Bulimia Help

hi! i checked out your blog ~ your name caught my eye cos i'm a Cassie too!!

thanks for sharing, i will definitely check out in more detail, it helps me sometimes to gauge my own eating by other peoples cos i've let myself get so out of touch with how much, or when, or what to eat.

thx again for sharing :)

Ah that's so cool that you're a Cassie, too! Thanks for checking out the blog. I definitely let myself get out of touch with "normal" eating, too. I used to read the food blogs and wish so badly that I could life my life the way some of those girls did. They just had (have)such a great attitude about eating. They eat healthfully and work out consistently, but still have some treats and rest days and don't beat themselves up about them! I admired this lifestyle, and slowly started to change my ED thinking. Well, I guess "challenge" is a better word than "change". I still have the thoughts, but I'm much better at fighting them now. Enjoy the food blog world! I hope it helps!

Has anyone else visited the food blogs? Lately, I've been thinking about writing a "mission" for mine, and I want part of that mission to be helping people who are struggling with EDs. Let me know if anyone else has visited mine or any of them and whether you find them useful. Thanks! :)

That is absolutely fantastic! I always felt kind of shy telling people what I ate because I never knew what "normal" looked like. But you just proved that hey, ITS FOOD, ITS DELICIOUS!
I've never visited a food blog but it sure looks fun to have!!
The Greek yogurt caught my attention- I use it for eveeeerything =D I usually replace milk in my cereal with it for the added protein. Plus, its more filling and I can add all sorts of things to it to enhance the flavor.
I think its time I stopped seeing food as "energy" or in some cases, "the enemy". I should get enjoyment out of it!
I'm probably overeacting but I think the fact that you know what its like to have an ED and still find food enjoyable in a healthy, fun way. Saving your blog on my bookmark for future meal ideas =]

shotgunxsinner7, your message just made my day! (And it's only 7:27 am. Haha.) I'm so with you on viewing food as the enemy. I used to wish I could just completely stop eating so I wouldn't even have to deal with food anymore. I've had to quit my job, and then later grad school, because of my ED. I was researching residential treatment programs when I started to really get into food blogs. They saved me! Even when I had previously decided to "quit" my ED ways, I could not think outside of what was "appropriate" breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods. I was such a perfectionist, and I never got better. In fact, I got worse. When I started reading food blogs, I began to think of food in a different way. I didn't care if what I was eating was unconventional. If it worked for me, I went with it. I'm not completely healed, but I'm in a MUCH better place than I was before discovering the blogs. Thanks so much for stopping by mine - I really, really hope it helps! Let me know if there is anything you'd like to me cover!

P.S. I loooove me some greek yogurt! Great stuff, isn't it? I hated it at first, but I kept trying it given how good it is for you (DOUBLE the protein? Amazing!), and now I eat it everyday!

I've seen many food blogs and healthy eating plans and felt jealous that I still cannot eat in moderation. I would love to be able to eat just one cookie or one bite of ice cream. It seems like if I eat anything I view as "bad food" , it leads straight to a binge. Did you find that avoiding "bad food" all together at first helps to stop the urge to b/p? I want to be able to handle eating "bad food" in moderation like normal people b/c it's very hard to avoid in social situations. But it makes me compulsively b/p because once I do eat it- my "good day" is ruined. Does anyone else have this "all or nothing" mentality? How do I change it?

I just wrote a post about this exact topic. Check it out here: http://averybusymind.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/warm-fuzzy/

As I said, I am not fully recovered, and I definitely still have work to do. I still have the good food/ bad food mentality, too. It sucks, doesn't it? My best friend is a very health-conscious person, but she still allows herself treats and is able to stop at one or two. I'm working toward being able to do this myself. When I was home for Christmas, we had SO MANY baked goods, but I didn't have any. I was so afraid it would ruin my good mood and cause crazy things to happen in my head, so I refrained. So, yes, I guess avoiding these foods has helped me dramatically reduce b/p-ing. In the past, if I ate something I considered bad, I couldn't stand the thought of having it in my body and I had to b/p. Right now, I'm avoiding those foods and I'm doing well. I definitely want to be able to enjoy those foods eventually, though. What's life without cookies, right? ;) One thing I've been thinking about lately is some reading I've done on weight set-point. (This site addresses some of it.) An important detail I've read recently, though,is that the occasional indulgence will simply be burned off by your body. I always had the mindset that any extra calories I ate would be stored on my body. The calories have to go somewhere, right? But I've learned that your body will actually adjust to these extra calories and raise your body temperature to burn them off - no harm done! It's when you frequently overindulge that you start to gain weight. I'm hoping in the near future I'll be able to use this knowledge to incorporate some treats in my diet. Anyone successful in this area?

