Recovering from Eating Disorder

[pryncess77]

This is rather personal, but I've found that the more I talk about it the more it helps me with my recovery. I am currently in recovery after being severely bulimic for nearly 5 years. I began dating a bodybuilder/trainer and he inspired me to get involved in training for a figure competition, but we have since broken up and I'm needing some advice on eating/training.

After starving my body for so long, it's been robbed of most of it's muscle mass, so building muscle is at the top of my agenda. I don't really have that much fat to loose, so I'm not worried about that. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on my caloric intake....as you can imagine after having lived on basically nothing for a long time, the idea of eating a lot of food is a little strange. Ive been in recovery for about 3 months now, so my body is getting used to digesting again, and I'm feeling mentally 'ready' to up my calories to try and build muscle.

I am 5'8", about 149lbs. I've been training for about 2 months now with 5-6 30 minute cardio sessions/week plus working my individual muscle groups through lifting. My diet is about 90% clean.

Calories? Help! LOL. My 'guess' is that I should be around 2200 or so, but maybe it's more. When I train legs, I'm STARVING for about 2 days, so maybe I should up my cals on those days? Help!

Thanks for your support....

[Feny]

Originally Posted by pryncess77

This is rather personal, but I've found that the more I talk about it the more it helps me with my recovery. I am currently in recovery after being severely bulimic for nearly 5 years. I began dating a bodybuilder/trainer and he inspired me to get involved in training for a figure competition, but we have since broken up and I'm needing some advice on eating/training.

After starving my body for so long, it's been robbed of most of it's muscle mass, so building muscle is at the top of my agenda. I don't really have that much fat to loose, so I'm not worried about that. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on my caloric intake....as you can imagine after having lived on basically nothing for a long time, the idea of eating a lot of food is a little strange. Ive been in recovery for about 3 months now, so my body is getting used to digesting again, and I'm feeling mentally 'ready' to up my calories to try and build muscle.

I am 5'8", about 149lbs. I've been training for about 2 months now with 5-6 30 minute cardio sessions/week plus working my individual muscle groups through lifting. My diet is about 90% clean.

Calories? Help! LOL. My 'guess' is that I should be around 2200 or so, but maybe it's more. When I train legs, I'm STARVING for about 2 days, so maybe I should up my cals on those days? Help!

Thanks for your support....

good luck... i really hope your able to take care and continue to overcome this disorder. just set a weight goal, and make sure to eat enought @least 2500 calories a day (from whole food sources) ... now understand that when i say whole food sources, you'll need to eat more than you'd expect just because whole foods often have lower calories.


train for muscle, but more importantly, for health.
my favorite quote for bodily health is...
your body is a temple, train accordingly...

god bless

[Crazymix]

good luck..

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by pryncess77

This is rather personal, but I've found that the more I talk about it the more it helps me with my recovery. I am currently in recovery after being severely bulimic for nearly 5 years. I began dating a bodybuilder/trainer and he inspired me to get involved in training for a figure competition, but we have since broken up and I'm needing some advice on eating/training.

After starving my body for so long, it's been robbed of most of it's muscle mass, so building muscle is at the top of my agenda. I don't really have that much fat to loose, so I'm not worried about that. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on my caloric intake....as you can imagine after having lived on basically nothing for a long time, the idea of eating a lot of food is a little strange. Ive been in recovery for about 3 months now, so my body is getting used to digesting again, and I'm feeling mentally 'ready' to up my calories to try and build muscle.

I am 5'8", about 149lbs. I've been training for about 2 months now with 5-6 30 minute cardio sessions/week plus working my individual muscle groups through lifting. My diet is about 90% clean.

Calories? Help! LOL. My 'guess' is that I should be around 2200 or so, but maybe it's more. When I train legs, I'm STARVING for about 2 days, so maybe I should up my cals on those days? Help!

Thanks for your support....

Hi Pryncess, welcome to bb.com and congratulations on your recovery. I was never bulimic, but ate compulsively for years. I understand how challenging it can be to manage and/or nip ED's in the bud. What you've accomplished took hard work, not only with bulimia, but moving on after the relationship. You should be very proud of yourself.

Caloric intake, depends on many factors, such as the intensity of your workouts, amount of lean muscle, metabolism, etc. It's very individualized. Because of my history with food addiction, I personally "chose" not to count calories intially, because I didn't want to fall into the trap of obsessing over food.

So I went by portions instead...and as the pounds began to drop, I simply varied my "portions" every few days to keep my body guessing. Based on stats I've checked and memorized over time, I average between 2000-2200 calories each day. If portion control sounds easier, you may want to start with Body for Life and ease into things. After a few weeks, if desired, you can tweak and customize.

