[Blue_Bird]

I don't know what this is but since I stopped cutting I'll go 2-3 days without eating and when I do eat it's only a little bit. It makes me feel better about myself and feel more in control in my life. I think I've inadvertently replaced cutting with this since I guess it would be a form of self harm. Has anyone else gone from one bad habit to the next without realizing it?

[A Red Panda]

Sometimes yeah. My eating isn't the best.

Why don't you start eating healthy (good behaviour) and then exercize - take up running or lifting weights. Sore muscles! That feeling might help as it would be a physical pain.

Just make sure that you are eating properly before you take up any exercise. As the point is to trick your body into thinking it's self-harming when really it's actually treating itself properly.

[Blue_Bird]

Originally Posted by A Red Panda

Sometimes yeah. My eating isn't the best.

Why don't you start eating healthy (good behaviour) and then exercize - take up running or lifting weights. Sore muscles! That feeling might help as it would be a physical pain.

Just make sure that you are eating properly before you take up any exercise. As the point is to trick your body into thinking it's self-harming when really it's actually treating itself properly.

Thanks for the reply, that's a really good idea! I never thought of the sore muscles thing. I actually recently bought a bunch of exercise equipment too so that should help. I'll try to start eating healthy, and maybe bring it up with my therapist.

[A Red Panda]

What you need to watch out for is that you don't OVER exercize, ok? No more than 20-30 minutes to start per day. And you HAVE to make sure that you are taking in all the calories you need per day. And you will need to remember that as you build muscle mass your weight will go up as it weighs more than fat does.

[tealBumblebee]

Yes, I do know what you mean. I found myself force vomiting when I wanted to move on from cutting, so I ended up going back to cutting. So, no you're not alone. It makes sense. But I think nothing really changes until we can recognize our stressors, patiently process our feelings about them and then learn to replace our "reactive" behaviors with less harmful ones. It takes time. Sorry you're feeling so low!

[henrydavidtherobot]

I used to struggle with a bout of bulimia. It wasn't even that I thought that I was fat, I just liked the control and the hiding and the release. When I decided that I wouldn't do it anymore, I started cutting.

Let me tell you, being underweight is not fun. I used to be 98 from all of the stress. My hair quit growing and was falling out. I was constantly having hunger pains, no energy, anxiety, and hypoglycemia. Don't do that to yourself. I'm healthy now and I love it.

[Blue_Bird]

I ate dinner tonight. Sometimes I do irrational things, it makes a lot more sense to eat healthy and have certain foods in moderation than completely starve myself. It completely zaps my energy too, that may be why I was feeling somewhat depressed. It certainly can't be a good thing if it's affecting my mood and energy. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's done something like this switch of bad habits.

I won't exercise too much, I'll limit myself to 20 to 30 minutes a day like you said A Red Panda. That's something that I can definitely use as a new coping skill as I really feel good after a workout.

Thank you for the advice everyone

[A Red Panda]

I wish I was good at motivating myself. I'm rubbish at it. ((To the extent that I've convinced a friend of mine to start running.. and now he's running marathons. And me? Nope. Nothing!))

I'm glad you ate something