Newbie, Help please!
 

hello,

i have only just come across this site and it looks like it could be very helpful! i have struggled with my weight since i was 15 (i am now 22.) i have got into a very bad habit of bingeing and purging which i just can't seem to shift. on a good say i will be able to stick to a super healthy diet plan i have had devised by a nutritionist but that rarely happens as most days i will end up bingeing. i was wondering if anyone had any tips or could help me find ways to stop this cycle?

Thanks very much!

Hello :)
 

Hi :)

That sounds familiar. I had a similar problem, and I found that my binge and purge behaviour although motivated by wanting to control my weight, was actually triggered by other stuff (boredom, anxiety, stress, having a bad day, being tired, ect.). Once I figured out why I would default to binging, it was easier for me to not do it.

Hope this helps, it can be tough.

thanks missfukushima. yeah i think that may be the case with me too! thank you so much for your reply. it's nice to know im not necessarily the only one! i will try and find the root of it. did you find any particular way of getting to the root of the problem? or any distraction tactics that worked at all?
Thank you so much for your help!

For me, I found that not allowing myself to get hungry in the first place was really helpful. Planning out what I am going to eat for the day and having lots of healthy stuff on hand (or in my car, or in my purse, you get the idea) so I could keep myself from getting too hungry was a good strategy. Binge food looks less attractive if you aren't hungry. To this day, I try not to keep food that I am likely to binge and then purge around. Out of sight, out of mind can be a good thing.

I also did a lot of personal work to figure out what my triggers were and what sort of stressors I had in my life that were making this seem like an attractive idea. I really did discover that it was an anxiety behaviour. I was using it to soothe myself when I wasn't feeling great. So lots of journaling and self-discovery. Also, maybe coming up with some alternate ways to calm yourself down, or other activities that you enjoy that you can plan to do instead.

:)

that's great! thank you. I have literally just started writing in a little notebook so maybe ill make that more of a habit and keep my emotions in check! that was really useful again, thank you! I will let you know how i get on today. Hope things are going well with you. And let me know if i can return the favour with any advice for you (not that im qualified to be giving it out or anything but i could try.) :) All the best!