cracker2011 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hi, I have binge eating disorder for nearly 11 years.I never have got help for it.Can I get advice from anyone who has been through it? Its destroyin my life. Link to post Share on other sites
ShatteredReality Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 You talking binge and purge?? Or binge eating for emotional reasons? Link to post Share on other sites
carhill Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Is your LDR BF aware of this disorder? As a woman in your 30's, if this issue distresses you and/or inhibits the formation of healthy relationships, seek professional medical/psychological treatment. We're happy to support and share experiences but treatment in real life is really what you need IMO. Do you have any other addictions/issues of note? Link to post Share on other sites
Author cracker2011 Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 No purging.. a cycle of binging and fasting for days.i mean eating nothing at all for 5/6 days.. then binge again etc etc..I will binge if im happy/sad/bored.. so i guess you cud say its emotional...food is all i think about wheter it be avoiding it or wondering what i can binge on! my boyfriend does not know.we are only together a few months, and i dont want to scare him off me by telling him Link to post Share on other sites
ShatteredReality Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Well it sounds like you need professional help of some kind. A food diary could help. Or you could find your local Overeaters annonymous class and attend that....while I am not sure that's the most appropriate for you (though it certainly is during your binge cycle). Each eating disorder comes with it's own challenges. They say that an aloholic has it easier cause they stop drinking...well that's not so true. They just stop drinking alcohol. A person with an eating disorder has to find their triggers too....if it's emotional you need a new outlet....or you need to change the things that you binge on in order to make it so you won't fast for days to compensate. So one night I totally binged...and it's not my disorder, but I was emotional and I did it...but I binged on Salad. I ate 5 days worth of salad - filled with veggies and such...used salsa for dressing...I was so full after that I was amazed I ate it all...however I didn't feel guilty. For as much as I ate I at least ate healthy stuff! Not a thing on there was bad...maybe the sodium content of the salsa...that's about it. If that. Not sure if that helps... Link to post Share on other sites
Lauriebell82 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Hi, I have binge eating disorder for nearly 11 years.I never have got help for it.Can I get advice from anyone who has been through it? Its destroyin my life. Been there!!! I agree it is a horrible disorder and it almost destroyed my life as well. I have been in remission for about 6 years now, I've fluctuated a little in weight by like 10 pounds here and there but have not hardcore binged or gained a significant amount of weight in 6 years. I still struggle though, unfortunately it never goes away. I obsess a little bit, I get depressed if I gain some weight, but I try to get back on track by exercising and remembering how painful it was to binge. And I don't binge! There is this group called Overeaters Anonymous, also Food Addicts that is comparible to like Alcoholics Anonymous. When I was struggling they did not have those groups yet, instead I went to a support group in which other women described their experiences. I mostly tried to pinpoint why I was binging in the first place, it's honestly not about the food at all! It's about emotions, food is just the "drug" so to speak. It's like being an alcoholic or drug addict. Are you open to going to a support group such as OA or FA? You need to first work on what is causing you to binge before you can get into the "healthy living" or "dieting" issue. Link to post Share on other sites
Author cracker2011 Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 @ lauriebell83 There are no support groups where i live.I would have to go to a therapist..and they are expensive..Do you mind me asking were you obese? When i binge..my weight can go up 9lbs in a week! Link to post Share on other sites
carhill Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Paid therapy can be expensive. However, there are usually low or no-cost public services available for those who qualify. In my case, unrelated to this topic, I ended up spending about 5% of my retirement savings on that 'expensive' therapy since I could not otherwise afford it and it continues to be a gift which keeps giving. Most people would not have made that choice. What choice will you make? Link to post Share on other sites
Lauriebell82 Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 @ lauriebell83 There are no support groups where i live.I would have to go to a therapist..and they are expensive..Do you mind me asking were you obese? When i binge..my weight can go up 9lbs in a week! There are actually online forums, sort of chat room type things, where those suffering from an eating disorder can go and talk about their troubles. Here is the link: http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/online-meetings To answer your question, I was not obese but very overweight. My weight can skyrocket also just by eating too much of a certain food. It's horrible, so I feel your pain. Check out the online support group, I think it will really help you. Link to post Share on other sites
