Comments on Escape from Obesity: Binge Eating Disorder: Cured

You know, emotions amaze me. They are so beautifu...

2012-02-01T07:20:39.136-08:00

You know, emotions amaze me. They are so beautiful and, at times, mysterious. Given your posts with the 180 degree tones (binge and then cured), it brought to mind, for me, a dear friend who has been working through two sides of an emotional/brain chemical issue: manic depression. I suppose there are two extreme sides to many issues - a black and a white. Two zones seem to be where we are most comfortable or familiar, emotionally: either 'on' plan or 'off' plan. These two ways of living are where most of us on the weight loss journey are comfortable. When we're on one side or the other, the opposite extreme seems safely out of our grasp - how COULD we get to that other side when it is so far away? I suppose that the pendulum must swing back and forth a few times before we can understand and live in the 'gray' area of the middle - the balanced place where we are healthy in our relationships with food. Decoupling our emotions from the comfort of our 'off' plan lives - that is NOT easy!! Finding new ways to cope with stress, re-programming ourselves not to set ourselves up for situations where we know that food may call to our emotions - changing the habits of our emotional coping mechanisms, well...this, perhaps, may be the most important work we can do! (Who knew that the sweating might be the easy part of weight loss??)

I suppose that talking to an unbiased 3rd party who knows the signposts of emotion could be helpful, if you found the RIGHT 3rd party that you could trust to help you navigate all of this. But perhaps this blog is the right 3rd party for you?

Anyway, thanks for your thoughtful post, Lyn. It obviously got me thinking about my own situation, and that is an inspiration! Thank you very, very much for sharing! Wishing you the best, each day.

Stacey, I completely understand that you want to p...

2012-01-31T15:12:56.809-08:00

Stacey,
I completely understand that you want to protect Lyn. We are all just concerned for her. We only wish her health and happiness. I agree Lyn should write a book! As far as our comments we only want her to stop and think.....she accepts comments because she fully knows others can lend insight. Keep being a good friend to Lyn, but please..... We don't wish any ill will! We like her too. :)

I find it interesting that you say you are cured a...

2012-01-31T12:24:27.825-08:00

I find it interesting that you say you are cured and yet 2 days prior your title to your post was BINGE. You had prepared to binge and your body did not allow you to...I would not consider yourself cured. It may be an "ah ha" moment but not a cure. I think that is a set up for disappointment later on.

Lyn I just want to SMACK some of these people who...

2012-01-31T09:03:29.181-08:00

Lyn

I just want to SMACK some of these people who really think THEY have the answers..no matter how they put it..they are being judgemental...It drives me nuts (and I dont even know these bloggers) to see them telling YOU whats wrong with you...I dont know anyone who has looked so deeply into how their brain processes food addiction and binging habits..you have really taken the time and effort with honesty on what makes YOU tick...I so admire you

WRITE THE DAM BOOK already!!! lol

Stacey

Lyn - you've made great progress, and I agree ...

2012-01-31T08:37:40.294-08:00

Lyn - you've made great progress, and I agree with your "no BED" assessment. No reason to think you still have it (only gives one an excuse to eat) just because lots of people think you "can't" be cured.

Princess Dieter, I couldn't agree more or have...

2012-01-31T07:15:43.245-08:00

Princess Dieter,
I couldn't agree more or have written such a supportive, accurate and eloquent post. Nice work!

This post really confused me. I tend to agree with...

2012-01-31T07:13:19.245-08:00

This post really confused me. I tend to agree with a different annonymous. Saying it isn't there doesn't fix it. I don't know why this post upsets me so very much, but anyone...... And I do mean ANYONE can write a book and look credible. I just worry for a sharp fall when the BED comes calling. I've followed you for years Lyn. What does the MF psychologist say?
The best of luck as you continue your journey.

Since changing my diet to grain free/sugar free, I...

2012-01-30T12:16:22.730-08:00

Since changing my diet to grain free/sugar free, I've come to the realization that my food addiction was created by the food processing companies that are kept in business by making us more hungry. Yes, I have an emotional connection to food, but I was choosing to stuff myself with food that would later beg me to refill myself with more of that bad food. I can get full on meats, fruits and veggies. But I was never mentally or physically full when I binged on chips, cookies, and cakes.

It is hard to know who to believe and I've been researching all angles of food, and my recent weight loss on natural and unprocessed food has me very happy and energetic.

I hope you find what works for you.

Rosa @stuffingmyfeelings.blogspot.com

Are you sure we are not twins? Thanks for being &...

2012-01-30T11:47:17.471-08:00

Are you sure we are not twins? Thanks for being "real" and writing down so nicely how it really is for someone in our shoes.

Leslie~ your thoughts are always welcome :) I ha...

2012-01-30T11:36:13.053-08:00

Leslie~

your thoughts are always welcome :)

I have gone back and forth for years about this, whether food addiction is the same, really, as alcoholism (and in some senses I think it is). I don't think there is zero risk for me to go back to binge eating. I think with enough major stress it could happen. But I feel it is highly unlikely, for me.

