My Battle with Bulimia & Overeating
© Tina Anderson, http://flirtingwithfitness.com
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Last week I wrote about living within our own prisons when we can’t let go of detrimental or negative thoughts. I mentioned experiencing my own jail cell and how I broke free. It was a monumental battle – the battle to not escape to food in lieu of dealing with boredom, frustrations and feeling overwhelmed, etc. Sound familiar? I know some of you have shared a cell with me, so to speak. But, how many of you have spent time with the porcelain bowl after you ate too much? Yes, I’m talking about bulimia.
I was a junior in high school when my girlfriend told me that we could eat a bunch of food and then throw it up so we wouldn’t gain any weight. I was dealing with newly divorced parents and living with my father, an incredible man but a man that was barely keeping it together. I was hiding my pain and I had already started to turn to food for comfort. Not hard to see the writing on the wall. I started binging and purging and I did it off and on up through my first year in college after gaining the typical “freshman fifteen.”
How did I stop? Are you ready? It’s not pleasant but if there is anything that I am, it’s transparent. I stopped before the internet and Google and before I knew there was a name for what I was doing. No one knew of my private hell. But, something very dramatic happened and it scared the bah-jezus out of me.
I threw up blood. That was it. I washed my face, looked in the mirror and decided that I would never stick my finger down my throat again. I’m sure you’re wondering and the answer is, unfortunately, yes. I went back to it a few times several years later but that was way back when. All good, now. And, the good news continues. I am a recovering emotional eater and I have worked extremely hard to salvage a healthy relationship with food. It has been a seriously bad-ass, difficult struggle and to this day, I read and listen and pray and meditate and journal and do whatever I need to do to maintain and even grow in my thoughts and habits in regards to how I deal with being uncomfortable. Boredom is a big issue for me. I like to have fun. I like new challenges. I like new things to try and see. I like new, exciting and fun anything but life is not like that when you’re raising a family and dealing with homework, carpools, laundry and dinner, etc. I have an incredibly full and blessed and even fun life, but the everyday grind can cause frustrations and boredom. Bottom line, I’ve read a ton of books, I’ve been in psychotherapy. I worked with a spiritual director. I’ve studied and researched all the facets of this issue and although understanding it doesn’t “cure” it, I’ve developed a giant toolbox of my own support systems and the more I use them the more they become positive new habits.
The nights in my prison cell, sitting in disgust after overeating and wanting to crawl in a hole and start the day over are done, thank-you-God, all my angels and spirit warriors and all those who walked this path before me and were brave enough to share their experiences and solutions. And, I am here to say that it took years (that’s plural) and years (that’s plural again) to get this under control and I did it when I owned my thoughts and realized that I had an addiction to food and that I used it to escape from my current uncomfortable situation. Just like I did when I hid in my basement bedroom with a carton of ice cream and ate myself into a food trance and consequently, forgot about my problems for a short period of time. After the ice cream is gone, your problems aren’t and then you have more. Not a good way to exist. Truly a prison.
By the way, I have a message board with Team Beachbody (with 24,000+ views) in which I write and reply to others that have similar issues. It’s heartbreaking to hear some of the stories but it’s also a fantastic, loving and supportive area to share and to not feel humiliated and ashamed. Here is the link if you want to stop by and many blessings on your journeys!
Certified through ACE and AFAA and possessing a number of specialty fitness certifications, Tina Anderson started teaching group fitness in 1985 and has coordinated or consulted for over 15 group fitness programs, served as a master trainer and coordinator for Star Trac Fitness and their Precision Cycling Program, completed project work with major corporations and on international projects, presented as a guest speaker and maintained her personal training business throughout. As a fitness author, Tina's articles often appear in national and international fitness publications. 
Great information Tina and Doug. not a comfortable subject, but one that needs to be talked about.