Bulimia Recovery is possible - and it probably wont be as hard as you think

Me, in the yellow. Now I love catching
up with my friends for dinner!
Bulimia Recovery is a reality... You can experience the delight of waking up and looking forward to the day ahead. You can experience what it's like to love catching up with your friends for dinner. You can be happy and confident about who you are...
You can have it all.
There were times when I had doubts that I would ever learn how to beat bulimia... I had visions of this evil illness taking my life.
But... I hung onto the hope that somehow, someday, I would find the strength to beat it...
And, guess what... I did.
This web site is a testimony to my recovery... and proof that you can recover too.
Below are the steps that led to my bulimia recovery. They worked for me and I believe that they will work for you.
Good luck and remember the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Let this be your first...
Step 1 - Share Your Secret
Living with bulimia is like living in a war zone every single day. The anger, violence and resentment which goes on within is relentless. And, on top of that is the burden that comes with the secrecy and shame that surrounds your illness.
Step 1. aims to lighten this burden. It aims to release some of the shame and secrecy that you're probably experiencing. The first step of your bulimia recovery will be to talk to somebody about your illness. Tell them your bulimia story.
'A Problem shared is a Problem halved...'
I remember the first time I told anyone about my bulimia - I felt sick and elated at the same time. I knew that I had made an important step in my bulimia recovery.
Talking about your bulimia is one of my top bulimia self help tips.
Now I know how scary even the thought of opening up about bulimia can be...
I used to try and get incredibly drunk in the hope that I'd blurt it out then! But despite dozens of drinks, I still wouldn't let it out!
If you can't get support from somebody you know in person - there are other options...
You could try to find a counselor who you feel comfortable opening up to and talking to about your bulimia..
Or,
The online Bulimia Recovery Program I run comes with a private online community which has helped many women in their recovery. It's as one of the girls posted the other day "This community strengthens my will and power everyday". If you'de like to find out more about my program and community, please click here.
Or,
Share your bulimia story with other sufferers on this page first... Then try sharing it face to face with somebody you love. Sharing it anonymously online can be a great ice-breaker.
Click here to share your story with other bulimia sufferers.
Step 2 - 'Practice' Normal Eating
Practicing normal eating is an absolutely essential part of bulimia recovery. It's also one of the most challenging parts! However - I swear to God that if you persist with it, normal eating will eventually become a natural habit.
To practice normal eating, I suggest in my recovery program to follow structured eating. In short, this follows the guidelines of 3-3-3...
3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day spaced approximately 3 hours apart.
Eating frequently will help reinforce to your sub conscious mind that food is coming soon. It'll help you to push through those binge urges and re-wire the pathways of your brain into health habits.
Of course slips and set backs are to be expected when you first start structured eating...
In fact, you might slip up every day for weeks on end (I did!). This is okay. As long as you keep jumping back up and shifting your 'slip-mentality' from criticism to curiosity - you'll keep making progress. Rather than criticizing yourself for slipping - be curious about why it happened. Learn from it and nothing is lost :)
Step 3 - Practice Gratitude
"There is a thought in your mind right now. The longer you hold on to it, the more you dwell upon it, the more life you give to that thought. Give it enough life, and it will become real. So make sure the thought is indeed a great one."
-- Ralph Marston
I love that quote because it summarises clearly why focusing on the GOOD STUFF is so important. If we focus on how well we are doing, all the blessings in our lives and on our strong and resilient bodies... All of those things will grow stronger still.
Focusing on gratitude is LIFE CHANGING!
I used to pray each night for what I 'wished for'...
"Dear God, please may you keep my family safe, help me to beat bulimia, help me to be a better person, help my mom and dad to make more money and pay off their mortgage"
In the year of my bulimia recovery and in the years since, I have changed the way I pray...
I have changed my focus from a place of lack to a place of having in abundance...
