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Weird sort-of bulimia?Weird sort-of bulimia?
spectrachic311 said: "Hey guys, I have a weird question...has anyone heard of this?
My husband's friend is on a diet. He's about 6'1" and I'd guess he probably weighs about 220 now. He's trying to get down to 175 by eating 1600 calories a day, but here's the weird thing: My husband told me that his friend wanted a Snickers bar, but he didn't want to cheat on his diet. So he bought the Snickers bar and took a bite, chewed it up and spit it out. :signs053:
My husband was kind of worried...he didn't really know what to think because it didn't seem like it was technically "bulimia", but it's still very weird behavior. Do you think he should be concerned? Or do you think it's just his friend's way of coping with not being able to eat Snickers?"
spectrachic311 said: "Yeah, I didn't think it sounded like normal behavior. My husband's opinion is that his friend doesn't want to throw up his food (because that's what "women bulimics" do), yet he still doesn't want to digest it, so he's just spitting it out. I've never done that before, but I did once throw up after I ate way too much ice cream at an ice cream stand (it wasn't on purpose though...it was literally because I ate TOO MUCH ice cream!). I think my husband said something to him along the lines of "Dude, did you just spit that Snickers bar out? You're turning into a bulimic!" You know how tactful men are about that stuff. It's pretty crazy...eating disorders among men are going up really rapidly. I guess they have pressure put on them to be in shape too. I know my husband's in no danger of that...he could care less if he has love handles (he's sprouting some, that's for sure) and he's definitely getting stretch marks from gaining weight."
spectrachic311 said: "There is a growing number of EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified) that aren't quite bulimia or anorexia or binge eating disorder (the big ones that everyone thinks about when they think about ED). It could be anything...people that eat paper, like that girl you mentioned. Or people that eat only certain types of food, or people that binge on things like salad and veggies. Or people that binge and purge using exercise...etc. I think it's pretty fair to say that any type of eating habits that interfere with your life and your health are probably a type of disordered eating. My mom has COED (compulsive overeating disorder) and it's weird...when we traveled to Mexico together, we all ate together and she couldn't eat her "binge" foods and she confided to me that on that trip was the first time in her entire life that she'd ever been physically hungry.
I guess my husband's friend doesn't do the chew and spit thing a lot, he just really wanted to taste a Snickers that day."
spectrachic311 said: "I think a lot of our society has "disordered eating" only because of just HOW MUCH FOOD we are always surrounded with. In a "survival" sense, our brains are hard-wired to LOVE food because we need it to live, but when we are always around it, our appetite-regulating system gets screwed up and we don't listen to our bodies and end up eating too much and either getting fat from it or finding a way to get rid of it. Or some people just abstain from eating at all and they waste away to nothing. That's why I think exercise is kind of a key thing...it's our body's own way of using the food we do eat. I think it's healthier to not "diet" or restrict food TOO much and just work out to work the food off, like our ancestors did.
I wish I could figure out a way to help my mom and the rest of her family...almost all of them have COED except my mom's one sister who's anorexic/bulimic. It's sad, but I can't help them unless they want to help themselves, I suppose."
spectrachic311 said: "Yeah, I don't just eat whatever the hell I want to, just because I run. I made that mistake a few years ago...I was running about 40 minutes a day (about 4-5 miles) and eating big bowls of ice cream every night and I did gain weight. I don't get tempted by food anymore, really. It's extremely easy for me to say "Hmm...mozzarella sticks might taste sorta good, but they have a ton of fat and not really any nutrients, so I'll eat something else instead."
For me, it's all mind over matter. I can easily convince myself to not eat crap and instead eat healthy stuff, because like Lakelady said...it'll be there later on, it's not going to dissappear.
Back when I did have weight problems though, I really did think my snack foods were going to dissappear if I didn't eat them! And since my mom had the same problem as I did, they usually DID dissappear, so I hid a lot of food in my room for snacking on. The thing is, my mom never scolded me for eating too much junk. My dad did once...I ate an entire box of Fig Newtons and my dad said to me: "Brittany Leigh, do you realize that you just ate, let's see...30 Fig Newtons at 110 calories each. That's 3300 calories' worth of pure crap and you know it". He was right, I did know it. I was sort of grossed out by it and I don't think I did that again until college (when I knew I wouldn't get yelled at for it, LOL). I just realized that eating junk food is usually not worth the guilt I feel afterwards.
