Monday, January 23, 2006

LIFE & STRESS - HOW DO YOU COPE?

LIFE, STRESS and BULIMIA - HOW DO YOU COPE?

Life's little ups and downs can be testing for the toughest amongst us!

Stress is not all bad. It prepares your mind and body for what ever it is you are about to encounter. Adrenalin produced in the right amounts can help you perform better in an interview, exam, public speaking, being creative, finishing a project or dealing with a difficult person.

It helps to push you beyond your comfort zone and enables you to achieve greater success.

But what if that stressor is crippling or paralysing you, does your life grind to a holt or do you feel you are stuck in-limbo?

Is Bulimia stressful for you, if so, how do you cope?

ASSESS YOUR COPING STYLE

Think about a recent stressful situation that triggered a binge and purge.

This could be a situation that was difficult to handle or perhaps something that was troubling you. You may have felt distressed about something that happened to you or had to deal with something that required a considerable amount of effort.

It could be a situation that has pushed you to binging and purging on numerous occasions in the past.

Once you have an event in mind, assess your coping style by completeing the exercise below:

WHILE KEEPING YOUR STRESSFUL EVENT IN MIND, READ THE LIST OF STRATEGIES BELOWAND SCORE them 0 - 3 RANKING THEM IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH YOU USED THEM IN THAT SITUATION:

0= NOT USED 1= USED SOMEWHAT 2= USED QUITE A BIT 3= USED A GREAT DEAL

1. I did something that I didn't think would work, but at least I was doing something.

2. I tried to get the person responsible to change his or her mind.

3. I slept more than usual. Drank or smoked more.

4. I expressed anger to the person(s), who caused the problem.

5. I tried to make myself feel better by bingeing and later vomiting.

6. I took a big chance or did something very risky to solve the problem.

7. I stood my ground and fought for what I wanted.

8. I took it out on other people (partner, parent, friend etc).

9. I refused to believe that it had happened.

10. I had fantasies or wishes about how things might turn out.

Scoring:
Now add up your scores for questions: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7
Add up your scores for questions 3, 5, 8, 9 & 10

If your score is higher for the 1st group of questions, then you tend to favour "CONFRONTIVE COPING".

If you scored higher on the 2nd group, then you are more likely to employ "ESCAPE-AVOIDANCE" as a coping mechanism.

Most bulimia sufferers tend to adopt an escape-avoidance coping style through food abuse. This hides a lack of ability in dealing with matters assertively.

Escape-avoidance is based on wishful thinking and efforts to escape or avoid a problem altogether.

Confrontive coping is typified by positive efforts to alter the situation and can involve some degree of aggression and risk-taking.

Now that you know which style of Coper you are, in our next blog, we will show you the key steps you can learn to help you take more control of your life through being Assertive!

If you can't wait for another two weeks, why not join our Members Forum where you can post your own questions and can expect to get a promptreply from me personaly! http://www.bulimiahope.com/forum.htm

Thursday, January 12, 2006

CAN’T AFFORD BULIMIA TREATMENT IN THE BAHAMA’S?

CAN’T AFFORD BULIMIA TREATMENT IN THE BAHAMA’S?

Clear blue skies, warm turquoise sea and white sandy beaches… A luxurious trip to the Bahamas may be the answer for the rich and famous that suffers from bulimia – like in the case of Lindsey Lohan! But what about the rest of us, where do we go for bulimia treatment?

Skipping through glossy magazines; many of us sit back with a heavy sigh, and a hint of admiration or even envy for the A list Celebrities; we wish that we too could do something to cure our Bulimic ailment and have a treatment that we can all afford!

Well, the recent launch of a bulimia self-help e-book, could not have arrived at a more opportune time! Solving the worries of affordability at a fraction of the price of a Bahamas treatment centre. This much-valued book is now available to you, with a click of a mouse, in the comfort of your own home. The “Conquer Bulimia Success Program” is the music to our ears, which many of us have been waiting to hear. Comprehensively written by specialists in the field of Eating Disorders, this self-help guide offers strategies, techniques and tips that will change your Bulimic life in 8 weeks, inside-out!

Mark Dobryniewski, founder of Bulimiahope.com says, “ Provided our customers are serious about their recovery, and commit to working through the whole book, I would seriously doubt if they weren’t very excited about their new, transformed Bulimia free life”. He added: “There is no other book quite like this one!” As more and more sufferers find themselves demoralized and down hearted after the recent festivities – this promises to give them with new hope and lasting success!


