Eating Disorders Support Group

Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.

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Mental Health
/ Eating Disorders Support Group

What helps you?

whitt88
whitt88
Hi, I'm new to this group and relatively to having an eating disorder (ED-NOS, restricting during weekdays, binge/purge on weekends). I see a therapist where we focus more on my anxiety/depression which has been very helpful, but it kind of neglects the ED portion of what I'm going through. I was referred to an ED treatment facility, but health insurance didn't cover that. (Current bad joke is that if I want treatment, I need to become an alcoholic/drug addict - insurance covers that) So I feel like I'm floating between.

What resources have been helpful to you especially free/low cost options? (Nutritionist, live support groups, psychiatrist, etc)
What helps you stop/slow binge/purging in the moment?
What helps you not restrict so much?
If you have difficulty balancing restricting then binging/purging, what helps draw some balance to the situation?
When do you know you ought to call the doctor for an episode?
Also is there anything else you think someone new to this should know?

Thanks in advance!
valgal18
valgal18
welcome to the group...i have ED-NOS as well......my therapist told me about a free app that you can get on your phone....it's called "Recovery Records"(RR)....it's free and it's amazing!!!! you log your meals and you can log your feelings and thoughts,,,it;s gives you encouraging messages and saying....it's extremely helpful.....i found that logging my meals helps and RR helps with that.....when i was in the inpatient program for my ED i made affiramation cards..."food=fuel" "a full stomach is a healthy stomach" "restriction is not an option"......i've seen a dietitian and we work on a sliding scale so all my visits are 75$, so that's not really a low cost option...if you decide to get a dietitian or a nutritionist ***find one who specializes in eating disorders***....i cannot stress that enough....i saw a dietitian for this health thing and she got so confused as to why i felt like i couldn't eat and insulted me and it was a bad experience, but those who are not trained in eating disorders won't be the best option....i've never binged but i know people who have and they told me that when they want to purge they set a timer for 30 minutes and the occupy their time for those 30 minutes...usually the urge goes away....as far as when to call the doctor, that's really for you to decide.....i would probably consult with your therapist as to when to call....you NEED to bring this up with your therapist...this is a serious issue and she needs to know about it and needs to help you......this journey is going to be hard and there will be slip ups, but we're all here for you and we support you....i hope this helped...if you ever wanna talk, please feel free to message me
whitt88
whitt88
Thank you Valgal! This gives me a lot to look at and several things to try. I'm going to use the timer thing this evening (I'm having a pain flare up and that's usually when I binge/purge more frequently than usual.)
uniquorn
uniquorn
Valgal...thanks for sharing. That information is something I will also find useful as a new ED patient. Especially the 30 minute timer but I would have to set it when the urge to binge hits, not purge...once I binge I am not sure I could NOT purge. I am using myfitnesspal to log calories in attempt to eat more. I put in my goal to gain weight, though I am not really pushing myself to eat more like I should...it does help me to see where I am lacking (carbs, fat, protein, etc.). Thanks for the tips! Be well!
CeeCee4
CeeCee4
Also under treatments above in the eating disorder group there are link and resources that are helpful.

I looked into a free support group locally at a womens shelter and found one that I went to for a while till I could get over the last hurdle.
kpsurfersfan
kpsurfersfan
Hi and welcome. I've personally found therapy the most useful and healing in my recovery from my EDs. Also I have learnt some basic DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) techniques which give me practical tools I can pull "out of my recovery toolbox" when I'm struggling. There are several great resources on the internet which are free and you can download. In particular I've found these helpful from Getselfhelp.co.uk:-

http://www.get.gg/bulimia.htm

http://www.get.gg/anorexia.htm

http://www.get.gg/freedownloads.htm

Take care and keep posting....

Kim :)
eshaw
eshaw
Welcome. I have found that my dietician kept me on track the most. Logging my meals and having someone to hold me accountable really helped me. I've stopped going and have found that I restrict and while I don't binge on a lot of food I binge on unhealthy food which sends me into purging and back into my restricting again. If you can stop restricting it will really help lessen the urge to binge from my experience. Good luck. Keep posting.