I don't restrict calories too much, per se, but I do try to limit the amount of calories I get from junk. I allow myself a light beer or a vodka spritzer almost every day and 6 dark Hershey kisses. Everything else is pretty much healthy...salads, nuts, veggies, chicken breasts, tuna, whole grain bread, oatmeal, etc."
spectrachic311 said: "[QUOTE]I have been trying to just avoid sweets all together but have had some bad days. I do not binge, but eating just one cookie can ruin my hard work. Eating one cookie kind of undoes like 20-30 minutes of hard excersize.[/QUOTE]
Yep, that's the truth and doesn't that SUCK???? I once saw some show about this lady that ate something like 30,000 calories a day. She weighed like, 800 lbs and she said "I don't eat all that much..." Ohh-K then. They figured she'd have to exercise just about constantly for 2 days straight to burn off the calories she ate in one day. That just blows my mind. I know that when I have to cut down on my working out, I'll just have to be more mindful of what I eat.
I only watch portion sizes of foods like breads, proteins, sweets, fats, and other treats. Fruits and veggies I don't measure out, otherwise I think I'd go nuts.
And here's some good news for you: They did a study where two groups of people got identical diets, but one group ate an extra 500 calories' worth of nuts every day and the other group didn't. The group that ate the nuts didn't gain any weight! They figured that the fiber in the nuts must help bind up some of the extra calories and the protein probably helped them maintain muscle mass. So don't feel too bad about eating those nuts!"
spectrachic311 said: "Hmmm...I may have to look for that book. I never really cared much for bread and potatoes myself, but that's what my husband has issues with. He will eat his way through an entire breadbasket at restaurants. I LOVE Splenda and it's been invaluable to me (that and nutrasweet, although I prefer the taste of Splenda) while I lost weight and keep it off. My husband actually LIKES the taste of Splenda-sweetened drinks and stuff, so I may have to try some of these recipes on him :)"
spectrachic311 said: "I should make some homemade peanut butter sometime. My husband's aunt and uncle sell homemade maple syrup at the farmer's market every week and sometimes I'll go down with them and check out the other stands. I discovered this awesome organic, all natural peanut butter that this guy makes. It has no sugar in it, but I like it that way. That's why I hate that reduced fat peanut butter...it's way too sweet and gummy. The stuff I usually buy has to be stored in the fridge though. There aren't quite as many preservatives in it, I guess.
And I LOVE it made into sandwiches with sliced strawberries!! Yummy! I also love PB and cucumber (I had a friend from the UK in college and she ate them all the time, so I tried it once. Delish!!) or PB and apples.
What's REALLY good (expensive though) is hazelnut butter. Oh man, is that ever great stuff. They sell this stuff called Nutella that's hazelnut and chocolate butter. I had it a lot in Ukraine and it was so great, but kind of sweet. I may try to make a version of it with hazelnuts, cocoa powder, and Splenda and I'll see if turns out at all."
spectrachic311 said: "Hmmm...the broccoli thing sounds kind of good, but I never really got into the whole savory-PB thing myself. I do like nuts on salads and stuff, but I never really liked peanut butter on noodles or anything.
Do you guys ever watch "Everyday Italian" on the Food Network? Giada DeLaurentiis is another HUGE Nutella fan and she always makes these super yummy-looking Nutella recipes. I made her Nutella and strawberry paninis once and thank God I had my husband and sister and brother in law there to help me eat them or I seriously would have eaten all the sandwiches myself. They were SO good."
xlilphishx said: "I have done this. At my office one of the guys always brings in these really expensive yummy chocolates. I'll eat like two because that won't do anything. But if I end up reaching for more, I just taste it in my mouth then spit it out. I know a lot of people that do this. It is not a sign of a disorder by any means."
DBrew said: "Yeah, I do not think it is bulemia either. I have done that before. I really wanted to taste something and right before swallowing thought it was not worth it so then spat it out. It is a funny thing to do. I probably do it at least one time a year.\
If he would start making regular bathroom visits directly after eating or consuming insane amounts of food and then doing so, there might be cause for concern. Also, bulemia is hidden and people normally are ashamed about it. I doubt he would do that in front of hubby if he were truly bulemic."
DBrew said: "I guess it could turn into a problem after what the two of you said, but at this time, watchful waiting might be best. It is not good to jump to conclusions too soon. If he is getting enough calories to survive, then it is not concerning."
DBrew said: "that is pretty interesting. HDales. you are the research mama!"
DBrew said: "You should be scared of the eating disorders. They are terrible.
I heard about the paper eating girl. On the show Fat Actress, there is a character who suggested Kirstie do that to lose weight. It was funny one the show, but it def. would not be in real life.
