Thread: Bulimia

Are you saying that you are binging and then making yourself throw up ? If so please go to a doctor. You really don't want to compromise your health. Thin of any kind just isn't worth sacrificing your health. Please get some professional help. YOu are worth it.

You probably already know that your cravings sound like they're triggered by stress and emotions. For a lot of us that's how we're used to dealing with the stress and comforting ourselves. Now, I'm not an expert, I can only tell you from my own experience that when I get stressed and emotional, I'm a lot more vulnerable to binging and purging. It's been years and years since I've binged and purged, but I can only say that even if you're successful losing the weight, you will eventually have to deal with what triggers those cycles (unless you've also discovered a physical reason that sets you off and you can modify your food choices so as to alleviate them).

For example, I know from personal experience that once I start indulging in high-carb foods (potatoes in any form, bread, pastry, sweets etc) that it will set me up for more cravings, and the sugar highs and lows will start to dominate my life. I also know that if I resist the urge (granted, doesn't happen often anymore since I hard-core gave up carbs and any sweets) that it will pass. I keep myself busy, go for a walk (I don't jog anymore but used to put in 5 miles a day when I was younger), read a book, go out in my garden...to break the obsession from getting stronger.

Just talking to someone about it and how it's bothering you can help. I'm not saying go into therapy, although that does help some people.

Everyone finds a way to deal with this their own way. I imagine there are also forums on-line that are specifically geared towards helping bulimia. Maybe check out some of those and see if there's anything that could help you get a handle on this.
I know I used binging and purging to actually avoid facing emotional/stressful issues - it was easier to shove the carbs and sweet down than have to face the turmoil and issues that were going on in my own life. Those were small but important realizations I made along the journey out of my
dilemma, and most of them were discovered on my own. As I said, it's different for everyone.

Keep asking and talking about it because it's better to discuss it - even talking with people online can give you one of those 'ah ha!' moments that helps you understand your own behavior.
You've done great so far, and I know you don't want to jeopardize all the good that you've accomplished with your health. This is an on-going journey and even when you get to your target weight, there will be more to discover about yourself.

Originally Posted by anneq

ILuvKats...I am overwhelmed by your kind response. Sometimes as a mom all I can see is what I didn't do right, where I went wrong, so it's good to see once in awhile where I got it right, lol - and yes, my mom too passed it on to me and my sis and she too didn't know better. I'm hoping once my twin sis gets better in the coming months that we can talk more about this (she suffered a stroke about 6mos.ago - too young!).
She desperately needs to lose weight (she's well over 200lbs) and I know she's unhappy with her state, and now more so since she has very limited speech capacity. Again, thank-you so much for your compliment - warms my heart!

p.s. ..is your sig from the popular YouTube video, 'I love cats'? lol - love that song

hmmm, I must check out that video! . Nope, my siggy is just because I do in fact love cats. LOL.

i pray your sister will continue to improve. Strokes can be frustrating to recover from. Does she know the cause of her stroke?

Originally Posted by captncrunch

Hi guys, thanks for the supportive responses...I made it through last night, and was rewarded with a 5 lb gain, which honestly doesn't bother me as much as the fear of actually gaining 5 lbs overnight the night before. And this is gonna sound EXTREMELY hypocritical of me, because I'm in a doctoral psych program, but I'm not ready to tell anyone whose face I have to look at. I guess I have to figure out what my trigger is, because although I'm always stressed (school), I'm actually really happy with my life in general. Which is maybe why I feel like I'm losing control of it, because the feeling just comes on. But I'm gonna have to learn to sit with it, and help myself.

hi! You have been very very successful with this plan, congratulations! It's interesting you say you didn't seem to have the urge to purge until you got close to goal...and also at the same point in HS....could you still be struggling with moving on with life as a thin person? You've been focused on losing for awhile now....what is your plan after hcg? I know for me, I always have to have an idea of my path, or I start to feel stress.

I hear ya about not wanting to talk to anyone you have to face all the time about this. I work in health care and feel the same way. But as a professional, they have to treat you professionally and respect your right to privacy, HIPPA and all that. That being said, if you're not ready to talk to someone, don't add that stress to your plate too. ((Hugs)),

" I'm not ready to tell anyone whose face I have to look at" I understand 100% on this. Even though I know people who are able to talk face-to-face with others about bulimia, I wasn't one of those for a very long, long time, so as ILuvCats says, don't add to your stress and think you have to do this, lol. If you look at what animals do under a lot of stress, then how humans can behave under stress isn't that weird. Except we are more complex creatures.

i pray your sister will continue to improve. Strokes can be frustrating to recover from.
Does she know the cause of her stroke?
Yes, she's also an RN so she understands what happened, and probably why. She's always held her stress in, and has always been the one to manage things i.e. she wears the pants in the family. So, not only physically but mentally this has been very challenging for her, since she's no longer in that position. I know she'll have to let go and let her husband do more for her, and he has stepped up to the plate nicely in that regard. Thank you for your prayers, they mean everything
/hugs