"Dear God, Thank you for my wonderful family and for our good health, thank you for my resilient and strong body, thank you for making me a loving and generous person, thank you for giving my parents strong bodies and good health - I have such a blessed and happy life and I thank you for all of it".
Can you see how much more empowering my new way of praying is? It's a way of practicing gratitude and inviting even more happiness into my life.
I used the same strategy to help me push through my severe bulimia bloat. I shifted my focus from wanting it to be gone to thanking my belly for healing. I called it my healing bloat. You can read more about recovering from bulimia bloating here.
It's focusing on all of these positive feelings that will help you to recover from bulimia and discover this beautiful freedom!.
You can use a similar technique to make recovery goals that your brain loves and understands... To learn tips on positively revamping your goals to help for bulimia, click here.
You're Not A Freak!
It's important to remember that you're not alone and you're not a freak. Bulimia effects hundreds of thousands of people around the world - just like you.
Many well known celebrities battle from bulimia too. Lindsay Lohan and Paula Abdul are two that spring to mind. People who seem to have it all, in fact suffer - just like you do. They feel alone - just like you.
I hope you're beginning to realize that you don't need to be ashamed of your bulimia.
I hope that you're beginning to feel hopeful that you can recover from bulimia.
I hope that you decide to share your story (below) and take the first step to recovery :)
Love, Shaye.
P.S. There is no quick and easy bulimia cure... But these 3 steps sure helped my bulimia recovery journey. I really hope you decide to give them a good shot!
Ready to take the first step to Bulimia Recovery?
Break the ice and tell others about your bulimia!
I have shared my bulimia story by creating this website. Sharing is the best way to begin the recovery process. Tell others your story and begin the journey to a healthy and happy you!
Feeling scared or embarrassed to share your story is totally normal... That's why you can leave the name field as anonymous if it makes you feel more comfortable :)
Your bulimia story will be extremely valuable to my website. Sharing our stories helps everyone feel less alone.
Bulimia Stories Left By Other Visitors
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
The Little Engine
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I can remember when I was four or five, eating candy with my sister at our grandma's house. My younger sister had a pack of gummies. I had red vines. I...
Recovery is beautiful, but also stressful.
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Dear Shaye, I have been in recovery for a month and 3 weeks now and my water retention still has not left! I am eating healthy and drink a gallon of water...
throwing up my fears
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I have suffered with anxiety as long as I can remember. At 17, Now it owns me, in the form of bulimia. After reading these beautiful resources, I have...
Bulimia turned me into a shell of a person
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My bulimia started with self harm. I remember cutting my leg just so I could feel the pain that was in my heart, soul and mind. My dad had died from cancer...
Hopefully the 2nd times the charm
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So, where to start. Well, currently, I'm a high school student and have dealt with extreme bulimia last year, managed to recover but then relapsed again....
Wanting to break free from bulimia
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I am nearly 22 and I have been battling with bulimia for the last 4 months. I never used to be the kind of girl that obsessed with dieting and I absolutely...
a food addicts life.
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I've been bulimic for about 7 years. Man thats wild to actually write it down. I don't fully see myself as a full on bulimic - but I am. I don't always...
bulimia - My daily Fight :-/
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Hi, my name is Gina - Wow I don't know where to start but, here I go... My bulimia started when I was 17 and I'm 35 now so its been a constant battle....
Bulimia: I want you gone.
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My name is tori. I have had bulimia for about 3 1/2 years now. I started when i moved to a new HS and was overcome with girls who were pretty and thin....
love/hate relationship with food
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My bulimia was triggered about 3 years ago. I have celiac sprue and colitis. As if the restrictiveness of celiac was not enough, the colitis flares drove...
New bulimic.
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I'm Cheryl and is 16 years old. I am fairly new to bulimia, I've only been doing it for a few months... But bulimia is ruining me. I think about food...
Crying on the stairs isn't what I wanted.
