What are /r/EatingDisorders' favorite Products & Services?

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I never thought I'd quote Sun Tzu's The Art of War on this sub, but this is what I keep in mind

> “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Know your enemy:

Your eating disorder is your enemy. It will attempt to steal the joy out of your life and lead you to feel inadequate and ashamed. Learn all you can about it, so you can understand why it's there, and how it works. Carrie Arnold's Decoding Anorexia: How Breakthroughs in Science Offer Hope for Eating Disorders is the best book I've read on this. Understanding the genetic and biological basis of this illness can help you to recognize that it is not your fault that this happened to you and you can still take action to fight it.

Know yourself

This is where therapy can help the most. Eating disorders occur when we use eating behaviors in a clumsy attempt to deal with emotional pain. Yes, our biology (see above) makes some of us susceptible to the siren song of restricting, as others' biology makes them susceptible to addiction, binging, etc. That doesn't mean we can't learn safer, more effective behaviors. That doesn't mean we can't learn about ourselves, come to grips on what makes us suffer, and be prepared to effectively deal with difficult emotions before they get out of hand. In addition to therapy, I encourage you to learn about Dialectical Behavior Therapy. There's a tiny sub /r/dbtselfhelp/ that has a lot of helpful pointers and information about this.

Your favourite pillow and other bedding. I've found that the bed situation is where a lot of these facilities cut costs, and sleeping in a strange bed is already unsettling enough, so bring whatever you can to get your best and most restful sleep. If bringing a memory foam mattress topper is a possibility, DO IT, seriously, one can make even the lumpiest mattress feel like sleeping on a cloud.

A pack of foam earplugs is always a good choice in case you get a noisy room or a roommate who snores. In a similar vein, many people find white noise machines helpful for this - I don't myself, but other people seem to swear by them for self-soothing. So. Something to think about.

Best of luck in your recovery!

ETA: Also pictures of home/pets/loved ones, especially if phones/wifi devices aren't allowed.

May you receive all blessings. Congrats. This is an important experience to notice.

Also, 1800 calories is probably not way over your limit. That may be a distorted view. Here's a basic calorie counter. We burn a lot just sleeping and breathing. Most burn at least 1500 calories doing that alone.

If you are female, about 20, 5 feet tall and 100 lbs, your daily caloric needs are around 1885 calories per day.

Counting calories on LoseIt is great. You can really see what you need per day. And, when one averages in any binge days, you'll see that the ED mind was wrong.

Again, congrats!

1.) Make a daily schedule - what will you do before breakfast? What are your plans throughout the day? Don’t let your boredom or free time provoke your binging. Be prepared for every hour of the day, every day.

2.) When you experience cravings and if you already think you failed and preparing for binging, give yourself 20 - 30 minutes before proceeding with it. Be smart and find yourself something to do within these 20 minutes. Anything but waiting for it to pass and thinking about food and binging. Take a cold shower, read a book, go for a 20 minutes walk. I assure you, your cravings will be less intense. Sometimes they’ll be gone entirely and sometimes not, but they will be much less intensive. And that is your opportunity. It will be much easier to fight and beat your cravings that way. And you will have much more success.

3.) Education about Binge eating disorder is crucial. You need to understand what is going on in your head and your body. There is also a nice free mobile app that helps with binging (they have an educational part, community and relapse prevention plan). I know you're having bulimia but it might help with the binging part.

4.) Surround with people who support you. Open yourself to others. It is much easier to cope when you have someone to talk to.

5.) Try to find on the internet some mindfulness techniques - my girlfriends psychologist gave her these exercises because they are great for improving self-regulation (also get yourself familiar with self-regulation theory).

Can I ask why going to therapy isn't an option right now? I mean, maybe you should confront this problem before it develops on a larger scale. There are also some online platforms that can help you coping with bulimia and bingeing. Here is a good 90-day therapy app for that. It is really helpful for Binge eating disorder. Since binging is a part of bulimia, maybe it could be helpful to establish some healthy relationship with food and eating

Keep looking for a good therapist that will suit you. There are a LOT of good people and doctors that can help you. Don't let one lousy therapist ruin your motivation. Until you find a good therapist, there are also some online platforms that can help you coping with bulimia and bingeing. Here is a good 90-day therapy app for that. It is really helpful for Binge eating disorder. Since binging is a part of bulimia, maybe it could be helpful to establish some healthy relationship with food and eating

It could be that your body can’t digest certain types of food. Another more rare possibility is gastroparesis, also known as paralyzed stomach.

Hi! I struggled with an ED for 8 years of my life and what finally helped me recover was 1) therapy and 2) the Intuitive Eating Workbook. I understand therapy isn’t always possible but the book is ~$20 and was honestly life-changing. It helped me think about food as nourishment rather than as an enemy, and the more I changed my habits the better I felt physically, which led to a positive cycle of change. It might be helpful to give it a try :)

https://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-Workbook-Principles-Relationship/dp/1626256225/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=827d1f04-350a-4f47-a359-ad13fd323fb5

If she has a sweet tooth and wants some great healthy recipes i love this one! It helps me indulge without feeling guilty.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/mobile/w/chocolate-covered-katie-katie-higgins/1119439699

Hi Lily, thanks for your question. :)

I can re-assure you, this is only temporary.

It will obviously feel like its gonna be like this forever. Thats what feelings do to us, they trick is in believing that I will be like this all the time.

Your emotions come from your thoughts. So observe them:

What are you telling yourself? Are you talking in absolutes? Like: "I feel so bad, when will it finally stop?" is one good example.

