How did you recover?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2004
How did you recover?
1
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 9:50pm
Hi there! I am a first time poster, though I have lurked here and there. I am trying to get over a relapse of bulimia. I dealt with bulimic behavior through college and thought I had it licked but this past year it has reared it's ugly head again. I joined Weight Watchers and I think the obsessing over losing weight brought back some old demons. I have been resisting the binge/purge cycle more and more, but especially around TOM (time of month) I have a hard time resisting the urge to binge. After I binge the guilt is too much and I have to purge. Tonight I ate way too much, but I resisted purging which I am proud of. I think I need to try to resist overeating in the first place then I won't have to deal with it at all. Do you think eliminating sugar/refined carbs is the answer? I seem to have less cravings when I limit these.

Anyway, I would love some advice. I do not want to see a therapist, I know I can do this on my own as I did it before and I really can't afford that right now. My bulimia has no secret roots from my childhood that I can figure out. I think I simply like to eat, then binge for some reason, then purge out of guilt.

Thanks for listening

Olivia

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 03-22-2004 - 8:20pm

Hi Olivia,


I think eliminating sugar/refined carbs is a good idea. Like you already said, eating them only makes you crave more things and can actually make you hungry faster. The first 2 or 3 days might be tough but once you make it past the initial hard phase, it's much easier. I even gave up artificial sweetener because I was constantly craving more.


I beat my eating disorder through counseling, hard work, and most important of all, giving it to God. If you don't believe in God choose a Higher Power that works for you. If you are not familiar with 12 step programs you might want to check into them. Addictions are all about control and emotional issues. Much like you I thought that my eating behaviours were just that, eating behaviours but I eventually figured out that they WERE linked to emotional issues. To be honest I have never met a bulimic who didn't have some unresolved emotional issues. If therapy is not an option for you right now you might want to check out www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org, www.overeatersanonymous.org, or www.celebraterecovery.com.

Love & hugs, Kristina