In Bulimia Recovery? Do You Want To Beat Bulimia?

By Vathani Navasothy

Are you ready to stop binging & purging and experience bulimia recovery? About half of us give up on our goals during the first week; so if you set a goal to beat bulimia, leave binging and purging in the past and experience bulimia recovery just read on to learn how to stay motivated.

Let's say, "stop binge eating" is your desired goal. However, if this is how you describe your goal, then you will find it hard to achieve because it does not focus on the positive or anything tangible. Focusing on the positive is the way to bulimia recovery.

Reframe your goal by answering these questions:
- What would you like to accomplish today?
- Who can assist you in dealing with this difficulty?
- If a miracle happened tonight, and tomorrow you didn't have this problem, how would you know?
- What would let you know?

Now develop your goal using the steps below. This will help you stay on the path to bulimia recovery.

MAKE YOUR GOAL SMART!

Step 1 - "S" is for Specific.

Notice what you are thinking and feeling just before a binging episode.

Are you always hungry just before a binge takes place? If so decide to embrace a goal like "eat 3 healthy meals a day at 3 to 4 hour intervals."

What does this really mean? It means to insure you obtain the recommended daily amount of nutrients, which are essential for a healthy functioning body: eat three meals per day - leaving 3 to 4 hours between each main meal. This is the way to frame a Specific goal that will lead you to stop binging and start your bulimia recovery.

Step 2 - "M" is for Measurable

Keep track of your progress. To do this; make your goal Measurable. Your goal "eat 3 healthy meals at 3 hour intervals" can be measured very easily.

Step 3 - "A" is for Achievable.

When you break your goal down into small tasks your goal becomes more Achievable!

The way to do this is to create sub-goals - you know... bite-size pieces. For example, take one day at a time. Today plan what you are going to eat tomorrow. The sub-goal could be: go shopping for the ingredients. You are on your way to bulimia recovery!

Step 4 - "R" is for Relevant

Make your goal Relevant to you. Don't do it for others, if you do, you are unlikely to stay with it... do it for YOU. You can beat bulimia and enjoy the fruits of being in bulimia recovery. Binging will be a thing of the past.

Step 5 - "T" is for Timely.

Allow yourself enough Time to achieve your goal. Set a realistic time frame - changing your eating patterns will take 21 days or longer.

For example,

Week 1 - eat three balanced meals a day. If a small healthy snack is necessary between meals... then have one!

Week 2 - focus on success

Week 3 - if you are feeling confident choose to experiment with foods you consider risky or conducive to binging.

Everyone learned to walk before they ran. Make time every day to review your goal to see how you have progressed. It reinforces your motivation.

Start a bulimia recovery treatment program to guide you along the path to success.

Most importantly, recognize your achievements along the way and reward yourself! You deserve the reward of bulimia recovery for your efforts.

Vathani Navasothy - Eating Disorder Counselor and registered expert with National Center for Eating Disorders; shows you how to take the pain out of beating bulimia. To take the ultimate bulimia quiz visit http://www.bulimiahope.com

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Financial Bulimia and the Mind

By Dawn Cadwell

What is Bulimia?
Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging).
A binge is an episode where an individual eats a much larger amount of food than most people would in a similar situation. Binge eating is not a response to intense hunger. It is usually a response to depression, stress, or self esteem issues. During the binge episode, the individual experiences a loss of control. However, the sense of a loss of control is also followed by a short-lived calmness. The calmness is often followed by self-loathing. The cycle of overeating and purging usually becomes an obsession and is repeated often.
People with bulimia can look perfectly normal. Most of them are of normal weight, and some may be overweight.

What is Financial Bulimia?
Episodes of binge–spending followed by inappropriate methods of financial control (purging - living without basic necessities)
A Binge is an episode where an individual spends a much larger amount of money than their means will allow. It isn’t always in response to a need but rather to depression, stress, or self- esteem issue. During a Binge-spending episode, the individual may feel a false sense of control and power. This false sense of control or power is followed by a short state of euphoria. And the euphoria is followed by regret, self-loathing and guilt. The spending and purging usually becomes a cycle that repeats and leads to more depression as the financial outlook takes on a bleaker look unless the cycle is stopped.
Most people with financial bulimia look perfectly normal; most of them look like your neighbors on your street or at your job.

A possible scenario may go like this - bills come in on purchases, min. payment is made and in order to have money left over for food or gas the individual may eat one meal a day, rarely use utilities in extreme weather or sell off items in their house that they normally wouldn’t part with. When the paycheck comes in they may see a flood of money and start buying more items or applying for more credit cards and spend money to alleviate their feelings of inadequecy. This sends them in a vicious cycle of spending, ‘starving’ and spending some more, digging themselves deeper into debt and more anxiety.

A change in habit will take time, and the greatest kick in the pants to change will come from our own head and heart, the willingness to change and courage to stand back up even when struck in the face with the reality of the financial dilemna.

There are some ways to ‘detox’ your way out.
Just as fasting and drinking only water has a detoxification on your system. A non-spending day may also. But plan these; more often in one a week doesn’t make you more virtuous. Keep it in moderation, pick a day ahead of time and stick to it, for instance, every Saturday for the month. This allows you to take control of your will-power slowly instead of being lead by the nose.

