Bulimia Help

I lost weight with bulimia but never really got underweight. I've had it for 8 years and have only just started noticing weight gain. Its around my stomach and back. My bulimia has been at its worst just recently (bigger binge sessions, with more calories) and I think this is why. Maybe it depends on what your binges are like.. what you're bingeing on and how long they go for. Sometimes I was eating for an hour, and if I started with a bag of lollies, I'm pretty sure most of it would have been digested by the time I got around to purging? Alot of high calorie food is high GI which means energy is released quickly. Any thoughts?

I was ana for about 2 years, and as I started to eat more regularly, i freaked out and turned bulimic. I am very average looking, in terms of weight. We need to remember the big picture, and that is we are trying to get past this obsticle and get healthy and be "normal"

I think it's different for different people. In my case, I was underweight, so now I'm gaining after restricting for so long. In other instances, such as yours, you will loose weight since you are at the bigger end of "healthy weight." I"m not sure why this is the case; why we are in slightly different situations, but it may have to do with our past history with eating disorders, (I was annorexic before I became bulimic) or it might be something entirely different, I dont know. I just feel as though in your case, weight loss will come with your return to normal eating as weight gain came with mine.

I lost a ton of weight, I became underweight and everyone was telling me I look dead and like a shadow. When I started recovery I gained a ton of weight, even I was freaked out! Now Im unfortunately bulimic again and my weight is normal. Im lost

I was always normal weight (slightly underweight) when bulimic. But I could never put any muscle on at the gym and cardio was a waste of time. My heart rate is through the roof when I do cardio (not sure if this is a side effect of bulimia as its always been very high when excercising, even before bulimia). Felt like crap all the time so I want to do something about it. The weight gain is so hard to deal with tho and because I havent told anyone, I'm sure people are going to notice when summer rolls around. And I know I shouldnt care but its always been my reputation to be thin and pretty (god I sound stupid)..

I was really heavy when I became bulimic. Over the 8 years of my builmia, I lost a lot and now i'm at the lower end of my "healthy weight" zone. I just started to not b/p, so I dont know what will happen to my weight. I'm really afraid my "natural set point weight" is gonna be back at when I was heaviest, as I was heavy since I was a little kid. I try to tell myself that I was unhealthily overweight, and that there is no way that can be my natural set point, but I have a lot of anxiety about where my weight will stabilize. I guess I shouldn't put so much emphasis on weight, but it really is hard....

I gained some weight through my bulimia ... but to begin with lost weight because I was very overweight and I used to fast loads and b/p once twice a week. Now b/p happens a lot more often and my binges contain a lot more calories so yeh I've been gaining weight, I'm now on the heavy side of normal weight.

I was underweight before I was bulimic. I can remember my parents having to forse me to eat enough at lunch and dinner, as I was just NOT hungry... I gained a LOT of weight, but thats probably also because I just grew into a woman. My bulimia started at age 16... Since I am bulimic I have had not that much weight fluctuations and I am happy about that... But this site is really scaring me, I do not want and need to gain any more weight! I think my setpoint is below the weight I currently am... Or at least I just hope so.

Me freaking out about this so much tells me I still have a long way to go! Being healthy is worth so much more than being skinny!

I was overweight because of crazy restricting and then bingeing, which resulted in more weight gain than before I started the diet. So my weight fluctuated hugely, until I was way heavier than before I started to diet. And then I became bulimic, lost a lot of weight, and didn't stop there - I went on to be underweight. I think it's because I'd only b/p once per day, and not eat for the rest, I'd even restrict for a few days at a time and then b/p. So now that I'm eating regularly, I expect to gain weight... It scared me so much at first. But I came to terms with it. I don't think I'll even gain that much... We'll see what happens, because I have no idea what my set point weight is, my eating was so messed up and my weight fluctuated so much. I'm hoping for the best, to be of normal size, maybe even on the thin side, and eating healthy.

I have always been described as "solid," on the bigger side of average but still normal. Plus I was athletic and had a lot of muscle mass. My bulimia started out as just binge eating with a lot of exercise to compensate, and progressed as time went on. At first I lost weight, then I rapidly gained, then I restricted again, so all in all my weight has fluctuated more than twenty pounds. Also I have noticed that the weight isn't distributed evenly and nicely, but in odd, lumpy areas on my stomach and my groin area rather than complimenting my curves. Also, my muscle mass decreased and so did my athletic performance. I am absolutely positive with long term normal eating, my weight will stabilize.

Id say my weight varied, going up or down between the same numbers through the years. I only ever fell into the underweight category briefly during this time, usually staying at a healthy weight for my height.

on the whole I would say bulimia made me gain weight though. I started recovery at a normal healthy weight and have lost a little bit since I don't b/p anymore, I think that my body is naturally supposed to be at the lower end of healthy because Im making sure I get enough calories etc.

