How is recovery from Bulimia even possible?

Question

I have been bulimic for the past 3 years and it is getting to the point where i am constantly ill and i feel like a complete failure all the time.

I have tried to eat healthily, but i always end up binging which leads to purging.. which makes me get into the destructive cycle again.

It also doesn't help, being overweight as it is.. whenever someone makes any kind of remark about my weight, it makes me hate myself and binge and purge more.

I have been seeing a psychologist for other issues (anxiety disorder, depression, self-harm), but i dont see how she could help me with my Bulimia.

It is such a stubborn illness that has embedded itself into my identity... i dont even remember what my like was like before i started thinking about food every second of the day.

Will i ever recover?.. it just feels so helpless right now.

Answer 1

i am a recovered bulimarexia.It is possible.For me it took fixing my mind.In your area do the have overeaters anonymous its like AA for

compulsive eating? try to google eat i know your not a compulsive eater but binging and purging is part of the problem and starting there may help when you with other who can relate to food addiction

Answer 2

I have been bulimic for years. I am afraid I can't offer any real advise. Although I can tell you this; when I got married my bulimia subsided because I felt loved and I knew he loved me for what I was and he didn't care if I was a few pounds over-weight. Unfortunately when my marriage dissolved, my bulimia came back full force due to my low self esteem and other issues I was dealing with.  Its a stubborn disease that really requires intensive treatment and even then it can still come back. I'm sorry if this didn't help at all.

Answer 3

Your psychologist should probably know about it, since they are trying to treat you, they should know what is going on.  You do need a psychiatrist to help with it though.  You should be on some medicine to help you not focus on it so much.  People are able to get this under control and so can you.

Answer 4

You have to change the way you think about youself

(please read even tho long, i have been battling insecurities my entire life)

here's the key: CONVINCE YOURSELF YOU CAN EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT & BE AT THE PERFECT WEIGHT

(this really, really helped me lose weight even though it sounds contradictory...)

convince yourself that food & weight aren't connected!

The more you deny yourself something, the more you want it & think about it.

When you deny candy you obsess about it & think about it till you have a candy binge - which you can't enjoy bc feel guilty.

Give yourself that candy bar. . .

I used to have some diet/purge issues, and this helped so much!!

Then:

When I saw chocolate cake, I would make it the enemy & tell myself not to eat it.

I would keep thinking about it & want it so bad. . .

I would give in & eat a lot, while feeling guilty the whole time & not enjoying it

now:

I see chocolate cake & tell myself I can eat the whole thing

I could have a piece & enjoy it

I didn't want it as much because it wasn't forbidden

I actually ate less with this mindset

People want what they can't have. Kids binge drink. . .

***Try grazing through out the meal - fruits, veggies, toast. . .

build up to bigger meals

Eating little things through out the day instead of binging/puking will help you be at a lower weight & more healthy

Your metabolism will be speed up.

**See food as fuel that your body needs. It will help you make healthier choices

** never completely cut something out of your diet (even sweets!)

This will lead to binging

When you starve & binge, your body tries to store fat when you binge to prepare for the next starvation period. . .

Being bulimic can make you heavier than if you ate regular meals.

It also gives you a gut. . .

******Everytime you look in the mirror, tell yourself YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL girl & have the sexiest body!!!! (if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me as HW)

How you see yourself is the only thing that matters in your happiness.

Don't you want to be happy?**

Would you rather feel these insecurities about yourself (true or not). or be confident & happy?

When will you be ready? What's stopping you.

*Ex: no matter how many ppl tell an anorexic girl she's skinny, she'll always see herself as fat until she changes how she sees herself.

This is YOUR life. Everyone else is a backup character to make your world better. You really are the center of your world & your world is the only one you have to worry about.

**Everytime you think something negative, think something positive.

Even if you don't believe it at first. Are you up to this challenge?

Look in the mirror & love yourself

Answer 5

I would suggest you do see a psychologist to see if they can help your Bulimic tendencies, you dont know unless you try!

I sincerely do hope your recover, and get all the support you need.