That's not to say I will never eat an Oreo and go "OMG YUM" and eat the whole sleeve, making myself sick. But unless I go back to out of control, frenzied eating on a regular basis, that still wouldn't put me back in BED territory. I lived there for a long, long time and the emotion and action is just not the same anymore, even when I overeat. My brain is changed along with my stomach.

I still wonder, though. Only time will tell if the 'cure' sticks.

Hi Lyn - Just read through this post and all the c...

2012-01-30T11:25:02.601-08:00

Hi Lyn - Just read through this post and all the comments.

My 2 cents may not be welcome, but here it is. If one really is a food addict, it doesn't get cured. We are granted a daily reprieve contingent on our daily practices, our spiritual work (NOT religious), and the maintenance of our spiritual (NOT religious) condition.

I have not had a drink in 20 years. Not even a molecule of alcohol has passed through my lips in all that time. But if I forget I am an alcoholic and claim myself cured, I'm on a very slippery slope that WILL lead me back to drinking. It seems impossible to me given my life today - but I can't forget nor deny my truth.

I know this to be true about my eating disorder as well. I don't like it, and I may choose to try cake or cookies on occasion. Rarely will I navigate them successfully, and if I do once or twice - look out.

They say the worst thing that can happen to an alcoholic who picks up a drink in sobriety is nothing. Because I might think I'm okay after being sober for awhile. So I try another. The same is true of overeating.

This is why I made my comment after your binge post... to be careful and on the lookout for food urges in the next days.

I understand all that you said, and I have to say it concerns me. But you know yourself better than anyone else. I hope you're cured - that would be great.

Very interesting post--I'm glad you no longer ...

2012-01-30T11:17:36.909-08:00

Very interesting post--I'm glad you no longer suffer from BED. Mine was cured too. I still got up to 320 lbs (more or less) as the years went by, without binge eating. I had metabolic syndrome and the compulsive eating (very healthy food) that came with it and endocrine-inspired hunger. My brain found other ways to dissociate without binge eating, too, different ways to self deceive. Trippy. :) I don't need professional diagnoses and treatments, either. But other people to share life's struggles with are critical for long term peace (and freedom from compulsion.)

We are always a work in progress ... I hope your ...

2012-01-30T11:17:21.906-08:00

We are always a work in progress ... I hope your insight and new perspective continues to provide much healing for you. Keep taking care. :)

Lyn, while you say you're cured, please keep i...

2012-01-30T08:25:10.435-08:00

Lyn, while you say you're cured, please keep in mind that our neural pathways will always be there. Always. Of course the longer we use the newly created pathways, the underlying ones become dormant. Not gone--dormant. I know you know this already.

You have done a ton of mental work and are making progress despite setbacks and have identified all of your triggers. You need to replace the teddy bear--what can take it's place? What is your plan for dealing with stress? Stress is a huge trigger for you, as it is for me, and it builds. Your brain will always send the cravings to overeat, or cuddle your teddy bear, when your stress management level has been breached.

I hope that you can build a support system, despite not having family nearby.

Wishing you all the best :).

Sheryl

a different Anonymous~ I agree I do still have so...

2012-01-30T08:03:40.713-08:00

a different Anonymous~

I agree I do still have some food issues; however, the BED I used to suffer from is gone. This last 'attempt' to binge (which I had done before, months ago with a similar result) feels to my like the last dying throes of BED as it was extinguished. That's not to say I don't have cravings, or obsessive food thoughts, or even an addictive reaction to sugar at times. But you don't have to be healed of every 'food issue' to be cured of BED.

I think a lot of people tie up their food issues with other things: weight, a 'perfect' diet (whole foods or whatever your ideal is), happiness, fulfillment... when actually, you do not have to be at goal weight, eating healthy all the time, perfectly happy and fulfilled in order to be free of BED or any other food issue. They are separate issues. I do not have to do anything to be free of BED other than NOT BINGE EAT. I will continue to work on other issues, as any other person does in their imperfect life, striving towards excellence.

Lyn - Rock on Honey ! I just finished Brain ove...

2012-01-30T07:50:10.449-08:00

Lyn -

Rock on Honey ! I just finished Brain over Binge too and Yes it does change my view of my eating disorder. You have hit one something powerful here -thanks forever for sharing it with us !!

As I lose weight and get control over my overeatin...

2012-01-30T07:33:41.119-08:00

As I lose weight and get control over my overeating habits, I'm finding that my desire or need to hit the candy isles and buy up boxes of Ding Dongs and Ho-Hos has decreased greatly. That's not to say its been eliminated, but I was in the store over the weekend and

I walked thru the candy isle and I read labels. I wanted the Boston Baked Beans and Junior Mints and Giant Hershey Bars...but I left them on the shelves...

Then I went to the Peanut Butter/Nutella isle - a real weakness of mine, and I walked away...

Then I went to the check out line and saw all the candy bars...and didn't buy any of it.

So, while the urges do come and go, I am taking each urge as an opportunity to learn how to say 'no'. Its not like the candy and goodies wont be there if I absolutely HAVE to have them, but I am learning to be stronger and not give into my desires immediately.

