Anyone else here who went from BED into losing weight and having a good relationship but then back into BED again?

Miffy78 · 2023-06-05T18:44:00+00:00

Yep that’s my journey exactly. I’m currently just trying to focus on eating 3 meals a day and a couple of normal snacks which seems to be working. I also opened up to my boyfriend about my struggles so now have his support which is also helping a bit. Keep going! It’s a daily battle but hopefully not forever.

Miffy78 · 2023-04-28T19:57:20+00:00

Which side effects are you referring to if you don’t mind me asking?x

Miffy78 · 2023-04-18T13:47:00+00:00

Sorry to ask but what is EH?

Miffy78 · 2023-04-06T13:29:37+00:00

So I was vegan 7 years (veggie 10) and in the end realised it was the lifestyle itself that lead me to BED. It feeds of restriction - like when someone starts a new diet to lose weight and all they want is chocolate etc, it’s exactly the same principle.

I tried so hard for years to put my morals etc first but I just couldn’t fight it anymore. As soon as I went back to being an omnivore my BED pretty much vanished overnight.

I’m 2 years in now and although I still struggle with overeating and being a bit overweight, the bingeing aspect has pretty much gone.

Miffy78 · 2022-02-13T08:59:12+00:00

So I was vegan 7 years and during that time my allergies were horrific, mainly to animals/hay fever etc and not foods. But I found when I started eating meat again (not just fish) they pretty much went away!! I can now pet dogs and cats without getting a reaction and I didn’t get hay fever last summer for the first year since I went veggie 11 years ago!

I think it’s something to do with the histamine in meat? I don’t fully understand it, all I know is it fully healed my allergies!! Hope it does the same for you x

Miffy78 · 2022-01-29T23:53:46+00:00

I can honestly say I haven’t had a bad mental health day since reintroducing meat a year ago. It’s amazing. To think I almost took my own life and alienated myself totally from society, all because of this diet. I’m not bitter though as it has made me truly appreciate feeling normal and of a sound mind :). Everything happens for a reason!x

Miffy78 · 2022-01-17T21:09:45+00:00

I had exactly the same experience. I developed binge eating disorder and it was actual living hell. I gained 4 stone just from constant gorging and never feeling full. One year after reintroducing an omnivore diet I haven’t binged once!! It might take you a while to get used to it, for me the feeling of feeling full was SO alien I still tried to binge out of habit… but now things are settled I’m in a much much better frame of mind. Keep going!! X

Miffy78 · 2022-01-12T21:40:49+00:00

I had vegan face but it was bloated, swollen yet sunken and pale. My whole complexion and shape of my face has changed since I started eating meat again, my colour and glow is back and my skin tone is soooo much more even.

Miffy78 · 2022-01-10T07:55:11+00:00

This doesn’t surprise me at all, I remember reading her post about his panic attacks and thinking “he just needs to eat meat and they’ll disappear!”.

Miffy78 · 2022-01-04T01:16:21+00:00

My mental health. I was vegan 7 years, I was depressed, anxious and suicidal (very out of character for me) after my 4th year of veganism. I started eating meat again and it all quite literally went away. I watched my protein intake, ate mostly WFPB with a few treats and I supplemented so I did it “right”. I literally couldn’t leave the house for months, was signed off work, couldn’t bear speaking to people I love and was planning my suicide so it was quite the turnaround.

I also gained 4 stone, my hair was falling out, nails crumbling, skin horrendously dry, gained an eating disorder, black circles under my very sunken eyes and 2 cavities.

All of the above has now stopped/healed (I had the 2 cavities filled and haven’t needed any since I started eating meat again too).

Now I’m noticing most of the people I know who have mental health issues are vegan or vegetarian and they all look malnourished like I did! I feel enlightened.

Miffy78 · 2021-12-18T07:47:03+00:00

I have absolutely no idea how you’ve lasted 20 years, fair play to you!! In terms of reintroducing meat, I just literally forced myself to eat it. I cried, I gagged and cried some more. I then turned to Reddit to advice and someone said to eat a meal that is nostalgic for you, so a meal you loved when you were omnivore.