u know, i was looking through ur blog 2day and it was dinner time 4 me already but i had no clue about what 2 eat, so upon viewing the pictures of all those delicious salads, i decided 2 make my own "mountain salad". mine consisted of the following:

-romaine
-broccoli
-shredded carrots
-tomatoes
-1/2 an avoacado
-green bell peppers
-1 slice of turkey ham
-1/2 cup cottage cheese
some pepperoncini pepper (these gave it quite a kick)
-3 crumbled carraway seed Triscuts (my fist time trying these, tasted kind of like that shreded wheat cereal but salty)
-and 1 tbsp of Ken's Kitchen LITE italian dressing

it was quite delicious n definaltely satisfying, it turned out 2 b a very huge salad! now i know why u call them mountain salads lol. u know its kind of odd however, that i can get so full of a salad now that im only days in recovery, but when i was in my bulimic mode that salad wouldnt even b a starter! weird..could my stomach possibly have shrunk that fast?

OMG that salad sounds delicious! Geez, I love 'em! (Obviously, they're on my blog all the time lol.) I know exactly what you mean about the salad barely touching your hunger when you were in bulimic mode. I was the same way. I really think that has to do with the fact that I (and maybe you?) was still restricting my food...even sometimes unconsciously. My mind is constantly figuring up calories, considering carbs, etc. I've tried really hard to just eat in a "balanced" way, and not worry so much about the macronutrients. I really have to talk to myself to do this, though, because it is so ingrained in me to think WAY too much about food. Also, something that has been a huge victory for me is eating MORE than I had originally planned. What I mean is that I typically eat about the same amount everyday...when I feel especially hungry and want more than my usual, it starts to really freak me out and it's a huge mind game. In the past, if I even ate a bite more than I thought I "should", it would turn into a full on b/p. Now, I try really hard to just go with it and think, 'Cassie, maybe your body just needs more calories today. And even if it doesn't, it will all balance itself out in the end.' I haven't always been successful and I still have my slip-ups, but the fact that I'm able to do this more times than not is a huge step for me!

Anyway, to get back to the point, I definitely don't know the science behind it, but I do think there's a element of stomach shrinkage in recovery. I only say this because my b/p episodes have significantly reduced (from 2-3 times a day to once every week and a half or so), and now when I b/p, I don't think I can hold as much as I used to. (Ew that sounds gross, but you know what I mean.)

Thank you SO MUCH for visiting the blog and leaving a comment! I keep checking back here to see if anyone has left a comment because I really hope food blogs can do for some of you what they have done for me.

Much love, Gomes2!

Good luck in recovery and please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ANYTHING you need/want to ask/want to complain about/etc.! :)

im the same way, sometimes i still freak out about taking a few more bites of this or nibbling on that and such, and i start feeling a bit guilty, but ive been working on avoiding the Black & White mentally. so far ive been keeping my word on recovery, ive been 6 days b/p free (gonna b 7 when i get through 2day!). i figured the same thing u did..my body will balance it out, but u know recovery isnt easy espeacially when ur body is against u! i mean since ive been clean ive gained tons of weight! in just 6 days..cmon now! that cant be fat! it has 2 b fluid retention right? because ive been eating as healthily as possible and have not overeaten/binged a single day! this freaks me out alot but i try and think that its just a normal part of the process and that if i srew up it'll end up happenenin all over again. did this happen 2 u 2? hey btw, i checked out the blog 2day and read that comment that person made about eating the same thing every day...ppl who dont have this ed just dont get it. its pretty hard 2 incorporate new foods in ur meal plan when ur afraid of binge triggers, i know (i used 2 live off papaya n plain yogurt 4 breakfast n baby cereal for the rest of the day when i first attempted recovery). im trying 2 vary what i eat at my meals now, and i try and keep it as balanced as i can including most of the food groups through out the day. like for example today i had 2 of these toasted mini cinamon bagels (they're a bag of 10 count and were on Manager's Special for 69 cents can u believe it?) w/ a bit of fatfree cream cheese n sugar free jam, a slice of turkey ham (made 2 cute little sanwiches), papaya w/yogurt n honey, and of course i had to have some caffeine so i had me some very delicious mix of french vanilla/sugar cookie flavoured coffee. i think this was quite balanced, what do u think? well as for some of my "bad" foods, i've recently made friends again w/melted cheese which i have no clue why i would always try 2 avoid at all cost..now i eat it and enjoy it as much as i can..as for my other triggers like pastries n sweets, i have them in the house now but im enjoying them w/moderation now which is a real accomplishment 4 me because b4 every time i had a bite, id say, screw it..binge time! not anymore tho..i still find them a bit triggering especially if i c a delicious piece of cake sitting all lonely on the kitchen counter top. now when this happens i dont give in anymore, i simply put it away somewhere where i wont c it anymore. this has helped me quite a bit.