BFL combines weight training, cardio, and nutrition, but emphasizes portions instead of calorie counting. I posted information concerning the program in a previous message here(see post #7):

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...3#post85582233

Otherwise, if portions will not work for you(which is the case for some with ED's), I'm sure members with more experience will have helpful advice to help you plan calories. I'm in the process of reading about calorie manipulation now, and will begin using various techniques ONLY "if" my progress stops. I'm sending you support, and hope that you continue to make strides each day. T

[pryncess77]

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. I have a fairly long story when it comes to battles with weight...
When my parents divorced I was 11 years old, and that year I put on nearly 30lbs. By the time I was 20 years old, I weighed nearly 240lbs!!!! I went on the Atkins diet and lost about 80lbs, but as soon as I quit the diet, I found the weight piling on quickly. Having been obease for most of my life, I was TERRIFIED. This is really what led me to the Eating disorder. I was bulimic for 5 years, but the toll that it has taken on my body is very bad. I truly believe that training and bodybuilding is my only savior....
I appreciate everyones help and advice so much!!! Who knows, after i firm up my body a little bit, I'd like to submit my before/afters for the 'transformation of the week'.

[MommaJo]

I'm a recovered bulimic - haven't purged for years, and while I still occasionally have emotional eating episodes, the binges are nowhere near what they used to be. I remember when I could down an entire half-gallon box of ice cream and it was only PART of my binge! Nowadays, half a pint of ice cream is the case. It's good that you've realized that your behaviour was unhealthy; for me, health was the major motivation in terms of getting things under control. I also became more involved in athletics at the time, and I knew that bulimic behaviour would keep me from performing my best.

Anyway, I tried to deal with purging first...it decreased from daily (sometimes several times a day) to several times a week, then several times a month, then only once a few months. My binges also gradually decreased both in terms of frequency and in terms of quantity of food consumed. I also trained hard and lifted lots of weights, and I think that the fact that I was still overeating (since I still binged sometimes, but no longer purged) and yet training so hard was what helped me put on a good 20 or so lbs or muscle, even though I was not yet thinking about nutrient ratios/timing and other fine-tuning techniques. To put on muscle, you basically gotta eat lots and train lots!

[twinnett]

I am also recovering from an eating disorder...anorexia..I would recommend that you NOT focus on counting calories or measuring or anything resembling a disordered view of eating. I think it would be best for you to concentrate on eating plenty of lean protein, good carbs and healthy fats, along w/ plenty of fruits and veggies. You need lots of food to build muscle!

I also caution you when thinking of entering a comp...with a history of an eating disorder, the extremes of contest prep can really mess with your head!! Make sure you are mentally AND physically prepared!

[Devisissy]

5,8 at 149? Perfect. This is a good weight for you my dear. I say maintain your weight. HIt the gym. Start with cardio x3 then weights x2. Then work up to lifting every other day or more. You should see a transition where you lose the fat but replace it with lean muscle. You won't see a change in the scale but your body will look fab!

[Shannondoaha]

It looks like we are on the same page- I was suffering from bulimia as well for almost 2 years.

My boyfriend has helped me to get over it =)

The best webpage to visit to figure out how many calories you need in a day- and calories vs. burned calories each day and finding out where your calories come from (protein, carbs, fats)
is www.fitday.com

Sign up for an account, its free and its really really helpful.

Customize any food you can- because that way you know
that its more acurate.

[pryncess77]

Shannon:

Congratulations on your road to recovery! I know it's one of the hardest things I've everrrr done! But, I'm sure you'll agree with me that it is soooooo worthwhile, and that getting involved in bodybuilding really does help you reconnect with you body and what it needs to be healthy. By the way, you are a very pretty girl and you look fabulous! Keep it up!

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by pryncess77

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. I have a fairly long story when it comes to battles with weight...
When my parents divorced I was 11 years old, and that year I put on nearly 30lbs. By the time I was 20 years old, I weighed nearly 240lbs!!!! I went on the Atkins diet and lost about 80lbs, but as soon as I quit the diet, I found the weight piling on quickly. Having been obease for most of my life, I was TERRIFIED. This is really what led me to the Eating disorder. I was bulimic for 5 years, but the toll that it has taken on my body is very bad. I truly believe that training and bodybuilding is my only savior....
I appreciate everyones help and advice so much!!! Who knows, after i firm up my body a little bit, I'd like to submit my before/afters for the 'transformation of the week'.

You're welcome Pryncess, and you will inspire so many with your healing. T

[norinicole]

Originally Posted by twinnett

I am also recovering from an eating disorder...anorexia..I would recommend that you NOT focus on counting calories or measuring or anything resembling a disordered view of eating. I think it would be best for you to concentrate on eating plenty of lean protein, good carbs and healthy fats, along w/ plenty of fruits and veggies. You need lots of food to build muscle!

I also caution you when thinking of entering a comp...with a history of an eating disorder, the extremes of contest prep can really mess with your head!! Make sure you are mentally AND physically prepared!

