Expert: Meg - 1/24/2005

Question
hi ,im 17 and bulimic. i have dealt with this for a good 3 years. i have tried to stop but only find myself overeating (junk food) and whatnot, im not fat. everyone thinks i have a great body and i have never been overweight. im 113lb. i only wish i can eat normal like everyone else. but i cant. i tryed for one day but only find that i gain weight.i need help
thanks
gisselle

Answer
Hi Gisselle,

Thanks for writing and I hope that I can help (at least a little).

Its great that you want to work on getting healthy again and recovering from bulimia and I hope you will keep moving towards this goal.

As you mentioned, you've been bulimic for 3 years which means that it will probably take awhile for you to relearn how to eat normally as well as your body to adjust to regular eating.  As scary as it is, you will need to figure out a healthy eating plan and work on sticking to this.  If you are able to, I highly recommend finding a nutritionist to help you learn what your body needs and what a good plan for you would be.  Often, when our bodies are deprived of certain nutrients for long periods of time (such as with eating disorders) its hard to find that balance and feel okay about eating healthfully so you may also want to find a therapist or even online support group (try www.something-fishy.org for a good online support community as well as links to support groups and nutritionists).  

I can understand your feeling frusterated after a few days but also want to say that it probably *will* take awhile to feel comfortable with normal eating and not purging again.  My guess is that if you are able to consistantly eat a healthy diet for a few months, it will start to feel a little less weird but that will proably take almost that long.  Especially as you've been doing this for three years and you're accostomed to it.  

As for junk food, I've found that if I am able to plan a healthy meal plan every day that includes all the food groups (so that my body is getting the nutrients it needs) I am much less likely to overeat junk food. And, of course, its okay to add in an occasional treat...and in fact, having them in your meal plan can even curb binging as you know that you'll get a moderate portion of your favorite foods.

I'm really glad that you're taking these steps to get healthy as there are so many physical dangers of bulimia and purging...especially when you're growing.  Please take care of yourself and feel free to email me again if there is anything that is not clear or anything else I can help you with.

Meg :)