OMG..wow this turned out to b a very long comment, almost like a story lol..sorry! =)

Hey, guys! I just added a new page to my blog that I think would be of interest to you all. There are a few girls that suffer from EDs that read my blog, and they found it inspirational. It was originally a post, but I made it into a page called "Before & Current." It shows pictures of me when I was deep in my ED ways, as well as current pictures of me as I'm in recovery. It's something I wish someone would have shown me when I was struggling with deciding to go into recovery. Give it a looksee if ya want! http://averybusymind.wordpress.com/before-current/

I also give a description of my thought processes before and during recovery.

*Gomes2 - congrats on your success as of late! Sounds like you're doing great! Still truckin' along?!

Oh - forgot to add: Please leave comments (here or on the blog)! I'd like to know what you guys think/what your thoughts are/what you'd like to see more of/what you'd like to see less of...anything, really! Every time someone tells me something on the blog helps them - it totally makes my day! It's one of the reasons I'm blogging. :)

Much appreciated!

hey i checked out your blog and i have to say you look GREAT! its so fantastic that you are recovering and healthy. i too have lost weight, toned up, and started living and feeling better after recovery! i even ran a marathon! why did it take me 12 years to realize that normal living is eating healthy and being active? not spooning tubs of cookie dough into my for too long, but we are taking back whats ours now!

also, we eat VERY similarly.

hey, I saw your blog pics, and I have to say you look a million times better with added weight. Before you looked like you came out of Auschwitz., and now you are a sexy lean mean fighting machine. Nice!

Jane25, you are soooo not alone, I'm like that too, one cookie crumb, or morsel of chcoolate or whatever it may be that's a "bad food" will trigger a b/p... cause once the day is ruined, it's ruined.. :-??

Um yeah, I was just reading your blog there 'averybusymind', and may I just say that you are my food soul mate??
Oatmeal messes, cottage cheese, veggie sandwich, tortilla creations, organic soup and most definitely KASHI! These are all things I would eat in a given day.
I've found that taking the time to pick out special HEALTHY recipes that are also mui delicioso is a kickass way to fend off binges (and subsequent purges).
Hah we should exchange recipes :)
xx

Hey, ya'll!

Just wanted to let anyone who reads the blog know that I've made a few updates to it. Also, I wanted to get feedback from you guys...

Is there anything you'd like me to cover? Any ideas for post topics...or even just something that will get a discussion going???

Let me know!

***Is anyone enjoying/find the site useful?***

http://averybusymind.com

I saw your pics and omg I want that body!!! I am officially ready to recover! You said you did the elliptical for 20 min. then made your workout a little more intense. I'm afraid of overexercising and going back on my progress so I was wondering if you could describe a typical week at the gym? I eat healthy on days when I go to the gym so I think this is the key to my recovery!

Hey, Courtneyyy14! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

I just updated my "Workouts" page a couple days ago to describe the basic principles I follow, but here's a rundown of a typical week for me (this is NOW...I would have DIED had I try to do all this at the beginning of recovery):

- 4 days a week: cardio for roughly 40 minutes (high intensity and/or interval training), plus 20-30 minutes of strength training
- 2 days a week: recovery day (I basically pick a cardio machine I'm unfamiliar with and just "play" on it for about 30 minutes. I don't really push myself on these days, because I know my muscles need recovery time
- 1 day a week: TOTAL REST

This is a VERY rough set of guidelines, and I change it up often. Also, this is an ideal week (as in, I don't always get that much exercise in due to traveling for work, being super sore from a particular workout, other time constraints, etc.)

I worked up to this routine very slowly. I just added little bits to my regimen at a time, making sure not to push myself too hard (because I knew if I did I'd start hating the gym, and I didn't want that).

Hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything else you need/want to know. I'm an open book!

Also, check out the "Workouts" page on the blog for more detail on my exercise regimen.

Thanks again! :)

Just wanted to thank those of you that have stopped by the blog! I've heard from a few of you, and it makes me so so so happy!!!

I really hope the blog helps - please let me know if there is anything you'd like to me to address/cover, and as always, feel free to e-mail me!

THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN!!!