I've been bulimic for over twenty years, and LC is the first WOE that has actually helped reduce my bingeing/purging. However, I "fell off the wagon" a couple of weekends ago, and while I've still mostly been sticking to LC, I've been bingeing/purging too much again. I plan to start induction again on Monday - I've found that when I'm being very strict about sticking to a pure LC regimen, I simply do not binge and purge at all...which is amazing! Nothing else in twenty years has allowed me to control my bulimia so successfully!

These last couple weeks have only served to confirm what I already knew...I must stay away from carbs in order to reduce my eating-disordered behavior. This has got me wondering about others out there who may be in the same situation as I am. I'm wondering if anyone else out there is struggling with the same issues - whether it be anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive eating - and has found LC to be a good way to combat the eating disorder demons.

Perhaps it would help us to start a thread, or even a separate support forum, for us to discuss these issues? I would love to get in touch with others out there like me, who are finally finding a way to find peace with food through LC.

What do you think?

Hi Rachel!
I'm so glad that this WOE is helping your disorder!
While I am not bullimic or anorexic I am a compulsive eater. Even on this WOE I fall off the deep end; if I eat some sweet sugar-free stuff, or go crazy on the heavy cream, LC candy, SF chocolate, cheese, this and that. I will be purely stuffed and still put more food down my throat.. This WOE has helped where before I was going CRAZY eating bread, pizza, and candy (and everything in sight!) in some sort of vicious cycle. Except I wasn't purging.. just binging, binging, binging. I would eat till I couldn't move and as soon as it didn't hurt to move I'd eat more! :P
I do a lot better if I stick to protein and no sweets!! Thne I stop craving them...
Lately I've been doing bad and eating too many "legal" treats (flaxomeal, granny's granola, nuts, s.f. desserts, etc) I'm really trying to work on it though.
Good luck on slaying the dragon!
I'm rooting for ya!

sheri

Hi,

I have been bulimic for about 9 yrs and I belong to a support group on yahoo that has helped me immensely. My bulimia had become pretty out of control. A few months ago I was fortunate enough to meet a woman on there that just by listening to me (I don't want to talk to my family or friends) has helped me remain free from purging for 56 days! I am astonished. Even though the purging has gone away, I am still having trouble w/the binges even though I am trying to find out what drives me to binge and work on that. I started Atkins yesterday b/c I'm feeling a little heavy from all I've been binging on lately. Plus, it seems to promise to reduce cravings and help w/binges. Even though I know it's too soon to tell, yesterday I felt satisifed all day and felt no need to binge. So I think this is a great answer for bulimics! Let me know if you wan't to start a support group. Feel free to e-mail me!

--Cindy

wow does this sound familiar. when I was 17 I weighed 180 lbs. something in my brain snapped and I stopped eating 6 months and 55 lbs later Idestroyed my metabolism. I started to eat again and the weight came back on thats when I went bulemic and stayed that way for about 5 years. I find that I do well on low carb and I finally feel like my metabolism is working for me and not against me.
I feel what you are saying hang in there. LCing has given me my energy back.

Hi there

I'm also a recovering bulimic, I was anorexic in high school then "discovered" bulimia in my last year of high school then all throughout University and pretty much up until the 17th February 2003. What was so special about that date? thats the day I started Atkins, and I havn't binged/purged since then - so thats 10 weeks and counting.

Something clicked in my mind on that day and although I've felt the urges and voice in my mind saying "buy that cake you can throw it up and no-one will ever know" I've had the strength to overcome it for the first time in my life.....

When I said Atkins has saved my life, I think he truely did both from being obese and bound to die at an earlier age and from the trauma the bulima (binge/purge cycle of up to 3 times per week) was having on my body.....

I've never been more than 4 weeks without hitting the old habits (both of breaking a diet and the binge/purge cycle) so I'm breaking new ground in this WOL.... and I love it!