For me when I was in full control or so I thought of my eating disorder i felt like i had control of my weight, but the truth is actually by recovering i haven't gained weight and feel alot better, but i was still struggle with binging a couple months ago, which made my weight go up this summer, to the highest its ever been, which was so hard for me. but i realize basing how i feel upon my weight is my bulimia controlling me

It's like that, I'm great for few moths, I go to the gym, i cook so healthy, i juice i have all this energy and positive vibe! Than something happens, brake up, vacation, new job whatever excuse or a reason is i "start" again after few days all my veggies are going bad and a countless amount of ice cream is filling up my freezer, i binge i puke i gain weigh, i stop working out i feel disgusting not fitting in my clothes,
SO WHY THE F**** AM I DOING IT to myself why can i not stay on a right path, since in my case (is it typical?)i gain weight when i relapse into bulimia. why in the hell i let my self to go down the hill over and over again?

I am not binging, I am not purging, I am not over eating but I am still gaining weight! Or at least I think I am. I cannot tell because I am so damn bloated! It is so frustrating. I do not have any room for weight gain. As it is I am right in the middle of a healthy range and I hate hate hate how fat I look anyway. Bulimia never helped me lose weight. Only way I ever lost weight was through extreme restriction followed by bulimia for weight control. I really think it is completely impossible for me to lose weight or to even keep from gaining...I figure I should be losing weight though...considering how much I binged and purged...there was no way I got all of it out every time. I am feeling super discouraged. I cannot figure my body out!

before i became bulimic I had lost alot of weight naturally.when i look back at that time i had a healthy attitude towards food ate when i was hungry didnt when i wasn't simple as..never really thought about food at all but then during a difficult time in my life i began comfort eating and i freaked out that i'd gain loads of weight..during the time since becoming bulimic i have never lost weight only gained, a substantial amount at that.i'm so glad i'm in recovery because it will be so good to learn how to be comfortable around food again and concentrate on everything else in my life.

im soooo confused. i lost weight but i dont know if it was because i worked out all the time? or because i purged a lot?
im confused when people say that bulimics dont get rid of all calories when purging?? n sometimes they gain weight? how is that??
n if i go back to normal... why would i lose weight by eating normal??

My ED started one year ago. During this year, I have gained 10kg, I have lost them again and now I have gained them again. My weight is going up and down, so I don't really know if bulimia helps you lose or gain. I am confused...
I guess 'silver' is right. It depends on what your binges are like...

There are many studies who has shown that when u purge (no matter how big the purging is) u will keep 1/3 of those calories u have taken. So u will not loose weight if u b/p cause if u binge u will maybe take thousands of calories and then keep 1/3 of them.
To not mention numbers of calories, we say that u normally have to take t calories a day. If u binge u will maybe take 5xt a day and then purge. Ur body will keep 1/3 of ur calories u binged. And if u b/p alot in a day, u can calculate them all and see that they are more tha t calories.
Therefore u gain weight if u b/p.
Many bulimic people loose weight at first and suddenly gain weight because their boddies know that they will purge when they are eating, so the boddy begin to take that he needs while they are eating. It´s like their boddy is trying to safe himself from the bulimic person.
Surely if u exercice alot or work alot that u burn more calories than u are taken u will loose weight.
That is the reason why u also can loose weight if u eat normally (t calories) and erxerice. U will loose weight in a much healthy way and still have fun in ur life..
I hope I could help :)

The problem is that bulimia is not about food but about feeling. Therefore I think bulimic people have to take professional help for example a therapist so they can work their feelings and learn not to b/p if they for example are sad/angry or because of any other reason

i know...i am the biggest i have ever been right now...and the binges just wont stop....

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i was 10.6 (give 1 or 2 lbs) when i developed bulimia. I am now 8st 2,3 (some days just under 8st) so I can say that bulimia has kept me thinner than i have ever been. saying that, I never cared about what I ate really before I developed bulimia, I tried restriction but I would last a day, 2 at most and couldnt carry on, i would then just stuff myself silly with really fatty foods like fry ups, cakes, chinese, pizza etc .. so really = and in fact this is what is written in my diary about a week after i started being sick after every meal

'i love chocolate, i love takeaways, i love food but i want to be as skinny as possible! whats a girl to do? yes you got it, be bulimic'

i was so naive back then and did not have a clue about this evil evil curse of a disease! there is no way I can go back to being over 10 stone though, no way!!!!!!!!

Pls can you do me a favour and not use weight numbers- they can be quite triggering for me. Thanks :-)

I was bulimic for 3 years. My weight loss triggered a major eating disorder. I was severely restricting but eventually backfired- now I am at my heaviest and hating it. Everything is a trigger. I live in the city where gorgeous thin women flock and I feel so insecure and bloated. As I walk out my house every morning I walk as though I am 500 pounds because I feel as though I am 500 pounds. I stopped purging but the binge habits remain. I'm not sure what to do at this point because I want to get better but I keep binging.. and at that moment, purging just sounds so.. tempting...
its this endless cycle.

help me

Yesterday i went to the dietician, and she asked for my height and weight.

