Hi Everyone!I have a psychology assignment to do on anything I like and I’m choosing diabulimia.I have been reading a lot about this ilness. I was wondering if someone in recovery increased their exercise and ate a low carb diet therefore reducing the overall need for insulin wouldn’t their fear of weight gain be reduced?even when they began taking correction insulin to bring down blood sugars…or am I on the total wrong track??I would really like your opinions on this!!If anyone would be willing to share their story with me please mail me!Thank You!
Diabulimia is an eating disorder, similar to anorexia and bulimia. Though the details are different, with restricting insulin use being the mechanism, rather than severe food restriction (anorexia) or binging and purging (bulimia) the psychology behind it is similar: irrational fear of gaining weight, sometimes accompanied by distorted body image and nearly always by underlying emotional issues. The key word is “irrational”. That’s what makes it a psychological disorder. So increasing exercise, low carb diet, and consequential reduction of insulin needed - which are all logical approaches, might curtail weight gain but - wouldn’t necessarily help someone with diabulimia with their fear of weight gain. People with eating disorders need treatment and therapy to both help with their distorted cognition and the underlying emotional issues.
Oh, and for some of us, even taking very moderate insulin dose and eating moderate/low carbs doesn’t necessarily prevent weight gain let alone foster weight loss! For me, that has to do largely with being a post-menopausal woman which makes weight loss difficult. But as someone with 17 years recovery from an eating disorder (not diabulimia, it was long before my diabetes diagnosis) my recovery prevents me from either freaking out because of it, or being tempted to try things like restricting insulin use.