Fiona

Looks like there are a lot of us with eating disorders. I had pretty much stopped purging and as a result gained quite a bit of weight. Went on Atkins and have been doing very well since then. I still have problems with food, though. I really, really want to be in control of when, where and what I eat. I also like to eat alone. Weird, huh? Sometimes, I feel uncomfortable when staying with friends and family, or having a business lunch or dinner -- anywhere that I don't have input into what is being prepared. Even though I know I'm not cured, LC helps me control my eating disorder when nothing else did.

Can't believe I'm writing all this... I've never told anyone this stuff.
Cindy

I was into bulimia for a few months. I LOVED the dollar store then. I could go in with $10 and come out with bags of chips, boxes of little debbie cakes, chocolate, cotton candy, etc. What made it the most gross was that I didn't use the toilet to purge cause there's usually someone home here and I didn't want to be caught. Instead I used garbage bags. I'd purge into them in my room, then build up a collection under my bed. I'd take them out about every other day. It just kept getting worse and worse. I'd b/p entire family sized meals- several times a day. I'd be so tired, I had sores on the sides of my mouth, my throat hurt, and on top of that I was up to using 3 fingers gag myself to purge and sometimes even that didn't make the food come up.
Two things helped me finally stop. One, then I took an abnormal psychology class where I learned the facts of eating disorders. In bulimia, even if you get every single morsel of food out of your stomach within a short time after binging, your body will still have absorbed about 50% of the calories. Most bulimics are over weight. Two, I read a book called Wasted by Marya Hornbacher. Oh my God! This book was sooooo good. It's the memoirs of a girl who suffered from both bulimia and anorexia at different times in her life. She began purging at around 8 years old. The climax occurs when she's around 20 and weighs 52lbs. If you have an eating disorder, read this book. It just might be the inspiration you need to stop.

This was not my intention when I came to this forum. I came here looking for help with my mom's Fibro (and found it). I have been a successful low carber for 2 years now and have all but met my goals.

I feel compelled to tell my story to you though as I happened to run across this eating disorder thread.

I was bulimic for over 12 years. I would binge and purge as much as 10 times a day at times. It all stemmed from a weight issue, being cut from the cheerleading squad cause I couldn't keep up (due to weight) losing a husband (thank god) who left me cause I was fat.

My birthday 3 years ago I remember it well. Puking in the bathroom (I was so good at it that I was totally silent in the loo) no one knew there was a "Normally in control" redhead in there blowing chunks. I hated myself because I was SO in control of everything else in my life and I knew that I would kill myself if I didn't stop. So what happened that made me stop?

That day (Happy Birthday to me) I threw up blood for the first time. Not a great deal of blood , but enough to make you FREAK!. Memories of a friend that I had lost due to bulimia 3 years prior came flooding back. She had been throwing up blood for a short time just before she died.

I slapped my face at that point and instantly stopped binging and purging...and what happened? You guessed it, over the next 8 months, I gained so much weight that I couldn't stand myself. I am a DJ by profession so I must look good, and be in shape to do my job effectively.

Someone heard my cries on a chat board and came to my rescue. She introduced me to low carb and informed me that as my body (and stomach) healed due to the added protein of low carb, that the weight would as well disapear, and that my long lost good health may return.

She was 100% right! I have never looked back, never had a relapse either. No more poor health....no more stomach issues, (unless I screw up and cheat) and no more blood, headaches, feelings of being out of control! The weight DID come off for the first time in my life in the HEALTHIEST way. I have never felt healthier and more in control than I do now.

Ladies (guys too) do yourself a favor, stick to the low carb RELIGIOUSLY. It will heal you emotionally and physically. You will actually be able to tell when the feeling I call "brain fog" leaves you. Your mental clarity will astound you. No joke! Don't cheat! Once you have gotten through Low Carb induction (2 weeks) you may have an occasional legal (allowed) treat. There are thousands of recipe sites out there, go do a search for low carb recipes!

Just do yourself a favor and don't try any recipes unless the recipe lists a carb count. I was at 20 grams of carb a day during induction. Now I am at 20 to 30 a day and am almost done with the weight loss.

