I can't work out how to be healthy

[Evanesco]

I'm losing weight again which is good because I'm overweight thanks to binging but I'm losing because I can't eat enough any more even when I try. I feel like a yo yo, I'm either binging or I'm undereating and I've spent years unable to balance it out. I want to lose weight, I need to lose weight, but I know I'm doing it the wrong way but I can't work out how to be healthy, I can't get rid of disordered behaviours :/ And there's this little nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to go back to having a restrictive eating disorder, because I've tried 'recovering' and I just end up binging instead. I want to be healthy but there's still a part of me that wants to be thin.

[Coffee.]

I've fallen into similar places. I think one of the best places to start is to stop dieting or restricting. Binging, for me, is usually triggered when I'm deprived of food. If I've had enough to eat, I'm much less likely to binge. From there, it's important to develop healthy habits for mindful eating by learning to eat when you're hungry. I'd also stop focusing on losing weight. Focus on being healthier. Instead of thinking about calories, think about your servings of protein and vegetables, or cutting down on sugary beverages. Take away the morality of it-you're not good/bad. This isn't a cheat meal. This is food, it's good for you, but you're doing your best for your mind and body

[Evanesco]

I'm being told to lose weight by everyone, my doctor, my parents. :/

[Coffee.]

You don't need to lose weight; you need to improve your eating and exercise habits which could be measured in the metric of weight. But fuck weight loss, and fuck diets. Dieting doesn't work, they've proven that dieting is linked to regaining the weight anyway. Instead, focus on one meal each day being rich in healthy protein, like having a salad with baked chicken on it. Focus on getting enough vegetables in your diet which are low in calories but high in other micronutrient value. Focus on limiting soda. Those are things that all influence weight, but are not the restricting that results in binging. Make sure you're getting enoguh calories so that you do not binge, and that you're eating throughout the day. Also, drink more water! Water is the best for recovery and healthy eating.

[Kindred]

Originally Posted by Coffee.

You don't need to lose weight; you need to improve your eating and exercise habits which could be measured in the metric of weight.

Why didn't I think of that? That's beautiful and I'm stealing it

But yeah, pretty much everything Traci said- especially to the water part. I've felt 100% better since drinking more. And try not to let what your doctor and parents say get to you alright? This is your battle, and their unhelpful comments aren't worth crap here. Your choices, yeah?

[Evanesco]

I saw a psychologist today and she said I have EDNOS (this is the first time anyone has actually said 'yes you have an eating disorder') but she also said I definitely need to work on losing weight.

I felt so awful because she got the little wheel thing out and showed me my BMI and told me I'm obese and then I went home and binged. :/

Mindful eating is important, don't worry about going on a diet and don't count your calories. That's triggering, at least to me it is.

You said you saw someone and they showed you your BMI today. Honestly, I think scare tatics are--inadvertently--reverse psychology and, therefore, is bullshit.

Don't worry about your BMI, don't worry you are X pounds or kilograms overweight. Just focus on being healthy. Eat less carb, eat less startch, don't consume as much sugary drinks.

Mindful eating is where it's at, and how you can recover from binge eating and restricting.

I have the exact same issue, I restricted yesterday and then people were like being all critical, so I came home and binge ate. I hadn't eaten in almost ten hours, from breakfast to practically dinner-time.

Criticism can be helpful in some cases. For those like you and me who have binge eating and an unique form of bulimia, it's the complete opposite.