Are Your Dieting Strategies Killing You? REVEALED: The Dark Side of Summer Dieting by Julie Kerr - HTML preview

Part 5: EXPLAINED: The Darker Side: Why Dieting is A

Precursor To Bulimia

So far we’ve seen that dieting DOES NOT work.

We’ve also discussed how dieting is a socially accepted behaviour that’s been driven by the mass media who persistently try to convince us we need fixing - and dieting is the answer.

Juxtaposed against this drive, we’ve discovered how restrictive eating initiates an archaic survival process, which leaves dieters more likely to binge eat and obsess about their weight, their size and their shape.

And as you may be aware, bingeing is the first step to becoming trapped by bulimia.

What’s more, bulimia is a significant problem.

Recent studies in the UK suggest:

• 1.6 mil ion Britons have bulimia
• 1/5 of these suffers are male
• As many as 8% of women will have bulimia at some stage of their life.

Bulimia is a dark and dangerous eating disorder that destroys lives

To an onlooker, bulimia is characterised by an obsession with food and weight that results in:

• Cycles of binge eating followed by
• Purging methods including self-induced vomiting, over exercising, starving and the use of laxatives to “get rid” of the excessive food intake to avoid weight gain.

It’s a dangerous weight control strategy that can kill .

But it’s an easy trap to fall into once the effects of under eating (dieting) and the food obsession initiated by the body’s survival instincts takes their grip.

You see dieters often find bingeing pleasurable.

Sounds strange but that’s because bingeing can be a welcome release from al the tension and stress the mind and body has been placed under following eating restrictions. The denied foods taste really good and in turn your brain makes a lasting connection between binge foods and pleasure.

But once the binge is over any pleasure is quickly replaced by panic as the dieter mentally ‘sees’ the pounds piling on.

Unfortunately, for mil ions of people, the idea of purging is too compelling. The first purge is hard. It feels horrible but you feel in control. But before long purging becomes a habitual emergency strategy to compensate for broken diets and binge eating.

Control silently slips away…

Until the vicious cycle of bingeing and purging becomes an addictive habit and bulimia is established.

Peel away the definition and more heartache is revealed

Whilst true, the above summary is rather like reading the back cover of a book and thinking you know the story.

The reality of bulimia is a life over-run with unhealthy obsessions, compulsion and loss.

• You feel out of control of your own body and mind and start to believe you can’t cope with life…

• You lose interest in your hobbies and interests, dreams and desires

• Food becomes your only comfort

• You feel possessed and engulfed with an overwhelming urge to eat and despite your best pep talks, you cannot overcome the compulsion to binge

• You isolate yourself because you can’t trust yourself around food. You shun social occasions and when you’re alone you binge

• You become secretive and lie to cover up your repulsive behaviour. Yet despite being overwhelmed with shame, guilt and self-disgust -you can’t stop

• You’re terrified there’s something seriously wrong with you but the shame stops you telling anyone

• The pretence is exhausting and soul destroying as you try to hold everything together and convince those around you that everything is OK

• Your emotions and moods swing all over the place. You feel anxious, stressed and depressed and you become a shell of the person you used to be

• Your energy and vitality shrivels away, your self-esteem is shot and your health and well being is compromised

Bulimia has hijacked your life leaving you trapped, helpless and broken.

And you’d love to be free but can’t see a way out…

What to do next?

Fortunately there is an answer. If you’ve fallen into the bulimia trap and want a solution NOW, skip straight to Part 7 and you’ll discover more about a unique 1-2-1 coaching programme that can help you break free from bulimia.

Alternatively keep reading Part 6 and find out why NOT dieting is the quickest way to feel good about yourself.