eating (dis)order

For as long as I can remember I have had an eating disorder.  Not one that you would recognise, I’m not stick thin nor am I obese, I eat plenty and I don’t make myself throw up after a binge.  So, what’s been wrong with me.  Put simply I’ve been killing myself very slowly with processed sugar and additives.  I’m ok really, I’m in good health but if I didn’t change my ways I would have been incredibly overweight and in very poor health.

Up until a couple of months ago I practically lived on jumbo sized bags of sweets, biscuits, and cakes.  I hated fruit and vegetables with a vengeance.  I had been like this more or less since my late teens.  I have suffered some health problems due to this, mainly the proliferation of mouth ulcers and consequent diagnosis of pernicious anaemia and I knew it was all down to my food consumption but I couldn’t change my ways.  Not that I didn’t want to but the inclination just wasn’t there; I was too tempted by all the sweet loveliness of sweets and biscuits and cakes.

A couple of months ago I weighed myself and was horrified at what I saw.  I had put on a stone in weight over a period of a few weeks.  I knew I had to do something and I knew that Allen Carr had written a book on how to lose weight easily.  I must admit to regarding this with some scepticism.  In my experience there is no easy way to lose weight, only denial and suffering.  I duly read the book though and was fascinated by the change that has overcome me…practically overnight.

In the space of two months I have only eaten a couple of sweets and a handful of biscuits.  I’ve been in situations when there have been an abundance of sweet foods available and just haven’t wanted them…weird.  I have started to eat fruit and vegetables and just this week have tried seeds for the very first time and am enjoying them.  I have lost a stone in weight in this time and haven’t had even an inkling of a notion of being on a diet.

Earlier in the week I came across a group of websites promoting the idea that we should only eat raw foods and I actually am quite taken with this notion.  I wouldn’t say that I’m ready to ditch cooked food altogether but I’m getting there and I feel fantastic for the huge changes that I’ve already made.  The lethargy and general malaise has left me and for the most part I now feel full of energy.

Part of the problem with diets is of course that we get bored of them and can’t be bothered weighing and measuring and counting calories, fat, protein, etc or that the food that it is suggested we eat is just plain disgusting.  I had an idea that eating raw foods might be difficult for me but I have found that I actually enjoy raw fruit and veg better than cooked foods.

This morning for breakfast I had a green smoothie.  It contained 2 bananas, 1 kiwi fruit, 1/2 cucumber and a handful of seeds.  Not only was this delicious but it filled me up and as I write this at half past one in the afternoon I’m still not hungry and I’ve had no cravings for anything else all morning.  It was supposed to have spinach in it but I got scared that it would be disgusting.  I definitely think the next time I make it I’ll stick to the recipe and see what that tastes like.

So, what am I trying to say?  Well, it’s quite simple really if you have a weight problem or even an overeating problem it is possible to turn things around with minimal willpower and effort.  I have done it and have lost a stone in two months.  I fully expect to keep on losing weight until I am the weight I should be.  Don’t give up hope if you think you can’t overcome your eating disorder.  Just try a different approach.

Some links:

Allen Carr’s Easy Weigh to Lose Weight – read this with an open mind and make sure you read it and not just look at the words

shazzie.com – this person has overcome health problems by adopting a totally raw diet

Green Smoothie Experiment – this person is trying to live on green smoothies alone and is doing a mighty fine job of it

We Like It Raw – information about raw food diets* (check out the before and after pictures)

The Raw Food Coach – Getting Started Guide

I could go on and on – there’s loads of information, recipes and feel good stories.

*when I say diet I mean the foods we eat rather than a restriction on what we eat – it’s important.  I’m not on a diet I’ve just changed my eating habits.

Footnote: I know this reads like and advert but I haven’t been paid to write this, I just feel very passionately that this is having a really huge effect on my health and I want to share that with others who may be experiencing the same types of problems I had with eating.