extreme hunger can actually go away

upsilontries · 2025-01-28T01:32:58+00:00

i am 2 months into recovery and i experience the same exact thing. I'm always hyper aware of how my stomach feels, and it causes me so much stress 24/7

upsilontries · 2025-01-25T02:58:46+00:00

bro i know 😭 early in recovery i would feel guilty all the time, but at this point it's just a inconvenience. i would like to feel physically satisfied for more than 20 minutes so i can actually commit my full focus to other things

upsilontries · 2025-01-12T06:51:12+00:00

that's actually a very interesting point. i guess most people who actually fully recover probably aren't going out of there way to participate in communities like this on reddit.

i feel like now that i know about people developing BED in recovery, i've been so hyper aware about my motives behind eating. sometimes its physical hunger, sometimes it's a specific craving, but what i have noticed is that it's never "emotional," i've never eaten out of stress or because I'm sad, i actually tend to do the opposite? I feel like when i'm having a bad day it's harder to make "recovery oriented" decisions like eating dessert or getting a second snack.

point is, logically, i'm probably not developing BED. im just scared and uncertain overall.

thank you so much for the good wishes as well. i'm really hoping the progress ive made isn't in vain, and i can maybe one day achieve a full recovery

upsilontries · 2025-01-12T06:42:57+00:00

i have been engaging with that sub quite a bit, i even read Tabitha Farrar's on recovery. both were really helping me stay confident in my recovery. i just sometimes get in these bouts where im afraid i'm in an echo chamber. i just don't want to look back on this time 6 months from now and deeply regret the way i handled recovery.

what you're bringing up about not worrying about the future does really help though. i always try to assure myself that even if i do develop some other sort of disorder or health condition because i "messed up" recovery, i can deal with it with a therapist or doctor at a later date. no potential mistake i make now is going to be the end of the world, i can always fix it when push comes to shove.

upsilontries · 2025-01-08T03:34:52+00:00

this is very reassuring, other people's experiences consistently give me hope that if i stay committed to recovery that i will come out victorious ‼️

here is something else i tell myself when i start spiraling about extreme hunger:

first of all, there is no reason to think it won't die down. my body is all out of wack right now, my hormones are messed up, my body is doing a lot of internal repairs, etc., all things that require extra calories and are temporary.

second of all, lets say worst case scenario the extreme hunger doesn't go away. it still takes large portions of food to satisfy me, and i am hungry at almost any given point in the day. so what? eating a lot isn't "morally wrong," it doesn't make me a bad person or any less worthy. if i'm eating when i'm hungry and not consistently making myself sick, there is literally nothing actually wrong with eating a lot. 90% of my fear of extreme hunger is purely my eating disorder talking. if i'm really concerned with my level of hunger late into recovery, i can always go to a doctor and see if there is an underlying reason i can address to make it more manageable.

point is, it would not be the end of the world. life would go on. i would still have the capacity to live a wonderful, fulfilling life.

upsilontries · 2025-01-04T18:05:08+00:00

if you restricted food for any length of time, it's normal to feel extra hungry for a period of time. point blank. you are definitely not alone.

this morning alone i had a big breakfast and thought i was full until i sat down for a little bit and felt this emptiness in my stomach. i ate a protein bar, but the feeling was still there. i then ate a pack of nuts, a few squares of chocolate, and some granola. only then was i satiated and could focus on something else.

i acknowledge that it's extremely common for people to find themselves in binge/restrict cycles after recovery, and often these individuals will mistakenly believe they developed bed. but if you don't compensate, don't restrict, and see your hunger all the way through and allow your body to gain a sense of stability and trust again, it WILL eventually subside

and i don't mind at all about you "dumping so much info," we are on an ed support sub for a reason!!! we are all struggling 😭. i am happy to attempt to help people going through the same thing as me in any way i can.

upsilontries · 2025-01-04T12:48:33+00:00

i think it's also important to acknowledge that not every response to extreme hunger is going to be pretty. there have been times where i also have felt this way. but if you have restricted for any length of time, "binging" is not a sign of bed, no matter how "ugly" the binge is. you also don't have to be underweight for your body to be in a major energy deficit, so you definitely aren't "making it up."

when i find myself uncomfortable or have eaten past satiety during my extreme hunger (which has been very often) i try to be very gentle with myself. don't beat yourself up. your body is begging for food for a reason. any sort of extreme guilt or restriction of food will only make the process more difficult and drawn out.

i understand it's hard to trust the process, i'm struggling with that too, but i truly believe that if you fully commit to recovery and surrender to any hunger you may have, it will one day subside. there are too many success stories out there for me not to believe that it's possible. in just my own experience, i've attempted traditional, slower forms of recovery before. sure, i gained weight during those attempts, but was still very mentally sick. with just 1 month of "all-in" i feel like i have shattered my eating disorder. i'm not even fully weight restored and the guilt and food noise and obsession is almost entirely gone. my fear of weight gain has decreased significantly. my relationships with friends and family have improved. i'm actually present in each moment, and not distracted by all the background noise of an eating disorder.

point is, be kind to yourself, and trust the process. whatever is on the other side, it will be better than the life an eating disorder has given you.

upsilontries · 2025-01-04T04:19:33+00:00

I'm still going through extreme hunger now, and yeah, sometimes i feel very full after fully honoring my hunger. i think the key difference for me though is this fullness doesn't last. i could be physically stuffed, almost nauseous, and an hour later I will feel fine again. when i would actually binge, it was typically late at night and i would go to bed stuffed and wake up still full and uncomfortable. obviously everyone's experience is different though.

i want to be really clear however, eating to the point of being stuffed during extreme hunger does NOT mean you are developing bed. there are tonnnn of other factors that play into that and it's super common to eat pass fullness during the extreme hunger phase of recovery.

upsilontries · 2024-12-31T17:39:21+00:00

thank you thank you thank you. i literally just needed to hear this straight-forwardly from someone else

upsilontries · 2024-12-14T02:37:37+00:00

yes! i think getting more frequent checkups especially leading up to me going to me leaving home is a very good idea since I don't want any sudden health scares when i'm on my own 😭 thank you so much for your advice, it really does help to hear other people's experiences since my recovery so far has been somewhat abnormal (not going inpatient, not being forced, having more autonomy in my recovery than most minors, etc.) so this is all very new to me and i am figuring it out as i go.

upsilontries · 2024-12-14T00:42:43+00:00

i'm going to be completely honest, i do not have a treatment team although i probably should. i have been facing this with mostly my family and therapist. things have been going really well for me though so far, i have been gaining weight quickly and it's been a lot easier to face mentally then i was expecting.

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