Long-term Strategies for Surviving Your Eating Disorder

Eating disorders are serious health conditions that can sabotage virtually every aspect of life. Left untreated, eating disorders frequently progress and become life-threatening. People who suffer from a critical eating disorder often need professional help to recover.

An estimated 30 million Americans, 20 million of whom are women, are affected by an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Although symptoms most often develop by young adulthood, an eating disorder can arise at any age.

Certain personality traits, including perfectionism, the need for control and impulsiveness, seem to predispose people to developing eating disorders. Fortunately, it’s those same characteristics that help people maintain long-term recovery.

Most common eating disorders

The three most common types of eating disorders are:

• Anorexia nervosa. People who suffer from anorexia are usually severely underweight. They have a heightened fear of gaining weight. Anorexia goes hand in hand with body dysmorphia—people who suffer from this disorder don’t experience their bodies realistically. Anorexics live by strict rules about their food and lifestyles. They maintain a false sense of control over themselves and their environments by restricting their food.

Letting go of the idea of control and the rigid rules they set for themselves help anorexics achieve long-term recovery. Embracing their imperfections is key. Some psychologists suggest replacing negative thinking with positive self-talk and affirmations such as: “I love and nurture myself,” “I am worthy of love exactly as I am right now,”  “I love nourishing my body and mind with positive, healthy foods and thoughts.”

• Bulimia nervosa. Bulimia is characterized by overeating, forced vomiting, overuse of laxatives and diuretics and excessive exercise. Binge eating followed by purging often enables bulimics to maintain normal-sized, or even fit, bodies and hide their eating disorder from family and friends. Bulimics have a tendency to be quick-tempered and are prone to impulsive, poor decision-making.

Because bulimics experience a dopamine rush from binging and purging, a long-term recovery strategy is to honor the penchant for thrill seeking by finding healthy alternatives. Skiing, hiking, rock climbing, running, Ashtanga yoga—intense, but regulated physical activity, can stimulate pleasure hormones.

• Binging eating. Binge eaters consume enormous amounts of food rapidly, despite not feeling hungry or feeling stuffed. They try to hide their eating and feel shame, disgust, regret or guilt when thinking about their binging. Binge eaters are often overweight and, unlike bulimics, don’t try to purge the food or calories. They use food or eating to cope with anxiety, depression, fear, anger and loneliness, literally eating their feelings. Obesity puts binge eaters at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and other health conditions.

Long-term strategies for recovery include developing positive coping strategies, journaling, art therapy, exercise and building a community to turn to for support during difficult times.

My story

My eating disorder began with an addiction to sugar and flour products in early childhood. I am the classic “1 is too many and 50 are not enough” when it comes to candy, cookies, sugary cereals, pizza and pasta. By the time I was a teenager, I was bulimic.

By early adulthood I was obsessed with eating, not eating and making sure whatever I did eat did not end up as weight on my body. I read every diet book ever written. The Mediterranean and South Beach were not destinations; they were magic bullets that were going to finally fix me. I hired personal trainers, nutritionists, life coaches, hypnotists. I spent extraordinary amounts of time and money trying to achieve an ever-changing goal weight.

I paid a high price for my eating disorders. I lost jobs and relationships. I picked fights with live-in boyfriends so they would leave me alone to eat the way I wanted. I avoided having sex because of my shame. At other times, I sought a succession of partners to validate my attractiveness. I was often baffled by own behavior.

My long-term strategy for coping is simple: One day at a time, I completely surrender my behavior with food and seek support. Today, I eat three weighed and measured meals to ensure I neither overeat nor undereat. I don’t snack or graze because that always leads me back to binging. I avoid all foods that trigger my compulsion to binge. I rigorously examine the underlying personality aspects and trauma that triggered my eating disorders and I have a huge network I can call for support when I discover something about myself or my past that feels overwhelming.

Help is available

Recovery from eating disorders is not one size fits all. The options for help include psychotherapy, intuitive eating, mindful eating and 12 step programs, which base recovery on spiritual principles.

The one thing each of these methods has in common is support. The chances of permanently overcoming an eating disorder are much greater when you are part of a community seeking the same goal.

I didn’t think it was possible to live free from obsession over food, my body and my weight. Twelve years into recovery from the full gamut of eating disorders I can say positively recovery is not always easy, but it’s never impossible.