Focus on having a healthy body and weight. Understand that purging will not help you healthfully lose weight. This is very important to understand. What you are actually doing is making yourself dehydrated, which can lead to feeling like you have an ‘empty’ stomach. Being dehydrated can lead to more binge eating and cravings. This means that you might not be really losing the weight that you think you’re losing by throwing up your meals.
Purging can cause major dental issues because the bile that comes up when you vomit can literally eat away your teeth. Purging can also result in salivary glands swelling up noticeably, damage or bleeding in the esophagus, and even cancer.
Purging does not help you lose weight as much as you think it does because it does not remove all of the calories you ate. In fact, purging can actually lead to weight gain due to overeating and believing that you have "a way out" if you eat too much food.
If you excessively exercise on top of purging, you should be aware that your body needs more calories to compensate for those that it burns when you exercise. Because of this, you’ll feel a stronger urge to binge eat, rather than just eat normally.
2.
Adopt an eating schedule. Making a plan about the type and amount of food you want to eat at every meal will help to keep you on a regular eating schedule that will not make you feel like you have to purge. This can also help reduce your impulse to binge and purge because you are sticking to a plan instead of thinking about what to do in the moment. Put the schedule on the fridge or near your dining room table so that you can remind yourself that you are only eating what you have written out, rather than binging.
Know that you can healthily lose weight through exercise and lowering your overall calories intake. However, this does not mean you have to starve yourself. Weight loss is gradual and should not be done quickly as this is unhealthy for your body.
If you feel comfortable, ask your family or housemates to help you stay on track by also being aware of your food schedule and helping you stick to it.
3.
Eat three meals and three snacks every day. It will help if you create a timetable and select times to eat your three meals and three snacks. While this might sound scary because it sounds like eating more throughout the day could make you gain weight, this is just not true. Eating small items six times a day actually boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight.
An example meal schedule based on a 2,000 calorie diet would be:
*8:00AM: Wake up.
*9:00AM: Breakfast. (approx. 500 calories)
*11:00AM: Mid-morning snack. (approx. 150 calories)
*1:00PM: Lunch. (approx. 500 calories)
*3:30PM: Mid-afternoon snack. (approx. 200 calories)
*6:00PM: Dinner. (approx. 500 calories)
*8:00PM: Nighttime snack. (approx. 150 calories)
*11:30PM: Bed.
Choose low-calorie foods that you will feel good about eating when you first try to stop binging and purging.
Give yourself time to eat and chew slowly; doing this will help you to recognize when you feel full and can stop eating.
4.
Create a healthy eating environment. Your environment (before, during, and after you eat) is integral to successfully reducing your purging pattern. For example, being around loved ones after you eat a meal can help keep you from visiting the bathroom to purge.
If you can, ensure that you are not around individuals who binge and purge or have eating disorders while you eat. This can trigger you and enable you to think that it is a good choice to purge.
Do something with a loved one, like going for a walk after a meal, watching a movie, or just sitting around chatting. Let your loved ones distract you from the desire to purge.[9]
Other ideas for what you can do after meals include: taking your dog for a walk, calling up a friend until the urge to go to the bathroom passes, or playing a game with family members or friends.
5.
Make a food contract. Make a contract with your family or mental health professional that will help you to break out of the binge-purge cycle. Having this contract, and the support of your family, will help you to gain control of your urges and feelings of guilt.
Work together to decide what reward you should get when you follow your eating schedule, and also come up with what you will do if you go off your schedule or purge.
For example, if you stay on your schedule for a week, your reward could be the money to buy those shoes you’ve had your eyes on. If you break your schedule or purge, then you could ask your family to take away your phone for a day. Do this only if it works for you and doesn't lead to secretive behavior (where you hide or conceal your purging in order to reduce negative consequences).