Has anyone successfully got themselves over a food issue?

[Goingtobeawesome]

?

[Terrifiedandregretful]

I think you can learn to manage a food issue but it's always there.

[einalem1984]

Yes I have a good relationship with food now but it look a lots of years and support.

[Missbohan]

No. Not for years - not sure I will ever see food the way other people do - i just see food as something that i eat enough of to keep me going and alive and healthy as possible on the small amount i allow myself. But then i have never wanted help so maybe with professional help it can improve - my bmi is currently too low for me to have a baby and i frequently miss periods so am considering tackling it this year - as currently the thought of 'having' to gain weight during pregnancy is making me break out in cold sweats which is obviously not right - so i need to get past all of that. I manage to be healthier than I was but the thought of not being in charge of my diet or having to eat foods that other people get pleasure from (cake, treats etc - as part of a normal balanced diet now and again) make me feel literally faint. I started practising 'not eating' in secondary school to see how long i could go before needing one apple and i am now in my 30s so have trained myself to get by on very little, what i eat for lunch genuinely fills me up but would not be enough for the average person. I don't think i will ever feel differently. It's sad and something I am actually quite embarassed of irl.

[einalem1984]

Oh Missbohan I felt so sad reading your post and I don't mean that in a patronising way at all. It reminds me of how I felt when I was a teenager. If you want children I hope you manage to go for some professional help. You may find (as I did) that speaking to a professional helps but you'll also need the support of your family. It's getting to the mindset of you controlling food not food and the voices in your head controlling you which is hard. I wish you luck x

[Missbohan]

Thank you xx I know you didn't mean it in a patronising way, ironically if any of my friends / family did what I do re food I would be very worried about them. They are all very supportive so hopefully this year things will get better for me with professional help too - also glad to hear you sound like you have got past similar issues, nice to know it can be done

[WoodAnenome]

I was anorexic and bulimic for a few years from about age 16 - 20. I refused to go to the Doctor and after a few years of eating less and less I hit "rock bottom", which for me was when I stood on the bathroom scale one day and saw that I weighed 4 stone. That moment was what did it for me. I knew instantly that I was not in control and that I was in danger and there and then I decided I wanted to change course. I started eating properly, joined a gym and started to and take pride in making my body as fit and strong as I could.

I'm not sure that I am "cured" even now many years later but I've eaten good healthy food since and I've managed to keep my BMI just within the right range.

Good luck. If you need support, ask your GP to refer you. There is help out there nowadays that wasn't available when I was young.

[Helena17]

I used to eat sweets and lots of carbs. Palpitations and weight gain brought me to the brink until finally I decided to quit my old eating habits with the help of a good friend. It wasn't easy but I'm glad it wasn't all too late.

[Chocolate50]

I think if you have an ED its like an addiction, you never truly get over it but learn to live with it.