Contact
Mark Dobryniewski
Help for Bulimia Treatment

Monday, January 09, 2006

BULIMIA AND EXERCISE: YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE – TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

BULIMIA AND EXERCISE: YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE – TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

Have you ever wondered why your “highly charged” initial determination… to join a gym and start pounding away on a treadmill, spinning on a bike or exerting yourself on a rowing machine, soon plummets to sub zero levels?

As the Lactic Acid builds up in your worked muscles, so do the mounting excuses as to “why you cannot make it to the gym or fitness class today”! Then why do so many of us start these fitness fads?

All gym memberships come with a promise of a new you, the fitter, firmer and sexier you! Sadly the initial “feel good” adrenaline gives way to laziness, lack of commitment and effort; which is required, in large amounts, to sustain you through the initial pain barrier.

Fun stops, especially if you suffer from an Eating Disorder like Bulimia and if you embark on your new fitness regime with the mentality - No pain, No gain!

If the frequency of your workouts become more than is necessary for both your fitness levels and over all health or it becomes a self-inflicted punishment for the binge that took place, the night before! It is at this point this behaviour turns in to a negative addiction - masking your logical reasoning. Sounds familiar?

With excessive exercising, the rate of injury is high and recovery from the injury becomes slower. However this will depend on the specific exercise, the duration and whether it is cardiovascular or strength training.

Toxins build up have and no way out, causing strain on your liver and compromising its ability to function normally. This combined with poor nutrition levels caused by bingeing and vomiting, could cause your body to fall apart.

So what is the ideal? If you are keen on going to the gym or attending exercise classes; aim to break your routine and give your body rest periods in between one type of activity to another. For example aerobic and strength training.

You could use 1 session to work your abdominal muscles and perform back strengthening exercises, and combine it with a gentle activity such as 20 minutes of swimming. Make sure you have at lease one or two whole days a week without any physical activity. This will allow your body to completely rest, recover, and rejuvenate.

If the gym is not the way you would like to get fitter, then choose a sport or hobby such as walking, salsa dancing or something which is more fun, relaxing and sociable. It would probably be cheaper than the gym too!

Contact
Vathani Navasothy, Bulimia Counselor
Request information for combating bulimia: info@bulimiahope.com
Research bulimia treatments at: www.bulimiahope.com

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Beat Bulimia Nervosa - 5 Steps To Setting Realistic Goals

Beat Bulimia Nervosa - 5 Steps To Setting Realistic Goals

How many times have you made the same old promises to
free yourself from bulimia?

Has another year passed by and are you still binging and
purging?

Do not despair! We will show you how to set realistic and
achievable goals.

Lets say, “stop vomiting” is your New Year's resolution.

However, if this is how you describe your goal then you will
find it hard to achieve because it does not focus on
anything positive or tangible.


Step 1 - Take a few minutes and think about why you make
yourself vomit.

For a Bulimic, it is usually the Binge its self!

Go deeper and think about what causes you to binge?

Often lack of a structured, healthy meal plan leaves you
hungry. Add an emotional crisis for good measure and
vomiting is not that far away!


Step 2 - Make your goal SMART!

S is for Specific. Instead of being vague like in the case of “not wanting to vomit”, focus on the reason why you binge…

Are you always hungry just before a binge takes place? If so
make a decision to eat healthy foods at regular intervals.


Step 3 - M is for Measurable

For example a typical goal related activity, could be
deciding to eat three healthy meals a day and three small
snacks to keep you going in between.

This is very easy to monitor. It is also very easy to
correct should you start to skip some of your meals or
snacks.

Step 4 - A is for Achievable.

When you break your goal down into small chunks, your
goal becomes more Achievable!

Take one day at a time. So today plan what you are
going to eat tomorrow.


Step 5 - R is for Relevant

Remember to make your goal Relevant to you. Don't do it for
others, do it for you.


Step 6 - T is for Timely.

Allow yourself Time to achieve your goal.

For example, your target may be to eat three balanced meals a day
during the first week.

Second week you could focus on introducing a snack in
between each meal – up to 3 a day.

Third week, you may choose to experiment with foods you
consider risky or conducive to vomiting.

Remember, learn to jog a mile before attempting to run a
Marathon!

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Make sure you truly understand why you have set this goal for yourself; also be aware of what could get in the way and how you will overcome any obstacles. By following the SMART process for goal setting you are 90% more likely to achieve your goal.

Now put this into practice and generate results for you.

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Contact
Vathani Navasothy
http://www.bulimiahope.com
e-mail: info@bulimiahope.com
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