Ditto.

And congratulations to you and all the women on here who've battled an ED. We are all survivors and I feel so blessed to have found a group of women who have been there, and continue to be an inspiration.

[frog83]

Such disease is no joke. I'm glad that you eat healthy and you took care of yourself.Nothing better than being on BB! You'll get addicted to healthy life for sure! I know the disease is mental, so I hope that whatever problem caused it, is gone forever. Remember that a healthy, well - built and toned body is really sexy! Being here healed my obsession with slim legs (in my opinion they were too muscular).. So keep working out.. but remember about the rest, recovery, and eat all the important nutrients.. You're body needs quite some time to recover!

[Outdoor Girl]

Congrats on your courage and your plans to continue to overcome your eating disorders. I was very overweight for a long time, my weight yo yo'ed up and down with diets and temporary fitness fads, I binged out of control with compulsive and emotional eating.

Almost three years ago I started in on this fitness quest and slowly learned diet and exercise and modified my routine, but even today (just read my journal!) I panic if I eat off of my routine because I worry what will happen. I hope someday that will subside, but I guess it is the residual effect of a lifetime battling my weight.

For me, planning my meals out and eating 5-6 meals a day has helped the most because it doesn't let me get to the point where I am so hungry I will overeat or compusively eat something wrong. I have different sized coolers to take with me if needed and some very portable healthy food.

My sincerest wishes for your healthy recovery and that you achieve your goals!

[Maleficent238]

Pryncess, as mentioned above, it's so very important that you make sure you're emotionally prepared for competition. I've never competed myself, but I imagine that it could be awfully triggering for someone with a history of eating disorders.

I hate to steal the post, but here's a question for all of you (including myself) who have struggled with eating disorders and made the shift to fitness/bodybuilding. Do you ever worry that you've just transferred your obsessive and compulsive behaviors to a healthier outlet? When I was in therapy it was constantly preached that eating disorders are all so relative and what seems healthy for one person could actually be extremely unhealthy for another. It's all a state of mind. So sometimes I find myself having to step back from counting macros, perfecting my training routine, etc, because it starts to feel kind of obsessive. I recognize that eating clean and training hard takes work and dedication, but I guess I just worry that sometimes I may cross to the "dark side" by being overly obsessive. And even though it's not as bad as, say, acting out through bulimia, it could still be considered an unhealthy outlet. Does that make any sense?

[star4822]

Originally Posted by Maleficent238

Pryncess, as mentioned above, it's so very important that you make sure you're emotionally prepared for competition. I've never competed myself, but I imagine that it could be awfully triggering for someone with a history of eating disorders.

I hate to steal the post, but here's a question for all of you (including myself) who have struggled with eating disorders and made the shift to fitness/bodybuilding. Do you ever worry that you've just transferred your obsessive and compulsive behaviors to a healthier outlet? When I was in therapy it was constantly preached that eating disorders are all so relative and what seems healthy for one person could actually be extremely unhealthy for another. It's all a state of mind. So sometimes I find myself having to step back from counting macros, perfecting my training routine, etc, because it starts to feel kind of obsessive. I recognize that eating clean and training hard takes work and dedication, but I guess I just worry that sometimes I may cross to the "dark side" by being overly obsessive. And even though it's not as bad as, say, acting out through bulimia, it could still be considered an unhealthy outlet. Does that make any sense?

I definitely agree with this. That would explain why so many girls that are into nutrition/weight lifting have had histories of eating disorders(myself being one of them).

Congratulations on deciding to recover, Pryncess. It takes a lot of courage and strength to be able to do this. Just remember we're all here for you! I've suffered from both anorexia and exercise bulimia, so I know what the hell of having an eating disorder. I don't consider myself "recovered", because I never truly believe you can be recovered from an eating disorder. Rather, I believe you just learn to cope with it in a healthy manner(as would an alcoholic would learn to abstain from alcohol).

If you ever want to talk about anything, feel free to message me.

[twinnett]

Originally Posted by Maleficent238

Pryncess, as mentioned above, it's so very important that you make sure you're emotionally prepared for competition. I've never competed myself, but I imagine that it could be awfully triggering for someone with a history of eating disorders.

I hate to steal the post, but here's a question for all of you (including myself) who have struggled with eating disorders and made the shift to fitness/bodybuilding. Do you ever worry that you've just transferred your obsessive and compulsive behaviors to a healthier outlet? When I was in therapy it was constantly preached that eating disorders are all so relative and what seems healthy for one person could actually be extremely unhealthy for another. It's all a state of mind. So sometimes I find myself having to step back from counting macros, perfecting my training routine, etc, because it starts to feel kind of obsessive. I recognize that eating clean and training hard takes work and dedication, but I guess I just worry that sometimes I may cross to the "dark side" by being overly obsessive. And even though it's not as bad as, say, acting out through bulimia, it could still be considered an unhealthy outlet. Does that make any sense?