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This is long, but I need to get it out. (pic from google) Time to be honest, with myself and everyone else on this virtual world. I'm Kate. I'm 20, go...
Bulimia - What I thought would be the best of both worlds....
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I'm a 20-year old female and have been bulimic for the past 2 years and I am sick of it! I became bulimic as a way to lose weight, and still be able...
death by the porcelain god
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uh, my names john. I'm 19, I turn 20 in a month. I'm a GUY. I've had serious bulimia since I was 13, and no one knew the severity of it or how destructive...
how to tell people about bulimia?
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your site has really helped... I really want to stop but I just don't know how to tell anyone. I am 13 and started being bulimic when I was 12. I don't...
Hurdles I've overcome during my bulimia recovery
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Well, I've done something the past few days I'd never thought I'd do: I said no big deal and I stood up for myself. First of all - I gained a pound after...
My total life - KT's bulimia story
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I don't know where to begin... Bulimia hit me then I was 14 years old and as an attempt to rid myself of too many sugary pixy stixs eaten... It felt so...
I want to stop bulimia - but can't?
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I'm 22, I've been purging for the past 4 years, and only recently I'm admitting to myself that I am a bulimic, I am. My parents found out I was doing...
I know it's time... Eugene's Bulimia Story
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hey =) I've been sitting here looking all over your site for an hour and 15 mins now =P and first I really want to thank you for sharing a part of your...
I used to be in control - A Bulimia Story
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I started being bulimic when I was a sophmore in high school. Now I will be a senior in college and I am still suffering with the disease. When I first...
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Hi, my name's Kate. I wasn't actually going to write anything because I thought just reading other peoples' experiences would be enough of a support. Ironically...
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Hello Shaye, I struggled with eating disorders, most recently bulimia, for almost 10 years before starting a successful recovery process last August....
I don't want to keep doing this
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I've been denying the fact that I have a problem for about 5 years now. I've never once thrown up. I'm not a bulimic. My sister has been in and out of...
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Hi Everyone, I have suffered with bulimia for nearly 10 years. It has taken over my life I am depressed, ashamed and mad at myself for being so weak for...
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When I was younger I was bullied for being chubby as I grew older I realized I didnt want to look like this no more. I wanted to be a model but I knew...
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It all started my senior year in high school when some one thought I had a pillow on under neath my haloween costume - and I didn't. college was the worse...
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Hi Shaye I have been bulimic for the past 1/2 year, I'm 21 and bulimia is making my life hell. I want to get better. I tried to Practise structured eating...
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I'm a straight A student, I'm the leader of several different clubs, I play music and I'm a talented writer too. I come from a well off family, have several...
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Living with bulimia is like living in hell... No one knows how much it hurts to be suffering like this... I started becoming bulimic 5 months ago -...
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I have fought this ugly disease for 30 years and still cannot shake it. It is my life! I hate it but still find myself got up in it, it won't go away!...
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Hi, my name is Sabine and I am bulimic. It's a long story, I've had that monkey on my back for almost 25 years now. It started when I was about 19 or...
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It was almost a year from now that I arrived here in Canada. It was a big stepping stone for my career but also the the reason how I met my friend and...
Her
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Hello, I have bulimia. I feel it is an entity getting me to give up on myself. I feel I have died and now I just need to transmutate my entire life into...
Freak
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My problems surfaced really early in my childhood. I always felt bigger than everyone else. Through out elementary school and my early years of junior...
New bulimic.
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I'm Cheryl and is 16 years old. I am fairly new to bulimia, just a few months old bulimic... But bulimia is ruining me. I think about food and my weight...
Was getting to the worst point.... Eugenes bulimia miracle
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Hey there! It's Eugene if you'd remember me =) Just wanted to say it's gone really bad and I ended up droping down to 43kg... I used to be 52 or so......
Article by Shaye Boddington
Author of your-bulimia-recovery.com
and creator of The Bulimia Recovery Program and Community
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