my chair directly after eating and doing something else ...
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I generally buy single portions of things I crave a lot - cake, for example. It's hard for me, too, because I live with someone (my wife), and she doesn't take kindly to the idea of not keeping pretzels or peanut butter in our house. Lol. Thanks for the advice, folks. Distracting away is key; I just need to find strategies that actually work for me!0
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LetterToCorinth wrote: »I try to stop eating while doing other things. For instance, watching TV. If I'm watching TV and think "Hm. I want food." I try to tell myself. "Ok, after the show is over." Most of the time, by the time the show is over, I don't want food any more. If I do, I repeat the process. Also, If I make sure I don't eat while doing other things, then it takes more effort - I can't multitask. Most of the time I won't have time to "just eat" and do nothing else, so I don't.
Boredom is my worst enemy. During the school year that's not really a problem. But during breaks, it's a killer. So I just try to keep busy. I'm sorry if this isn't helpful, but it's what I can think of right now.
I tell myself after a certain time also. I'll tell myself to take a walk or shower first, both being far away from food. The best thing for me to do is go see someone else and hang out... because I will likely not overindulge in front of someone. I might not make healthy choices if we go out to eat, but I won't eat compulsively.
There are times when I avoid a full blown binge by eating a few healthy things - soup, oatmeal, fiber bars, smoothie, diet hot cocoa, fruit, etc. If it looks like a lot of food and takes awhile to eat, while being low in calories, it sometimes helps when I feel I have to eat something. I know some don't suggest eating anything when you have urges. I guess different things work for different people.
Tea and coffee also really help, if I can keep busy sipping on something low calorie I can wait out the urge. I also sometimes drink a couple glasses of water to convince myself that I'm not hungry at all (because it's not hunger, it's cravings).
Good luck OP with obtaining your goals and controlling the binge! We're here for you.
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