If You Have Bulimia (or any Eating Disorder) You Need To Avoid This Fundamental Mistake…

No matter where you are on your journey to Bulimia Recovery, the Festive Season can seem like a recipe for disaster.

Even when I was well on the road in my recovery from bulimia and relapses were few and far between, I’d find myself getting really anxious about food and my weight at this time of year. I’d worry about how I was going to cope when faced with all the ‘trigger’ foods and situations over the Christmas period and…

I’d go and unwittingly make a FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKE.

And this one fundamental mistake, heavily promoted at this time of year, would leave me powerless in the face of all the festive food and triggers. So, despite my best intentions I’d find myself bingeing.

ARE YOU ABOUT TO MAKE THIS MISTAKE TOO?

Are you about to make yourself vulnerable to bingeing over Christmas?

If you’re considering dropping a few pounds before Christmas, you’ll want to read on…

A Pre Christmas Diet to drop a few pounds can seem like the ideal solution to…

• Counteract potential weight gain at Christmas
• Gain control of your eating or
• To fit into a little black dress for that special event.

Now on the face of it that sounds like a pretty good idea, and one happily promoted in the media, magazines and by diet gurus but here’s the thing and the FUNDAMENTAL FLAW in this strategy, that sets you up for failure…

Whilst you might loose weight initially, you’re actually stacking the deck for bingeing and weight gain at Christmas.

You see…

THE BRAIN IS ACTUALLY “HARD WIRED” TO BINGE

when you restrict your food intake in any way!

When you go on a restrictive diet (whether that’s restricting calories or restricting or missing out food groups), even for a period as short as 2 weeks, your brain interprets this as the onset of a ‘Famine’ and consequently clicks into ‘Survival Mode’.  Your body’s metabolic rate is automatically lowered and you INSTINCTIVELY find your self…

• Experiencing an increase in hunger
• Obsessing about what you can and can’t eat
• Craving foods that are high in sugar and fat
• Seeking out food
• Eating more than you want when you do eat

Not exactly what you want over Christmas – right?

PLUS, a restrictive diet can have a profound impact on the level of your hormones responsible for regulating mood and combatting depressive thoughts and anxiety.

Large-scale studies from Harvard and Oxford universities have shown that healthy women going on a 3 week weight loss diet of 1000 calories, which is a lot higher than many fad diets promoted at this time of year, significantly DEPLETED their serotonin levels (the happy hormone) along with INCREASES in hunger and loss of satiety.

And if that weren’t enough…

Just at a time when stress levels tend to be high,

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE EFFECTS OF RESTRICTIVE DIETING

can make you feel worse!

Below is a list of common side effects associated with dieting…

• General moodiness
• Poor motivation
• Feeling emotional and unable to deal with life’s ups and downs.
• Nervousness, anxiety and panic symptoms… these symptoms are not just emotional but commonly arise if the body’s stress systems are not getting sufficient nutrients to keep you balanced and able to cope with life
• Increasing low self esteem
• Mood swings and depression.
• Heightened obsessiveness and compulsiveness
• Distorted and irrational thinking.
• Obsessive thoughts about food and uncontrollable urges to binge
• Becoming very self critical and developing a distorted body image
• Feelings of begin overweight…. even though you maybe thinner!! I know that is a weird one but I can personal vouch for it.

Again, not what you want over Christmas!

So in the run up to Christmas rather than be tempted by Dieting and Deprivation…

• If you’re on a Structured Eating Plan – stick to it.
• If you’ve not yet started one – start.
• If you’re not sure what Structured Eating is or how to start then CLICK HERE
• DISCOVER what Techniques and Strategies you personally need to put in place right now by emailing me (Julie@BulimiaFree) to arrange a FREE Coaching Session, so you can enjoy your Christmas this year.