Develop A Support System
Most people who recover from bulimia dont do it alone. They have a network of support that helps them along the way. And so, building your network of support is a crucial step of how to recover from bulimia. Your network can include close friends, trusted family members, your treatment team, support groups, and even online groups for people in recovery. These people can help you through bad moments, cheer on victories and milestones in recovery, and be there to support you as you recover.
Linda Gerhardt is writer and content creator who works in nonprofit technology by day and runs a fat activism & Health at Every Size-focused blog called Fluffy Kitten Party by night. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and rescue pets.
Overcoming A Raging Eating Disorder
In this episode Millie chats with Nikki Matthews who at 40 years of age has overcome a raging eating disorder to become the first age group female in the 2021 NZ IronMan and 4th in her age group at the IronMan world championships.
They discuss the New Zealand mental health system, the importance of lived experience and the role that IronMan played in her healing journey.
There is hope at ended.org.au
endED is a nonprofit organisation and needs your support to continue providing guidance and hope for those affected by eating disorders. DONATE HERE
Find out more about Millie Thomas.
Other Specified Feeding Or Eating Disorder
A person with OSFED has many of the symptoms of other eating disorders but their condition doesn’t align with any specific disorder. People with OSFED commonly have very disruptive eating habits and can have a distorted body image. Around 1 in 3 people who seeks treatment for an eating disorder have OSFED.
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So What Causes An Eating Disorder
- The shame of having an eating problem
- The eating disorder is useful- this is a big issue for most people with an active eating problem. Purging can become a way to manage moods or to get through the day.
- Perhaps I dont deserve to get help / I should be able to crack this on my own.
- I am not ill enough or, there are people much more worse off than me.
Tips To Improve Your Body Image
Dress for yourself, not others. You should feel good in what you wear. Pick clothes that express your personality and make you feel comfortable and confident.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Even people without an eating disorder experience feelings of anxiety and inferiority when they compare themselves to others on social media. People exaggerate the positive aspects of their lives on Facebook, Instagram and the like, brushing over their flaws and the doubts and disappointments that we all experience. If necessary, take a break from social mediaand toss the fashion magazines. Even when you realize that the images are pure Photoshopped fantasy, they can still trigger feelings of insecurity. Stay away until youre confident they wont undermine your self-acceptance.
Pamper your body. Instead of treating your body like the enemy, look at it as something precious. Pamper yourself with a massage, manicure, facial, a candlelight bath, or a scented lotion or perfume that makes you happy.
Stay active. While its important not to overdo it with exercise, staying active is good for both your mental and physical well-being. The key is to differentiate between compulsive exercisewhich is rule-driven, weight-focused, and rigidand healthy exercise that is rule-free, fun, and flexible. Focus on activities you enjoy and do them because they improve your mood, not because they might change how you look. Outdoor activities can be especially good at boosting your sense of well-being.
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Remember That It Isn’t Easy
This doesn’t mean that creating new or breaking old habitsespecially those related to eating disorders or disordered eatingare simple tasks. Instead, we are looking at the brains powerful role when it hijacks choice and shifts something to habit, often without the persons permission or awareness.
Early Treatment Leads To Better Outcomes
Evidence also shows that the sooner you start treatment for an eating disorder, the shorter the recovery process will be.
Early and targeted care will improve the likelihood of positive treatment outcomes for people with an eating disorder.
Focusing on the process of recovery may be a helpful technique to employ, since the end goal of recovery can often seem stressful or unattainable.
Many people who have recovered from eating disorders have identified the following themes, which have helped them manage and learn from the recovery process:
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How Do Teens Cope
It is very natural for teens who feel anxious or stressed to seek ways to reduce their negative feelings and thoughts. Some positive coping strategies include participating in sports, creative arts or volunteer work. Each of these strategies can help reduce their stress and increase their self-esteem and resilience.
On the other hand, there are many coping strategies that may actually create more harm than good and interfere with a teen’s daily life, personal development and mental and physical health. Extreme dieting and the pursuit of thinness, along with alcohol and substance abuse or antisocial behaviours, are examples of unproductive and unhealthy strategies teens may choose to feel better, less anxious and more in control. Unfortunately, these behaviours usually cause more distress and isolation and may result in the development of eating disorders and/or addictions.
Find Other Ways To Feed Your Feelings
If you dont know how to manage your emotions in a way that doesnt involve food, you wont be able to control your eating habits for very long. Diets so often fail because they offer logical nutritional advice which only works if you have conscious control over your eating habits. It doesnt work when emotions hijack the process, demanding an immediate payoff with food.