Talking finances with others isn’t a great taboo, but you never know who is going through the same thing you are, so find a buddy to help you out, to talk to when you want to go shopping, to bring you down to earth when you feel the extremes are taking control of you; If you don’t have someone to talk to, write in a journal, whether with pen and paper or online as an anonymous person. Talk about why you want to buy, what were you going through at the time that made you want to give in to one of the extremes.

Instead of the extremes of eating once a day or never using the heat in the winter, try some moderation over the long haul of eating smaller meals when times are good or keeping the house at the same semi-low temperature even when you know you will have the money to pay the bills.

Most importantly learn to say “no” to yourself and to others. Start with small things, let no excuse get by. Walk away from the situation, change the topic, or distract yourself with something else. Ultimately saying no to some things will allow you to say yes to those things that are important to you, such as holidays and birthdays.

Dawn Cadwell continues to live a frugal, simple life as much as possible, learning as she goes. Frugalforlife is a free resource to those in need,curious or just looking for a few tips. Thank you for your time. Copyright © – Dawn Cadwell. All rights reserved. E-mail notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: Frugalforlife(at)Gmail(dot)com

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Fashion Threats - Is Anorexia and Bulimia Fashionable

By Kacy Carr

Fashion should be referred to like that of a magnetic force because of its power of attraction. People of all ages are drawn to the latest trend in designs that hang on boutique clothes rails like magnets. Regardless of shape and size there will always be a new designer creation to suit you. What you need to remember is - an outfit should be tailor made around your size - and not your size around the outfit you tend on wearing.

Dieting is all well and good in a bid to shed those excess pounds should you be on the pleasantly plump side, but, sadly, there are women who feel the need to follow suit of others i.e. models that grace the catwalk. Images of bony skeletal frames are not a pretty sight, so why would you want to change from what is, naturally you, to what naturally belongs to someone else (Their identity). Clothes to compliment your shape and size are ten a penny due to massive quantities of new designs shipped from different countries from all around the world.

If by chance you find the latest of trendy gear is not to your liking then alter the whole entity of the outfit by adding accessories or get a needle and cotton and make it that perfect dress or frock ideally suited to you`re your own personal taste. You must never abstain from eating food to reduce your dress size all because you long to model designer gear.

What does one see when in the audience of fashion show? Is it the designer dress, is it the smile on the models face, I don`t think so, What you see is an unbalanced walk similar to that of a drunk who has downed ten pints of beer while at the same watching the body of the individual struggle to keep up with the legs (Gestapo step). The dangers of dieting prevail if you choose to ignore what is, or is not healthy for your body when slimming down. You should always consult your doctor or a dietician before reducing any intake of daily edibles.

Are you aware that a ban has been enforced on overly thin models in Madrid (Spain) due to many hopeful wannabes - developing an eating disorder. (Anorexia and bulimia) Both conditions can prove to be fatal if they escalate out of control. Sad as it may seem - death in some cases was somewhat unavoidable because the patient - then became a victim of their own possessive thoughts i.e. urging them to meet with criteria which was expected of a young model when joining the catwalk trail.

Modelling is recognized as a glamorised career, but there are many people who fight the cause, just like Madrid and begged to differ in opinion on the matter.

That new dress you have your eye on in the boutique will never look as good hanging on the rail until you are wearing it. For any fashionable piece of clothing to look its best - you have to feel your best. If you want to follow suit of trend setters - then think Hollywood. Think about it, how many wafer thin model types have you seen acting alongside Brad Pitt. If you really must base yourself on a thing of beauty, then the hour glass figure of Marilyn Monroe is worth considering.

Why diet when you can eat sensibly and look just as beautiful. Consider taking on the feel good factor, how you ask? Well you let your inner beauty out and once this is done - then who needs fashion.

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Factors Affecting Development of Bulimia

By Michael Russell

Aside from the primary factors which cause the onset of bulimia (heredity or genetics, inherent personality traits, socio-cultural influences), there are still a number of secondary factors which may help trigger and aggravate the condition. Among these are the following:

. Dieting. Since the society values thinness immensely, people who lose weight are often highly praised for the change in their appearance. And since we put too much value on being accepted, these positive feedbacks set the stage for a more intensive and probably, a more stringent dieting. Unfortunately, this leads to bingeing and then purging and then some more dieting - and ultimately a vicious cycle is born.

. Adolescence. Adolescence or puberty is one of the most stressful periods in any person's life. It is a period of constant changes and never-ending adjustments. It is a point in time that can be very confusing to anyone who is shedding off his or her childhood persona and eventually transforming into a more mature individual.

Teenagers do crave to fit in and would try their best to conform to the standards set by society. As such, they may strive hard to achieve the "ideal figure" set by modern society - the one which calls for extreme thinness as exemplified by models, actors and actresses which unfortunately, are the role models of the youth. Impressionable as they are, teens would try everything just to look like their idols. For them, thinness would be just as well the way to happiness and success.

