Restarting after binge eating disorder/bulimia came back again

mentalhealth
newbies
(dc40bc00c1f8fdfea878) #1

Hi everyone,

After years of trying every diet and battling undiagnosed binge eating disorder and intermittent bulimia from the age of 8 I found and started on LCHF and Keto last year on the 2nd April at the age of 25. I enjoyed every minute of my journey and went from 189lbs down to 158lbs by August and I had never been so happy and at ease with myself and my eating behaviours. It was so easy and so natural to me.
In August last year a lot of things in my life changed, relationships, work and education and it completely stressed me out and affected my self confidence. I battled to stay on track but everything just turned upside down. Here I am 8 months later and back at 184lbs and feeling frustrated. All of my disordered eating returned and I just could not get a handle on it even though I know all the ins and outs of this way of eating and the health benefits.
My career and work has a strong focus on LCHF and Keto (which is why I am posting anonymously) which makes it even more difficult as those around me have noticed that I have put back on the weight that I had lost and I feel that I have let myself down. (until now! :slight_smile: )

I know that I return to my disordered eating when I am stressed but I feel that now I have a handle on the stress and things are a little clearer this is the time for me to get back on track to how I was feeling before. Funny how it never really is about the food but rather the emotional issue we all have going on!

Anyway, I wanted to come on here and say hello to everyone. I know that I can overcome this again like I did before and set an example to others to do the same. When I am on keto I feel in control, at ease, happy and content with things, and full of energy! That is what I want back, the weight loss is just a side note!

So here we go, day 1…

Is there anyone out there that has come back after a long time away? Anyone out there who has found keto/lchf/fasting to help their disordered eating?

Thanks everyone and looking forward to meeting you all! :slight_smile:

#2

Welcome, this is a great place for information and support!

I can’t say that I was really away for any length of time after committing to keto, but it did take me a long to commit to it in the first place.

I spent a lot of time trying to convince myself that I could eat carbs, so I yo-yo dieted for many years, but it was consistently feeling bad while eating carbs and consistently feeling better while not, that taught me that this is best woe for me. In other words, a lot of trial and error and success and failure, but I didn’t give up.

(Kiri Graves) #3

I’m still really new to this (Started exploring the WOE 1/3/17) so I’m not one to take advice from. BUT, I’m also coming from an eating disorder background (bulimia/binge) so I’m here with ya. :slight_smile:

I’m feeling more in control with the mental urges so we’ll see if this trend continues huh? YAY Learning!!! :slight_smile: I’ll be excited to see your wins!

(Aliesha Barnett) #4

Awesone to hear from someone that has had a similar situation/experience to me! I am new to keto too and have suffered from BED. I have always been a very active person, completing half ironman events etc and by over training and not feeling my body correctly this effected my hormones (which I’m still struggling to deal with) which lead to my eating going crazy. The last 9months I have been in a dark place trying to find what works for my body, which has been absolute struggle.

So trying out this whole keto thing now and I am really enjoying eating keto but am really struggling with getting into ketosis but I am determined to get there.

Look forward to hearing how you get on with your journey

#5

There will always be the small minority that attack those who have real life struggles like normal people but most people find it makes you relatable and someone they know can really help them.

I have found keto easier to maintain than LCHF. I always struggled with cravings before and a period of rapid regain when I fell of the wagon. That was when I moved to keto. I thought it would be harder being more restrictive but found it so much easier and the cravings more manageable. I totally agree with you about the impact of emotional issues. The first thoughts through my head pretty much in times of stress are cravings for carbs - they are still that go to self medication of old. In my head. Now though I have learnt the healing power of keto for my depression and migraines. I feel like I have control over my health and eating for the first time in my life and that feels amazing. I never thought it would happen.

I don’t think you have let yourself down at all. I think you will have learnt from this experience and it will benefit not only you but the people you help.

I wish you all the best. xxx

#6

Yeppers! Wise words from @Daisy.