Binges tend to occur when your mind blanks out and you just grab grab grab and eat eat eat. If you can just slow that process down and stop for a few minutes (easier said than done), you can start to LOOk at what is going on and perhaps gain control.

Its something that happens over time, and sure, there will be times that you lose that battle...but the fewer times you lose, the better you start to feel. At least that's what I'm learning...

What a lovely post and I can identify with so much...

2012-01-30T07:32:17.054-08:00

What a lovely post and I can identify with so much of it. However I disagree with the idea that you can be cured of addictive behavior. As someone that struggles w/ BED as well as an OCD disorder that is not associated with food, I feel these things can only be managed. (I do however agree that you don't need a therapist to get to a point of management.)

To convince yourself that you are cured is, in my opinion, foolish and dangerous. Recovery is not a cure but a life long process of finding a sustainable lifestyle of maintenance, self awareness and more importantly honesty with yourself.

Your confidence is definitely inspiring and something to hold fast to. You've made amazing strides to change your life. Be proud and strong because you know how to manage this issue.

But bears hibernate - as do addictions. A period of dormancy should not be mistaken for being cured. Seasons change, so do triggers. Be ever vigilant and recognize that your addiction can and will rear its ugly head throughout your life.

Your post amazes me. I agree that not everyone ne...

2012-01-30T05:54:16.402-08:00

Your post amazes me. I agree that not everyone needs the same type of therapy to get better. But I do believe that an eating disorder is life long. Not fitting the DSM-IV criteria for an eating disorder is not a cure. Thoughts about food, eating, obsessing about weight take up a tremendous amount of your mental energy. You have a blog talking about the ins and outs of your eating disorder on a daily basis. People who have normalized eating don't weigh themselves daily, obsess about food ect. Yes I read your blog. I do have an eating disorder and I am in treatment (DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy). It has made a huge difference. I hope you seek it out. http://www.nj-act.org/dbt.html

yana

With all respect and no intent to hurt or inflame:...

2012-01-30T05:15:47.295-08:00

With all respect and no intent to hurt or inflame:

Just as there is a difference between BED and compulsive overeating, There is a difference between cured and re-classified. When the debt ceiling is lowered, more people qualify for food stamps because more people are classified as poor. When the debt ceiling is raised less people qualify because less people classified as poor. Where did the poor people go? They are still there, the powers that be just refuse to recognize them as such.

Eating compulsively, by any other name, is what you (we) do. You do not have to be suffering from BED to binge, compulsively overeat, damage your body over and over again. . . . and you cannot be cured while you still practice the symptoms.

A different Anonymous

Lyn, I hear you with the teddy bear analogy. I see...

2012-01-30T03:38:25.115-08:00

Lyn, I hear you with the teddy bear analogy. I see from all these comments we all cope in different ways. I think you are doing well with introspection and writing.

To overcome my addiction with overeating and drinking I embraced the kitchen. I got back into cooking and baking. I read great blogs about cooking and incorporate some ideas into my own kitchen (love the superfoods challenge). It’s an adventure for me. My passion for life returned and I’m consuming less. For me it’s more about the art than the ingestion.

such an articulate honest and raw post. Everyone ...

2012-01-30T03:32:28.216-08:00

such an articulate honest and raw post.

Everyone needs to see this.
binge eater or not.

Dear Lyn, I can totally identify with the 'te...

2012-01-30T00:26:55.430-08:00

Dear Lyn,
I can totally identify with the 'teddy bear' idea. I realised pretty early that comfort foods are a way for me to feel better too. Just thought I'd share that. :) I too get deeply affected by things and people around me; some days I'd just rather not read the paper because I know I'll get sad or angry. Someone taught me that that kind of sensitivity can be a good thing, because it helps you understand others and be empathetic; but it also does mean that people like us need to learn to manage our feelings; and I think (for me at least) food has been part of that gut reaction at dealing with feeling-bad-about-stuff.. It does help to understand how we are affected and then to try to deal with it other ways - now I tend to pray about it or meditate or just take my mind off it awhile by reading something upbeat and existential or artistic, a favourite book (it helps me see beyond what is upsetting me momentarily)...

When I was younger I'd obsess about foods but i realise it's true, food is just -food. It has no power over you. My obsession made the problem bigger than it was.

On another note, though, I read recently that being gluten intolerant does also tend to cause sugar and carb cravings, which in some individuals makes them tend toward being overweight. I wonder -? I am starting to investigate this,but more because I get hives like you did, but for 5 years, and someone has suggested that chronic hives may be diet-related.

Thank you for sharing your story. I am happy that ...

2012-01-29T23:24:01.972-08:00

Thank you for sharing your story. I am happy that you are able to take matters into you own hands and do what you needed to do to get healthy mind & body.

Keep up the great work.

Deb~ I no longer see BED as a threat, an outside ...

2012-01-29T21:32:05.104-08:00

Deb~

I no longer see BED as a threat, an outside force, a trap or anything that has power over me. That's why I see it as a teddy bear... something I used to reach out to for comfort, but that has no power over me... even if my analogy isn't perfect. Hope that makes sense :)