Im becoming bulimic after gaining 35 pounds on meds

[Amber98]

Im a 24 year old female. My depression meds have made me gain 35 pounds over this past year. I went from 100lbs to 135.

I tried to really restrict my diet and go sugar free. But im addicted to junk food. Being sugar free didnt last, I started binging on junk food. I try to tell myself  not to eat it but I cave. Once i start eating junk i dont stop.

In an effort to curb the weight ive started binging and purging. Ive been doing it for 1 month. The medication makes me always hungry. When i eat with people im the first one to finish and I always get seconds even thirds.

Ive never had a weight issue my entire life, help!

[ExPat2013]

Hi Amber98! Yeah, it's so bad on your teeth. You want to keep those pearly whites as long as you can.

Yes, not restricting food does include sweets. I'm at a point where I will allow myself a treat day. It's good for your metabolism. Keeping on a certain diet for weeks at a time will cause one to plateau. A high calorie day usually kicks the metabolism back in gear. With that said, I have to be careful and so should you. For me, if I eat too much, I get very anxious and worried. This puts me at risk of a relapse. The same goes for you and a binge. It may take some time for you to get comfortable with having some treats on a treat day. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts on this forum: baby steps is the key, as to not trigger a relapse or a binge.

I find that planning ahead of time helps. So, I will line up my treat or treats, depending on my comfort level. It depends on my mood and how I'm doing. So for instance, I may purchase a nice big chocolate bar and some ice cream. When treat day comes, I may only eat half a chocolate bar or one bowl of ice cream, with or without a topping. You want to ask yourself before you eat: Will I be comfortable with this food choice later? If it takes you some time to answer, then perhaps not. Then pick and choose.

I also portion out what I am comfortable with and stash the rest away. For example: If I know I will only be comfortable eating half of that big chocolate bar, then I will cut it in half and put the rest away before enjoying. That way, I won;t be tempted to binge and can be happy with my food choice. This will not trigger me to purge.

The key really is being comfortable with your food choice and portion size. Don't worry. You will not have to go through this the rest of your life. Just right now, until you are past the binging and purging.

I can now make choices on a dime. So I may go to a gathering and there are sweets there. I can quickly gauge if I will or will not be comfortable eating a sweet or not. If not, I politely refuse. There are also times, at work, where if I know there will be sweets in the afternoon or a cake for someone's birthday, I'll eat a little lighter in the day. This way, I know I will be comfortable with a treat and not worry or agonize over how much I ate.

When it comes to weight loss, pick a healthy weight for you that is realistic. If 100 lbs is where you were and were healthy at, then fine. The weight will come off by eating healthy and a treat day either during or at the end of the week.

Remember, If you try these suggestions and you still purge and cannot stop. Seek help ASAP! the sooner the better.

I hope this helps. Always here for your support!

[Amber98]

wow you really opened my eyes, I'm so grateful you posted this, i didnt realize how harmful this was on my teeth.

You say to not restrict food, does this include sweets? I try to go all week without sweets and then on the weekend ill let myself eat what i want but it usually results in a binge.

[ExPat2013]

Hi Amber98,

Thank-you for posting and reaching out. To give you a brief background of myself, I am a recovered anorexic with bulimic tendencies and suffered for six years. I have been recovered for about twelve years now. I was an overweight teen and young adult. I've dealt with sugar and junk food addiction prior to my eating disorder. Also, I am "seasoned" in nutrition and sports nutrition, given my years of recovery and fitness buff today.

First, let me start off with how bulimia left me: I had beautiful, strong teeth. The years of purging, as well as only eating sugar foods as comfort foods, wrecked havoc on my teeth. I have an irreversible gum disease. The stomach acid from the purging, ruined some of my teeth, which had to be removed. Today, I sport a partial plate on the top, the rest of my teeth have to constantly be worked on and root canaled, or they will literally fall apart. I have to brush my teeth constantly. In the next five to ten years, I may face having to get full dentures. This is not to make you feel bad. This is to give you something to think about before it's too late.

I know what it's like to be a junk food addict, I was all throughout my childhood years. When I became a teenager, my metabolism changed and I became overweight. It's tough! I hear ya! I still do love the sweets!

Now, if it's your meds that are causing the weight gain, perhaps discussing this with your Doctor may help. If the meds help your mood, and the only side effect is the hunger, there are ways to combat this:

-Don't restrict food. Don't cut down on your food intake. This makes the sugar cravings worse.  

-Do make healthier choices. A diet higher in protein is proven to lower sugar cravings. Take it from me, I'm a sugar fiend and being on a high protein diet helps. I hardly crave sugar and when I do, I can control the intake.

-My protein diet includes lean meats such as poultry, fish as well as lean ground beef. I also eat beans and lentils. Not the beans in tomato or sugary sauce. I eat red kidney beans, black beans and lentils. They are high in protein and fibre. They are also packed full of vitamins and fill you up for a long period of time. They are also considered a "slow-carb" food. What this means is that instead of a high spike in insulin, like when you eat simple sugars such as sweets, it will raise your insulin slightly and level off for a longer period of time. This kills the sugar cravings. High fibre also keeps you regular and low fat means they will actually help you loose and maintain a healthy weight in the long run. I've experimented with this diet and for me, it's one that keeps me at my desired weight and keeps me away from the sweets the easiest!

-If there is other types of junk food like burgers, fries, fast food you like? No problem! Make healthier choices when enjoying these foods. I will usually substitute a burger bun with a high fibre rye bread or no bread at all. I load on the veggies and no condiments like mayo, etc. Plain mustard is good. I skip the fries and have a salad with little to no dressing.  

With all that said, the purging has to stop. It's been a month and the longer you engage in this type of weightloss strategy, the harder it will be to stop. Also, the more damage you will do to your teeth and stomach.

Talk to your Doctor as well as talk therapy to help with any issues that may be contributing to the bulimia. It also wouldn't hurt to speak to a nutritionist to help get you on the right track with eating and making healthy choices.

Check out a previous article of mine about tips on eating healthy for those recovering from an eating disorder. Once you start eating again, without purging, you may experience some bloating and discomfort. I listed some foods that may help with this process. As always, my disclaimer is: I am not a medical professional. I speak from experience and what I found worked for me. I post these tips and suggestions as guidelines only. I always recommend speaking to your healthcare provider(s) about these suggestions. I hope this helps! Keep posting and i'm always here for support. I've been there and I've recovered!