We all stumble and fall along the way. The main thing is that you’ve picked yourself up, dusted yourself off and have the fortitude to try again. For some reason, many people seem to think that making a significant lifestyle change is different to learning any other new skill. It takes lots of practice and patience. I think you’ll find it a very safe place here for times just like this. Go you!!

(Wenchie) #7

Hellos and thanks for opening up and for sharing your story.
I can’t tell you about coming back to this and I am a total newbie so I should probably not speak but it always moves me to see someone who has the same struggles like me. I too am a binge eater and have been bulimic for some time in my life.

Good that you came here because people here are very empathic and most of them don’t belive in lecturing but helping and finding ways to help.

I feel a lot more comfy in this ways of eating because I feel like even if I overdose my food- as long as its Keto I did not demage too much. Also I could feel my depressions easing off a bit and just generally more active. Also I feel full for the first time in decades when I eat. All this helps me a lot because I can still take comfort out of food (bacon bacon bacon :bacon:) but without feeling like total garbage afterwards.

As for people discouraging you… I was very worried how my coworkers would treat me in this change. I have been always exposed to “funny” jokes about my weight… I spoke to my boss about it and he basically said that whatever I do and however long I manage to stay into it, the most important thing is that I tried.

You did not fail, love. You worked hard on yourself and things knocked you over. That’s nothing to blame yourself for! And here you are trying again. How wonderful! Be proud! :heart_eyes: And just try again… you are worth it.

All the best for you! We can do it! :blush::blush:

(Wenchie) #8

I love what you said there :heart: You are a very nice and encouraging person @Daisy thanks for that!

(I ran out of like :joy::joy: so I have to spread all the love later today :heart_eyes:)

#9

I suffer from BED. I have found that staying the course has helped tremendously for me. There are still triggers, but you just have to do your best to avoid them.

(George Hernandez) #11

Thank you for reaching out and opening up.

In 2000 i went keto/Atkins for the 1st time and dropped 75lbs.
There was no where near the information and online support that we have now.
As time passed, i put the weight back on and more. I was back to all the old ways of eating and overeating.
My emotions and depression were all over the place.

Today, 17 years later, I am 107days into Ketosis, down 30 lbs and on this new beautiful journey to a better and stronger me.
It is what i want and it is my priority. I bring with me the wealth of experience that i have earned day by day and the strength of knowing that there is an abundance of support when i choose to accept it. Eliminating sugar and the bad carbs has had a huge impact on my mind.

Several years ago, i discovered some support groups and experienced something new and comforting. To have people around you that understand and support you is a very powerful thing.
I didn’t agree with everything but i stuck around like they said to and i learned many tools along the way.

Life can easily feel like you are helpless and alone in your situation, but this is not the case. You can influence your situation. include yourself in a supportive environment, be honest to yourself and seek help, as you have done here.
Life will always present challenges and we have each other to help us get thru them. Identify what triggers you and work on changing that. It might be avoiding certain people, places or things(like specific foods). Some things cant be completely avoid and so we use the support to find a better way to handle it. Being in the right environment can have such a great impact on your life and the same can be said about the opposite.

As time passes, i find it amazing how so many things that i heard or experienced in the past have reappeared with a new understanding. I try to use these to help me navigate thru so much of the negative stuff that i know i don’t need in my life.
and i keep building on the experiences.

Progress is the goal, not perfection. The journey is what it’s all about.

*this post is for me as much as it is for anyone that can find some meaning in it.

