How do you deal?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-17-2005
How do you deal?
5
Tue, 04-17-2007 - 5:12pm
I have been bulimic for about two years. I went to therapy for a while but because of expenses I couldn't afford it anymore. Right now I am looking to finding another therapist. My question is how do you guys resist the urge to binge? Its weird and sometimes scary but knowing that I have a night where I can be alone and binge and purge is something I look forward to. How do you change that mindset? What ways do you cope with that?
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2005
In reply to: dasday
Tue, 04-17-2007 - 11:27pm

Hello, dasday! Welcome to the board!


I don't have experience

Lilypie 3rd Birthday Ticker

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-07-2007
In reply to: dasday
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 2:32pm
I too don't have any experience in B&P, but I hope I might be able to offer some help. For me what helped was hobbies, something I loved to do. If I was really focused on restricting or how much I had eaten that day, I would dive into a good book, or work on scrapbooking, work on some craft project I had going. Something I really had to put all my attention on to stop the thoughts. To this day I still do that with things, whether its just everyday stress or if some nasty thoughts creep back in. For a while sure, my sleep schedule was a bit messed up. It wasn't uncommon for me to get up at 3am and start scrapbooking! But it helped. Like the other poster said, if watching TV helps, great, pop in a movie! Since you seem to have the most trouble at night...this might sound odd, but do you live alone? Do you still live with your parents? Maybe having to actually sleep in the same room with someone might help? You know, just the worry of waking someone up to go B&P might be enough to get you through the night. You could always make it kind of awkward for you to get out of there room. I don't know if that would work for you or help, but its a thought I guess. I would say to just try and keep your mind busy with something else, what's that saying...idle hands are the devils tools...I hope that helps some. Keep your head up hun, you can do it!!!
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker
Lilypie 6th to 18th Ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2007
In reply to: dasday
Thu, 04-19-2007 - 9:16pm
Wow do I understand where you are coming from. When I actually felt like I was recovering, I would read or go for walks or even just chew gum! When you're baby-sitting I'm sure that going for a walk once the kids are in bed is out of the question though! My therapist had me plan out my meals for the days and focus on sticking to them. It was hard, but I always felt so good when I did stick to them. So on days that I was worried about binging, I would try to think about how I would feel at the end of the day if I didn't binge. That worked sometimes too. Another way is I would think of upcoming events that I did not want to feel awful for (because I usually don't feel the greatest after binge and purge). That worked sometimes too. I hope these help you out!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2005
In reply to: dasday
Fri, 04-20-2007 - 1:14pm

Hi das, how's it going.


KJ had some great ideas, I think a lot of it

 

 

~Diana~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2007
In reply to: dasday
Wed, 04-25-2007 - 12:44pm

I can relate to your post on so many levels! I was bulimic for 10 long years before I started recovery (2 year anniversary in May!). I think you are doing the right thing to look for another therapist and I just want to say that you can move mountains when you so desire. During my recovery, my therapist and I can up with a list and I'm happy to share it with you:
* Eat at regular times
* Keep all of your therapy appointments (once you find a new therapist, an eating disorders group may also help)
* Eat dinner with my husband
* Go for a walk
* Call a friend to chat
* Strength train with weights
* Play with my dog
* Paint
* Read

I think the hardest things I needed to do initially were eat at regular times and learn in the process what being full feels like. As bulimics, we forget the feeling of satisfaction because we are always stuffing ourselves during a binge. These two things took alot of practice, but went a long way to helping me not feel like I was starving, which resulted in overeating, which prompted me to binge, and if I binged... I always purged. If you can nip it in the bud at the early part of the cycle, the part where you don't let yourself reach the point of feeling like you are so hungry you could eat a house and thereby bypass overeating, that's a huge feat!

As for your question on resisting the urge to binge in the heat of the moment when that's all you can think about, that's when I resort to changing my surroundings. If the food is in your house, leave your house and go for that walk. If you get food by going out to fast food places or the grocery store, do NOT get in your car. As people that suffer from eating disorders, we often see things in black and white... you have to learn to be ok with gray. For me, I would binge and purge in response to feelings of anxiety, because I hated feeling that way. The hardest part is putting yourself in a setting where you cannot use your symptoms and must deal with feeling the anxiety (or depression or whatever your triggers are). The more you practice and celebrate the small victories, the easier it becomes to win the big battle. I hope these things help and I hope you make your own list. Self awareness about what triggers you to binge and purge goes a long way!