Eating Disorders ~

[ArkansasPiscesGrrl]

Sylvie,

I just wanted to applaud you for your post, your honesty, your struggle against that disease, and applaud you for your COURAGE in your fight.

I am closely allied with several Eating Disorder Facilities in this country, and know the fight that people with this disorder have to deal with on a daily basis. I also KNOW first hand from these facilities that people CAN and DO recover!

I wish you strength and continued courage in your fight.

Ann

[dark_crystal]

i think pretty much everybody knows i'm a recently-recovered anorexic, as i have discussed it on a whole buncha threads now.

for me it was caused by extreme partner abuse. when i finally got out of the situation i figured the fact that i had survived meant i was ok- but the trauma from that situation stayed with me and controlled everything for the next two years, manifesting in a very extreme way in my anorexia but also in a whole host of other compulsive and isolating behaviors

so the moral of the story is- seek counseling for trauma! don't just assume you can limp out of Hell and into the rest of your life without processing it- because one way or another you'll be forced to deal with it!

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

i think pretty much everybody knows i'm a recently-recovered anorexic, as i have discussed it on a whole buncha threads now.

for me it was caused by extreme partner abuse. when i finally got out of the situation i figured the fact that i had survived meant i was ok- but the trauma from that situation stayed with me and controlled everything for the next two years, manifesting in a very extreme way in my anorexia but also in a whole host of other compulsive and isolating behaviors

so the moral of the story is- seek counseling for trauma! don't just assume you can limp out of Hell and into the rest of your life without processing it- because one way or another you'll be forced to deal with it!

i did not know you were a recovered anorexic, so am so very happy you shared with me here - thank you!

i, too, now know that i developed this as a young child due to events in my life as a means to have control over something - in an appointment i had for an intake to diagnose me recently, they told me i was diagnosed as a bulemic - and this was something i didn't know..

Since finding that out, i am coming to terms with the fact that stuffing the hurt down all these years has not been a help to me, and needing to deal with it.. Counselling was a huge factor in my wanting to help myself more..

i really appreciate your advice, and will continue to seek help through counselling and the courses they've been suggesting for me.. Right now, i am visiting a dietician on a regular basis and also getting ready to start a course called Craving Change - after that i start cognitive behavioural therapy.. All these things combined with the therapy and programs thus far, are helping me have healthier thoughts as far as eating and exercise and treating myself better in the longrun.. But also, to help really deal with those past demons as well that have been a source of constant hurt and easily triggered - which caused me to hurt myself more deeply.. Vicious circle..

Thank you again for your advice and sharing your story.. i really appreciate hearing your thoughts, so much.. ((((dc))))

[sylvie]

Last night, i attended an OA meeting online..
i find this a useful tool for me, because the OA meetings here in Saint John are only on Monday nights and Saturday mornings, which is when i almost always work..
It is nice to know i have something i can depend on when necessary in the comfort of my home..but i need to learn to USE it more, even on days i feel strong, to help me build strength to overcome the challenges coming to me ..

The online meetings are daily, and every 3 hours, so it's always convenient to find a time to go.. Last night, however, was the first time i was taking something negative from the meeting.. And i managed to get ahold of my own thoughts and removed myself from the meeting, recognizing that it's NOT what i can and will be doing to myself anymore - and so it was a nice feeling to have that bit of control - i felt good that i felt strong enough to overcome those bad feelings .. (celebrating my success at any level is important)

Practicing abstinence is one of the most difficult things i've had to do, especially with 2 teenagers who forget what i go through and bring no-no foods into my safe zone.. It takes every bit of strength i have in me to walk away or not obsess how much i want a taste too...i feel weak and want to be strong enough to handle being around people and the food they choose to eat, and not obsess it.. Not going places with certain friends such as restaurants or get-togethers, because they refuse to understand the battle i have each day and still wave temptation under my nose as a means to drive me crazy.. One of those people being my father, who will deliberately bring something into my house without my realizing, and then eat or drink it smacking his lips and saying mmmm, don't you wish you could have some too? It's simply not nice, and i know i have to be vocal about him NOT doing that, not in my home - it will no longer be tolerated.. (but i just wish i had the strength to NOT let these things bother me anymore, sigh) ... one day, hopefully!

As a binger, prior to getting help, there were many instances i would grab something and hide someplace and stuff it in my mouth, whether hungry or not..At home, my safe zone "then" was having the ability to get as much junkfood, or piling my portions on my plate at mealtimes as high as i wanted to, and eating until my body couldn't handle anymore.. The amounts of food i stuffed into me every single day is alarming, and downright embarrassing..

i try to think of these things, to help me gain strength to be a better and healthier me today..

[Gemme]

I'm not a binger and/or purger...I'm not a good thrower upper and if I am doing so, please get me to the hospital asap as it's usually a sign of me being terribly ill...but I do have an unheathly emotional connection to food.

For me, I'm not sure it's so much about control as lack of control. When I eat, I zone out. It's like freaking happy time for my mouth and I want more, more, more.

