weight management after recovery?
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stormymonday
- Posts: 1
- Joined: August 19th, 2014, 8:44 am
weight management after recovery?
is it possible to embark on a diet or weight loss goal without falling right back into eating disorder behavior? i recently took up juicing and eating organic to lose some weight, but find myself falling back into my old ways... obsessing about food, going to bed hungry, making excuses to skip meals...i feel like i can't just eat healthy. eating has to be such a focal point in my life. is there any way to get past this and manage ones weight like a normal person?
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fifthsonata
- Posts: 291
- Joined: April 30th, 2012, 6:45 am
Re: weight management after recovery?
In reality, you have to be really discerning about what "diets" you embark upon. "Juicing" is a pretty trendy fad diet if you're using it to replace actual fruit/veggie consumption; but if you're using it as a supplement to a normal diet (just to get in more veggies/fruits), it can be a reasonable thing.
But, just from my own experience, when I start looking for healthy diets, that's the slippery slope - which seems to be your case here. It's kind of like alcoholics who decide to just have a drink once a week after years of sobriety - not all of us can do it. When something happens we look for a small window of rationality to squeeze through ("I'm a little overweight now. I should drop some pounds.") and it can escalate quickly. What's sad is that more people have disordered eating than we realize and you have to differentiate what is a disordered pattern and what is actually healthy.
Many of us have to just stick with the old cliche - we can't just "be organic" or "do cleanses" or "monodiet" and all the latest things. When we indulge in diets that seem appealing, it can trigger further disordered behaviors. It's why many clinicians encourage the person to focus on developing hobbies/interests that aren't food-related altogether until they have developed enough coping skills and self-recognition to understand when they might be backsliding.
It may be time to step back and evaluate; has something happened recently that caused me stress? Am I feeling more overwhelmed by the physical changes that have happened in my recovery so far? Are these diets something I can do unmonitored, or should I see my dietician/nutritionist for help?
I'd suggest you talk to your counselor ASAP if you have one. Decide whether or not you're stable enough in your recovery to handle changes in "food behavior" on your own, and go from there with the help of a professional. The longer you wait to address it, the worse your prognosis of recovery becomes - so get on it, my friend.
But, just from my own experience, when I start looking for healthy diets, that's the slippery slope - which seems to be your case here. It's kind of like alcoholics who decide to just have a drink once a week after years of sobriety - not all of us can do it. When something happens we look for a small window of rationality to squeeze through ("I'm a little overweight now. I should drop some pounds.") and it can escalate quickly. What's sad is that more people have disordered eating than we realize and you have to differentiate what is a disordered pattern and what is actually healthy.
Many of us have to just stick with the old cliche - we can't just "be organic" or "do cleanses" or "monodiet" and all the latest things. When we indulge in diets that seem appealing, it can trigger further disordered behaviors. It's why many clinicians encourage the person to focus on developing hobbies/interests that aren't food-related altogether until they have developed enough coping skills and self-recognition to understand when they might be backsliding.
It may be time to step back and evaluate; has something happened recently that caused me stress? Am I feeling more overwhelmed by the physical changes that have happened in my recovery so far? Are these diets something I can do unmonitored, or should I see my dietician/nutritionist for help?
I'd suggest you talk to your counselor ASAP if you have one. Decide whether or not you're stable enough in your recovery to handle changes in "food behavior" on your own, and go from there with the help of a professional. The longer you wait to address it, the worse your prognosis of recovery becomes - so get on it, my friend.
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moonlightwatie
- Posts: 65
- Joined: April 14th, 2014, 7:53 pm
- Gender: Cis female
- Issues: loss of spouse, depression, breakups, adjusting meds
- preferred pronoun: she
- Location: California
Re: weight management after recovery?
*points above*
That's awesome advice!
Eating healthy is one thing, but restricting and limiting is another. It's a fine line to walk that demands self-awareness. So not easy!!
That's awesome advice!
Eating healthy is one thing, but restricting and limiting is another. It's a fine line to walk that demands self-awareness. So not easy!!
Moonlight Watie
"To be great is to be misunderstood."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To be great is to be misunderstood."--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Re: weight management after recovery?
In reality, you have to be really discerning about what "diets" you embark upon. "Juicing" is a pretty trendy fad diet if you're using it to replace actual fruit/veggie consumption; but if you're using it as a supplement to a normal diet (just to get in more veggies/fruits), it can be a reasonable thing.
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Britty5096
- Posts: 1
- Joined: December 9th, 2014, 9:16 am
- Gender: Woman
- Issues: Celebrating almost 2 years recovery from 6 years of bulimia
- preferred pronoun: she
Re: weight management after recovery?
It can be a slippery slope. For me, I have found that noticing my intentions is more important than anything.
Once I know why I want to start a diet or lose weight, I ask myself, are my intentions loving or misguided? You'll likely feel a mixture of both, but it's up to you to determine whether your intentions are more misguided (e.g., weight loss to feel more worthwhile, to feel more in control, to appear a certain way to others, to be better liked, to appear more attractive for a partner/potential partner, to like yourself more) or loving (e.g., genuine health concerns, loving self-care).
Your underlying intentions will give you a really good heads up as to where your diet/weight loss might lead you.
I know this because I struggled with BN for 3 years, recovered for 3, and then fell back into it for another long 2.5 years. Months before my big relapse, which was gradual, I had begun losing weight. At first, it didn't seem like much, but then came the compliments, and the attention, and I began to like myself more because of it, and I wanted more. That was my slippery slope. Almost 2 years after starting recovery a second time, I am actively trying to lose weight again. This time, however, I am very conscious of my intentions, thoughts, and behaviors, and my partner is aware of my history and what warning signs to look for. I think it's possible, just difficult!
Once I know why I want to start a diet or lose weight, I ask myself, are my intentions loving or misguided? You'll likely feel a mixture of both, but it's up to you to determine whether your intentions are more misguided (e.g., weight loss to feel more worthwhile, to feel more in control, to appear a certain way to others, to be better liked, to appear more attractive for a partner/potential partner, to like yourself more) or loving (e.g., genuine health concerns, loving self-care).
Your underlying intentions will give you a really good heads up as to where your diet/weight loss might lead you.
I know this because I struggled with BN for 3 years, recovered for 3, and then fell back into it for another long 2.5 years. Months before my big relapse, which was gradual, I had begun losing weight. At first, it didn't seem like much, but then came the compliments, and the attention, and I began to like myself more because of it, and I wanted more. That was my slippery slope. Almost 2 years after starting recovery a second time, I am actively trying to lose weight again. This time, however, I am very conscious of my intentions, thoughts, and behaviors, and my partner is aware of my history and what warning signs to look for. I think it's possible, just difficult!