Previous ED, need help&advice!

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neruva
neruva Posts: 2 Member
edited August 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I don't know where else to turn and thought maybe someone could maybe help me here.
I know I need to find a proper doctor to discuss this with as well, but I am currently searching for a new one after having gone to two that were rude/unhelpful.

Anyway, before I go into my questions, here is a little backstory to understand my predicament.
Apparently my grandma liked fat kids so she fed me a lot when I was younger, and by the time I was in grade 8 (USA) I had reached 300lbs. (Side note: i'm not short, but my body frame is really tiny apparently)

That was the sudden realization that I was disgusting and actually had to do something. I started to skip breakfast, then lunch, then by the time I was about to graduate high school, I was skipping a day or two of eating entirely. Eventually I plateaued at a weight (probably for a few days and it was too much to handle, I honestly don't remember anymore), but I started to eat again - which is something I hated the idea of doing, so consequently I started to purge. (I have not been diagnosed with an eating disorder, but at this point I had started throwing up every day, multiple times a day).

About a year later I had reached around 100lbs (give or take a few pounds, with some excess skin, but it actually wasn't TOO bad compared to how much i've seen others have), and I stayed around that weight for 3 or so years. (At this time I didn't binge/purge/restrict too much, or do anything of that sense). I probably ate around 1500-2000kal a day, and ran some mornings.) Unfortunately because of stressful events happening one after another, I had gone back to binging and purging, but the purging didn't come fast enough because I ended up falling asleep then waking up to purge the next morning.

Fast forward to 3ish years later and I'm at 220lbs or so (it fluctuates between 215-223 pretty easily). I've been trying to stop purging on and off through this current year, and I have been fine for the past few months now. I have not binged (in my mind it was 'binging' but not actual binging) or purged at all.

This is where my questions come in. Has anyone else had an eating disorder, diagnosed or not, and had trouble losing the weight again? I try to stay at around 1200kal, sometimes below 1000, but definitely below 2000. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, and am trying to move towards a plant based vegan diet. I work out 2-4 hours a day (cardio(?), walking on treadmill and light weights), and I drink a lot of water and tea. (I hate sweet drinks, and sweets in general). I haven't budged much on the scale, and I'm wondering if anyone else has had this trouble, or may be in the same boat as me.

I've been told by my chiropractor that I should check my cortisol (?) levels, since he could tell with my tense back that I wasn't sleeping well (which i've had a problem with for a long time). Other than that, I have no health issues, other than a slightly elevated blood pressure.

Again, I know I should talk to a professional about this, but I am still searching for one that is helpful - unfortunately the two I had already been to weren't :/ I just want to know if anyone has any input, any advice, any stories or experiences that may be similar.

Sorry for the tl;dr, but thank you for reading!

Edit: Thank you for the advice about seeking medical help -I know- that though, and that's not really what I want help on. I'm looking for a doctor that will actually care rather than saying 'you're fat. do this. no, you're not actually doing that' (which is literally what happened). What I want to know is if others have had the same experience as me for those in the same boat (if there are any of you).

Replies

  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    I believe it is often an issue.

    Please, before you do anything on here, before you take anyone's advise here, please find a therapist, an ED recovery team, medical advise. I understand that may not be easy, especially if you are in the US with their screwed up system, but without proper treatment you will more than likely just subside into the same cycle. The fact that you went straight for the lowest number of calories recommended for women and sometimes dip below that is quite alarming.

    The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. I wish all the best for you and hope you find happiness and peace, and good treatment.
  • Bacchants
    Bacchants Posts: 92 Member
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    First off well done for realising that you have a problem and that you're seeking help for it, that can be a major step in itself. I hope you find a more helpful doctor soon.

    Then 1000-1200 isn't very many calories to be eating, and might not be sustainable in the long term. A really helpful beginners guide is this one.

    A healthy weight lose takes time and a lifestyle change, you can do it!
  • AMSmit88
    AMSmit88 Posts: 100 Member
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    misskarne wrote: »
    I believe it is often an issue.

    Please, before you do anything on here, before you take anyone's advise here, please find a therapist, an ED recovery team, medical advise. I understand that may not be easy, especially if you are in the US with their screwed up system, but without proper treatment you will more than likely just subside into the same cycle. The fact that you went straight for the lowest number of calories recommended for women and sometimes dip below that is quite alarming.

    The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. I wish all the best for you and hope you find happiness and peace, and good treatment.

    ^^^This.

    I'm really pleased to read that you know you need to get some professional help with this. Finding a treatment team who you can trust is really important, and I'm really sorry you felt that you weren't given the support you needed previously.

    I'm not familiar with the situation and what is available in the US, but here in the UK there are a couple of great helplines that I utilise as and when I need to (I'm no longer with my treatment team, but occasionally have a little melt down and need someone to talk to so I don't restrict/purge). I wonder if it might be worthwhile looking into that? In my experience they will go above and beyond to help you find the help you need - they will be able to recommend specialists and also offer advice as well as just being there if you need to talk.

    Wishing you all the best, I sincerely hope you find the help you need.
  • neruva
    neruva Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you all for your comments. I already know I need to talk to a doctor, and like I said up there, i'm looking for one that is actually helpful and doesn't just say 'oh you're fat, you don't know anything'.

    I'm not looking for that kind of advice - I am currently searching for one to talk to. What I am looking for though is someone who has maybe had a similar experience to mine, that can possibly relate, or something of the sort. I'm sorry if that didn't really come across that way.