Great post! I agree that some people tend to transfer their obsessions from one outlet to the other. I have to say that I've been guilty of this, but I'm trying to notice when I start to obsess too much (ie getting concerned over carbs in broccoli, etc) and step away and relax!

There are many people on here that have disordered eating masked as "dedication" and it's very unhealthy for recovering anorexics or bulimics to see that IMO.

[pryncess77]

[QUOTE=twinnett;116519661]Great post! I agree that some people tend to transfer their obsessions from one outlet to the other. I have to say that I've been guilty of this, but I'm trying to notice when I start to obsess too much (ie getting concerned over carbs in broccoli, etc) and step away and relax!

"I hate to steal the post, but here's a question for all of you (including myself) who have struggled with eating disorders and made the shift to fitness/bodybuilding. Do you ever worry that you've just transferred your obsessive and compulsive behaviors to a healthier outlet? "


The way I see it, everyone on this world has an addiction to something, be it food, cigarettes, exercising, alcohol, drugs...etc, so to some degree as a human being you HAVE to obsess about something. Of all the things you could be O/C over, I'd say being healthy and exercising is probably the best choice!

[runninmom]

I guess I shouldn't be but I'm still amazed at how many people suffer from this. I have struggled with Bulimia off and on since age 16 (first anorexia). And consider myself "in recovery "for life because even though I have went yrs at a time without binging and purging I have had several relapses also. The scale has been my enemy. I get caught up in no.s if I start to lose wt. I find wt lifting has been great for me because mentally I know muscle weighs more than fat and so the scale should not mean a thing. You sound like you are at a gd wt but don't be surprised if it goes up if you start lifting more. If you eat more than you wish you had just remember your body NEEDS nutrition and will not build muscle without it. I know what you mean by feeling like it's sharing personal stuff but it really helps to reach out. Keep working at it and it will work

[pryncess77]

Originally Posted by runninmom

I guess I shouldn't be but I'm still amazed at how many people suffer from this. I have struggled with Bulimia off and on since age 16 (first anorexia). And consider myself "in recovery "for life because even though I have went yrs at a time without binging and purging I have had several relapses also. The scale has been my enemy. I get caught up in no.s if I start to lose wt. I find wt lifting has been great for me because mentally I know muscle weighs more than fat and so the scale should not mean a thing. You sound like you are at a gd wt but don't be surprised if it goes up if you start lifting more. If you eat more than you wish you had just remember your body NEEDS nutrition and will not build muscle without it. I know what you mean by feeling like it's sharing personal stuff but it really helps to reach out. Keep working at it and it will work

(((HUGS))) I think a lot of people find it amazing how widespread of an epidemic eating disorders have become. I think it's so important for all of us to remember not to be ashamed of it, because it makes it so much harder to overcome. In my opinion, bulimia is a result of a lack of ____ in other aspects of life (love, acceptance...). I think that bulimics tend to be very wonderful, passionate individuals, and that there IS hope for them to recover with hard work and dedication.

[ATCGal]

Let me just say that it's awesome that you're on the path to a healthier you!! I am also recovering from 7 years of bulimia, so I know how hard it can be. All of the women here have given great advice already, so I'll just say that we're all here for you if you need some support.

Take care, and best wishes.

[tarawil]

Hello Pryncess,

I'm recovering from an eating disorder myself. I'm on the same path you are and from what I've been suggested to from people on this site, don't focus on calories. Especially for the personality of somebody recovering. Have a general range and separate your calories into percentages for protein, carbohydrates and fats. Focus more on how many grams you are getting in each category if you really want to focus on specifics.

The website www.fitday.com is great, I started using it a couple days ago.
Another tip that I agree on is throwing out the scale. I did a couple weeks ago and it has done WONDERS.

There are some great articles on this website that will help you calculate a range of how much calories your body needs. Consider your body type, how much cardio you do, your activity levels, goals, time range and how much muscle mass you have and want and how much nutrition your body will need for each area to sustain and grow.

Tara

[CrystalSilva]

I too am a recovered bulemic and I'm happy for you that you were able to be strong. Firstly, I'd say slowly up your calories. do nooot do it all at once. your body and metabolism will not appreciate that. I don't know how much muscle youre trying to gain but 2200 calories is a lot...esp for someone whose body is used to digesting almost NO calories. see what i mean? so personally i wouldnt go that high until you reaaaallly feel as though your metabolism is raised a good amount and you have enough muscle mass to burn the calories..or else they'll turn right into fat if your metabolism isnt fast enough to burn them. so I'm say eat at most 1800 for now and continue your weight training. you'll see great results, and when you feel as though you've hit a plateau, then go from there (up calories/workouts, etc.)

congratulations on your success