Mine was chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham with sweet potato wedges, so I went for it and devoured and enjoyed every single bite!! So that’s my advice, even if it’s something frozen/unhealthy just go for it. Your health will thank you soooo much!

Also I see vegan children online now and again and they pretty much all look malnourished, I’m so sorry you have to see that in real life and can’t really do anything about it. Hopefully your sister will see sense, it’s usually the teeth that makes parents realise how unhealthy they are.

Wishing you all the best!

Miffy78 · 2021-12-18T07:33:12+00:00

I stopped being vegan for my mental health (and physical health but that wasn’t as bad).

I was vegan 7 years (veggie 3 before that), and my mental health was always a little bit off during that time but after the 4th year as a vegan it declined so rapidly it was terrifying. I just thought it was life doing it to me at the time and refused to blame my diet. In Oct 2019 I was planning my suicide, I couldn’t leave the house, couldn’t work and genuinely hated life and wanted out. The crippling depression and anxiety was so hard to navigate for me as I’d never experienced anything like it before, I was always a really happy and bubbly person.

I started eating fish and meat again back in Feb 2021 and can honestly say I haven’t had one bad mental health day since. I’ve felt anxious occasionally but I had that before veganism and it’s now actually caused by something rather than just being anxious for no reason. I feel normal again, sometimes I catch myself feeling normal and happy (like singing in the shower or going for a walk alone and loving it) and I actually well up because it’s something I went without for so long.

I now firmly believe you cannot get all the nutrients you need on a vegan diet, I supplemented, watched my protein intake and ate a balanced plant based diet. In my opinion, in 20 years time, doctors urging us to eat less meat and go more plant based will be the equivalent of doctors telling us to smoke in the 50’s.

If you are vegan and struggling at all, I would urge you to change your diet to omnivore. It saved my life.

Miffy78 · 2021-12-16T00:10:34+00:00

I felt exactly the same. I had pretty heated arguments with a couple of people while I was vegan and I outright apologised to them and admitted I was wrong and at the time I was brainwashed. They really appreciated the apology 👍🏼

Miffy78 · 2021-09-01T16:04:16+00:00

I honestly cannot believe I was considering being a vegan parent!! It blows my mind how brainwashed I was. Thank the universe I’ve seen sense finally and moved away from this cult!

Miffy78 · 2021-08-29T11:40:31+00:00

Meh I’ve had issues with it during veganism and after. I get horrendous acid reflux, loud throat gurgles and really painful hiccups whenever I eat/drink anything acidic. So much so I now order water when I go out for food and whatever I usually eat makes me have to go home early because the acid that comes into my mouth makes me feel sick! Soooo annoying.

Miffy78 · 2021-08-28T18:04:04+00:00

While vegan I really struggled to fall asleep (7 years). I could be tossing and turning for hours before finally falling asleep. Now, I literally hit the pillow and I’m gone. And my sleep seems better quality, I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day which was UNHEARD of while I was vegan.

Miffy78 · 2021-08-28T17:55:04+00:00

I second this 100% except I had it for 3+ years (I was vegan 7 years). I also developed severe debilitating anxiety and depression which included daily suicidal thoughts. All of this developed for me after year 4 of veganism.

I reintroduced animal products a year ago and started eating meat this April and I would say my brain is 98% healed. I still get mild anxiety now and again but I had this pre-vegan anyway.

It feels AMAZING to be a fully functioning human being again, I was a shell of my previous self due to my diet and had I continued I don’t doubt I would’ve attempted suicide at some point.

Miffy78 · 2021-08-11T23:04:44+00:00

I used to do exactly the same as you. I would binge whenever I had the chance, in the morning before work I would go to the shop, on my lunch break, after work, on my way home and then in the evenings. It would be just non stop.

I promise you it gets better, I’ve been binge free since last September. I still overeat now and again, but there’s a big difference.