My rule of thumb:
"What resists persists"

So always accept these feelings, dont fight them. Embrace them. Feeling gross in that moment is part of recovery, you are getting healthier now.

Enjoy the process, as dumb as it sounds.

Also check out this book for more mindflullness:
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Eckhart-Tolle-ebook/dp/B002361MLA/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=37ETHBSFL3WOP&keywords=eckhart+tolle+die+macht+jetzt&qid=1666100171&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjYzIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=eckh%2Caps%2...

you can also order dandelion tea on amazon too here's a link of the brand i use;

https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Medicinals-Tea-Organic-Count/dp/B00JFTSUV8/ref=sr\_1\_6\_f3\_0o\_wf\_mod\_primary\_alm?keywords=dandelion+tea&qid=1665081189&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjI0IiwicXNhIjoiNS4wNyIsInFzcCI6IjUuMDgifQ%3D%3D&sbo=m6DjfpM...

You're right. I live in the US. It feels cheaper to die sometimes. Sorry if that sounds grim, but it's a nightmare here. (I am uninsured now, but got a few good years of therapy while insured). Good luck on your journey. Remember that you control your future. You can do this. No matter what anyone else in your family does. You don't have to be like them. There are also some CBT booklets that are on Amazon that might be helpful to you.

https://www.amazon.com/Binge-Eating-Prevention-Workbook-Individualized/dp/1684033616/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3EC8EIUGD0A3T&keywords=cbt+workbook+eating&qid=1653169770&sprefix=cbt+workbook+eating%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1

^ This is a good one. I also recommend looking into specialized YouTube channels that focus on eating disorder recovery. Overeating is 100% as much as an eating disorder than anything else is, so pay no mind to downvotes. If you just set small goals to move more physically, that is a good start. There is so much shame and pain in not feeling your best. I understand, truly. It will get better if you stay the course and find out the underlying issues. Xx

Have you looked at the health care exchange? You'll notice that they have a contact number, so feel free to call it.

I'm personally very wary of advising a particular insurance because eating disorders, while they feel all-encompassing, don't give a full picture of your health. If you have a hereditary propensity for heart disease or lupus, that could significantly affect what insurance would be best for you.

Hang in there. Try one day at a time.

Also, try doing a calorie counter like LoseIt.com. It can give you numbers to what you are eating regarding calories, carbs, fats and proteins.

Information is power, and power against overeating.

Also, for many, staying balanced helps a lot, and, again, the information from tracking things really helps.

I'd be careful getting "friends" on these calorie counting places. I find I'm more private and don't want to share my eating info. with others.

Best.

Eating only bland foods in the beginning helps. I get prescription anti nausea pills (Zofran) to take as needed when the nausea prevents me from eating anything. Anti nausea wristbands have also helped take the nausea down a few notches. You can get them on Amazon in different colors, but these are the ones I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001F731N0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_64TWDbZ70E379

I would worry more about your general health and not your weight. Skinnier people have no excess nutrients for their body to consume and burn for energy, and should it start to run out of vitamins and other healthy nutrients tons of bad things could happen. For starters, your immune system can be weakened permanently and your bones can become extremely frail. Snacks are very poor in terms of what nutrients they offer to your body, and so cannot be treated as an alternative for healthy foods. No, this is all negative talk, right? So let's talk solutions. For nutrition, I would seek out healthier snack alternatives. For example, you can replace chocolate bars with granola bars for a start, chips can be switched with potato-based dishes, and candy can be switched with apple snacks (I am sure grocery stores are littered with alternatives, you might just need to know where to look). For working out, download this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=loseweightapp.loseweightappforwomen.womenworkoutathome. Eqiupment-free and very practical workout exercises.

This is quarantine, and it is really hard to be distracted from eating, but we've got to try, right? Good luck!

Another great app beside Recovery Record is the Daily Dozen Checklist (iOS or Google Play).

There's no numbers or triggers. You just log your food to make sure you hit enough volume and food groups.

The book Eating in the Light of the Moon was great for me but I also recommend seeking some counseling to go with it.

> What do I do if they won't?

I'm going to assume their position is based on a lack of knowledge of the illness. Would they be willing to do some reading? Here's a terrific book about a mother and daughter who use a Maudsley-based approach. You might want to read it first.

> I'm considering sitting down with her and telling her I love her, and that I'll always be there when she need me.

Do this. I think if more siblings did this for one another, the world would be a much better place.

It all sounds very, very difficult.

Since you are not considering inpatient and you describe your options as limiting: One thing that helps me (never had an ED) is to realize no one can help me but me. I've done a lot of work on myself and-really-all your answers are available for you, you do have some work to do.

There are a lot of excellent workbooks for anorexia.

I remember when my kids were little and I saw that unless I learned to deal with my difficult emotions, they would act the same way, just like I was acting like my parents. A book that really helped me was a book on journaling, Quiet Mind, Open Heart. It got me thinking outside the box, and has a lot on positive thought changes.

My sister's surgery went well. She has a plate along her femur now. Can't drive for 2 months.

More power to you. You don't want to end up on dialysis with brittle bones.

My sister went to two very renouned rehab centers and was in therapy for years. She was in therapy in the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, but just kind of gave up after that. I think in the last 5 years we have come a long way in recognizing and dealing with eating disorders, and there is a lot more promise for therapy.

Also, funny you mention not seeing the point. That very well could mean you need a different approach. Try some books on self-help on Amazon, like the one I mentioned. Perhaps Tara Brach (I think she once had an ED, search through her books for one that resonates with you). Seek and you will find.