Eating Disorder...Bulimia

Being a 24 yr old girl with a mother who is extremely worried about my bulimia, I know where you are coming from. it is impossible to know what the right/wrong thing is to do/say. If she is not in therapy she should definitely see someone regularly. Also, following a meal plan is a good way to manage binge/purge cycles. As for underlying reasons of bulimia the fear of rejection is huge. For me if I didnt look a certain way friends/family/employers/co-workers/strangers etc etc etc would reject me. IDK if this helps, but if your daughter or you need to talk, i just joined this discussion.
Thanks

If I didn't know better I would think this is my daughter Natalie talking. Back in April she went to a day clinic for 8 weeks and is currently seeing someone for therapy. her fear sounds a lot like what you have described. Always thinking she doesn't look good enough and will be judged. She is very pretty so I have had a hard time trying to understand, as I am sure you too are. WHY do you both feel the need to impress others so badly? Especially physically. I realize the media has done a real number on you, but those people on the covers of today's magazines are not real. Airbrushing, photo chopping etc..., I'd like to thank you for responding, are you doing better? I hope you, like my daughter, one day look into that mirror and realize just how much you are loved, are beautiful, and recognize that real beauty lies within. Thank you.

I am a mother of a 30 year old daughter who has conquered bulimia ........ there is hope. Once she made a conscience decision to overcome (she said that the urge to purge never fully goes away) her condition we worked out a couple of tricks. For instance, if we were in a restaurant or gathering and she had the urge she would excuse herself to go to the powder room and ask me if I wanted to join her. We would then go together and talk her down. If she didn't ask me, then I knew she was okay. There was definiitely a trust issue involved (I didn't harp at her or hover) and she knew she could trust me when she really needed help. Also, she took many classes on healthy eating and nutrition. She found that if she read labels and was putting healthy food in her system she had control. She is now a Healthy Eating Specialist for Whole Foods and made the decision to "embrace" rather than "reject" good food. This also helped with security and self esteem issues. As her mom, I am both relieved and extremely proud of her! I hope this helps .....

Thank you sooo much for sharing this with me. I am not one to hover nor will harp on it also,that would only sabotage any progress she has made thus far. She is definitely not at the point where she feels she would, anytime soon, stop the purging. She is a very bright girl, so I know she is absolutely aware of the possible damage she is inflicting upon herself. She has been in tx, however I realize this is going to be a slow process considering the hard fact that this is a behavior she's become accustomed to after, I'm told, eight years. However I remain hopeful, and your support has helped me to believe I am not hoping in vain for recovery.

Thank you so very much,
Michelle