Hello there! I hope you can help me determine if I have a problem. I am a healthy eater and I exercise 5 times per week. I eat every three hours (5 times per day). I eat lean protein, some fruit, and lots of vegetables. So here is my concern. On Sundays, I allow myself to have a large, delicious meal of my choice. It's usually rotisserie chicken, plenty of vegetables and lots of dessert. (Usually sugar free cookies and low carb banana nut bread.) The problem is that I feel like it is a binge. I eat really quickly and I eat until I'm EXTREMELY FULL. In addition, I try to schedule this meal for when I know I can eat alone. I am not overweight by any means. I am a size 2. However, about 1 year ago a change happened in my life and I put on alot of weight. I'm actually sure I had a disorder then because I would do the yoyo thing of not eating one day, binging the next day, killing myself at the gym for hours the next day and then not eating again the next day. I did try to purge a few times and was unsuccesful and I never tried it again. I have always been thin and gaining all that weight was very hard for me emotionally. Thankfully now I am thinner and really feel also healthier than before I gained the weight. Quite honestly though I do feel I am a bit obsessive sometimes about calories and strict about my workouts, but I think the memory of how I felt keeps me that way. I am very happy about my body and don't want to lose any more weight from where I'm at. First of all I'm wondering if these once a week indulgences are bad for my body, and second I would like to know if you think I have a problem. Any information or insight you can give me will be most appreciated. I look forward to your responses. Thank you and have a nice day!

I think that it's great that you allow yourself to enjoy a meal on Sunday that you wouldn't allow yourself to have during the week. It is not bad for your body. It may help to eat slower while you are having that meal. If food isn't chewed properly it tends to make us uncomfortable b/c it sits in the stomach longer in larger pieces -- much harder to digest. There is nothing wrong with following a disciplined regimen and then treating yourself. The problems come in when the "discipline" beccomes unhealthy.

It seems to me that you keep a moderate and healthy lifestyle. You know that you are concerned about weight and calories, and for the most part that is ok, just be careful that you never allow "concer" to climb to the next level. I am not a doctor, but I am someone who recovered from anorexia/bulimia and who has been working with other anorexics for a long time. In my humble opinion, you do not have an eating disorder. I say this b/c from what you described you do not practice behaviors that are symptoms of EDs.

Congratulations on achieving (what seems to me) a healthy lifestyle. Please don't let your concerns get ahead of you. If you ever catch yourself obsessing over food or thinking about purging, stop, sit back, and think about what you are doing.

I wouldn't say that you have a serious problem, but you'd better keep your eye on it and not let it get out of hand. Do you restrict calories or foods the rest of the week? Do you look forward to this one meal all week long or think about food most of the time? These are little warning signs that something might be amiss. If you are really concerned you could make an appointment with a dietician, but just by what you said I don't think that there's really a problem. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Thank you so much for your replies. I feel I should be ok too. In reference to the question about whether I think about that meal all week, the truth is sometimes I do. I do think about food often. I do count calories the rest of the week and try to stay away from foods that I know aren't good for me, but knowing that I will have my slurge makes it much easier. Thanks again for listening. I truly appreciate it!

[This message has been edited by josa2009 (edited 02-22-2002).]