Please read.

I am 20 years old. For 2 years I have suffered from bulimia. I stopped throwing up some at the end of april and gained 20 pounds! I was at 156 now at 170- so not quite 20 but close, I dont know what to do with myself-- I tried counsling, meds and everything. I dont know what to do because it seems now that if I diet I just keep gaining. I am super depressed and I am trying to just loose this weight back. I would appreciate anyones comments or suggestions, I know that I can quit it just seems like it was the only thing that every worked.

A friend of a friend of mine just died from bulimia.  I would rather be heavier than dead.  Eat maintenance calories and exercise daily...the weight will come off slowly, but it will stay off.  Best of luck to you.  It's all about self control.  You can do it the healthy way.

14 pounds is not 20 pounds.  Maybe you could try to learn how to maintain weight before you worry about losing weight.  Eat healthy, whole foods until your hunger is satisfied, exercise regularly and reasonably.  Once you are comfortable with that, you have lots of time to think about losing weight in a healthy way if you need to.  Best of luck!

I honestly do not know much about bulimia, it has not been an issue for me or any of my close friends that I know of, so I really don't know how to help you with that. 

I just wanted to say that you are a very beautiful girl and I think this website can be very beneficial to you.  cassrd05 is right being a little heavier is better than dead, you are only 20 years old, you have your whole life ahead of you.  Losing weight in a healthy way may take more time but it will be better and you will feel better.  There are lots of tools here as well as lots of support, please use it to your advantage and best of luck!

First you need to set some realistic goals.  How much do you want to weigh, and is it an obtainable goal?  Is it a healthy goal?  If you've answered "yes" to those questions, then you can do it.

Being bulimic has screwed up your metabolism.  Your body is adjusting to the fact that you are actually keeping the foods you eat in you.  You are going to have to give your body time to adjust and relearn how to work correctly.  

Figure out how many calories you should be eating.  Probably around 1500 if you are not exercising, and 1700 to 2000 if you are.  Make sure you eat small meals every couple of hours, that will get your metabolism going.  Eat a well balanced diet, lots of fruit, veggies, protein, fiber and carbs.  

I'm sure it's very difficult watching the scale go up, but please give it more time.  You screwed up your body for 2 years, it's going to take more than a couple of months to fix.  

It will happen for you.  You can do this in a healthy way.  Stay strong!!!

I understand your feeling of desperation.  It sounds to me, though, like you understand that you aren't being logical.  You can lose weight in a healthy way--just be patient.  I think sometimes we get so stressed over trying to lose weight that we end up sabatoging ourselves, but it can be done.  Patience and persistence, you'll be fine. 

Original Post by dkenworthy:

Maybe you could try to learn how to maintain weight before you worry about losing weight.  Eat healthy, whole foods until your hunger is satisfied, exercise regularly and reasonably. 

I agree. Now is no time to be dieting, much as you might not like the extra weight. Now is the time you need to be focusing on maintaining your weight in healthy ways, normalising your eating behaviour and your emotions around food.

I have recovered from bulimia myself and now maintain a healthy weight. Trust me, dieting now could jeopardise your recovery, because you are entering restriction mode again - which can so easily lead to binging. Learning to eat normally is much more important than eating like a dieter.

Give your body plenty of time and nourishment to heal, and exercise regularly. I would suggest at least 6 months of this before you even think about losing the weight you have gained.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like :)