Last year, I started a food journal and workout log and worked out and really paid attention to what I was putting in my body. I felt better and lost a good chunk of weight. Then I started at my job and I was so darn tired from the commute and work itself (I spend at least a quarter of the day outside, which is quite wearing on the body in this heat) and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was think about what I needed to eat and/or working out.

It's taken the better part of a year, but I've gained all my weight back at this point. Now, I'm in that floaty place where I know what needs to be done, know that I can do it (after all, I just did it not so long ago) but the motivation to do it is just not there. And so, I sit here idling away. No worse, no better.

Come to think of it, I take back what I said earlier. I do binge. Was it you, Sylvie, that said 'as much as my body would hold'? Well, I go beyond that sometimes. To the point that I look, honestly, like a pregnant woman in the beginning of my third trimester. It's terribly uncomfortable and just makes me feel worse once I realize just HOW much I ate.

I appreciate you starting this thread. Motivation and celebrating the good things, small and large, are definitely helpful in gaining more control over one's eating patterns. I look forward to reading more.

[Rockinonahigh]

I never thought I had an eating disorder untill I had to face the fact that I had near eaten my way to being a diabetic,even then I was in denyal for a while.I mean fruit is healthy...right....bread is or was supose to be good for ya.I mean food is what keeps me going from one carb high to another day after day.What really brought it to me like a cold slap in the face was over the last mardi gras season,I was takeing some pies that had sat in the friges for a fue days so I desided to throw them away...I did ok till the last one,a pecan pie.I walked to the fridge to take it out to the trash on way out the door I picked up a fork ..one more bite for the road.....wrong...I sat on the trunk of my car at 10pm stuffing as much pie in my mouth as I could.I swear I heard a voice say, Hey fool look what u r doing,I stoped to c who it was then I realise it was my inner voice telling me each bite was like playing russian roulett one bite at the time.I had to finaly admitt I was ging to have to own up to my eating habits and fast.Over all now some months later I have changed my eating habits slowly one day at the time to where im in controle of what goes in my mouth.I journal every thing I eat and journal how I feel before I do anything..it has kept me acountable to myself.I have lost weight,inches and two pants sises,I have gone from 303 to 249 since January of this year.I have some more to go but I know I can get there and maintain it when I do.

[T D]

Just a note, purging isn't just about throwing up. There's various ways to purge.

Also, purgers can have some very serious medical conditions on down the line if they keep this kind of behavior up for too long.

Upon hitting menopause (age 46, early menopause also caused by purging) I found that I had the bone density of an 80 year old woman. After years of medications and lots and lots of Calcium and Vitamin D, I'm now up to Osteopenia, but it took years to gain that bone density back.

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

I never thought I had an eating disorder untill I had to face the fact that I had near eaten my way to being a diabetic,even then I was in denyal for a while.I mean fruit is healthy...right....bread is or was supose to be good for ya.I mean food is what keeps me going from one carb high to another day after day.What really brought it to me like a cold slap in the face was over the last mardi gras season,I was takeing some pies that had sat in the friges for a fue days so I desided to throw them away...I did ok till the last one,a pecan pie.I walked to the fridge to take it out to the trash on way out the door I picked up a fork ..one more bite for the road.....wrong...I sat on the trunk of my car at 10pm stuffing as much pie in my mouth as I could.I swear I heard a voice say, Hey fool look what u r doing,I stoped to c who it was then I realise it was my inner voice telling me each bite was like playing russian roulett one bite at the time.I had to finaly admitt I was ging to have to own up to my eating habits and fast.Over all now some months later I have changed my eating habits slowly one day at the time to where im in controle of what goes in my mouth.I journal every thing I eat and journal how I feel before I do anything..it has kept me acountable to myself.I have lost weight,inches and two pants sises,I have gone from 303 to 249 since January of this year.I have some more to go but I know I can get there and maintain it when I do.

First of all, a super huge congratulations to you on the weight loss.. wow, that's fantastic, seriously!
i often worry about diabetes as well and honestly, i have no clue why i dont have it, considering the amounts of food i have eaten , high in sugar, salt etc.. i get tested every so often and it always comes back with great sugar results, so ive been very lucky.. Not to say it wouldnt have happened if i would have continued though..

But i sooo know the feeling, on that binging and devouring the food and hearing that voice.. my voice sadly tells me the opposite, to keep going.. i know it's a bad thing and that's my fight right now, keeping myself accountable and making these changes despite what the inner me is telling me to do.. i kind of have to step outside of myself sometimes and look at the big picture, what my goals are and what do i have to do to achieve them.. But it takes one little mistake of putting something in my mouth that i shouldn't to throw me all out of whack..

i keep saying i am going to be faithful about journalling what i eat.. i started doing it a few times and never kept it up.. i do know its important to do, and should, because seeing it there in print would probably help me stay on track more..

thank you for sharing Rockinonahigh, i sooo appreciate it and keep up the great work!

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Gemme

I'm not a binger and/or purger...I'm not a good thrower upper and if I am doing so, please get me to the hospital asap as it's usually a sign of me being terribly ill...but I do have an unheathly emotional connection to food.

