Hello Low Carbers,
I know everyone is going to lambaste me for this question but I'm going to ask it anyways.
Is it harmful to use laxitives once in a while (every few weeks) after a binge?
I can stay low carb successfully during the week but sometimes on a weekend or when I go to a restaurant I start in on the dessert then I binge.
I simply take care of it with a purgative laxitive.

Now, am I causing any damage?
After 24 hours I am back to completely normal bowel movements without any ill effects.
I'm smart enough to know this is an eating disorder of sorts. Is it really harmful?

Thanks

Hi there 8020think,

Unfortunately all eating disordered behaviour such as you describe can cause damage. Have a look at this website: http://www.something-fishy.org/dangers/dangers.php You may feel that what you are doing is not that severe, but eating disorders can be insidious.

Please seek help. Your family doctor can refer you to a counsellor.

Rosebud

I'm not sure what you mean.

I think you mean, "Get rid of the contents before the calories have a chance to interfere with my weight loss." OK. Maybe.

However, I think the insulin reaction starts when you swallow, not when you digest, so a purge doesn't handle that part. Your blood sugars are likely to get whacky regardless. Then there's the imbalance caused by purging itself; bad for the electrolytes. Karen Carpenter, among others. (Admittedly, probably more than once every now and then.)

I wonder if the real harm is that you are not learning to handle the desserts in a way that's really sustainable. Do you want to teach your daughter this "trick"? Is the dessert really worth the purging? Would you do the same thing if you had a big date? What about your wedding cake?

In the specific case you talk about, maybe no lasting physical damage. But addictions--all of them--are cunning, baffling, and powerful, and they creep up. Are you tracking how often this happens? Can you tell, for sure, whether it's really every few weeks, or is it becoming every weekend? What cut-off point will you use to know it's gone out of hand?

And finally, if you really thought it was OK, would you have asked for feedback?

Hope you find a solution that works.