Beat Bulimia - Bulimia Treatment - Bulimia Treatment Conference

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

Haven: I've been in a terrible bulimic "phase," bingeing and throwing up for a few years now, although I've had this for 12 years. I have 3 kids and want to change but am SO stuck now. It is an addiction now? I really feel powerless, it controls me. And I hate saying that, but it is true. Everything I eat makes me feel guilty and it leads to bingeing--I'm a true blue mess, Judith.

Judith: You must love your kids so much. Go to Overeaters Anonymous for you and for them.

Lori Varecka: That is what they tell us in the hospital "all foods are good". "Get busy" with the computer and isolation from my family. My husband isn't so keen on that. I have to do something after dinner though.

Same here, Lex, about the anxiety and things getting more out of control now.

Judith: Lori, can you talk to your husband and can he help you?

wauf5: I hear ya, Haven!!!!

David:Here's an audience question:

diane74:I've been struggling with bulimia for 4 years. I'm trying so hard to beat it for the sake of my husband, my two little girls, and me. How do I overcome the overwhelming fear that if I quit this behavior, I'll become fat?

Judith: A fear is not a reality. Work with a nutritionist or a therapist who can give you support and reassurance and who can help you modify your meal plan if you gain weight.

Is being here for your family more important that a few pounds? Think about how important you are to your loved ones and yourself. Your life is no small life--it is a big and important one. You deserve health. It is your birthright. Remember, balance.

David: For those who have asked, here's the link to the HealthyPlace.com Eating Disorders Community.

Here are some more audience questions:

Amy4:What advice do you have for someone who has been bulimic for 15 years?

Judith: Happiness is our natural state. We are meant to live that way. Often, women with bulimia feel they don't deserve happiness and they hurt themselves and deprive themselves of it by the bulimic behavior. Seek help. It is never too late to get well. Most people seek treatment well into the illness but not right away. I see many women who do recover after 15 or even 25 years. Five to six years is the mean years for most to seek treatment.

David: I want to post some audience comments here because I think it's important to realize that if you suffer from an eating disorder you are not alone, your feelings about what you are going through aren't abnormal or weird. There are others in the same position.

larissa: I also have anorexia along with being bulimic.

Marion:Not a question, but a 'thank you" to Judith for the last few comments. I work (with enormous success), on a private basis with eating disorder sufferers, yet I continue to struggle with alcohol issues myself...of course, in my "private world".

Judith: Thank you Marion for bringing that up. They seem to go together.

leslie2: I'm just really scared.

Kiki: I was anorexic then bulimic. Started out at 120 lb. and went down to 75 lb. I went into the mental health profession because I knew this was wrong and I thought I could "cure" myself. I have been going to a therapist for a year and while things are better (no more binge/purge) I still have the same ideas about food and control. I have used laxatives in the past few months, which I am really ashamed of.

Lex:I am 800 miles from my family. My best friend is here, but even though she knows, she doesn't understand when I ask for help like not going somewhere to eat where I feel uncomfortable, where we end up eating hoagies. I feel so alone and discouraged at times.

Lori Varecka: I do see a therapist and a nutritionist (who used to work at the eating disorders' section of the hospital). Even with the meal plan, which I can't seem to stay on, it isn't helping. I find outpatient not as helpful as partial or inpatient - but I don't want that again (after 3 hospitalizations in 3 1/2 years).

Judith: Do not be ashamed. In the grand scheme of things, bulimia is not a CRIME. It is just an illness and needs to be treated, like any other illness. Please give yourselves a break.

leslie2:I am almost 26 and was diagnosed last year and I'm just starting treatment now. Everyone seems concerned, but me. Why is that?

Judith: That can be Denial.

sillyme:My biggest problem is that I binge, but don't purge, and I am up to 250 pounds and still going up. I am concerned about my health, but I just don't know how to stop.

Judith: Ladies, you are not alone. We can be a virtual community and can support each other. Try Overeaters Anonymous, It can help you find a saner way of life. Sane, as in sane eating that is, sillyme. We are silly to hide ourselves. We are all beautiful human beings.