Anorexia/Bulimia/Eating Disorders

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

Would any of you who have/had an ED feel comfortable talking about it or sort of telling more about your situation/how you got there?

[Droopy]

1. There is someone here who is currently suffering from anorexia

Hopefully he'll come along and see this and give you the inside scoop.

My mom suffered from anorexia when I was about 8. She's 5'2" and she got down to about 80 pounds before she was hospitalized. She has always been obsessed about her weight and even today she sometimes talks about how fat she's getting. She weighs a healthy 140 now. Whenever she talks about needing to go on a diet and trim down I'm always sure to tell her she looks fine the way she is.

I guess eating disorders can be caused by a couple of different things. The most common reason I've heard of is that some people, women more often than men, get an unhealthy imagine of their bodies. They could look like they need to put on a couple of pounds to some people, but the afflicted think that they are fat. There was a story by one person who posted here (Check out "My 10 YO has an eating disorder") who's daughter was like 4'8" tall and weighed 60 pounds, but was throwing away her lunches at school because, as she told one of her friends, she wanted to be thin and beautiful when she grew up like the models she had seen on tv.

That's about all I know about this subject. Hopefully some other people will come along and give you some more information. If you know someone who has an eating disorder, try to get them some help. It is a very serious disorder that can lead to death. A good mental health professional should be able to help someone with an eating disorder.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

2. Thanks

I'm aware of the causes and such, but was curious to see if anybody had any personal stories/struggles they felt comfortable sharing. Thanks for the info.

[lukasahero]

3. What do you want to know?

"How I got there" was basically what the other poster said - lousy body image coupled with a society that values thin women over smart women. Depression entered the mix.

I'm curious to know what you want to know and why - I'm not averse to discussing it but I'm also not looking to be someone's horror show.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

4. I'm not looking for anyone to be anyone else's horror show

Forget it, I will go elsewhere.

Just trying to get some information/stories that could be of use to me to put some things in perspective. Not trying to make anyone uncomfortable. I realize it's a touchy topic and I don't quite feel comfy cozy talking about it either, but I sort of thought that was what this forum was created for.

[lukasahero]

5. Chill

The first poster in the thread gave you information and you replied that you knew all that already so what do you want to know? You gotta give a starting point - what kind of things are you looking to "put in perspective"? Basically, I'm not the kind of person who's just going to spill my life story here so that's why I asked what you wanted to know.

Are you having trouble yourself? Are you looking to determine whether or not your having problems? That I can help you with. But a blanket "tell me a story" doesn't really give me anything to focus on. (Do you want to know if I was ever hospitalized? Where am I on the road to recovery? Am I on the road to recovery or still in the sh*t? How'd I decide to get help if I did...?) There's a lot of ground to cover and I'm willing to talk but you gotta give me a clue of what you want to talk ABOUT.

[DemExpat]

6. If you want to share your experiences in some way, go ahead.

It is easier for others to give feedback to someone's personal experience or more detailed questions.....

:hi:

DemEx

[derbstyron]

8. Hi Droopy!!!

Guess what??!!!

I'm up to 117 pounds!!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

9. Congrats.

:toast:

[Droopy]

10. That's great news, derbstyron

Keep up the good work. It's been a while since I've seen you on here and I was worried about you. I'm glad to here all is well and that you are making progress.

[CoffeeCat]

7. My story...

I've pretty much had some kind of eating disorder since I was in high school.

I started out dieting to be thin and was obsessed with my weight/looks. I was bulimic for a short while.

In college and in my 20's, I would vacillate between extreme dieting and binging/gaining weight. Until finally, I used food for comfort and to alleviate stress.

Presently, I'm battling compulsive overeating and a sugar addiction. I totally use sugary food and get a benefit from it. It takes the edge off. I entered therapy three years ago, because I began to deal with my traumatic childhood. The food helps me to control my emotions--it has a numbing effect. I work daily on curbing this behavior.

I do understand the pain of eating disorders. It's consuming.

Looking back on my tumultuous relationship with food (whether I'm starving myself or overeating), the underlying issue is that food is a distraction that quells the pain that I'm feeling. If I'm obsessing about my food/weight or worrying about food, or planning what I won't eat or eating sugary foods to numb myself out--I'm avoiding my true issues. It seems like eating disorders are a desire for control--when you feel so lousy and out of control.

For me, that's why all of this is so hard to stop. If you gain weight or lose the eating disorder--you feel fearful and off balance. Losing the disorder means facing tough, scary stuff. So, healing is a constant push-me-pull-you tug of war between wanting to heal and stop the ed--but also wanting to avoid the pain that lies under the disorder.

That's my take on things and my experience. I wish anyone grappling with this complex, painful situation--loads of patience with yourself. Although eds are not a good thing--they are a coping mechanism--a way of protecting yourself. That's not bad or weak or immoral--it just is. And it's ok to be afraid or to feel so overwhelmed that you just want to escape. It's ok.

My therapist has helped me to see that the part of me that is dieting/overeating is the "manager"--the one who tries to manage the pain and stop it if things get too rough. He taught me to appreciate and value that part of myself--because this part helped to keep me alive, productive and functioning. Since realizing that, I've been able to improve the ed.

Loads of light and understanding to anyone who deals with this issue!

:)