Expert: Ginger - 10/26/2010

Question
Hey there i'm a young 18 year old,, through my teen years i have suffered being under weight and always having a problem with my weight,,, about a year ago i started making myself throw up  ,, but not very often ,,,  just like once a week or sometimes more and sometimes less,,, but the last couple of weeks after school when i get home i find it hard to stop eating ,, i over eat myself --- and i know its an emotional thing ,, but how do i stop over eating?? when i start i cant stop!!! It makes me feel like i cant control myself!! i need help-- i dont want to do this anymore!!
any  advice will be appreciated!!

Answer
Hi Anna,
Sorry for the delay in answering your question! I had a sick baby (he's feeling better now).

Making yourself throw up is never normal behaviour, even if you only do it once a week or less. I'ts a sign of bulimia, as I'm sure you already know. It's totally normal for people with bulimia to feel out of control with their eating, and to have difficulty stopping. You're also right when you say it's an emotional thing.

The best advice I can give you is to see a doctor (I know that's maybe not what you want to hear). It's very, very hard to overcome an eating disorder on your own, since you need to treat the emotional part of it, and oftentimes it's hard to figure out exactly what that is. Do your parents know what's going on? If not, you could always talk to a counsellor at school, or your regular doctor, and they could both point you in the right direction.  

There's a website that I found very helpful in my recovery... it has a lot of great information and tips:

www.somethingfishy.org

You've actually already taken the first step in getting better by decided you need help and you don't want to do this anymore- congratulations! That's one of the hardest parts. You can get better, I promise!

E-mail me any time you think I can help.
Ginger