Eating disorder Bulimia Nervosa client quote from KN in Seattle: “I have a fun update, which I have dubbed a “fupdate”. I figured this may make you do a little Scarlett dance. So last night, it was about 11, I kinda felt like binging…there was a leftover omelet AND a chimichanga AND macaroni and cheese in the fridge. I opened the fridge up, took out an apple and peanut butter, went to my room, ate it, and went to bed. The end.”
Why Is This Such a Big Accomplishment?
When trying to quit a cycle of binging, purging, and restricting (Bulimia Nervosa), it is often difficult to stop at any one of these stages due to the severity of the previous stage. When a person with bulimia tries to stop binging, it becomes difficult because, previous to this she has probably been restricting all day and is probably ravenous with hunger.
When trying to quit a cycle of binging, purging, and restricting (Bulimia Nervosa), it is often difficult to stop at any one of these stages due to the severity of the previous stage. When a person with bulimia tries to stop binging, it becomes difficult because, previous to this she has probably been restricting all day and is probably ravenous with hunger.
To eat normally at this point would be difficult due to her hunger. If she tried a different route, and tried not to purge, this would be difficult because, before the need to purge is generally a binge. Waiting through the digestion of this uncomfortable amount of food, however large it is, would feel like torture. If she tried to stop restricting, this would also be challenging due to the nature of wanting nothing to do with food after a binge/purge cycle.
There is a strong feeling of food being the reason for starting a binge/purge cycle, and control over another cycle means avoiding food in the first place. This wonderful girl went from vomiting everything eaten for 6 months to eating and keeping (not vomiting) 75% of daily food intake. This is almost an impossible feat.
Her Goals and Challenges
- Her goals included eating a nighttime snack which she selected, and to keep it. This is very difficult due to a previous binge and wanting to avoid food that will be kept.
- There was food in the refrigerator that often triggers her to binge/purge. “…there was a leftover omelet AND a chimichanga AND macaroni and cheese in the fridge.” This could have easily been added to the previous binge/purge, stopping the trigger once gone.
- She had to take the least tempting food out, eat it, and then sleep while keeping it. Not wanting food while sleeping, and certainly not after a binge/purge episode.
She took this so seriously, and though she did not want to complete her goals, she put her fears away for enough time to force down her nighttime snack. When we are fearful and go on anyway, this is courage.
How did this person obtain her goals?
We started very slow with her, as we do everyone, however, her successes kept popping up in the face of extreme adversity. Completing her food goals while friends yelled, wanting to binge/purge, but instead, truly eating, lead her to stride toward recovery with the inertia of a wrecking ball.
We started very slow with her, as we do everyone, however, her successes kept popping up in the face of extreme adversity. Completing her food goals while friends yelled, wanting to binge/purge, but instead, truly eating, lead her to stride toward recovery with the inertia of a wrecking ball.
Congratulations sweet girl for amazing feats in recovery! Please look for my next post on the causes of bulimia nervosa.
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