Expert: Leigh-Anne - 9/13/2004

Question
I have been bulimic for about 1 month. Not very long or anything. I am just wondering what i should do, i know that you will probobly tell me to tell my mom or something, but you don't know how hard that is for me. No1 understands what i am going thru, so they will think that i'm stupid for throwing up my food, etc. What do you think that i should do? I really need some guidence. Could you please write me back with what i should do now for recovery, and maybe if you know a website i could go to for support, because i feel so lost and confused and i think that i might just need someone to talk to that understands what i'm going thru. Thanks.

~Elizabeth

Answer
It's good that you caught your disordered eating behaviors early. Some things that you can do to prevent this from worsening is to identify the source of the problem. Is it truly a weight issue? Most of the time this is not the case. It may seem like it, but it's more about control. The person is overwhelmed with emotions, stuffs those emotions down with binges, and then releases them by purging. After that there is a rush of endorphins (something the body produces to give you a feeling of euphoria... or in laymens terms you feel good... on top of the world). The person feels like he/she cannot control what's going on around them, so they control what's going on inside them. So, first and foremost you need to determine the source of your disordered eating behaviors. Second, you need to figure out ways to deal with that. If it's emotions/feelings, starting a journal and writing in it whenever you feel like binging and purging may be a good idea. This not only distracts you from binging and purging, but it also lets you release those pent up feelings/emotions that you are having. Another thing you can do is try to keep bigning foods at low levels in the house. Many ED people binge on specific types of foods... like bread, pasta, etc. Keep those foods on low reserve in the house (may be hard to do if you don't do the grocery shopping). Try to be with someone or around someone as much as you can. This will keep you from binging because you don't know what the chances are that you will be able to purge. You can always write to me. I will put my email address at the bottom in case you would like to use that instead. I generally have classes throughout the day, but I check my email as frequently as I can (at LEAST once a day). So, if you are feeling lost and confused and don't know what to do... you are thinking about binging and purging... just email me... I can be your personal journal if you'd like!!! I will try to give as much feedback as I can!

Leigh-Anne
persingpas@hotmail.com