Exercise Bulimia?

Right, I've always been very disciplined with my diet.  Once I reached my calorie limit for the day, I was satisfied, and I stopped.  I worked out regularly, burning about 600 cals a workout, and eating back those calories with healthy meals.  Anyway, a friend came to stay with me for a week around Halloween.  I figured a few days of indulgence wouldn't kill me, so I ate like she did, and didn't gain anything.  I also managed to pick up quite the diet coke addiction, which is weird cuz I've never really been into soda.  Ever since then, I've been out of control.  I tried going back to my old diet, but I missed that feeling of fullness.  I've had to throw out tons of food because I simply can't have chocolate and things in the house anymore, when before I could keep them there and maybe eat one a day or something.

But I haven't really gained anything.  I think right before I binge, the only way I convince myself that it's ok to keep eating is because I can work it off.  My 600 cal workout sessions have become 1600 cal workout sessions.  I really want to stop doing all this.  thankfully, I'm not a member at the gym (I pay everytime I need to go), so hopefully it'll calm down.  I just need to regain control of my life, and I feel like crap all the time.  Anyone else been through this?

dattaplot,

I was bulimic (both exercise and binge/purge) for 8-10 years. I still struggle.  I have trouble going a day without working out. I force myself to take one full day off a week, but even on those days, sometimes I find myself doing pushups in the house, or going for a brisk walk. My body is tired and worn down and there are times when I wish I could just sleep in in the mornings.  Still, every work day at 5:05 my alarm clock goes off and I get up to go for a run or to the gym.  I used to run 10 miles or more EVERYDAY.  I don't know now how I did it, becuase my body is so tired and rundown.  As far as my bingeing and purging... the only way I truly started to gain control of that was thinking about my priorities in life. My biggest priorities are being a good wife (can't do that when you are obsessed with food and working out), and being a mom (still working on that, but I know my chances are worse if I treat my body unhealthily).  Counseling was extremely helpful for me. While I still work out, I feel more wholesome than ever. Another helpful hint, if you can't control your bingeing, don't keep the things that you will binge on in the house.  If I keep a bag of candy in the house, I will eat it all. And I mean all of it. So, kI know where you are coming from with that. I just don't keep it in the house.   Also, as hard as it is, sometimes its as simple as just tellin gyourself to stop. I know that there were times when I was at mjy lowest, that that just didn't cut it. But there are times when you are stronger and telling yourself "no" to either bingeing or purging (whether by exercise or other) will work. And when those times come around, you need to be proud of your strength and your ability to overcome. Trust me, I know it doesn't always work, but at least try it everytime.  Sometimes, I wonder what I would look like or feel like today if I had not been so hard on my body all those years.  Another thing you can do, is go for a walk when you want to binge and tell yourself that that is a workout. If you can get your heart rate up a bit, it is a good workout (a healthy one) and by the time you get back you may not even be hungry or at least you won't be in binge mode.  Anyway, I am rambling. Hang in there.  Slow down your workouts.  You will get stuck in a vicious cycle and your body will be so tired and worn out that your mind will become entangled too. Hope this helps.

I do this too.  I totally beat myself up if I don't burn approx. (cause who really knows, really) 800 calories a day.  I'm solid muscle and weigh 127# at 5'8" - I set my self at "sedentary" here and undergauge my exercise by at least 10% (knowingly - no denial here!)

I am recovering from anorexia and have graduated into binging on healthy food and then doing my almost daily workout.

My knees hurt, like bad.  I can't keep doing this.  My suggestion for maintenance is 2100 calories, my burn meter with exercise is 2800 (give or take) on most days - I aim for about 1800 gross calories, just to be safe (beat myself up at 2000, freak at 2200, like today! Yeah!).  I am getting my nutrients, per the sites resources but I don't have a period anymore.

I can't keep doing this, there simply isn't enough time in the day or energy left in my body.  I don't want to damage myself permanently

I struggle with the same issue. I have been struggling with exercise bulimia and eating disorder behavior for about 3 years now.

I must do 170-190 minutes (about 3 hours) of intense cardio everyday. I give myself one day off per week. But still, even on those days I have the urge to go for a short run or walk. I usually workout at my gym and use a few different cardio machines.