Feelin Frisky Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I've had the problem all my life and was an obese child. There has been science that if you weren't breast fed and didn't get the natural "colostrum" from mother's milk, you may not have developed the "off switch" that other people have where they lose interest in food after a short wile of eating. This is what happened to me. And my mother compounded it by medicating me with food to shut me up while attending to my younger siblings. By the time I was 5 years old I had 4 younger brothers and sisters. So, I didn't grow up knowing how to have a healthy balance with food and had terrible sociological consequences because of it. The only thing that works for me now is being "proactive". A person with the compulsive eating disorder has to always plan out meals and stick to the script. That's what Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are built on. You can't live in the moment and eat what you "feel like" having. That is where your enemy lives. So, not only do things have to be planned, they have to be provided for ahead of time so that you are always clear on what you will be eating and when. Beyond that there is really being conscious of your image and working on it and staying in a dialog with yourself on small goals of being able to fit nice clothes and look good in public. If you start isolating and procrastinating, the impulse will take over to satisfy your feelings in the moment and the vicious cycle will start all over. I despise when people who are not afflicted with eating disorders make sweeping comments on "fat people"--they don't know what the fu_k they are talking about. It's a horrible sentence for some of us and we have to work vigilantly to accomplish what they do simply on auto-pilot. Be advised, there may be no answer. It may be a constant fight every moment of your life forever. The only thing that makes that bearable is success at working your program where you start excelling while other people who aren't working anything just remain static. That feels the best. Link to post Share on other sites
Taramere Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) The other week I was walking along the road behind an extremely thin girl. This girl was touching every brick in a wall as she passed it. I saw her stop to go back to touch a brick she'd missed...and then she grabbed her own hand as though to tell herself "stop it." I think that kind of compulsive behaviour very much correlates with control issues. The need for consistent, predictable patterns. Anxiety might set in during periods of change, where patterns are broken, if people behave in a way that is out of character etc. I haven't had an eating disorder, but I did a dissertation on them in my first degree. Ages ago now. As part of it, I met with some people who suffered from them, and also interviewed two psychiatrists who specialised in treating eating disorders. Also, I've known a few people who had eating disorders. "Control" was the theme that kept coming up over and over again. People who fear losing control over certain aspects of their life, and deal with it by imposing these very harsh disciplinary regimes over their own bodies. The cycle of starvation, broken by binge-eating and followed by more starvation is very punitive, and I would think it's likely to be associated with strong feelings of shame and guilt. People (women in particular) are often encouraged to feel shame and guilt in respect of their own bodies...and also in relation to eating. In a lot of families, mealtimes are a stressful part of the day - being associated with disclipline, nit picking and the airing of grievances. Food might also be a frequent cause of conflict in childhood (siblings blaming eachother for raiding all the goodies in the kitchen, etc). my boyfriend does not know.we are only together a few months, and i dont want to scare him off me by telling him I think that's fair enough. People who don't have any understanding of a condition like that could worsen it through good intentions. "Tough love" that aims to shame and could therefore trigger the emotions (guilt, desire for control) that are associated with such conditions. You could probably benefit from seeing a counsellor who specialises in eating disorders and can help you to identify and deal with the situations that trigger this problematic behaviour. Cognitive behavioural therapy is very popular with therapists these days, because rather than endlessly excavating the past (which sometimes does more harm than good) it focuses on challenging the negative thinking and beliefs you hold today that result in self destructive behaviour. It would probably be worth looking into whether there are any affordable therapists in your area. Edited May 15, 2011 by Taramere Link to post Share on other sites
Author cracker2011 Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 lauriebell83 - thanks for the link..il check it out.I have never been any more than 140lbs and am 5 foot 6. I know that is not overweight so people dont know i have an eating disorder as i am not overweight. taramere-interesting story.i really dont get the whole control thing..but i am hoping to make an apt with a therapist or dietician soon. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts