Underweight, now binge eater.

I don't really know where to start, but basically it was about June last year and I wanted to lose a couple of pounds for my prom because my dress felt a bit tight. I was never big, I weighed about 8 and a half stone at 5ft7. However, after the prom I thought it would be a good idea to lose a little more weight, and so that continued and I never seemed happy with my weight even though in the past I had never thought about it before.

By Christmas I was down to 6 and a half stone, giving me a bmi of 14.3, which I then maintained for a while. I then realised it was too low, so I tried to gain by eating more healthy, but as I ate more I began to lose control and would binge and binge and not be able to stop eating until I felt so sick I couldn't eat any more.

This has been going on for about 2 months and I'm finding it really difficult to stop eating. I have a couple of days when I do fine and then I just lose control and eat about 5000 calories in one sitting. I'm now just under 8 stone, but I'm so worried I'm going to keep binging and get really big. Also I haven't had my period since last June.

I don't really know how you can help me, but any help would be appreciated. I'm 17 by the way.

Thanks in advance.

Reply 1

Danielle89

I think you need to speak to someone about your problem, a member of your family or a close friend perhaps? You've obviously got an issue with food but you can work on that - good luck :smile:

Reply 2

GoingThroughTheMotions

Perhaps.. I don't know, I think talking to someone would be really difficult. I have so much to say, I wouldn't know where to start.

Also, some days I realise my weight is fine, and then other days I think I'm huge and just want to go back to the weight I was a few months back.

I don't know what to do.. food is all I seem to think about these days.

Reply 3

Meeee :)

If you talk to a counsellor or something then you dont have to feel bad about saying too much as thats what theyre there for. Sometimes talking to someone REALLY helps.
At least if you do something about it soon, you are at a pretty healthy weight which would probably make it easier to recover :smile:

Reply 4

InnocentEyes

first off, the binge-eating is almost certainly physiological. when you're very underweight and haven't been eating properly your body will basically be in distress due to starvation, and it sounds like when you started trying to be a bit more healthy it 'opened the floodgates' so to speak. it's nothing to be ashamed of, your body is just reacting naturally. I wouldn't worry about it continuing indefinitely, but you probably will need to get to a healthier weight before your hunger/fullness cues and cravings regulate themselves. for your height you honestly need to at least be about 8 1/4 stone, you can't really expect to have full control over the binge eating unless you get there. also, if you're having a bad day try not to go back to a very low food intake cause that will confuse your body all the more. if you just try to get a healthy balance of foods and don't worry too much about any excess, everything should regulate itself.

as for your periods, it may take a little while after your body gets back on track for them to return. be patient with it but if after a year they don't show I'd mention it to a doctor. long term ammenorrhea can put you at risk for osteoporosis so it's best to be careful.

most importantly though, I think you need to get some support with this, to figure out what drove you to lose to such a dangerously low weight in the first place. do any of your family or friends know? if not that's a good place to start, also your gp can put you in touch with counselling services etc. depending on what's available in your area. although gaining weight will fix your body you have to address this or you're likely to slip back into it. I don't want to scare you, but to set down a few facts - losing to such a low bmi again would put extra stress on all your organs especially your heart, and probably increase your chances of getting osteoporosis if your periods don't come back. not to mention getting in the way of your life and plans for the future. I've had anorexia for five years and seriously, there's no part of your life it won't wreck - relationships, friendships, work, school...I could go on. anyway, my point is, do your best to make sure you address it as best you can now.

side note - the body image problems you have are likely to resolve themselves at least to some degree when you're at a healthy bmi and your weight has been stable for a while with a healthy diet. part of it is purely physiological and to do with the effects of starvation on the body.

I'll finish this little essay here, but my pm box is open if you want to talk more about it :smile:

Reply 5

Satine

I'd put money on it slowing down as your weight creeps up a bit further. You're still at a significantly lower weight than you were before you started losing, and now that you're letting yourself eat your body's just been going foodfoodfoodfood, which is highly unlikely to stop before you're back to a properly healthy weight.

If you're restricting your intake after the binges that'll be exacerbating it too. If you can continue to try to eat in a balanced way and not beat yourself up about the binges (which is easier said than done, I know) then as your weight gets a little bit higher the binge-eating will almost certainly stop.

Have you considered seeing a dietician or someone who might be able to draw you up a food plan to make sure you're eating enough/healthily in between binges? That could in itself make a hell of a difference.

Reply 6

miamidiva

I'm in exactly same position as you. A year I was diagnosed with anorexia and now since i've returned to uni after xmas I haven't been able to stop eating, well bingeing is more accurate! I'll eat healthily during the day but then at night some trigger goes off and I eat everything I can lay my hands on..I have a guilt secret though. Not only do I eat till I can't move, but I also purge.
I am still underweight apparently so I know what I'm doing is wrong however I know why i'm dong it. I'm unhappy at uni. Maybe finding a cause for your bingeing could help? Seeing a councillor could be helpful, but I'd make sure they have some specialisation in ed's.
Hope this helps
xxx

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