So, I've always been one of those people who will go on food binges when they feel bad. About two years ago I started putting on weight, but this summer I turned myself around and managed to start doing regular exercise and losing it again. However, recently I've begun feeling more and more depressed and generally unsatisfied with my life. Despite still keeping up with the exercise, I've taken to eating large quantities of food when I get home from school. Obviously, this makes me feel awful afterwards and it usually ends with my head stuck in a toilet. I would really like to hear from someone who also had this problem and from anyone who has any solutions to controlling my cravings, as it's got particularly out of hand in the past week.
Hello Lark, Until recently, I suffered from anorexia. On the face of it, it seems like we have had exactly opposite problems, but they might be more similar than you think. Depending on your circumstances, as counterintuitive as it sounds, the solution might actually be to surrender to the cravings rather than control them. How much weight have you lost this summer and within what time frame? When you say the binges end up with your head in a toilet, do you mean vomiting from having too much food in your stomach or purging? Even though bulimia is usually considered a completely separate disease from anorexia, they are two facets of the same neurobiological phenomenon: a restrictive eating disorder. How many calories do you take in on a normal day, including the amount you exercise off? When we don't give our bodies enough energy, it taps into other sources within the body for a while (fat, bones, muscles, organ tissue, etc.). However, eventually it gets impatient with the calorie deficit and gives you an insatiable mental urge to eat and eat and eat and eat (sometimes even without the physical sensation of hunger). The binging is not usually the problem: the inadequate food intake is. Even if you haven't been dramatically restricting the amount of food you consume, even mere "dieting" amounts can be enough to generate a massive energy deficit over a period of several months. Even if you're still technically at a "healthy" weight, if you've dieted your weight down to a point where it is outside its set point, a genetically determined weight range at which the body is happiest and functions best at, you are not at a weight which is healthy for your body. Contrary to modern perceptions, our bodies aren't just houses that we can renovate to the weight we want them to be. I don't know if this has been a general feeling or if it has been specifically triggered by something, but inadequate energy intake could also explain the depression you've been feeling. Have you heard about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment? The results demonstrated that depression skyrocketed as the men lost weight---and keep in mind that the "starvation amount" they were fed was around 1600 calories! It shows that our bodies' energy needs are typically much higher than calorie counting websites suggest; very few people can actually maintain their weight on a 2,000 calorie diet. If any of this sounds like it could be true for you, the answer is actually to eat more, not less! Your body is hungry for energy, and there could be serious consequences for your health if you don't give it what it needs. Give yourself some compassion as well (*hug*) Have you been able to discuss what's depressing you with anyone in your life?
I'd suggest contacting some supportive friends (or perhaps a counsellor might be your best bet) to address why you are binge eating. I myself have been struggling with binge eating when I'm feeling stressed, depressed, etc and something that helps me is writing down why I might be overeating. Also, I'd suggest reducing the amount of food that you consume when you binge eat, rather than trying to eliminate it all at once. It's more of a 'realistic' goal, and I believe a strategy that allows us to be patient and kind with ourselves, even if we don't reach our goal right away. When the cravings hit, you could try go for a short walk or do something to distract yourself to avoid overeating. You could also have a small snack when you get home (something healthy like vegetables or some dairy) and then waiting until mealtime before eating again. You could ask a supportive friend if they would mind if you called them/emailed them/etc when you start to get cravings to binge. Hang in there, and don't forget to acknowledge what you've already done to make healthier choices - you mentioned you changed your habits during the summer and that must have taken strength and effort on your part
Good suggestions here. Eating disorders involve a feeling of needing to bring control to an out of control life, and lacking stress management skills. You need to develop better coping skills for your stress, things that you do every day before stress even hits you. Among them are: deep breathing, going for a walk, watching a meditation or soothing music video on YouTube, getting regular sleep, eating high fiber high protein high-color-variety fresh foods, avoiding caffeine, getting involved in a fun activity, calling a friend, dancing, learning a new skill, watching something funny, playing with a pet, listening to your favorite music, writing in a journal or blog, making artwork, building something, doing stuff you need to regularly so the tasks don't build up and become unmanageable, expressing your feelings daily in appropriate ways rather than bottling them up or punching people either, building on the things you already like about yourself, trying phone apps for stress management, and finding positive ways to reframe things that worry you. You may also need to see a therapist or doctor to help you with your eating disorder, it might not be something you can solve yourself.
