A few thoughts on what's working for me:
1. Planning times for my meals and snacks. If I start feeling really hungry a few minutes before my times, I go ahead and eat, but it's so nice to have a set of written times to follow.
1. Planning times for my meals and snacks. If I start feeling really hungry a few minutes before my times, I go ahead and eat, but it's so nice to have a set of written times to follow.
2. Biking in the afternoons instead of the morning. I'll do some weights in the morning, but I typically bike in the afternoon when L's home so he can lift weights while I bike. We like to work out together.
3. Blogging. This is an obvi one, but blogging really helps me stay positive, keep track of what I am eating, "journal" my thoughts about what's working, what's not working so well, even keep track of my good moods and my not so good moods. It's really helpful!
4. Exercise. This goes in the same category as biking, but I also do weights. Some days I hit the gym for about 30 minutes to do my legs, sometimes not (I get anxiety about the gym and people a little bit), but the combination of biking, weights, and walking the doggies = a golden improvement from being stagnant!
5. Keeping myself occupied as much as possible. Exercise, blogging, planning, getting out when necessary (both by myself and with L) are all part of this - see, it all melds together in an amazing way - because when I'm bored or not occupied, I am more prone to give into urges to binge and thus possibly purge if my mood is bad.
6. Counseling and going to the psychiatrist regularly. Professional help is essential to beating an eating disorder (whether you have to go to an in-patient clinic, out-patient, choose a counselor, etc), and of course, if you have bipolar disorder and/or any other mental illness, you should definitely see a psychiatrist! I go to B once a week and to Dr. J once a month (if I'm stable). I often reflect on what I've talked about with B on the blog and in a notebook if it's too private to share publicly so I really digest what we talk about - it helps write it down!
7. A *true inner desire for change* plus a positive attitude. It's not always easy - I'm not going to pretend that it is! But you have to want to change so darn much and be prepared to do anything. If I can't beat this eating disorder in the direction that I'm going, and I relapse badly, I will be going to a clinic. But I believe that I *CAN* do this with the help of B, Dr. J, and my own firm resolve.
What *hasn't* worked for me so far:
1. Promising myself prizes. At first, I promised myself a new camera if I went a whole month without binging and purging. Know how long that lasted? A. Day. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself. I'm not setting a time limit on my recovery nor am I promising myself a prize for winning my war ... my prize will be my health. B says it'll be a slow process of winning small battles to win the war, and one day I'll realize that I've won, probably without knowing it.
2. Beating myself up for having a "slip." It happens, and I always get so down because of it - I need to work on forgiveness because I'm not 100% free yet. But I'm thrilled to announce that I'm documenting my "slips" now, and they are thrillingly much fewer than they've ever been.
3. Going to the store without having a list. If I go to the store without planning, I'm more prone to buy reckless foods, like breads, that entice me to binge. If I have a concrete list, something where I can cross each item off, I feel accomplished and I'll come home without potential binge foods.
I'm definitely still experimenting with what's working and what's not! Now I'm going to post to OperationBeautiful notes today ... I'm especially going to post several at my mom's place of work. I think those ladies need a boost, and I hope that note might give them one!
~ M
3. Blogging. This is an obvi one, but blogging really helps me stay positive, keep track of what I am eating, "journal" my thoughts about what's working, what's not working so well, even keep track of my good moods and my not so good moods. It's really helpful!
4. Exercise. This goes in the same category as biking, but I also do weights. Some days I hit the gym for about 30 minutes to do my legs, sometimes not (I get anxiety about the gym and people a little bit), but the combination of biking, weights, and walking the doggies = a golden improvement from being stagnant!
5. Keeping myself occupied as much as possible. Exercise, blogging, planning, getting out when necessary (both by myself and with L) are all part of this - see, it all melds together in an amazing way - because when I'm bored or not occupied, I am more prone to give into urges to binge and thus possibly purge if my mood is bad.
6. Counseling and going to the psychiatrist regularly. Professional help is essential to beating an eating disorder (whether you have to go to an in-patient clinic, out-patient, choose a counselor, etc), and of course, if you have bipolar disorder and/or any other mental illness, you should definitely see a psychiatrist! I go to B once a week and to Dr. J once a month (if I'm stable). I often reflect on what I've talked about with B on the blog and in a notebook if it's too private to share publicly so I really digest what we talk about - it helps write it down!
7. A *true inner desire for change* plus a positive attitude. It's not always easy - I'm not going to pretend that it is! But you have to want to change so darn much and be prepared to do anything. If I can't beat this eating disorder in the direction that I'm going, and I relapse badly, I will be going to a clinic. But I believe that I *CAN* do this with the help of B, Dr. J, and my own firm resolve.
What *hasn't* worked for me so far:
1. Promising myself prizes. At first, I promised myself a new camera if I went a whole month without binging and purging. Know how long that lasted? A. Day. Don't set unrealistic goals for yourself. I'm not setting a time limit on my recovery nor am I promising myself a prize for winning my war ... my prize will be my health. B says it'll be a slow process of winning small battles to win the war, and one day I'll realize that I've won, probably without knowing it.
2. Beating myself up for having a "slip." It happens, and I always get so down because of it - I need to work on forgiveness because I'm not 100% free yet. But I'm thrilled to announce that I'm documenting my "slips" now, and they are thrillingly much fewer than they've ever been.
3. Going to the store without having a list. If I go to the store without planning, I'm more prone to buy reckless foods, like breads, that entice me to binge. If I have a concrete list, something where I can cross each item off, I feel accomplished and I'll come home without potential binge foods.
I'm definitely still experimenting with what's working and what's not! Now I'm going to post to OperationBeautiful notes today ... I'm especially going to post several at my mom's place of work. I think those ladies need a boost, and I hope that note might give them one!
~ M
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