How the hell are you supposed to recover from an eating disorder?

Question

I have had an eating disoder,anorexia for as long as i can remember and i have been in and out of hospital on meds and all kinds of stuff like that but i cant recover anyone got any tips or anyhting that could help me

Answer 1

Hi. I was anorexic and bulimic for over 25 years. The GOOD news here is that I am now completely free of either disorder. For a long time, I thought I would never ever recover--that I would die from the long-term effects (I had a heart attack at 23) or from suicide. I was in therapy for a very long time and also hospitalized many times. The therapy helped--it was truly a learning experience--one that took much time & effort on my part. The most important thing I would like to impart to you is that you can overcome this--with help--so never, never give up. Seek out a healthy support system of friends, family, mentors (emphasis on mentally/spiritually healthy). Then... make a conscious decision to get better--a decision for LIFE. Not death. Realize that eating disorders are a disease of SELF--we are obsessed with self, how we look, are perceived by others, etc. Make a concerted, consistent effort to get out of self--avoid mirrors; find people who need your help--and give it to them. Help someone learn to read in a literacy program; be a teacher's aide for mentally handicapped kids; be a Big Sister in your city to a girl who needs a mentor; volunteer at a day care center---go where someone needs you. Give of yourself. Sitting around contemplating our latest weight loss/gain or exercising madly may seem important right now, but in the long run it is pointless. You may not realize it, but you are also a spiritual being... explore that part of yourself. I am a Christian and know that Christ helped guide me into the light of recovery, but He did not make it easy or simple for me. Look for the lesson in every painful situation. Oh, my, there are so many things I could share with you, but it sounds like you are just taking your first steps into recovery. I send love, prayers, and blessings your way. Always, always stay in the light--avoid the darkness of self-hatred self-obsession. God be with you always! Feel free to email me.

Answer 2

I suffered going back and forth between anorexia and bulimia for nearly twenty years. It almost killed me and with the damage I have done to my body, it still could. What had to happen for me to be thin AND eat without throwing it up was to quit obsessing about it. I got the impression from reading your question that you have not reached this point of calling a truce in your war with food and your body. You are screwing with your metabolism (and since everything in the body is connected somehow, you are therefore screwing with all of it). You need to eat. Every day more than once. This is the reality of life. If you eat a vegan, whole-foods diet while making sure you get all the nutrients you need as your psychologist says, and eat a little bit every 3-5 hours but not within 3 hours of going to bed, and do light-moderate cardiovascular exercise every day and weight training at least 3 times/week, you can not go wrong. Maybe you'll be thin and maybe you won't. But you won't be fat and you'll be healthy. I also recommend Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. It saved my life. I hope you can also recognize how much progress you've already made. Eating disorders suck so much because you have to face food every day. I imagine other types of addicts having to develop a healthy relationship with their drugs of choice would yield a success rate unmeasurable by modern science. So give yourself credit for that. You are TRYING. That in itself is huge.

Answer 3

I have too, had eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia) for 11 years adn it's definitely hard. Stay in therapy or get in therapy if you're not already. Take it one day at a time. Don't look at it as receovery long term....some say you'll never been fully recovered, like an alcoholic is never "cured." Talk with a nutritionist and get on meal plan. Most of all, keep at it and don't give up!! You can gain control!

Answer 4

It's all a mental thing... I used to be aenorexic. Not as bad as you sound, but my hair started thinning and clumps falling out, and I was only 98 pounds, or something like that. How I did it was:

Even though ALL foods are hard to get down, find one that doesn't seem as hard. For me, it was gummies. It's all a mental thing really... you have to change your way of thinking. Work on each bite little by little and try your best not to think about the fact that you're eating. Watch TV or something while you do it. Bite by bite, I'd get it down. For days on end, all I pretty much ate was gummies. Until I was finally healthy, and able to change my way of thinking to "food is good." I want you to email me, and tell me how this is going for you.


It's [e-mail]

Good luck sweetheart.

Amanda

Answer 5

I have a blood sugar disorder (formerly hypoglycemic - low blood sugar, now diabetic - high blood sugar). The readings I have done to get my sugars in line may help with your condition, because blood sugar imbalances can lead to other types of conditions.

Check out www.hufa.org, the symptoms page. If you have more than one or two symptoms, you may want to get checked for blood sugar imbalance - or self-test (info is on the website on that). If it is a blood sugar imbalance that is a cause of your anorexia, then there are diets that can assist to control the blood sugar levels, and maybe control the anorexic urges.

E-mail me if I can be of assistance.

Answer 6

Remember to take the meds on a daily basis. Its just like being Bipolar yu have to stay on the meds

Answer 7

You're already on your way to recovery by acknowleding you need help. But you have to be patient; understand that you control the food, the food doesn't control you.

You really need cognitive therapy. It's all about the way you think; so when you change your thinking patterns, the way you see food changes.

Good luck.

Answer 8

one day at a time. i have worked with people with eating disorders and the long term outcome is not good. we had to put an N.G. tube down there nose and tubes in their stomaches. you know what is right and i hope you choose the right path. good luck and i wish you a full recovery.

Answer 9

Consistent therapy and companionship is key to overcoming that kind of situation. Also keep your faith in God and pray for help and strength to overcome the disorder.

Answer 10

www.emofree.com

read the free manual, and if it makes sense, order the $60 videos. My son is being helped a lot on social anxiety disorders, so I can suggest it.

You will see when you download and read the free manual.