Mia Is Not Your Friend

Do you know what bulimia is? Are you sure? I thought I did - it's binging on food and then throwing it up, right? Well, yes, but there are a actually two types. There's purging and non-purging bulimia. In non-purging bulimia, a person binges but instead of vomiting, they abuse/use extreme dieting and exercise and possibly abuse laxatives and fat burners to try to compensate for the binge.
I was surprised by this, especially since, under that definition, I was bulimic for four years! As a personal trainer, I have every reason to stay thin - I am the product I'm selling. But as a food addict since the age of six, it was very hard to break old habits. I would pig out on weekends (once I ate so much I threw up and then ate more), and then spend the week dieting and exercising like mad. First off, this is horrible for one's health. Spiking the blood sugar and then letting it drop gave me hypoglycaemia and messed up my hormones. And it doesn't work! By my frequent calculations of calorie intake and expenditure, I should have been able to maintain a trim 145 lbs, but it doesn't work like that. Second, it's a vicious cycle. Giving in to sugar cravings only led to more, to the point where I lived for my weekend binges and even dreamt about food.
Once I realized that I had a real problem, I took steps to remedy the condition. I went as long as I could without a binge, even attending Overeaters Anonymous meetings, and if I did slip, I was kind to myself and instead of beating myself up and starving as long as I could after a binge, I just started all over again. And this did work. After two weeks of clean eating, I not only started to drop weight, but I began to have more energy, and I came out of a 35-year fog.
If you think you might have an issue, I encourage you to read Anne Katherine's book, The Anatomy of a Food Addiction, and perhaps seek help. It has made a world of difference to me, and I believe it can help many others. The most important thing I learned was that I am NOT a weak, stupid pig. I have a true addiction that left me unable to control myself in spite of many negative consequences.
I do still occasionally pig out, but the difference now is, I ENJOY food rather than USE it. And you can too.