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Any ideas on how I can break a b/p cycle?

User Profile: J4spers
J4spers June 2nd, 2021

Hello. I've been bulimic for 4 years. I'm so tired. I binge and purge everyday. I'm stressed, tired, and my teeth are so sensitive and bad, I need to go to a dentist. Everytime I eat I feel the need to purge. No matter what it is. If I have safe foods, I feel guilty and I eat more and...purge. I don't know when I'm no longer hungry, I eat until it hurts. So even if I have big volume foods, like a hearty soup for example, I start feeling full, and I'll purge that too. If I eat more dense foods, I feel guilty for having that. And so on. It's draining me mentally. I don't know what to do. Any advice is welcomed

3
User Profile: StMary
StMary June 17th, 2021

that sucks im sorry to hear that

User Profile: Anomalia
Anomalia June 17th, 2021

@J4spers - I'm sorry things have been so tough lately! Red heart One thing I want to say right away is that you've asked about breaking a binge/purge cycle, but it actually sounds like it's a purging cycle specifically - what you've described is purging when you eat whether or not there was a purge there.

In terms of how to break the cycle, for me it was helpful to break it down into smaller pieces. So obviously the goal is to stop purging in general, but if that feels like too much in the moment, maybe start by trying to delay it. Tell yourself it's allowed, but you have to wait 15 minutes first and then use that 15 minutes to try to find a healthy coping mechanism, a distraction, or anything else that helps disrupt. At the end of the 15 minutes, if you feel up to it, you can add another 15 minutes. Even if you only delay to start, that still helps and you can add 5 minutes each time until you're able to actually delay long enough to wait out the urge.

Another option could be to try to put yourself in situations where purging isn't an option - eating with someone else or going for a picnic - something that breaks the usual cycle and doesn't let you purge.

Working through this takes time - there are no easy solutions. But slow progress is still progress, and each time you delay or avoid a purge counts as a victory, no matter what happened the meal before or the meal after. Celebrate the small successes and they will grow over time into bigger ones.

And perhaps most importantly of all, when you do slip up, forgive yourself. Beating yourself up and feeling guilt only makes it easier to slip again, but forgiving yourself and moving forwrad puts you in a stronger position each time.

Good luck - sending love and hope your way! Red heart

1 reply
User Profile: ronni75
ronni75 July 5th, 2021

@Anomalia thank you for this!!

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