In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. Its not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, although thats a huge first step. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.
Affordable Online Therapy for Emotional Eating
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Assemble Your Treatment Team
Because eating disorders have serious emotional, medical, and nutritional consequences, its important to have a team of professionals that can address every aspect of your problem. As you search, focus on finding the right fitprofessionals who make you feel comfortable, accepted, and safe.
To find an eating disorder treatment specialist in your area:
- Ask your primary care doctor for a referral.
- Check with your local hospitals or medical centers.
- Ask your school counselor or nurse.
How Are Eating Disorders Treated
Eating disorders are best treated by a team that includes a doctor, dietitian, and therapist. Treatment includes nutrition counseling, medical care, and talk therapy . The doctor might prescribe medicine to treat binge eating, anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns.
The details of the treatment depend on the type of eating disorder and how severe it is. Some people are hospitalized because of extreme weight loss and medical complications.
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The Slippery Slope Of Diet Culture
On this episode Millie is interviewed on another podcast called The Daily Dollop with Kate Freeman about the slippery slope of diet culture. Kate chats with Millie about her personal journey with an eating disorder and her role now, as an eating disorder recovery coach. Kate asks Millies to discuss her thoughts on the slippery slope that is dieting and fad diets, that often start off innocently enough with people wanting to lose a few kilos and be healthier but it then becomes unhealthy leading to disordered eating practices and eventually an eating disorder. Here is the darker side of diet culture and how you can get help.
There is hope at ended.org.au
endED is a nonprofit organisation and needs your support to continue providing guidance and hope for those affected by eating disorders. DONATE HERE
Make A Plan To Overcome Bulimia
What do you do when you want to binge and purge? Often, breaking this cycle is a matter of just getting through a difficult moment. Come up with a plan that will help you tolerate these moments. Knowing what to do when the feeling hits you can help you get through it. Things you may want to include on your plan are calling a friend or family member, distracting yourself with a task or going to a safe location where you dont have the means or access to binge or purge.
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Gp & Health Professionals
As a GP, you are likely to be the first health professional a person with an eating disorder or carer will come in contact with. A GPs role in the treatment of eating disorders can include prevention, identification, medical management in a primary care setting and referral .
EDQ is a self-referral clinic. GPs are welcome to send referral paperwork or GP reports to EDQ , and we will keep it on file until such time as the client reaches out. We do not have the capacity to contact each client that is referred to us.
How Can You Tell If Your Friend Or Family Member Has An Eating Disorder
Watch out for the following behavioural signs of anorexia nervosa odd food rituals, intense fear of becoming fat, overly restricted eating, avoidance of situations where food will be present, binge eating, wearing baggy clothes to hide weight loss and the use of laxatives, enemas or diuretics to get rid of food.
Physiological and psychological signs include weight loss, no more menstrual periods, pale complexion, often feeling cold, fainting spells, distended abdomen, fatigue, mood swings, withdrawal from friends and family, insecurity and distorted sense of reality. Others could include frequent sore throats, tooth decay, muscle aches, weight fluctuations, mood swings, excessive self-criticism and self-worth determined by food choices.
Behavioural signs of bulimia nervosa include binge eating, eating food in secret, bathroom visits after meals, extreme exercise routines and vomiting or fasting.
If you suspect anyone that you know to be suffering from an eating disorder, try to convince them or their loved ones to get them some help. Who knows you could be saving their life in the long run.
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Hope Resilience & Recovery
To facilitate hope and recovery for all people affected by eating disorders.
Treatment for individuals
Eating Disorders Queensland supports those recovering from eating disorders with a skilled practitioner in a safe environment. EDQ services including individual therapeutic support, group therapy, and non-therapeutic supports are available to individuals across Queensland age 16 and over. Many of the services available at EDQ are funded by Queensland Health, while some services will require a Medicare referral or NDIS support package.
Help for carers & key supports
Our Family & Carer Team have a range of services and support options for family members, carers and key support people who are supporting a loved one with an eating disorder. Our services include Individual Coaching, Fostering Recovery Workshops, Carer Connect Support Group, Carer Peer Mentoring and Re-Connect events throughout the year.
Resources for health professionals
Eating Disorders Queensland is a specialist, community-based service. We are passionate about sharing our values with community professionals. We can assist you in identifying and understanding eating disorders and working with individuals affected by eating disorders. Our training explores the following themes: identifying eating disorders and early warning signs, understanding eating disorders and prevalence, eating disorders across a continuum, the power of language and more.
