The weeks following a competition can be a real downer for a lot of bodybuilding competitors. It's a time when you can relax. However, after being so focused for such a long period of time (months to even years for some), it's hard to let go.
Many competitors spend multiple hours every day in the gym trying to burn off as much bodyfat as possible the weeks leading up to a competition. After the competition is over, it's definitely a time to celebrate and relax, however this can be challenging since you were just rewarded for not relaxing and not celebrating!
In fact, many members at the gym are encouraged and motivated by what you as a competitor have just accomplished! Now, with no competition to focus on, you want to relax but you don't want to either! You have become a quasi-gym star for all your hard work, yet you need to let your body rest and recover from all the stress you have put on it and allow yourself to regain some weight. This is where many potential disorders really start to make themselves apparent!
Exercise Bulimia
Many bodybuilding competitors struggle with this condition post-competition. Once a competition is over, many competitors still want to stay really lean to see all the muscle they have worked hard for, yet they want to indulge on all the foods they have been denying themselves. Episodes of binging often occur for many competitors. There are many reasons why binging occurs:
1) the body has been deprived for a prolonged period of time and physiologically needs more nutrients than you have been giving it
2) you eat foods that are absorbed quickly and spike your blood sugar (cakes, candy, donuts, etc, you know, "junk food"), therefore eating one will create a craving to eat another and another...
3) You mentally need a break! You have been so focused for months and now it's time to relax! So you tell yourself, "it's okay! You just worked your tail off to get your body into great shape. The competition is over and besides you can always do just a little more cardio to burn this off..." And that's where the danger lies!
Binging episodes often lead to feelings of depression, guilt and withdrawal from friends, family and social events. The only thing worse than a binging episode is trying to rectify the episode with exercise and/or vomiting!
An episode of binging often occurs when you feel really out of balance with life due to high emotions (could be: stress, anxiety, depression, happiness, etc). Our emotions can often act like a pendulum on a clock. If it's allowed to swing one way without too much resistance or extra force, than it will eventually even itself out and stay in rhythm. However, if you try to force the pendulum to go back in the other direction when it's not ready, it could create a much bigger emotional swing!
What I am getting at is that if you try to rectify a binging episode with lots of extra cardio, it:
1) tells yourself that it's okay to keep binging because you can correct it!
2) can cause an even bigger binging session later because of an increased pendulum momentum!
3) may actually cause physical harm through either the excessive cardio or GI problems from the binging episodes!
Recovering
I am not a therapist or counselor and if you feel this situation is out of control in your life, I would first recommend speaking with one. If you feel it hasn't reached that level yet, then this is what I would recommend starting with:
1st) Tell someone you trust! Discussing this issue brings light to your episodes and allows you to see a little more clearly what really is going on.
2nd) Allow yourself to rebalance. If (or when) another binging episode occurs, allow yourself to feel awful! Don't try to control the situation with more exercise. Allowing your body to process the junk food helps you remember why you don't want to feel this way. Feeling a little bloated for a day or two may help you remember in the future when you begin to eat a certain food that typically sets you off to not have as much.
3rd) Pray! God listens when you pray! He wants the best for you and He will find a way to help you with this situation! However, you never know how that help may appear until it does!
My Issues
The main reason why I am discussing this topic is because it has been an issue for me with just about every competition that I do. There is always a time (usually the first few weeks) after a competition where I find myself binge eating. I also tend to try to rectify theses episodes with lots of cardio. However, I have found that the more I try to force myself to keep my bodyfat down after a competition, the more I want to rebel at the same time! I have had binge eating episodes where I consume nearly 3000 calories of junk food within an hour and a half! Of course after doing something ridiculous like this, the next morning I would go run 10 miles trying to get rid of it. This of course would just set me up to do it again, because I know I can control (or at least I feel like I could control) the situation.
Doing this binge eating causes severe stress on my GI system. I have had severe heart burn, in fact it has been so bad that I have mistaken the symptoms for a heart attack a couple of times (chest pain, short of breath, dizziness, etc) and gone to the emergency room to find that I need lots of pepcid AC just because of all the crap I had been eating!
I have been able to get out of these habits by first allowing myself to feel like crud after an episode and humbling myself enough to not try to correct it. I also pray consistently for God's guidance and strength! After an episode or two without trying to control it, I begin to realize I can still eat the foods I like but I don't have to overdo it.
I realize that this subject can hit closer to home for some rather than others. Also, it can be a very serious issue for some and not others. I definitely don't want to make light of these disorders. In fact, if you find yourself binging and exercising to rectify it consistently, I would recommend speaking with a counselor sooner rather than later. This is not something you want to prolong in your life!
I have personally found that through prayer and accountability with someone who understands the seriousness of the situation, I have been able to overcome these issues. I pray you will find healing also if you are seeking it!
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Luke 22:42 (NASB)
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