I did not know the guy ate the whole snickers bar and spat it out. I thought he prob. had one bite, did that, and then ate no more. he sounds like he could be on the way to doing it all the time."
DBrew said: "Yeah, what you said,HD."
DBrew said: "Your mom's ED sounds just as bad as the others. That is the kind that my immediate family suffers friom and to an extent, I do, too. There are certain foods that I just lose control around and I try not to be around them too much. I have pretty good control now compared to in the past but my mom and dad and my mom's whole family eats compulsively and are all very overweight. It is the way I was taught to eat.
Now, if I do want to binge, I would say it was better to do so with produce. But, in a perfect world, I would binge on nothing and just eat what I neede. I guess that is what most of us are working on here."
DBrew said: "Just setting a good example is the best way to have a positive influence. I am sure they watch what you do and maybe soemday, it would catch on.
If I had time, I would excersize as much as you, Brit. But, in my life, it is easier to restrict calories. Not more fun, but doable."
DBrew said: "For me, even the healthy stuff i have to monitor. I would love to eat,like, a whole can of nuts but I try to stick to less than a serving. My cals need to stay pretty low or I just balloon.
I have been trying to just avoid sweets all together but have had some bad days. I do not binge, but eating just one cookie can ruin my hard work. Eating one cookie kind of undoes like 20-30 minutes of hard excersize."
DBrew said: "should be some sort of day that celebrates artificial sweeteners. If it were not for them, I would probably be 800 pounds!
Splenda is pretty good. It is probably the best one. I like Xylitol, too, but it upsets hubby's tummy.
Thanks for the name of that book. I am a library fiend so i will have to look for it. I know just where the healthy eating cookbooks are.
I know I just need to avoid those prob. foods all together. I have a hard time just having one bite of something and that is normally all I can afford.
I def. am not strict when measuring fruits and veggies. I do not bother measuring lettuce or broccolli, or cauliflower.
I am not a bread person, either. It is really not hard for me to avoid. I am a nut, chocolate, and corn chip type of gal."
DBrew said: "I LOVE the natural peanut butter that Smuckers sells. I think there may be sugar in it. The texture is devine.
I like making pb sandwiches with some sort of real fruit in them. I know it would make you gag, K, but I like strawberries in my sandwich. Or apples. Do you use your food processor for the pb? I would like to make homemade cashew butter or sunflower seed butter. MMMMMMM. They are so good. Ever tried?"
DBrew said: "Flax oil would be a good addition. I bought some sunflower butter from my health food store and it was really good. It was sweetened and had salt in it- Yum! Is your homemade butter dry without the oil?"
DBrew said: "I LOVE Nutella WAY WAY too much. My baby is hooked on it and I try not to eat it at all. I end up eating too much! I mix it with peanut butter and it is like I have died and gone to heaven. SOmetimes I top this concoction with cashews- oh so decadant. I say I am not eating any chocolate, but then I eat that. I end up sabotaging my efforts but it is devilishly good!
PS- I love peanut butter broccolli, rice, and pasta. It is just too high in cals for me to want to eat. It is esp good with a little soy sauce and sesame"
DBrew said: "That sounds delish! I will make sure not to make it unless having company over. I think you can get all those recipes on food network.com."
HDales said: "Actually it is a form of anorexia. Chewing and spitting. I watched a thing about it on the Tyra Banks talk show. Also if you have ever seen the documentary called THIN they talk about it there too. Who knows if he just spit it out because he knew he would regret it. But if it becomes a habit where he does it a lot then its a problem.
Just my 2cents!"
HDales said: "Here is a link I found about Chewing and Spitting..
[url]http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/231797/chew_and_spit_a_hidden_eating_disorder.html[/url]"
HDales said: "Lol.. the research mama.. I like that.. comes with the territory of being a computer geek.. lol
as for this chewing and spitting thing. Its actually quite scary. Eating disorders are so common now its unsettling.
Some people (very common in young children) who have image complexs will eat "non-caloric" things to make them feel full. There was a young girl.. I think around 12 years old on that Tyra Banks show who would eat paper to fill herself up..
How scary is that?! She didn't want food because she thought she was fat so she filled up on paper knowing that it wouldn't make her gain weight.
And it can all come from 1 comment made by someone. A parent, a doctor.. In this young girls case it was her family doctors comment.
It really makes me worried for that man that he will become obsessive with the chewing and spitting. Because it works & it tricks your body.