Keep A Food And Mood Journal
Keeping a food and mood journal that tracks what you eat and how you feel can be an effective tool. It can help identify potential emotional and food triggers and promote healthier eating habits.
One study in 17 people showed that using an online self-help program that involved keeping a food diary was associated with fewer self-reported episodes of binge eating .
Several other studies also suggest that tracking your intake may be linked to increased weight loss and aid long-term weight management .
To get started, simply start recording what you eat and how you feel each day using either a journal or app.
Summary Food and mood journals can help identify triggers to address potential problems. Studies show that using a food diary is associated with fewer episodes of binge eating, as well as increased weight loss.
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What Insurance Does The Hospital Take
If you are being admitted to one of our hospital-based programs, both Inpatient and Partial Hospitalization, our business office will verify your benefits beforehand, and the admissions coordinator will contact you with information about your coverage. Admission to our program in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Psychiatry qualifies as a mental health hospitalization and will be authorized under the mental health portion of your insurance, not the medical portion. Please see the Admissions page for more information.
Do Listen To Your Treatment Team
Your treatment team should be comprised of professionals who have years of training and experience with eating disorders. Listen to them when they recommend specific changes, even when it might seem scary to you. Changes such as adding a medication, adopting a meal plan, or considering a higher level of care can be important and necessary changes to your treatment plan.
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Are There Cures For Eating Disorders
Eating disorders in dancers are more common place than you think. Since the causes of anorexia are multifaceted, the treatment can include a variety of approaches, most of which are psychological in nature. The first step to recovery is to restore the person to a normal or close-to-normal body weight to make sure that they are out of the danger zone.
Its best if the patient can be diagnosed early and steps can be taken to treat the patient either in a hospital or as an outpatient. The patient who is far along in his/her disorder may be in need of urgent hospitalisation to prevent death. In the beginning, weight gain is the biggest obstacle to initial recovery.
After weight has been stabilised, psychotherapy and/or counselling is the initial avenue of treatment in order to deal with the issues of self-hate and low self-esteem that are at the root of the disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also be used to change destructive thoughts and behaviours.
Then theres group therapy and family therapy to give the patient a support group. A physician would also be involved in prescribing medication to deal with anxiety or depression.
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders is a great resource for help and information regarding these eating disorders. They have a free hotline for anyone who needs help.
What Is The Difference Between Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia
Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are characterized by an overvalued drive for thinness and a disturbance in eating behavior. The main difference between diagnoses is that anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of self-starvation involving significant weight loss of 15 percent or more of ideal body weight, whereas patients with bulimia nervosa are, by definition, at normal weight or above.
Bulimia is characterized by a cycle of dieting, binge-eating and compensatory purging behavior to prevent weight gain. Purging behavior includes vomiting, diuretic or laxative abuse. When underweight individuals with anorexia nervosa also engage in bingeing and purging behavior the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa supercedes that of binge/purging type.
Excessive exercise aimed at weight loss or at preventing weight gain is common in both anorexia nervosa and in bulimia.
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Clean Out The Kitchen
Having lots of or trigger foods in the kitchen can make it much easier to binge eat.
Conversely, keeping healthy foods on hand can reduce your risk of emotional eating by limiting the number of unhealthy options.
Start by clearing out processed snack foods like chips, candies, and pre-packaged convenience foods and swapping them for healthier alternatives.
Stocking your kitchen with fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods, whole grains, nuts, and seeds can improve your diet and reduce your risk of binge eating unhealthy foods.
Summary Removing unhealthy foods from your kitchen and stocking up on healthy alternatives can improve diet quality and make it harder to binge eat.
Alternatives To Emotional Eating
If youre depressed or lonely, call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog or cat, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento.
If youre anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk.
If youre exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light some scented candles, or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.
If youre bored, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy .
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Avoid Eating From Containers
Eating chips out of the bag, ice cream out of the carton, or takeout straight from the box can lead to consuming more food than is recommended as a serving size.
Instead, portion out a single serving size on a plate or in a bowl to help control the number of calories you consume in one sitting.
Use measuring tools to train your eye on what a normal portion should look like for different types of foods.
Summary Instead of eating food straight from the package, portion it into a dish. Try measuring out appropriate serving sizes to help train your eye to identify how much food is recommended as an average portion.