Suffering with BED

People who have been through it can help support you, but we can't tell you "Do X and you'll get Y result". The things I mentioned previously such as the journaling or drinking water when you want to binge have helped me, but it may be different for you. Also if you overeat, log it and move on. Hating yourself isn't getting you anywhere. Just yesterday I ended up with a grand total of 2400 calories after I did well all week sticking with my calorie goal. It happens even to those without BED. Learn to love yourself. That doesn't mean love yourself when you're at a weight you want to be. It means love yourself now and doing good things for your body, not harming it.

myhero22716 wrote: »

I've been to a therapist since I was 14 and they all just look at me like I'm crazy and try to throw me on depression pills which make me gain more weight. Maybe it's the doctors from where I'm from?? I just moved to a completely different area/state but Im still struggling with insurances.

Some other threads mention taking medication for BED. Look up the threads. I think some mention a medicine called Vyvanse. I'm not knowledgeable about this but maybe medicine can help. This isn't an antidepressant from my understanding.

I saw your post about suffering from BED and having dealt with it from when I was 19- 21 and currently recovered I wanted to offer you what you asked for, advice and coping tips from someone who has gone through it because I understand, your pain, self hatred, helplessness and desperation to be free of this horrible condition. I really do. I am 22 now and happy to say I have recovered and you will to. Here are some of the things that helped me most.

Learning to talk about it with people who I am close to was one of my first steps towards recovery. While this may seem trivial it really helped to alleviate some of the extreme shame I felt about having BED which is I believe becomes one of the main things that induces binging. While your thoughts might tell you other wise, binging and attachment to food is a mostly an outlet for deeper feelings of insecurity, and unhappiness. I am the kind of person who if I didn't tell someone they would never guess I had it and it definitely hurt my pride to admit I had it because it made me feel like I was weak. However, talking about it helped me realize it really wasn't my fault and that soo many people suffer from the same thing but are ashamed to talk about it.

I think someone else mentioned this but if you are not finding medical help helpful (although seeing a psychologist would be a good idea and I would try help again in your new city because when I went to a Dr for help they were very kind so it depends on the person) but peer support and eating disorder groups are a great resource. Search your city plus eating disorder in google and it will likely have an organization that is specifically geared towards supporting people with eating disorders for example in my city there is the "Halifax Eating Disorder Association" or Overeaters anonymous. These are usually run by people who have had or are recovering from an eating disorder and they offer things like peer support where you meet with a person who has recovered for mentoring once a week or so or group support where you meet with a group of people with a mentor every week for a period of months and they help you find strategies and give support. I had recovered quite a bit when I found out about this kind of program so I only met with them briefly but a very close friend of mine says they were a really big part of her recovery.

Do everything to get help as soon as you can try everything. I was too proud and did not seriously look for help and I think suffered longer and wasted so much time than if I had just decided to get help sooner. The thought "I will be better tomorrow" is always there but isn't very effective.

Do something to boost your self esteem and happiness in the morning first thing if possible. This will help start your day on a positive note and helps put you on the healthier side of the "all or nothing" mentality that comes with BED. For me, exercise was and still is key. I found that on days when I exercised first thing I was much less likely to binge because I felt better about myself. I would suggest yoga, workout video, going for a walk or run anything that gets you moving and feeling good.

While I know once you are in binge mode it's pretty impossible to stop, drinking lots of water and can tea help. Also if possible not having binge inducing foods in the house and when you are having a meal try to chew for 30 seconds and then take some deep breaths inbetween bites and a drink of water.

There are many different strategies and things you can try, some may help and some may not, or help for a few days and then stop but I think even if they are not a cure it is important to continue trying something because it will help you maintain hope. I found it was hard to stick to one goal for more than a couple days so having one goal for 3 days then choosing a new one can help to keep you focused and not burn out on that goal.

I hope this is helpful and remember you are not alone and like my mom told me "this too shall pass".