. Life changing events. Any change which brings about life changing consequences can trigger off an eating disorder. Events such as relocating, heading off to college and problems with personal relationships, among others, can cause emotional distress. Some people under these stressful situations may feel so lost that they eventually latch on to something, which they can control, in this case food and their eating behaviors. They may feel that by latching on to food, they at least have some areas in their lives where they are totally in control.

. Artistic activities, sports and work-related factors. There are some artistic and sports activities where a leaner body is considered a fundamental requirement. Examples of these are ballet dancers, gymnasts, wrestlers and marathon athletes. They need to have leaner bodies to increase their agility necessary for their chosen fields. Models, actors, actresses and other television personalities also need to be thin to compete effectively in their chosen professions. Even those in the business and professional arenas feel that they need to have the "ideal figure" to be taken seriously by their colleagues.

. Society. The media is often depicted as one of the primary culprits in the proliferation of eating disorders. Just take a look at all the skinny beauties endorsing even the most common of household essentials and you will see what I mean. Whether the media is simply reflecting the social values prevalent in our times or it is manipulating and influencing the society to glorify thinness cannot be established. In this case, it can be a case of "which comes first - the chicken or the egg?"

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Is Barbie-Doll-Like Look the Ideal Look? Root Cause of Bulimia

By Ksana Vera

Bulimia, or bulimia nervosa, is a psychological eating disorder characterized by bouts of compulsive eating followed by efforts to undo the effects of the same by using improper means like induced vomiting, bouts of fasting, purging with laxatives/enema/diuretics, and compulsive exercising.

According to popular belief, the main cause for bulimia is the sociocultural pressures that impose on young women vulnerable minds that a Barbie-doll-like look is the ideal look. Not being able to emulate this ideal leads to a poor body image, the psychological trauma of which in turn leads to bulimia. Some psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc., are also known to contribute to bulimia.

What is not commonly known is that bulimia is not simply a psychological disorder; there is a biological and physiological factor too playing a role. Some people may be more genetically predisposed to bulimia than others, probably due to an imbalance in the brain chemicals that regulate hunger and food intake. It is the interplay among biological, psychological, genetic, familial and social factors that actually gives rise to bulimia.

Strong evidence exists that low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a naturally occurring chemical in the brain, can contribute to bulimia. When the brain serotonin level is low, the body seeks it from an outside source (the food, especially rich carbohydrates and sugars). The body converts these sugars into tryptophan, which is the precursor of serotonin. This explains the uncontrolled craving for food and binge eating in bulimics.

The secret to fighting bulimia, therefore, lies in slowly triggering your body to produce higher levels of serotonin in situ. Some doctors try to treat bulimia with antidepressant drugs too, because low levels of serotonin have also been linked to depression. But drugs do not offer a permanent and completely safe solution to bulimia.

The best way to fight bulimia is to balance the brain chemicals through natural sources for example, by using the right kind of foods as medicine in order to invoke the amazing self-healing power of the body, without drugs and without doctors. It is, for example, found that bulimics suffer from nutritional deficiency of zinc, vitamin B complex and calcium. A serotonin-friendly diet plan should therefore incorporate foods that supply these nutrients in plenty.

Such a serotonin-friendly diet based on natural ingredients will go a long way in helping you fight bulimia on your own in a completely safe and natural way, without resorting to drugs and without the help of a doctor. Do not delay! Get rid of bulimia through the self-healing powers of your body, mind and spirit.

Ksana Vera is recovered bulimic, author of complete self recovery program (two books "10 Days of the new life" and "The truth will set you free"). Ksana Vera is commited to helping others through their recovery from bulimia. Read more about the program at http://www.cureforbulimia.com

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A Parallel Between Bulimia And Anorexia

By Groshan Fabiola

The most bewildering symptom of eating disorders is the distorted body image. People usually associate distorted body image with severe anorexia. It is indicated that this distortion may be more prevalent in people with bulimia. There is also disparity between anorexia which tends to have an accurate perception of the upper body and bulimia.

People with bulimia were more likely than those with anorexia. The anorexia overestimates its size: abdominal and pelvic area. The bulimia is generally practiced in secret. The symptoms may be the following: evidence of discarded packaging for laxatives, diet pills, emetics (drugs that induce vomiting) or diuretics (medications that reduce fluids), eating large amounts of food or buying large quantities that disappear right away, compulsive exercising, broken blood vessels in the eyes, swollen salivary glands, dry mouth; teeth develop cavities, diseased gums and irreversible erosion from excessive acid.

Other symptoms which may appear are: rashes and pimples, small cuts and calluses across the tops of finger joints. The symptoms specific to anorexia are: weight loss provided excessive and continuous dieting, menstruation may be infrequent or absent, orthopedic problems particularly in dancers and athletes, refusal to eat in front of others, hypersensitivity to cold, yellowish skin especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, hair may be thin and after eating the stomach can be distressed and bloated. A poor memory and lack judgment can be present to an anorexic patient who can be confused or slowed.

People should be afraid about bulimia and anorexia effects and they must regularly consult the doctor.

For more resources about anorexia and bulimia please review this page http://www.anorexia-center.com/anorexia-tips.htm, or even http://www.anorexia-center.com/pro-anorexia.htm

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