What's the best way to get rid of an eating disorder?
I'm sick of constantly worrying about my body and going to extreme measures not to eat. My body is weak and unhealthy. I have a child and if anything happens to me, my son has no one else. For me to be doing this is selfish, but I can't seem to stop. Everyone says that seeing a therapist helps but I've been down that road and it did not help at all. Has anyone else been through this and gotten past it? Are there any diets or certain foods I should eat that would help? I'm willing to try anything at this point.
Anonymous2010-07-11T23:44:40Z
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Yeah honey I had quite a dose of one from the age of about 14 till 20. Brushing my teeth 12 times a day, taking uppers to stem the appetite, drinking water all day to make myself feel full, deliberately going out without money so I could not be tempted to buy cakes or coffee....telling people "Oh no I've just had a huge hamburger" whenever they offered me anything to eat...those kinds of extreme measures you mean?
There was no specialist counseling available in Australia when I had it and I don't think anyone but me actually recognised how bad I was getting with it. Because I was, as I suspect you are, very good at hiding the extremes of my behaviour.
You need to look at food as medicine. This is what i did. There is something wrong Briley and you're bright enough to know it. That's why you asked. And what will fix that is food. Really....you'll start thinking straight again as soon as you get some fecking protein in you girl. So as I said look at it as medicine for a while. You won't enjoy eating it. You won't like it at first. You'll need o make notes and remind yourself. Eat good oily fish with bones in it like salmon and sardines. Olive oil to cook in. Small portions...little and often, as overloading your stomach might only lead you to a bulimic episode and that's the last thing you need. Nuts are wonderful as they can be eaten on the go an you don't need to sit down and make a big production of it. Protein shakes (get ones that taste nice though cause some of them are disgusting).
B Group Vitamins will help calm your nerves. You'll need calcium supplements as you've probably already lost a lot of bone density.
And love sweetheart...lots and lots of love...from you TO you. You know we only do this when we're punishing ourselves don't you? Starving yourself because you think you don't deserve to be cared for" was the way one Psychiatrist put it years later. And I noted with great alarm that when I found out my scumbag ex had been screwing one of my best friends for three years while he was still with me, I didn't eat an actual meal for two weeks...till I realised one day.."Oh f*ck...it's happening again."
You ARE worth loving. You ARE worth feeding. Yes you owe your son to be around for him...but you DESERVE to be around just for being you.
Please if you feel the need to talk, email me baby...I've been there I really have and anything I can do...even just give some emotional support...I will. No one wants to lose you Briley. You're a ray of sunshine sweetheart. The light from you is so bright it hurts our eyes.
Stress does cause some people to eat. It is a stress reliever. But you should not be concerned about getting stressed from making college applications. The colleges need to have bums on seats or they will go out of business. But do enough exercise to work off just one gram of excess weight. Go on. I dare you. Make it as easy as possible on yourself. Two miles should be okay. Go on, get walking. When you come back go and hae another feed and put that one gram back on. Then go out and and walk it all off again. Monotonously repetitive, isn't it? Keep the walking up but cut the eating back. Stick to breakfast, lunch or dinner. A snack in between is okay but be choosy. A piece of fruit or a meat sandwich, protein for energy. Give yourself a reasonable time frame to get desired results. Six months are okay, six days are not.
Eating disorders (usually) have a deeper emotional motivation as their cause.
Eating, or lack thereof, is the means to an end rather than the solution to the problem. So I'd agree that therapy would be the best option, rather than diets which would only help on a short-term basis. The emotional issues could be self-esteem issues, or more complex issues of family relationships. I personally think therapy or seeing a psychologist is the best option to seek out. Good luck.
Cassie Weapons of Mass Seduction2010-07-11T23:00:46Z
I am mostly here to show my support. I know how hard it is to have something mentally affecting you and find absolutely no help for it. I love you and I wish you the best of luck with everything. (((((Briley))))
I had a very good friend who suffered with bulimia, she was getting very sick and at one point weighed about 90 pounds [and she is pretty tall]. She tried the whole therapist thing, it did nothing for her. What finally worked was going out of state [she said the change of scenery helped her immensely, being miles away from everyone and what-not] to a treatment program. I know that could be difficult with your son, but there are plenty of people who love you and would do anything to help you get better... including taking care of the cutie while you get help.
I'm sorry I am no help, but I thought I would let you know in case.
I don't have any experience with this, but I imagine realizing you have a problem is a crucial step to success.
I have no doubt you'll be able to make the changes you wish to make, for the sake of yourself and your son's happiness.
From what literature and studies I've seen, eating disorders are often related to underlying control issues or ways of coping with stress. Perhaps dealing with some of the other aspects of your life that you aren't satisfied with will lessen your need to starve yourself.
I trust this isn't a body-image thing, because we both know that would be crazy, yes?