For me, I'm not sure it's so much about control as lack of control. When I eat, I zone out. It's like freaking happy time for my mouth and I want more, more, more.

Last year, I started a food journal and workout log and worked out and really paid attention to what I was putting in my body. I felt better and lost a good chunk of weight. Then I started at my job and I was so darn tired from the commute and work itself (I spend at least a quarter of the day outside, which is quite wearing on the body in this heat) and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was think about what I needed to eat and/or working out.

It's taken the better part of a year, but I've gained all my weight back at this point. Now, I'm in that floaty place where I know what needs to be done, know that I can do it (after all, I just did it not so long ago) but the motivation to do it is just not there. And so, I sit here idling away. No worse, no better.

Come to think of it, I take back what I said earlier. I do binge. Was it you, Sylvie, that said 'as much as my body would hold'? Well, I go beyond that sometimes. To the point that I look, honestly, like a pregnant woman in the beginning of my third trimester. It's terribly uncomfortable and just makes me feel worse once I realize just HOW much I ate.

I appreciate you starting this thread. Motivation and celebrating the good things, small and large, are definitely helpful in gaining more control over one's eating patterns. I look forward to reading more.

Ahh Gemme, the more i read this post the more i was nodding and soo knowing what you meant.. Especially with work, my work hours are a bit all over the place and when i work split shifts and 12 hour shifts, the last thing i feel like doing is taking the time to prepare something healthy AND working out.. especially after being on my feet all day - i still struggle with that today.. i do walk to and from work, which is only about a 10-15 min walk each way, but i think my body is adjusted to that now because i always walk to work.. So it's frustrating, VERY frustrating...

Yes, i did say that i would binge as much as my body would hold.. When i said that, i meant exactly what you meant cept it wasn't explaining it right, my body can hold much more than my appetite allows me, so my overeating is stuffing things inside me regardless of how full and digusting i feel, it 'is' a horrible feeling, especially when i finally shake myself out of my food coma and feel the effects of abusing my body the way i had..

My emotions of course take over, and i am SO hard on myself, and i get the negative thinking within, that im worthless and deserve to gain that weight back and it just shakes my confidence altogether that i've spent so long building up to keep myself motivated.. Then it becomes a vicious circle if i dont stop myself, now that i've binged and probably gained weight, i may as well eat that dang cookie, cuz its not going to matter.. Oh and well may as well eat junkfood for the rest of the day now and start new tomorrow.. my tomorrow really never comes, when i get in that frame of mind..

i know the bloating and feeling like a pregnant woman - i deal with that often too and it's strange when i stay on track, i notice mostly in my stomache that i lose first, so just goes to show what doing this to myself really does..

i'm so sorry about gaining your weight back Gemme, i didn't realize but you CAN do it, even when working.. We should work together and find ways to eat healthier and a workout routine around our work hours, i could really benefit from a healthier plan while working.. i do well on my days off or my short workdays, but i get myself in a real pickle when i'm working...

i also deal with emotional overeating, thats one huge stressor on my binging right there.. Monday, i got upset over the fact i had to delay the trip by two weeks to go see Mtn, i was to leave Sept 14 and now had to move it to Oct 3 due to passports - my heart was SOOO set on Sept 14.. What did i do? i lost control and overate , my portions were ridiculous and i felt SO awful for what i did, that i started again being hard on myself and again just not paying attention to what i was eating again and i really had to get myself back on track..

my weigh in today showed a 4 lb gain.. :: sad sigh ::
it's going to be a rough day, i can feel it.. i'm trying so hard not to be hard on myself, but 4 lbs in one week? takes me a friggin' week to lose 2 lbs!

thank you for sharing with me Gemme, and thank you for being happy for this thread, if any of you can use it or find benefit of having this thread here too, then that makes me happy.. i was scared to post it because a/i have a hard, hard time sharing this part of me, and b/i was scared no one else would understand or want to post in here..

i know it takes a great deal of courage to admit these things, and thought at least if i put it out there, even if people didn't post, someone might be reading and benefit from my struggle in some way to help themselves.. So, the same for any of you who post too, i really, truly thank you! Not only helps others, but me as well! ((((((((Gemme)))))))))

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by ArkansasPiscesGrrl

Sylvie,

I just wanted to applaud you for your post, your honesty, your struggle against that disease, and applaud you for your COURAGE in your fight.

I am closely allied with several Eating Disorder Facilities in this country, and know the fight that people with this disorder have to deal with on a daily basis. I also KNOW first hand from these facilities that people CAN and DO recover!

I wish you strength and continued courage in your fight.

Ann

Ann, thank you so very much, between the posts from you all here in this thread and the touching reps i received, it helped settle my anxiousness about posting this thread.. Seeking help is hard to do, especially when it's something you've grown so used to hiding - i really do appreciate your words so much... Every bit of encouragement and support i receive these days is so helpful to me and motivates me to strive a little harder..

i am fighting, and continue to fight...thank you for your kind words & support.. ((((Ann))))