I think my cutting plan has led to an eating disorder. Has anyone dealt with this? I tend to restrict calories, then overeat, then become very depressed, then exercise to lose the weight and bloating. It has become a cycle and I am starting to get really scared of what might happen. I am not sure who to turn to for help?
I have a very stressful job, get little sleep, and have gone through a relationship breakup. I am trying with all of my might to overcome this, but it is so hard. I have not worked out in 4 days and have been eating tons of carbs both healthy and unhealthy. I feel awful. Has anyone experienced this or anything like this?

Yep, I am a binger and occassional purger. I'd say I'm 'addicted' to sugar and starch ( never binged on a steak:lol:. ) However, I dont consider myself to have an eating disorder. I'm finally getting it under control though.

How long has this been going on? (I was doing this for over 5 years.) Do you think you could just be in a funk and going through some rough times? You might want to consider changing your plan alittle, so that you dont set yourself up for binges. And I know it's cliche, but if you feel like you need to talk with someone, perhaps you should make an appointment with a counselor/therapist. It's always nice to get another person's objective opinion and support. Do what you feel is right.

Hope you find something that helps. I know how hard it can be!

Yep, I am a binger and occassional purger. I'd say I'm 'addicted' to sugar and starch ( never binged on a steak:lol:. ) However, I dont consider myself to have an eating disorder. I'm finally getting it under control though.

How long has this been going on? (I was doing this for over 5 years.) Do you think you could just be in a funk and going through some rough times? You might want to consider changing your plan alittle, so that you dont set yourself up for binges. And I know it's cliche, but if you feel like you need to talk with someone, perhaps you should make an appointment with a counselor/therapist. It's always nice to get another person's objective opinion and support. Do what you feel is right.

Hope you find something that helps. I know how hard it can be!

This has been happening on and off for about 2 years but definitely more lately than ever before. I get on track, but then I am off before I can blink an eye. I have a very "black and white" attitude so once I screw up my diet, I tend to just say "screw it"

How did you overcome this? I just want to know what others have done that perhaps I should try. I love my body and want to get back to my goal weight and shape. I have just been feeling so depressed.
I have been seeing a therpaist but it really hasn't helped much in the way of my diet issues. He is helping me more with the stress of work and relaitonship though I am sure it is all related. I amm a very independent person so it is strange for me to have to "get help" but I am all for it at this point since it is really starting to scare me.
Any advice on what you did would be helpful. Thanks so much

Holy crap, you sound exactly like me! :eek:

I have the black and white mentality too. I think alot of people do, but I take it to the extreme. If I ate even one bite of something off plan, I'd go on a rampage from the carb cravings and the fact that the day was 'tainted'. It's an incredibly euphoric sense of reckless abandon, and you keep thinking "Tomorrow, tomorrow." Even though the guilt and self hatred were intense, I couldnt seem to stop myself. I was also going through work and relationshop issues as well.

Here's my post to another thread here, you may have read it. http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=28644

What specifically has helped immensely, and is controversial, has been staying in deep ketosis (and low calories.) My appetite has dropped to almost non existant, an amazing feat for myself. My body is changing so fast that there is absolutely no way in heck I am going to ruin everything by stuffing my face with half a pizza, bowls of icecream and cans of pop. However, I really really got it into my head that if I have alittle something off plan, it's not the end of the world. That frame of mind is what I think plays into a maintenance diet especially too. Also, I allow myself one Free Day every week in which I can eat as I please, within reason. This has worked for me. And I'm already getting flak for it, so I'm not quite sure if it would hurt or harm you.

:p I am very independant too, moreso in the brain, and that's why I'd never consider seeing a nutritionist/diet related counselor because they are so conventional and orthodox. But I'm also an idiot sometimes ;)

I'm a big time perfectionist, dreamer with all or nothing mentality ;)

I have gone through ups and downs with my weight (135-160), but this time when I started in April 2005, it seems like I'm doing much better.

Looking back, I'm way stricter now then I was at the beginning, but I did it gradually.
I dont know what to say, take deep breath..... realising that this is not a "race" but rather a lifestyle change really helped me...seeing a big picture.
First I tried to just cut cut cut, got down to 18% and got stuck. Then someone told me to bulk up and try again. I felt like I was giving up my goal, but I was told to look at a big picture and just change my strategy.

Of course through the winter (I blame my travels) there were days (well, weeks) where I ate like crap and drank way too much, but then I felt like SHIT (sorry but I felt like that) and I missed the clean way I felt when I ate good.
Well, after a week of working out and clean diet, the feeling was back.
Its life, you will have those times and expect it. Its not a failure, its a part of life, but get up and get going and learn from it.

Everytime I went away I was doing something better, I was learning.

Well, I'm going away today... we will see how it goes. I have a competition to motivate me this time.
Also being on this forum helps SO MUCH!!!!! Being around people that have simular goals helps tremendously.

Good luck!!!

