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Restricting, binging and purging...

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/24/2012 9:07 PM (GMT 0)
So, after going through a bad flare last year, I seem to have finally got things under control. I am on a very low saturated fat diet, with no lactose and no gluten. So a lot of grilled fish, well-cooked vegetables, oats, eggs, and other lean meats.

So far, so healthy. But I am really really struggling with craving the foods that hurt :( I really miss cake. And chocolate. And I find them both very hard to turn down, especially when people don't realise I have crohns (vs. being a girl on a fad diet) and so try and force them on me.

The problem is that I have started binging. Not very often, just once every few weeks, but I cave and stuff myself with cake or whatever it is that I'm craving. The problem is I know it only causes me pain, but I can't seem to stop eating once I start. I am an all-or-nothing person and it's like I lose control with the food....I eat until I literally can't move, and then I'm sick because I've eaten so much.

I hate this. I'm glad to be on foods that help my crohn's, but I also know that this restrictive diet, combined with the binges, is really not a healthy way to live. But I don't know what to do to manage it better. I really can't bear not having any of the foods I love so much, but I know even eating them in moderation isn't an option. It's not like I can have a piece of chocolate to keep the cravings at bay, because it really hurts when I do. So I figure I may as well stuff myself until I am sick, because I'm going to feel awful anyway, so I may as well eat as much as I want.

I don't know what to do :(
Posted 6/25/2012 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
Are there ways to safely satisfy your cravings? There are gluten and lactose free chocolate products, for example, and certainly there is gluten free cake. Is your Crohn's in remission, or is there more to do medically? Are you sure you absolutely can't eat things in moderation without it causing you trouble? For me, I am sensitive to lactose, but I can tolerate some...so I avoid milk and drink almond milk instead, or I can have a small amount of cheese. I can have a little ice cream, but if I have too much, I feel very crampy and gassy. I know it is different for gluten intolerance....you are supposed to completely eliminate it if it is a problem to you. Another idea is to get more creative with your safe foods and try new recipes so food is interesting again. Sorry you are going through this...it can be very hard, but bingeing and making yourself sick obviously won't help. You need to change your mind set and stop feeling deprived. If it is beyond your control, I think counseling with a therapist who understands chronic illness and eating disorders may be helpful as well.
Posted 6/25/2012 7:26 AM (GMT 0)
I guess you're right and some safe treats that I know are okay might help. I get down because each thing I think is safe then turns out not to be, so it feels like there's a constant and tightening restriction on what I can and can't have. I get frustrated because I have to be such a control freak with my food, phoning restaurants ahead of time o make sure there's something I can actually have, and then having to explain to everyone why I'm not eating the same thing as them...it gets exhausting.

Does anyone have suggestions for maybe some decent chocolate I could try? I like dark chocolate a lot, so maybe that would work if anyone knows of some good and tasty brands...
Posted 6/25/2012 12:01 PM (GMT 0)

I can sympathize....except my binges are on what most people consider healthy foods.  I can not eat veggies without terrible pain...but sometimes I have to have the cauliflower that is put in front of me.  THen I pay for it dearly.  Strangely...cake I can eat.  The milk and dessert foods that bother most folks seem to work for me.  But even applesauce doubles me over.

I have a hubby who gently slaps my hand when I reach for cashews or a carrot (I think he just knows he will have to hear me groaning later haha).  That has helped me pay more attention to the consequences.  I also think having been doing this for so many years has taught me the lesson a few times...yet once in a great while I still "cheat".  It is human nature.  Don't beat yourself up for it and you may not feel so guilty and need to cheat as much.

As for chocolate....I love it but I do work with very small portions.  Try Dove dark that comes in the miniature wrapped pieces.  Put them in a container that has a snap lid or a zipper bag so you have to take a second to open it.  And put them away in a cupboard.  Let yourself have one every so often.

Take care...

Posted 6/25/2012 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
I've been testing different gluten-free dessert recipes, and I made one this week that would probably work with your plan. Here are two ideas for sweet treats:

sticky rice with mango (made with low fat coconut milk)

gluten-free banana bread (made with Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour plus xanthan gum, in a direct substitution with whatever banana bread recipe you like).

Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour is da bomb if you ask me.
Posted 6/26/2012 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have totally been there. I am now having gluten free meals and am avoiding gluten as much as possible. I am not a gluten allergic, I don't even know if I am gluten sensitive, cause where I live there's no tests for gluten sensitivity.

But WHEN i started making my own gluten free bread a lot of positive changes came along. But I am still craving my treats, and I need to have a few of them, but I have found a way of controlling it.

If I have a dinner / supper / that is very spicy and is normal salted, I am starting to crave sugar and cakes right after dinner. I need to consume something at the moment and then it's easy to binge some sweet cakes (even gluten free cakes are so yummie they are to binge ;),
so to break that pattern I need to have some really sweet berries and fruits a hand.

When we eat sugary food and wheat products ...we're getting an increase of glucoses and sucroses, these are triggering our serotonin level, so that we feel happier...every time we binge a little more, we're getting that nice feeling, and so in a while the blood sugar lower and we will feel depressed.

when we binge eat a lot of sweets and cakes, we need the glucose. Our bodies has learnt that glucose is something it really needs, so it starts to tell us that we need to have more of that sweet stuff. That turns in glucose later.

We often get those signals when we are stressed out or depressed.

We also need to ask ourselves: Are these problems due to what I'm eating - or are they here due to what's eating me?
Posted 6/29/2012 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
When I was in my eating disorder group, there were quite a few girls who only binged ate, and did not even purge. This behavior was usually tied in with how stressful they felt.
The therapist who facilitated the group said that binge eating is definitely an eating disorder. It just isn't as well known as the big ones like bulimia and anorexia.
I advise you to start seeing a counselor who can help you think of coping strategies for stress.
I acknowledge that you have Crohns, but don't use a Crohns diagnosis to hide the eating disorder and your underlying pyschological issues.
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