You can do this...you will be thin, you WILL be able to eat as much as you want until you are satisfied...and you WILL be healed!

Be strong, have faith...saving my life was the easiest thing I have ever had to do!

I hope this post has hit home with some of you. You will likely die if you don't get this eating disorder under control. Sorry...but its the truth!

These forums are great for healing, you get to tell your dirty (to you anyway) secrets without having to look anyone in the eye or worrying about what they will think of you.

I suppose I was bulemic for about 8 years. I was the really tall strongly built athletic girl, who swam at a state level, played netball etc. But I was bigger and taller than EVERYONE!! Even the boys for most of highschool. I felt like a freak!!

Anyway, I got the purging mostly under control, but the binging I found difficult to beat, I was still obsessed. Anytime I knew my hubby was going to be out of the house I'd stock up on rubbish and eat and eat. I got so fat.... I'd never been above about 170lbs before (my 150lb goal weight is actually really too thin for my build, not really a goal, just a nice round figure to dream about).

Anyway, now I'm obsessed with being healthy and other interests and I havent even though about bingeing. For me that is the key, I'm an obsessive person and I just need to divert it!

I've never been anorexic or bulemic, but I've been a compulsive eater for sure. I think if I didn't hate the feeling of vomiting so much I might have become bulemic, but I can't stand it - whenever I'm ill and know I'm going to vomit I delay as long as possible - even the sick feeling before that is better than the actual vomiting. Anyway, that aside - the truth is that having learned about low carbing I'm just not sure if I'm a compulsive eater for emotional reasons, or because of all the insulin running wild in my blood! I had plenty of reasons to eat emotionally - I was bullied at school, I also got way too much attention to my body at a young age - I was the only girl in class developing breasts at the age of 10 and the boys wouldn't leave me alone; groping, and on one memorable occasion turning on me and trying to get my dress off. This lasted 2 years until I left the school, and I know it's left me with a lot of issues and ambivalence about my body. I think getting fat may have been a way of making myself less attractive so that they'd leave me alone. Of course that's a double edged sword, because of course part of me did want normal romantic attention! Another part of my overeating was to do with my family I think - they were always going on at me about losing weight and not eating, and being denied food all the time used to make me so angry I would eat more to spite them. Read Geneen Roth's book When Food is Love - it talks about how children associate food with love and nurturing, so being denied it can feel like you're being denied love. I used to eat so much it was awful, and I hid it all from my family. This was as a child and teenager. Once I got a bit older I didn't binge as much as I used to - but then I was also over 200 lbs - and I did still eat way too much, all the time, and one bar of chocolate would quickly lead to five more. All that said - once I started low carbing, all the overeating has gone away entirely, and so has the urge to do it. Of course I would love to be able to eat chocolate, crisps, pasta etc, but I'm not sitting here resisting cravings at all. I don't even miss them that much except when I am with people who are eating them and I have to hold back. So I really don't know - was any of my overeating because of emotional issues, or was it just a physical thing that ended up being tangled with emotional issues? That whole 'you overeat because you've got emotional problems etc' - I'm just not convinced anymore, for myself. I know that anorexia and bulemia are different diseases so I'd be curious to know whether low carbing helps with them, as I know anorexia for example is more about control and distorted body image. But for me - the emotional issues might still be there but they don't seem to be connected with food anymore. It's actually very confusing.

Deborah

I can definitely relate - I think from an early age I was obsessed with food. First because my mom was an alcoholic and there would be days when she wouldn't get out of bed, no food in the house and I just wouldn't eat. Then my Dad would come by to get me (they were divorced) and he would take me out to eat and I'd eat everything in sight.

