Binge Eating Disorder Support

[FightingBed2014]

This is our second thread, helping each other through the ups and downs we experience with binge eating. The original thread can be found here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/new_blog_posts/2029166-Eating-Disorder-Recovery

This is open to anyone, no mater how good or bad things are for you. We are all here for support and help to recover from our disordered eating. Talking about how we feel has been the first step to recovery for us. There is hope and life without it.

I blog about my recovery as I go through each new experience, if you want to have a read it's here

ellechapmanblog.wordpress.com

Recovering don't beat yourself up, I think you've nailed the reason for the overeating in this case and it's probably not your childhood but the feeling of struggling socially. Perfectly normal to use delicious buffet food as a distraction from those feelings and making uncomfortable conversation - I have certainly used drinks/food as something to do at social events I've found dull or intimidating . I think others here will recognise the feeling of not wanting to go to certain social events and it's a fact of life that some people are happier in very small groups of close friends whereas others are more gregarious. Don't try and fight it, it's ok to avoid such gatherings when you can, accept it's part of your personality. Your awareness of this will also help you prepare for the next one you have to go to, perhaps you could prepare a mantra to help you avoid diving headfirst into the petits fours . Remind yourself that friends won't be judging your 'success' anywhere near as harshly as you will-and many may envy aspects of your life that they don't have . If they do judge then they really aren't friends you should want or care about are they . Today is a new day, you learnt a bit more yesterday, onwards and upwards !

Purple so many positives! Good luck for the new job, I'm so pleased for you. How did it feel when you realised you could stop eating before all the food was gone at a meal out (I know this is a biggie!)

Violet, sounding good! I'm glad you are keeping the hot choc, it sounds like you find it so comforting and enjoyable . Was not eating the graze box difficult? Was it a simple 'don't feel like it' or did you win a willpower battle ?

Goodas, glad you are feeling better, don't rush it though. Take care of yourself xx

sleep it felt good. I am still not always making the right choices and do still have small binges but nothing like before.

Nobody makes 'right choices' all the time Purple

I think when you discover you can happily stop eating a meal before your plate is clear, even if it's your favourite food (especially at a restaurant/special occasion) it is a weird feeling of freedom - weird because if you are used to restricting then the idea of giving yourself the freedom to eat as much as you want seems destined to result in a frenzied, disastrous level of overeating, when in fact it's the opposite . You are really getting there!

Perhaps now you are in a better place with the restriction aspect you can try and focus on what conversations, situations or feelings give rise to an urge to binge. I think maybe boredom and frustration/unhappiness at work was a big factor but like MrsM maybe thinking about feeling and expressing 'negative' emotions is part of it too. I use '' because I don't think any emotion is negative, sadness, anger etc are as valid as happiness, but often we feel we need to disguise or gloss over those...but they then have much more impact in other ways

Oh bugger just wrote a message and lost it.
Thanks sleep, I am feeling more positive, a tiny bit more comfortable in my own body and with my choices.
It wasn't too difficult to forgo the graze box, as I was satisfied with the Mexican and pastry, and had eaten a fairly big portion of pasta for lunch, so I didn't feel the need to 'graze' as much as I sometimes do. By planning my snacks it's somehow like I gave myself permission not to have them.

Today's food - I had counselling at 11.30 so I always have breakfast in town!
B - brie/cranberry panini, starbucks eggnog (enjoyed every bit of this)
L - felt crappy again so had almond milk warmed with oats and a spoon of peanut butter
T - just eaten. Guacamole (sort of! Was tomatoes, peppers, parsley, garlic, chilli, spring onion, lemon, avocado) on top of 3 boiled eggs

Good sorry you're still feeling rough. Your almond milk sounds lovely, I need to try that.

Although we all have our dips this week, I am so proud of you all. There are so many positive changes happening. We make a great team I think!

My eating has been really good this week. Even though I'm on and struggling a little to keep anxiety in check. The protein balls were a great snack today. Got some more for tomorrow. I will make some at the weekend to keep it going.

I stumbled on lunch as I rely so much on eggs, so hada tuna sandwich. I'm finding that foods I used to get excited to eat, like crisps, don't interest me. Evenings are still a bit tricky as I'm tired. Batch meals help (when I don't screw it up).x

purple congratulations on the job. Such great news.x

Some days I am crap with food, my "I don't want to eat" is milk of some sort, oats, banana, peanut butter and cinnamon blended (hot or cold)
It's a Jamie Oliver recipe (has horlicks in which works nicely)

Just a quick msg to say thank you very much for the support yesterday. IT really helped.