I knew I couldn't have drop any weight, and yes. I gained. It was moderate, but also hard, since i try my freakingly best to eat healthy and work out (perhaps these have prevented me from gaining more weight.. we'll never know).

I gained not too much, but i was already having a medior BMI, so this is very sad making.
But there is just no way back for me anymore. Only heads up, looking forward to recovery.

And that's it. For the rest I shut out my further emotions regarding weight gain, because they are not helping.

My only strong strive is like the song of Alicia Keys "Wait to you see me smile". I want to be able to look myself straigt in the eyes, and telling myself, i am stronger than life for beating this 17 years long eating disorder.

weight gain sucks. But having an life-consuming ED even more.

i gained weight.
ive explained that i dont think i am bulimic but i used to restrict food and i lost weight now i eat and purge everything that passes my lips and i have some how gained
a miracle in itself

i don't know if i've replied to this post before but i have put on 1/4 of my original body weight. which is a huge huge amount. in the last 18 months since this relapse began. shocking
and people say that they haven't noticed. yeah right!
:(

I have definitely gained weight with my ED, unhealthy weight

I hope with recovery, I lose it. If not, I DONT CARE. Recovered and obese, recovered and rail thin, recovered and "normal" weight... recovered and HEALTHY wlll be so much better than bulimic, miserable, bloated.

:)

i relapsed and gained weight too! i hate this! it really really sucks!!! :(

i didn't gain at all, or lose too much really...ironically i stayed almost the same...i fluctuated and dropped 5 lbs the absolute lowest...course i have only been bulimic for 6 months...but i'm sure i have already screwed up my metabolism and stuff...and i'm 5 days purge free right now, so i already have some of the horrid recovery bloat :(. and on top of it i binged once (but thank God no purge) so i weigh more than i did before all of this even started!! so, so ridiculous. i hope i even out soon...speaking of which, does any one know how long it takes for the bloating stage to pass? i want to keep this up, eat right like i used to and stuff. but i feel so bloated and fat, i just want to screw it and binge and purge...ughhh...i can't wait to get healthy, i hate that i put my body through this.

hey this is a great thread! at FIRSt i lost weight bc i was purigng everything and i mean everything-- but now it backfired. u cant do that so long bc ur body needs food.. and u get tired of that lifestyle. now i have def gained weight as a result of the b/p, bc i do eat but then i b/p, so im sure i keep some of those calories..

purging is not help weight loss, it just feels temporarily good.

I could control my weight by b/p a few days and restricting for the rest of the week, however since i lost control of that and started bp most days of the week i have gained stacks. i am trying to eat properly, structured eating but still have slips... when i am tired and confused i can't make good decisions....help

I've only gained weight with bulimia. You can't get rid of all of the calories, just like half of it, so as my binges got bigger, and I've stopped restricting too, I started to gain weight

I was always thin, naturally. my whole life i have been the skinny one. last year, i started working out a ton and eating "healthy" aka a lot less. same situation happened with me.. i was told to gain weight, freaked out, and became bulimic. i thought i was the only one. i just joined this sight and wow. i get it. i also gained a lot of weight from being bulimic i weigh more than i ever have in my life and its making me extremely anxious. eating normal will either make us gain weight or lose weight, but i would take that schedule any day over what i am doing to myself now.

i took on bulimia after restricting and that helped me lose weight. then i started gaining weight, lost it again, gained again, lost it again. the whole time i've been bulimic. i've noticed it's really about how much i restrict in addition to all the b/p cycles. it's true, it really is about caloric intake so i am pretty sure that if i just stopped the b/p cycle, i'd actually lose weight. it's really hard to stick to that though because of how b/p helps with so much other stuff...which is so funny to write given how much it actually messes with my life. ugh, i really am sick of bulimia...

anyway, now i'm at the point where i really need to lose weight and am hoping to do that by stopping the bulimia. i'll just need a lot of help.

When my eating first became disordered I couldn't be classified as bulimic. I couldn't be considered anorexic either, but I basically starved myself for months and lost and kept off about 15 pounds. When I actually became bulimic my weight stayed at that low, or I would gain a few pounds, lose it, regain it, etc. When I started binging more often and purging less I gained it all back. Now I'm about 7 pounds heavier than I was when all of this began. I know these are minor weight changes but I'm short and have a small frame so it's very noticable.
Anyway, I don't really care what my weight is, as long as I can fit into my clothes, eat normally and like the way I look.

I gained so much when I couldn't purge anymore.

I put on 10kg fast when I full stopped purging, after putting 26 slowly over 2 years as I tried to stop.

The problem is, people tackle purging first, and let the binging go out of control. IMO, tackling both at once is too much. If your purging isn't wrecking your stomach yet (like mine was, tackle binging before. Then you won't gain.