Beth is always on some kind of diet. She is sometimes at her right weight, and sometimes is overweight. The one constant in her life is her "have-to" exercise routines.

Beth has tried to quit exercise, but she compares it to any other addiction—she feels unable to quit. It is as though the exercise takes over her thinking sometimes. She is so convinced that she will gain three hundred pounds that she is too scared not to exercise. The problem is that the amount of exercise needed keeps increasing, as she fights to control her creeping weight. Other times, she starves herself. During these times, the added exercise results in her becoming a little underweight. She feels victorious and euphoric at these times, until she becomes underweight enough to become irritable. Then she begins to binge, as her body rebels against the harsh treatment.

What is compulsive exercise?

Compulsive exercise, sometimes referred to as "exercise bulimia" or "anorexia athletica" is not yet formally defined by the DSM-IV, (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) published and copyrighted by the American Psychiatric Association. However, it is nonetheless a known disorder, and is increasing in prevalence. The compulsive exerciser is obsessed with body image, and often has other symptoms of eating disorders as well, such as overeating or anorexia. It is difficult to define, because the amount of exercise that is "normal" can vary widely from one person to the next. Perhaps the best way to look at it is that Beth is engaging in compulsive exercise if any of the following are happening to her:

How do dieters become this obsessed with exercise?

In Beth's case, she really did have some pounds to lose when all this started. She found out that you can measure how many calories you are burning for each duration of exercise. With her discovery that an hour of aerobics equals a hamburger, she began to lust over the food possibilities. This aggravated the food-love problem. In a desire to gain control over her creeping weight gain, she then became rigid about exactly how much she was permitted to eat, and precisely how much exercise she must do at any one session. She began to take keep careful mental track of every calorie eaten and every calorie burned. What started off innocently enough turned to an obsession, eventually leading her to bingeing, then running ten miles. Beth began training for a marathon.

What can I do to stop this excessive type of exercise?

Beth needs to realize that she has a problem. She may be so accustomed to her lifestyle that she doesn't realize how rule-oriented she's become. But she will likely become sick of it at some point, and that's when she will start to seek alternatives. Beth can benefit from some cognitive therapy, either on her own with the help of reading a book or two, or with a therapist. She would also benefit from admitting to a safe friend the exact nature of what her life has become. It's a common truism that "you are only as sick as your secrets." It's also true that "a burden shared is half a burden."

It might seem plausible that Beth would do well to put herself on yet another plan to gradually wean herself off the exercise. But this plan alone will not work. Beth needs to look within at what she is believing about her weight, food, and exercise.

What kinds of beliefs and self-talk will help the compulsive exerciser?

Beth has many distorted beliefs, musts, and "have-to's." She needs to root them out and replace them. Here are a few examples of the kinds of replacement beliefs that could help her. Notice that the suggested beliefs are not just another set of edicts. Instead, they are the kinds of things she would like to have and to do. She'll need to practice them often, until they become a part of her daily "self-talk."

Beth can make up her own list. She just needs to put them to the test and make sure they are really true. Engaging the help of a therapist or an objective friend could make this easier; however, many people succeed alone.

Where can compulsive exercisers go for more information?

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Beth could benefit from reading a book about how she can change her thinking. She can simply search for such books on the Web and order one. She may search on terms such as REBT, Cognitive therapy, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.

In addition, Beth might be interested in subscribing to the free e-mail newsletter, Diet Survivors™ (View a sample without subscribing.)

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Beth might also like to buy the book How to Survive Your Diet and Conquer Your Food Issues Forever by Linda Moran. This book will help her with her thoughts and self-talk as they are directly related to her disorder. Learn more.

Stop your compulsive exercise and achieve your right weight.

If you struggle with compulsive exercise and you're exhausted, the pages on this Web site will help. You might also want to subscribe to our free, monthly e-mail newsletter from Diet Survivors (view a sample). It's easy to subscribe, and there's no downloading. Subscribe to the Diet Survivors newsletter

You might also be interested in the new book, How to Survive Your Diet and Conquer Your Food Issues Forever by Linda Moran, who is the author of these pages and of the newsletter. In her book, you will learn more about the mistaken beliefs that lead folks to extreme behaviors concerning matters of food. This is a fun book, an easy and engaging read, and it will start your mind to questioning some of your assumptions about food and dieting. See the ad below.

Tired of dieting?

How to Survive Your Diet and Conquer Your Food Issues Forever

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What about other diet problems?

To read more about how to solve diet problems, click on Solve your dieting problems. Diet problems are also addressed in the book, How to Survive Your Diet and its companion newsletter, Diet Survivors™.

To learn more about normal eating, read what is normal eating?

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