(Steak and iron) #12

I’m undiagnosed but I suspect I have binge eating disorder. A combination of ketogenic diet and maintaining a healthy mental state has allowed me to avoid binges for the most part

(Heidi ) #13

Hi. I too am pretty new to “keto”. I debated making this post private, however, perhaps it’s time to be OK with my past.
I was never diagnosed, but absolutely anorexic/eating disordered with all the s $#t that goes with it. It almost ruined my life, my family and would have destroyed my career. That was a whIle ago now and while I’ve been physically “healthy” for a while, my emotional response to my body and food never really got better.
I no longer feel like I’m in this cycle of abuse (if you will) with food or my body. There is a calmnss that has come with keto that I’ve never experienced and it sounds like you’ve had that already.
Whatever curve ball life threw you, your past knowledge can’t be taken away by it. Learn from it and ease back in. You’re OK. You already know that.
As I often tell my daughter, this is soul school. We’re all here to experience and learn. Something that has helped me a lot is separating my judgment from my experiences. Rather than encrypting something as “Good” or “bad”, try stepping back and going: “huh”… “well that happened” and with practice you will find a much greater peace with what life hands you.

Take care

#14

I know this is sort of an older post, but was searching for posts with topics similar to the issue I’m currently having. This might actually be the first time I have ever admitted to anyone (even anonymously) that I am bulimic. I may also have issues with binge eating, but as I understand it that’s pretty much part of the whole bulimic cycle.

I have been struggling with bulimia off and on since my late teens early twenties. I have been able to get out of the cycle at times. I was able to fully quit when I was pregnant and for a time after, but as my weight ballooned up I started in again.

I am a superhuman dieter. If I am in a losing weight mode I can follow any diet you give me with full force and lose weight like a champ. It is in the maintenance phase where I tend to have issues…I can’t seem to loosen up a little without going back to bad habits full force as well.

Keto is the only way of eating where I have ever been able to maintain my weight for a long period of time. Unfortunately something has gotten me off track and I find myself back in that bulimic cycle. I will do really well for 3/4 of the day and then in the evening I fall off track.

I feel like I may be like @Daisy where I would be better off going back to a strict keto macro versus having a little higher carb limit like I’ve been trying to do. I really am committed to trying to get back on track starting right now…

Any more tips from anyone in this situation?

#15

I interviewed Jessica Turton yesterday - it will be out in two weeks - and she discussed her binge-eating. She talked about how much it improved when she went low carb but then how it went completely when she went keto. My suspicion is that you will have a sweet spot level of carbs that it is best to stay at or below to manage the symptoms.

@gardengirlkp’s episode might also be helpful…

www.ketowomanpodcast.com/karen-parrott

(Aimee Moisa) #16

Yeah, but I think it’s time to make it active again. :slight_smile:

@keto4me Thank you for sharing your story. I’m a binge-eater, went through an intensive outpatient therapy program last year and now that my head is screwed on a little better (not perfectly, of course) I’m finally trying to do keto after knowing about its benefits for 18 years.

@Daisy Thanks for the link, I will definitely give it a listen. I’m finding it a wee bit easier to not binge on keto, I’m in my 3rd week right now.

@dc40bc00c1f8fdfea878 If you’re still around, thank you for starting this thread. Hopefully you can find strength and trust in yourself.

I’ve sort of “come back” after a long time away myself. In 2008 I lost 110 pounds in 8 months on a low carb, low fat, low calorie meal replacement plan. Ketosis put my PCOS into remission and I got pregnant. My baby girl is now almost 9 and I’m 50 pounds higher than when I started in 2008. I need to be here for her a lot longer than my extreme morbid obesity will let me so I’m getting my shit together and using every resource I can muster to stay on track. Amazingly, at less than 20 net carbs a day, it hasn’t been difficult. I’ve been doing it sort of lazy, eating lots of fats, moderate protein, and only a little bit of veg and none of the carby stuff. I tracked for a week or so and then I noticed my calories were way higher than I wanted them from all the fat, and things went pear shaped for a day or two.

When I tried to count calories and reduce my intake I suddenly had a binge episode, and then I had another. I learned a lot in therapy and the first thing you learn is that restricting triggers binges. So, I stopped tracking (continuing with high fat and protein and almost no carbs) for a week and I haven’t had a binge since. I’m slowly going back to tracking but I’m just making sure I don’t go over in net carbs and under in protein. I’m leaving the fat alone and eating whatever I want. I actually feel healthy. I don’t know how this happened but I hope it’s sustainable because it makes me happy.