eating disorders and keeping fit

Hello beautiful people! And welcome back to another day here on lots of lemons.

Today I want to talk to you about something I haven’t talked about, which is eating disorders, and how to keep fit.

So, something you may not know about me, is that I actually suffer from an eating disorder. Anyone who knows me, will probably look at me and say ‘she doesn’t have an eating disorder’, but here’s the thing, it may look like that, but there’s more to it. The eating disorder I have, is known as Binge Eating Disorder, meaning that I over eat.

I’ve always been picky when it comes to food, ever since I was a child, I was always eating all the wrong foods, because I didn’t like what was considered healthy. However, it wasn’t until I became a teenager and had access to money that things went out of control. I would eat to deal with my feelings, if I was sad, I would eat, if I was happy, I would eat to celebrate, it was a consent thing.

When I started college in 2014, I was experiencing high levels of emotions, I had started to develop anxiety from the high stress levels. At this time, although I knew I could go to people for help, but I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time, I didn’t want to feel judged for going for help, so I used food. Now something that really didn’t help, was that the course I was in, would have so many breaks, so whenever I had the chance, I would be at the vending machine buying chocolate, sweets and crisps. I now know that wasn’t the best solution, as I am now facing all the issues that come from over eating, but at the time it was so easy to get hold of.

For me, triggers that cause me to over eat are stress, heartbreak, loneliness, sadness, and boredom. These are things that I used to feel on a regular basis, so I was basically eating some form of junk food every 2 minutes.

As of now, I can control how much I eat, I have started trying to get on a better pathway, trying to eat healthier, so if I binge eat, and it isn’t full of junk. So far, it’s working.

So there we have it, that’s how my eating disorder works… However, I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t tell you everything. I haven’t always over eaten.

Over the past year, I’ve lost loads of weight, and it’s something everyone has complimented me on, saying how proud they are of me, which I have to say, is true, I’m proud of me… However, none of them ask how I lost it… They all assume that I just did more exercise, ate healthier, which I did… But I did more.

From September 2018, I had started to skip having breakfast in the morning, or I would just have a piece of fruit. It wasn’t too bad, however it started to get worse. I had started skipping breakfast and dinner, and only having lunch. There were times when I would be at home, and I would force myself to throw up, just so I could lose just the littlest bit of weight. I was starving myself, and I was completely aware of it. This is something that my mum was pointing out, but I ignored her, telling them that I was fine.

I have stopped doing that, and I am now on a healthier path, where I am eating the right amount of the right stuff.

Now, I have held off talking to other people about my eating disorder, because I know that there are some people out there who will probably react in a negative way, saying that I either a) don’t look like I’ve got an eating disorder, or I’m b) just making it up. Here’s the thing, you should 1. Never tell someone that they don’t have something based on their looks, and 2. You should never assume someone is making something up, because that could cause more problems.

Keeping Fit

Now that I have spoken about how my eating disorder works, here is how I am treating myself, how I am helping myself, and hopefully, if you are in the same boat, will help you to.

Healthy Eating

Since I binge eat, I have learned to change my eating habits, to try and help me fill up on more healthy food. Here if how I am doing that;

• Learning to put things back

If you’re in a shop and you’re getting some snacks, before you pick something up and pace it in your trolley or your basket, think if you really need it. If you find that you’ve already got enough chocolate, try putting some of it back, and settling for just one or two. You’ll not only find that you’re starting to cut down on junk, but you’ll also save loads of money.

I have been doing this for a while now, and so far it is working. A lot of the time, instead of spending between £10 to £20, I am now spending in the range of £5 when I buy snacks, and my health has really benefited from it.

• Find healthy substitutes

This is something I have been trying to do more off lately, and so far it is working. If you’re really craving sugar, instead of buying sweets, instead try some fruit, like an apple or a kiwi. This is a healthier alternative, and will give you the energy you need.

I have been trying this, and sometimes it can work, and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s fine, sometimes substitutes work, and sometimes they don’t, and that’s fine.

• Try new things

If you’re like me, and is very picky with what to eat, then you’ll find this step really hard. If you try new types of food, and find what you like best, then you can start to decide on what kind of food you’re going to have.

I still struggle trying new things, but I have gotten so much better! There are things that I eat now, that I never used to.

• Find new recipes

Looking at other people’s recipes online or in books, can really inspire you to make healthier choices, and get you to try new things. I find that reading about other people getting eating healthy makes me want to do it to.

• Small steps

Take small steps forward. You might not be able to cut out junk food, or eat loads of new food straight away, but that’s ok. Do what’s best for you.

Physical Health

Now I’m a very lazy person, and I don’t really do much exercise. However, I have started to get into it, and I am starting to see the effects. Here is a small list on how to better your physical heath;

• Bring Sally up

The bring Sally up challenge is a squat challenge, if you look it up on YouTube, you’ll find it. When it says bring Sally up, you go up, when it says bring Sally down, you go down, simple. However, make sure you stretch well before you do it, to avoid pulling a muscle.

Link to challenge; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bql6sIU2A7k

• Skibidi

This is a song, and what I do every day, is do the dance moves in the music video, and it makes me feel so much better. I treat it as a walking exercise.

Link to song; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFBTdToRmw

• Walking

Walking is the best exercise, it’s relaxing, works every muscle in your body, and is good for your heart. If you find that you are spending too much time inside, make sure you go out, you might even enjoy it.

• Dancing

Not only is this fun, but it is a great way to lose weight and get fit. When I was at college, I used to do a lot of dancing, as it was a huge part of my course, and it helped me to get fit, and I lost loads of weight.

Conclusion

Now I’ve written about how to get fit, but here’s the thing, this is what works for me. It may not work for you but that’s ok, because you might take aspects of what I’ve said, and apply it to you, or you might not. The important thing to remember, is to take it step by step, do what works for you, and don’t let other people control peer pressure you into doing anything drastic.

If you’re reading this, and you are in a similar boat to what I was, here’s some words of wisdom. It’s ok, you are not alone, and you don’t have to be. There are people out there who love and care for you who will help. If you’re not ready to talk to anyone else about it, don’t worry, you don’t have to. There are plenty of websites that can offer you help and support.

That's all from me, I hope that you have found this post useful.

I hope you have a wonderful day,

Faye xxx