This has been happening on and off for about 2 years but definitely more lately than ever before. I get on track, but then I am off before I can blink an eye. I have a very "black and white" attitude so once I screw up my diet, I tend to just say "screw it"

How did you overcome this? I just want to know what others have done that perhaps I should try. I love my body and want to get back to my goal weight and shape. I have just been feeling so depressed.
I have been seeing a therpaist but it really hasn't helped much in the way of my diet issues. He is helping me more with the stress of work and relaitonship though I am sure it is all related. I amm a very independent person so it is strange for me to have to "get help" but I am all for it at this point since it is really starting to scare me.
Any advice on what you did would be helpful. Thanks so much


That describes me very well also. ALL or NOTHING! The absolute hardest time I ever had was last summer when I had to diet down for a boxing competition. It was very hard - mentally. Then I became VERY obsessed with the food and calories I was putting into my body etc. And then training hard 2x's a day.

I also have OCD and clinical depression. So it is a vicious cycle for me. I have been on the Christmas Fudge Diet since last December. Which means I haven't gone more than 3 days in a row eating clean. And I blame the down hill slide on the Christmas fudge that started it all last December. :lol:

My binges involved like 2 lbs. of m & m's in one sitting and a couple of pints of ice cream... soo bad. Then I get really strict for a few days, then totally fall off the wagon. And punish myself with extreme exercise.

In between therapists right now. Also on medication and still working with my M.D. to find the right mix for my brain chemistry. Anyway, I know where you are coming from and wish I had some answers for you. It sounds like it is tied to other issues in your life. Mine sure is.

and it sounds to me that you are depressed.

I had bulimia for a while. My problem is the bingeing which leads to purging..But not always.

You need to find out the trigger of your bingeing and purging, then you can deal with it.

For me being too restrictive and not eating enough triggers a binge. So every few days now I will have a treat. I am also very slowly trying to up my calories so that I don't get too hungry but this is very hard.

I would go through restrticting > bingeing > exercise excessively and restrict > binge > restricting MORE! Its silly.

You may need to find a balance, or teach yourself how to say 'no more' after cosuming a food that breaks your plan... Also realising that there are no 'naughty foods' is important. They are only naughty when you BINGE.

I wouldn't have been able to get this far in my recovery without theraphy though.

Let me know if you'd like to talk about this further.. Your bingeing may be emotional? There could be a whole lot of reasons/

Good luck!

xX

If I find myself having a deep craving for something, I have a few bites of it. If it doesn't satisfy me, I promise myself that I can have more in 20 minutes, and, in the meantime, I try and find another solution to my craving (go for a walk, lift some weights). I find that as long as I am eating a reasonable amount of calories and getting enough fibre, I don't have any extra-large cravings. I've always taken the slow route to weight loss. I never eat more that a few calories below maintenance; if there was a bigger gap, that would have set me up for failure. Most evenings that I'm craving cake, it's because I haven't eaten enough food volume that day. Once I give myself some fruit (sometimes a whole lot of fruit), I'm fine. Bingeing on fruit is better than bingeing on cake.

I had bulimia for a while. My problem is the bingeing which leads to purging..But not always.

You need to find out the trigger of your bingeing and purging, then you can deal with it.

For me being too restrictive and not eating enough triggers a binge. So every few days now I will have a treat. I am also very slowly trying to up my calories so that I don't get too hungry but this is very hard.

I would go through restrticting > bingeing > exercise excessively and restrict > binge > restricting MORE! Its silly.

You may need to find a balance, or teach yourself how to say 'no more' after cosuming a food that breaks your plan... Also realising that there are no 'naughty foods' is important. They are only naughty when you BINGE.

I wouldn't have been able to get this far in my recovery without theraphy though.

Let me know if you'd like to talk about this further.. Your bingeing may be emotional? There could be a whole lot of reasons/

Good luck!

xX

First, I must say that THANK YOU TO ALL who replied to this, because hearing your advice and more importantly, your struggles, really helps me to not feel alone. I know that my bingeing is definitely emotional but it is strongly linked to the physical aspect of my life. For instance, if I miss a workout, I feel like I blew it, so I just eat whatever and feel like SHIT about myself. The day is "tainted" as one person said- so true! And if I look in the mirror and feel like my arms look fat, it makes me want to eat because I am not seeing results.

I will say that this past week, I have been great with my workouts and fairly good with the diet. I just know that if I got my eating in good order, I could reach my goals in no time. I had reached my goal about 5 months ago, but these binges can really set you back and cause a lot of bloating as well.

Luckily, mMy workouts are intense, cardio & weights. But I know it is terrible to "punish" yourself with exercise because you then begin to change your mentality about working out from something that you enjoy to something that you MUST DO.

So, it is a vicious cycle and I welcome any more feedback or advice. Maybe I should start a "challenge" just to see how many days I can go really eating clean. I want to be able to treat myself to something without feeling like I ate a dozen donuts and should give up on everything.

Perhaps your challenge could be that you eat healthily but have a treat every few days regardless, and the challenge could also include teaching yourself to say 'no more' of that unhealthy food after you've had 1 chocolate bar or one pancake ect...

Get what I mean?

Don't challenge to be perfect, plan for these slip ups and then you may not feel the need to binge as much..

Its tough to teach yourself moderation, I understand. I'm still teaching myself now..

If I ate even one bite of something off plan, I'd go on a rampage from the carb cravings and the fact that the day was 'tainted'.I've the same problem and have for years. I'm very, very slowly (and maybe) correcting it, trying to convince myself that one chocolate bar does not destroy the entire day--at least not as much as it being followed by 3 more and then half a loaf of banana bread later.

Like you, I'm a carb-addict. I've never had lusts for steak or fat. It's always sugar.