I feel better today. Am on a deadline for work, but will be back.

Stay strong everyone.

OK team, just about managed today, a couple of extra roast potatoes at dinner but no biggie.
Tomorrow it's almost exactly the same menu as today but I'm allowing myself a graze box if I feel like it, it's Friday after all!
Vibes to all...

Dragon I love snacking too, it is my downfall at times! And recovering I love buffets! I went to one Sunday for a friend's child's baptism and I just kept sneaking up to the table again and again!

violetbean and Sleep with OA you don't automatically have to cut out certain foods but some people may choose to.

Fighting are you reading Say Goodbye to Overeating, just noticed it's by Gillian Riley, I think she is lovely, there was a thread on here yonks ago about her and some great clips of her talking on an Aussie or NZ TV show. can I ask, please, what are protein balls? I was thinking of some sort of Asian fish ball until you said you put chocolate on them!

MrsMargoLeadbetter sorry to hear about your crap day.

Perfectlypurple good luck with new job and well done on stopping when full.

Well, Sunday, as I said, I went a bit mad, had cake I did not need, tons of chicken, it was all lovely but really I was just trying to diminish what was on the table! Not enjoying it in the end!

Have had some bad news re health, I might be diabetic, checking that, and I might have a problem with my liver! Hope not but that is being checked too. Have over eaten for best part of 25 years and always felt a tiny bit smug that I had 'got away with it' as there were no huge 'symptoms' except me being pretty big and my knees creaking. But now the food is catching me up! Am so thankful I am going to OA because I would probably feel really bad if I was not tackling it. But I am thankful I found OA when I did, just a few days before the nurse said I might have diabetes!

I went to an extra meeting Sunday (normally just go once a week) but I felt I really needed it. Also went to regular meeting and have found in last few days I am actually leaving a bit of food here and there. A spoonful of cottage cheese, a few crisps, half a slice of toast. I am wasting it in the bin instead of wasting it in my mouth! Tried to explain to rake thin husband how good it feels to not have to finish every mouthful. He was pleased, I know, but I am not sure he really gets it. I think you lot will. It's so rare for me to feel full and stop! I normally feel full, dismiss the thought and plough on!

Good luck to all.

Morning
I have new drugs (antibiotics, steroids, inhaler). Seven tubes of blood taken and now off for a chest x Ray. Got to have ECG next week as well
Yummy breakfast of boiled eggs with some Mayo and crispy bacon
Hope everyone is well

Blimey goodas you must be in a bad way! Your breakfast is making me feel hungry!

Goodas I hope you get well soon. It sounds lie this one has hit hard . You always manage to sound so upbeat too.

I haven't started any other bks yet. I can't fit anything else in right now as the business is growing. Not nervous anymore.

Taking about the buffet up thread really struck with me. I will inevitably eat way too much. Has anyone been to one, whilst feeling positive? In the past its always been when I'm low. it just creates a mission to eat the whole bloody table.

will be back later but hope you all had a good friday so far. Thinking of you all.x

Hope it all goes well goodasitgets.

Fighting the buffet I went to they were bagging up the food afterwards and letting people take it home. It was hard not to grab a bag for later! But I did not!

You did really well Italian! There was a time where I would have grabbed a bag for me... then found a way to get another one. It must have been really hard to leave without anything, well done.

I've just written a shopping list whilst cooking. When I finished there was no crap on it, just veg, meats and essential items for a meal plan. It used to be a list of treats but I'm struggling to think of any I want. There are bars of chocolate in this cupboard from last week. Who thought I would be looking forward to batch cooking and making protein balls. I need to work on getting more veg into the kids, that next weeks mission.x

Just won't shift. Counsellor jokes I would still be cheery whilst bleeding to death
Not sure what to have for tea yet, some form of feta/sweet potato/veg combo

The only thing I've found works for me at buffets is to be one of the last people to go up and pick stuff, then there's (sometimes) hardly any left and it restricts my overeating. Doesn't work for restaurant buffets though as they keep replenishing...

violetbean what a good idea. The trouble for meis my anxiety at fear of missing out kicks in! But I might try that next time.

Good your combo sound yummy.

Fighting well done, I must read your blog and catch up on what you do.

I binged
Never mind. One slip up doesn't make a bad week. Food in the oven for tea

Sorry to hear that good. Keep going.