I stopped all that until I got so involved in the "fitness" lifestyle and began cutting out ALL fat from my diet. I didn't curtail the sugar - just the fat. Pretty soon I found myslef bingeing on all manner of carbs - cakes, breads, cookies, pizza - you name it - I ate it. I never made myslef throw up because I couldn't stand that feeling - but I would pop like ten diuretics the next day to deal with the water retention, then maybe some laxatives to clean me out and I would get on the stairmaster and do the highest level for like 1 1/2 hours so I wouldn't gain weight.

Boy did I mess up my metablosim, hormonal balance & electrolyte balance. That lasted about 8 long years and it's been 4 years since I've actively binged. I have had an occasion or two when I get stressed out then I want to eat like awhole pizza or cake. It's tough but I do notice that the less starchy carbs I have the better - I seem not to think about food as much as when i have grains, sugar etc. in my diet.

Good luck to anyone who still struggles with an Eating Disorder - it's not to be trifled with and I think this is the best forum (eating plan) for you!!

Sunkist

Rachelthea, I too have suffered from Bullimia to varying degrees for the past 18 years. During that time I've had 3 children who are aged 4, 2 and 5 months. I've been treated with anti-depressants (prozac), group therapy, psychotherapy, counselling and have self medicated through strict dieting (low fat) and excessive exercise, whittling my body fat down to 10% at one point! I am fortunate not to have suffered any long term side effects and my fertility has not been affected.

I had given up hope of every overcoming my issues. After 18 years as a bullimic it was hard to imagine life any other way. However, my almost 3 weeks of induction have been a revelation and I have had absolutely no desire to binge-purge whatsoever. This is the first time in 18 years that I have felt "free". I know it's very very early days but I am convinced that there is something about carbohydrates which triggers the desire to binge-purge. I am very excited about the future and really hope that someone out there can come up with some link between carbs and bullimia/compulsive eating. I think it could provide a bit of hope for all those who have overeating disorders of one sort or another.

I agree that this whole area deserves further discussion. Oh, and a big hug to you for having coped for so long so well. And to all you others coping with eating disorders.

Thankyou for sharing your story with us. It takes a lot of courage to be open and honest about such a personal issue.

I was never able to vomit as a way of purging. I did excersise compulsively (as a teen and young adult) in an attempt to rid myself of the after effects of one of my binges. It is important to realise that bulimia doesn't always just take the form of bingeing and vomiting afterwards. Laxative abuse and compulsive excersise are also potentially dnagerous areas which CAN lead to long-term health complications.

Good luck to you !

I am so happy to see so many people who have suffered from eating disorders that have found LC eating has helped them out greatly. I myself was anorexic when i was younger and a compulsive exerciser I dropped to 50 kg (about 110 pounds) which is way too light for my height and now when i look back i can't beleive i still thought i was fat. I did binge and purge off and on for years after that but for the last couple fo years i have tried to eat a 'healthy' low fat diet. (I have always stayed extremely active) People always commented on how fit i was but couldn't understand why i carried the extra weight. Then i discovered Atkins - my saviour. Now i feel for the first time in my life in control of what i eat. If i'm not hungry i don't eat - wow!!! Some days i still look at myself and think man i'm fat but when i get the tapemeasure out it tells me i'm not - i think i'm always going to have to be careful about the perception i have of myself - but for now i am happy and healthy and in control of my eating and i feel a million dollars for it
good luck and hugs to everyone

Hi there I have a few questions if anyone has any ideas or information please let me know.

I had been bulimic for almost 11 years very bad (almost 5-10 times a day) and decided on April 2, 2003 I was not going to anymore. I had said many times before but this time it was for real forever! Within the first 3 weeks I gained a total of 28lbs I was 104lbs when I decided to stop purging and I am now 140lbs 2 1/2 months later I have been doing the diet but it did not seem to work so I went off and let a few carbs in for a few day to reset myself and now I am back on the induction faise I have excercise 2 times a day since I stopped not overdoing it just walking and a little wieght lifting. I quess what i am asking is has anyone experienced this weight gain and water retention? What is the usually time frame I can look at until my body normalizes or trust me? I know that my body had gone through hell but does anyone have any comments?