It all started a few years ago when I wanted to lose weight. So I cut back on eating junk and started to workout for an hour each day. Well, I took it too far. I became very underweight and was forced to seek professional help. Here I am now, eating a much higher amount of calories...but it pisses me off. It pisses me off that I am so hungry all of the time. My way of dealing with eating more food is to exercise MORE. I know it's not healthy, but it is a compulsion. It is my way of "purging" the food that I eat.

It's embarrassing to say that I workout for 3 hours everyday. What a waste, right. I honestly consider it a part-time job, because it takes that much time and effort. I'm ashamed of it. I need to stop. I have practically wasted away all of my muscle. I wish I knew how to eat properly and exercise moderately.

I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. DO NOT let yourself add minutes to your workout. If you do, you might keep going. Please be safe and healthy. Our bodies are gifts. :)

Hey guys.  Exercise bulemia is a real disease.  Alot of people think that as long as it doesn't involve actual purging, that it's ok.  But it's not ok.

Some of the physical dangers that may become an issue for someone exercising too much can be: dehydration, stress fracture and osteoporosis, degenerative arthritis, amenorrea (loss of menstrual cycle) and reproductive problems, and heart problems.

I know that this thread was started as a means of support, but some people here are posting that they are actively involved in this form of bulemia and make no mention of even wanting to try to recover.  As a moderator, I must remind everyone of our posting guideines.  We are here to help, but first and foremost, we are a site dedicated to promoting healthy living.  If you are someone who is an active bulemic and not interested in recovery, this may not the best site for you. 

Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

- Peaches, aka Michelle, volunteer moderator.

I know EXACTLY how you feel!  Since my last post I began to start seeing  a clinical eating disorder psychologist.  I have been seeing her 2 x's a week and I do feel like I'm getting things under control.  I have begun to cut back my workouts to 2 hours a day (GOD THAT FEELS GREAT) and recently she had be write in a food journal.  This has been key for me to help stop my binges.  Its not just calorie counting and weighing its tracking  the hour you eat, where you eat it and how hungry you feel before the meal and how satiated yo feel after.  a scale of 1 being empty 5 feeling neutral and 10 stuffed.  She also is having me write how I feel when I engage in exercise.  I am trying to become as aware as possible how I feel before, during and after my workouts.  I now started making appts to see friends again and its helped to reach out to them.  I think its hard for most people to understand that eatig disorders come in all shapes and sizes.  People use to envy my discipline for working out... if they only knew.  You clearly have an eating disorder and sounds like you were where I was when I last wrote... finally fed up with the out of control behavior.  Also a KEY element for me was getting on PROZAC.  Prozac is the only anti depressant that helps prevent binges.  TYpically it is a dose noe less than 60 MG.  I'm on 40 but will probably be on 60 soon.  I hope you seek help, I began to feel like I could not go on the way it was... it was just too depressing and out of control. It feels DAMN good to get my life back... slowly.  Please write anytime.  I know one thing I don't have is a person to contact when I feel out of control, my friends are supportive but just don't fully understand what I am going through.  Where do you live?  I'm in Ohio

I'm so glad you are seeking help.  I know how you feel Noone understands!  They marvel at our discipline to stay at the gym for 3 hours.  They just don't get that we feel we HAVE to do it for 3 hours or we feel like a failure. Hopefully you will begin to take control over your life again with the help of the eating disorder speacialist.  Don't worry about taking prozac if your not depressed I think it can be percribed to help prevent those urges to binge.  Imagine what we could do with all that extra time?  We have to stop waisting our lives working out and start living!  I hope you can reach a better place soon!  Good luck and stay in touch

I forgot..One thing that also has helped me is adding more calories during the day.  I really hated doing this because I just am not hungary until 6:30 because of the previuous nights binge and also afraid that I can't use the extra calories during the day in case I binge at night.  Slowly I have cut back the workouts and am really trying to eat SOMETHING for breakfast lunch and snacks.  I think its working because I did not feel a real urge to binge in 4 days (which is a record for me in the last year)  I love waking up and feeling like I don't have to work out for 3 hours a day anymore.  Must admit after a binge its hard not to go back to my 3 hours but I'm just so tired of it and want to make a change.  I'm scared to death I'll gain weight but so far I'm pretty steady.  Don't want to be preachy but feel like very few people can relate to this.. even the books availabe on exercise bulimia are rare.  Just want to offer you what I have begun to learn.