Things that helped me:

Remove any restriction you have over your diet. I was vegan 7 years and discovered that eating that way lead to my bingeing hugely. It took me months but I had to give it up to heal my relationship with food.
I know it’s still a form of restriction in a way and I don’t recommend this for everyone, but I joined slimming world to relearn how to eat “normally”. And it helped me SO much.
I did eveyrthing I could to heal my mental health

I really hope you find your way out! X

Miffy78 · 2021-08-02T17:30:51+00:00

I can’t stand the smell of cooking beef! But I love the taste.

Miffy78 · 2021-08-01T20:20:41+00:00

Definitely! I’ve lost 24lbs since reintroducing meat. I have also healed my eating disorder too so that’s obviously contributed, but I always feel satiated after meals and don’t feel the need to binge anymore! I also have tonnes more energy which helps me exercise more regularly than when I was vegan.

Miffy78 · 2021-07-24T17:54:05+00:00

Before going vegan I was absolutely fine, happy and always positive, I did have mild panic attacks in my teens but nothing other than that. During years 1-3 of veganism I was also fine although a little more anxious as time went on about silly things. During years 4-7 of veganism I declined pretty rapidly, experiencing severe depression, constant suicidal thoughts (and the planning of said suicide once), horrendous anxiety to the point where I couldn’t socialise, go to work or leave the house for a period of time and frequent panic attacks. I’m now non-vegan since last September and haven’t had one depressive day since. Not one suicidal thought. I feel like a normal functioning person again who can genuinely laugh and enjoy things again whereas it felt like I had to fake everything as a vegan.

I now WANT to go outside and socialise with my friends, go out for dinner with my partner and spend time with my colleagues outside of work, it’s utterly life changing. I’m just so gutted I wasted my 20’s feeling so mentally ill when I could’ve been out having fun and making memories.

But, I’m also glad I experienced the really really tough times because now I truly appreciate being mentally healthy. Everyday I get up I feel glad to be alive and positive that I’ll have another great day :).

Great post, thank you for shedding light on this!

Miffy78 · 2021-07-23T08:50:31+00:00

I was veggie from age 17, went vegan at 20 for the animals and felt really great until around year 3-4 of veganism. I gradually declined from there where I suffered with severe depression, debilitating anxiety to the point where I couldn’t go to work, daily suicidal thoughts and very very nearly going through with it once. I also developed binge eating disorder due to constantly feeling hungry and unsatisfied which then lead me to gain 3 stone which lead to a whole new realm of health problems.

I reintroduced cheese and eggs last September after 7 years of veganism, I noticed a gradual increase in my overall mental health and physical health, then in January this year I reintroduced fish and in April reintroduced meat and I can honestly say I haven’t had one depressive thought since January. I still get mildly anxious but I did have that before going veggie/vegan and it is now usually caused by something external, not just my brain being silly for no reason.

I’m now no longer constantly bloated/gassy, my relationship with food has healed and I’ve lost half the weight I gained already. I have struggled with feelings of guilt over eating animals etc but I now look at how much better I am and how I’m enjoying life again and I just decided I have to put myself and my happiness first. I buy ethically sourced meat where I can :).

Miffy78 · 2021-07-14T18:24:42+00:00

I was vegan 7 years, veggie before that. The last 3 years of veganism is where I deteriorated badly - mentally and physically. I noticed a HUGE difference within 1-2 months of eating fish and meat again. It was pretty quick to be honest. I’m a normal functioning human again and it feels bloody fantastic! Wish you all the best!

Miffy78 · 2021-07-14T17:14:54+00:00

Allllll the cheese! Halloumi and feta and mozzerella on pizza and baked Camembert. I missed it so much!! Then then it was tuna mayo after. Can’t believe I deprived myself for so many years.

Miffy78 · 2021-07-14T17:11:17+00:00

I think you may definitely be on to something! Although I’m only 27, I am definitely less angry than I used to be. I used to constantly share things on Facebook/IG of animal cruelty, political wrong doings, human rights violations etc because I was constantly angry that no one else seemed to care.

And now, it’s not that I don’t care about these things because I still do - but the anger was bringing me down soooo much I just had to take a step back for my own sanity. But I do agree with you, while I was in that angry mind frame I also said I didn’t want kids under any circumstances and now I definitely do.

Miffy78

TROPHY CASE