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Relapse prevention: bulimia nervosa
information provided by http://www.anred.com/
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Never ever
let yourself get so hungry that the urge to binge is overwhelming.
People who recover from bulimia say that they eat regularly.
Because they are never ravenous, they have no physical reason
to binge eat. Hunger is the most powerful binge trigger there
is. It is a recognized fact that the longer one has dieted,
and the more severely calories have been restricted, the higher
the risk of binge eating. |
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Never
ever deprive yourself of good-tasting food, even if it has more
fat and calories than "safe" diet foods. If you refuse
to eat appealing foods that you really want, you will feel deprived
and crave them. Then you are vulnerable to bingeing. Remember
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? The one food they were not
supposed to eat was the one they could not stay away from.
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Don't deprive yourself of other satisfying experiences either. If you make yourself feel needy, you will be tempted to look for comfort in the refrigerator. Make sure that every day you spend time with friends. In person is best, but phone calls and e-mail are better than nothing. |
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Also every day spend
time doing things you are good at, things you can take pride
in, things that demonstrate your competency and abilities. Allow
yourself to enjoy your accomplishments and refuse to listen
to the nagging inner voice that insists you could do better
if only you tried harder. |
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Last, but by no means
least, every day do something that's fun and pleasurable. Watch
comedy videos and laugh out loud at outrageous jokes. Play something
-- a board game, a computer game, tapes or CDs. Go outside and
enjoy the birds, trees, flowers, and fresh air. If you live
in the middle of a big city, go to a park. Figure out how to
give yourself a fun break from the daily routine, and then do
it.
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Keep tabs on your feelings. Several times during the day, especially in the first stages of recovery, take time out and ask yourself how you feel. If you notice rising stress, anger, fear, sadness -- and even strong joy -- be alert to the possibility that you may try to dull these strong emotions by turning to food. Find a better way of dealing with your feelings such as talking them over with a trusted friend.
The 12-step folks have a useful formula. When they feel on the verge of falling into old behaviors, they say HALT! Then they ask, "Am I too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired?" All of those states are strong binge triggers. Additional triggers for people with eating disorders seem to be Boredom and Unstructured time. If you find yourself in any of these states, figure out a healthier and more effective way of dealing with the situation than binge eating.
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Until you have achieved some balance and perspective, stay away from temptation. Don't go to all-you-can-eat salad bars. If ice cream is a binge trigger, don't keep it in your freezer.
When you want potato salad, for example, or rocky road ice cream, go to a sit-down restaurant and order a single portion, ideally as part of a balanced meal. By doing so, you accomplish three things. You avoid depriving yourself. You avoid the urges to binge created by deprivation, and you also learn how to integrate normal food into a reasonable and healthy meal plan.
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When you do feel powerful
urges to binge, postpone the act for thirty minutes. Surely
you can wait half an hour. During that time think about what
is going on in your life. What stresses are you facing? What
is missing right now from your life that you need in order to
be happy and avoid the looming binge? Make a list of things
you could you do instead of binge eating to deal with your situation.
If you are truly committed to recovery, at least some of the
time you will choose one of these healthier behaviors instead
of binge food.
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Take charge of your life. Stop using words like, "I wish," "I want," "I hope," and "I can't." They are weak victim words. Say instead things like, "I choose," even if you are choosing to binge. Say, "I will," even if the thing you will do is vomit. These are words that express responsibility, power, and control. If you can choose to binge, then by implication at some future time you can choose NOT to binge. If you will vomit, then next week or next month or next year you can choose to say, "I WON'T vomit."
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If you feel yourself slipping back
into unhealthy habits, call your therapist and schedule an
appointment. Returning to counseling in no way means you have
failed. It means only that it's time to reevaluate and fine
tune your recovery plan.
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