Man o man.. eating disorders totally scare me. I just hope it was a case of "Oh god what am I doing? I am ruining my diet" and not a "I am craving this so bad so I will just chew and spit""
HDales said: "Well.. it all depends on how often its done I think.. and how obsessive the person is about it. Like doing it once and a while with a chocolate after you had already eaten a couple isn't really a big deal..
But doing it often and very freqently in my opinion could develop INTO a disorder.. It [B]is[/B] a recognized form of an eating disorder although its not widely known. Most people only think bulimia and anorexia are the only forms of eating disorders but its not true..
So not knowing how frequently this man is chewing and spitting we can't really say if he is showing signs of an eating disorder or not. So I can't say that he is "showing all the signs and symptoms" of an eating disorder nor can I say "its not a sign of an eating disorder by any means"
I just wanted to make people aware that there is an eating disorder out there that does involve this chewing and spitting thing.. personally if it were my friend I'd try to keep an eye on him without jumping to conclusions."
help6363 said: "Hey:)
I saw something like this on an episode of Sex In The City. The red haired woman went on a date with a man she had not seen in ages and he had lost a lot of weight. He just chewed his steak and then spat it out. He informed her that's how he lost all his weight! Of course, she dumped him and enjoyed her steak. I did not know people really did this!!!!
I would be worried too....this could easily develop into a nasty habit. It's scary what people will do to lose or maintain weight. Have you considered talking to him about this? I say try to get him to replace the habit immedately......... the hard thing is HOW to talk to him without him getting defensive."
lakelady said: "Nah Brittany, it's not bulemia. It doesn't have any of the horrible, life threatening, physical effects of forcing yourself to throw up. C'mon...be honest. Haven't you [I]EVER[/I] put something in your mouth that you [I]KNEW [/I]you were going to regret big-time later, and at the last minute, spit it out into the sink? I have. Same thing."
lakelady said: "I agree, Spectra, it's a case of evolution that hasn't caught up with the times. Also, at least in the countries we're all from, no one has experienced true hunger. I don't mean I-missed-lunch-and-I'm-starving hunger, I mean organs shutting down from lack of fuel hunger, but our bodies interpret the signals the same way and causes us to cram food in our mouths when it's available. Unfortunately, it's ALWAYS available! Over the years, thats one of the most valuable things I've taught myself. 'Yeah, sure, those lemon bars would taste really good, but I really don't need them, and if I don't have them now, hell, they're available to me anytime I want, so I guess I'll skip them for now.' That attitude is second nature to me now, (fourth of july bash notwithstanding) but it took years of attitude adjustment."
lakelady said: "Well, sweets have never been my binge downfall. It's always been bread and potatos. BUT, I have a colleague at the office who's been dieting and has lost 60 pounds so far. She's been biking with me occasionally, but I go to early, too fast, and too far for her to really enjoy herself, (she likes to ride along at a leisurely pace and chat), so she's looking into a gym membership. BUT, sweets are [I]her[/I] downfall, she bought a book, (you can get it from the library, I just checked) called, [U]Marlene Koch's sensational Splenda recipes [/U]: over 375 recipes low in sugar, fat, and calories. It's got all kinds of cakes and cookies and apple crisp and I don't know what all. And Brittany....it's got [I]chocolate ice cream!!!![/I] She says it's been her savior. Oh, btw, since she's been making all the desserts for her family from this book, her hubby has lost nearly 30 pounds as well, so... BONUS!"
lakelady said: "It looks like all three of us have nuts in common. I LOVE 'em, and I have the same experience as Spectra. I've never noticed nuts causing me any weight gain, and I eat a lot of them. My common breakfast since I went off very low carb, and switched to low [I]BAD[/I] carb (maintained weight on it since the end of December, so 6 months now), is homemade peanut butter on (truly) 100% whole grain toast. I make my own peanut butter because there's no added sugar in it, and I like the texture better. White sugar is the very WORST of bad carbs, and it's snuck into a lot of things you wouldn't expect. (like peanut butter) I haven't bought or used white sugar in my house in over 9 years."
lakelady said: "'brew, I just use my everyday blender. Fill it to the top and turn it on. I make cashew butter too. I tried sunflower butter once, but ended up not caring for it. I add a little splenda too the peanut butter sometimes for teen. Some people add a little oil, but I never have."
lakelady said: "Oh, I Know about nutella, teen's GF is hooked on it. You can buy it right by the peanut butter at our store. I make a dish called gold coast stew (it's of afrian origin) that everyone who tries it is crazy for. It's basically a chicken stew with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and peanut butter. I know it sounds awful, but my GROWN kids fight over licking the empty pot like they were 6 year olds!"