How I did it: i found a good common sense person to talk to, and she asked me 2 important things:
1. why i was binging and purging? 
2. what other things could i do instead?

one reason i binged was to comfort myself.  another was because i was fasting all day until evening and then i didnt have any resistance to the temptation of food.   then i would feel guilty and overly full and greasy and dirty, so i would purge.  

with help from supportive friends, family, and counselers, i have learned some other things to do in order to feel better.

Lessons & tips: allow yourself to have tasty meals at regular mealtimes, and to have healthy snacks when you feel hungry. 


pay attention to the way food makes your body feel. 

focus not on your weight but on your health and your relationship with food.

find activities that you enjoy that can take the place of eating.  some things that helped me are stretch and relax excercises, going for walks, cooking for others, drinking tea, making art, and writing in a journal.

spend some of your time every week helping others.  it is good for the community and even better for your sense of self.

allow your self time to recover.  you are worth it, and you have your whole life ahead of you. 

Resources: cook books, to learn how to enjoy food slowly, in the preperation, the serving, the healthy feeling that comes afterward. get healthy ones like "a vegetarian epicure," "eating light," and "skinny bitch in the kitchen"

yoga

chamomile tea

water

throwing out the scale

spa time, in which i take hot bathes, give myself facials, and do my nails

a really great haircut

volunteering

going for long walks

allowing myself the things i need for body and soul

Jan 11, 2009, 03:05PM PST | 1 comment | 7 cheers