[(JD)]

Of course you don't have to answer.

I have found that those with eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia write "different" kinds of things, or have a different type of journal in which they tell themselves things that encourage the continuation of the disorder. Can you tell?

. Acknowledgement of this type of "self talk" could be a step in the right direction...

A journal that helps me continue the disorder? I don't have one. I'm working on recovery. At one time I kept a note of calories to ensure that i didnt go over 500-800. Thats the past.
I am on the atkins diet now, so does keeping track of carbs count lol. J/K.

Bulimia free for 3 days and counting

[Genevieve]

I don't keep a journal, per se, but I do have a daily record of what I eat, when I eat it, my mood when I eat, carb/protein/fruit exchanges involved, and a few other things like medications, weight, exercise, whether I have my period, etc. It generates the food journal I take to my nutritional counselor, the mood and medication record that my pdoc gets, and the period record that my OB/GYN gets.

It also reminds me of things like whether "forgetting" a med for a day or so has any impact on my mood, how my weight affects my mood, etc.

Yes, it does rather encourage my AN, although that's not the point of it. It's hard to eat more, no matter if I've reached my goals or not for the day, when I see how much is already listed. But it's there to try to help me reach my goals, and some days it does.

[mortimer]

Probably a trigger-ish thingy. o_o;;; But I keep a journal with pictures to keep me motivated to not eat, to exersize a lot, calorie facts and that kind of crap. It has a lot of poetry and collages in it too. What I keep is called a thinspiration journal, but I think that sounds tacky so it's just my private notebook.

I'm not sure I'm better off acknowledging that the thoughts are self destructive though. I hate myself enough to keep doing it, and it hasn't changed the intensity of my restrictions and fasts and I still am uneasy at the idea of therapy. Alone knowing that "omg I'm a friggin' wackjob" hasn't helped me, I think more along the lines of being in therapy first would be more helpful, and exploring the feelings with a T.

But me keeping a journal like that isn't helping either, so I guess I don't know where I stand on the issue, or whether I even make sense. :P

[(JD)]

Thanks for your replies. I was wondering. I know it doesn't help me a whole lot to keep track of what I eat, etc, for weight control. I do the best I can each day... some days it just doesn't happen (eating) When I went to Disney recently, I ate at every buffet... and lost weight! If I had kept track (like family did on me) then I wouldn't have eaten nearly as much, and maybe not lost any weight?

Like I said, perhaps just thinking about the purpose of the journal, will help someone?

[mortimer]

Keeping a record of what you eat and your emotions at the time can be a helpful thing, if your eating is influenced by moods. Keeping a journal is a good thing period. :>

Once can only do their best. And if it's your best, then it's right.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but a hypothesis? When eating normally like you would in a day, do you differ very much? Like same calories and generally same food and excersize? Differences to your routine can jump-start weightloss. Positive thinking can too. ^_^ Not dwelling on things too, what's your secret?