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AshIdiot
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 25 April 2008 01:44 am |
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I read a lot of articles about dieting and exercise and nutriton, like anyone here. I just get so riled and annoyed to no end when I see the phrase "eating disorder." Last time I checked, eating disorders were so rare that less than one percent of the population had them. All of a sudden, 6 in ten women have them?
I call bullcrap.
If you're on a very strict, severe, self-imposed diet, you are not anorexic. You're just trying to lose a lot of weight too quickly. Anorexia is a freakin' serious DISEASE (not a choice or lifestyle) that affects women who hate it and would do anything to get away from it. Can you imagine how offended they get when people say they "want to go anorexic for a while"?
As a former struggler with bulimia, I give people proverbial slaps upside the head when they think throwing up after eating will make them lose weight. People can't even stop long enough to learn the difference between bulimia and purging anorexia.
I can't wrap my mind around these people. And very sadly, they're not always 15 year old girls around this time of year when summer is around the corner. How can anyone be so...I hate to say 'stupid' but that's about what it comes to.
So in conclusion, a disease is not a diet and a diet is not a disease.
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Tratra
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 25 April 2008 02:06 pm |
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| I think you have to look at the fact that eating disorders/diseases have varying degrees of severity. As defined by Wikipedia, an eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects one's physical and mental health. I would believe that at least 6 in 10 women have one to some degree!
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 25 April 2008 03:06 pm |
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You make a good point about people making light of eating disorders.
Here is another point to consider though, I believe that compulsive over-eating disorder is more prevalent than anorexia and bulemia combined. No I am not saying that every or even most overweight people are COE, but there are alot of people who are COE and don't realise it. See Eating Disorders
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 25 April 2008 05:08 pm |
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I'm not concerned with worrying about the semantics of using the word disease or not. But about eating disorders...
I readily identify myself as having an eating disorder and it is simple because my fussing about food and what to eat and how much and when occupies such a great part of my life.
Because I am very near a healthy weight, people are very often surprised to hear this.
I have friends who are obese, on the other hand, who don't really care about their weight and are as happy as can be.
They certainly have or will have health issues with their weight, but I would not think of them as having an eating disorder.
On the other hand if I saw someone who was EXTREMELY thin, I probably would think that they had an eating disorder.
The reason is that I think it's natural to want to eat, and unnatural not to.
The above reflects my very personal way of looking a things, and I would not argue that anything I have said it correct. Technically, or for anyone else to see as I do.
Peter
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Doug
New Member
| Joined: | 9 September 2006 |
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| Posts: | 89 |
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Posted: 27 April 2008 12:21 pm |
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I lost 110 pounds in 2000 - 2001 and have kept it off since then. When people ask how I did that I tell them "Less food, more exercise. A LOT less food. Being a little OCD doesn't hurt either."
The truth is I am downplaying the OCD part. Like a lot of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off I am pretty compulsive about keeping track of what I eat and how much I exercise. I usually decline offers to go on some sort of social activity if it involves eating lots of food. Like an anorexic I spend way too much time worrying about food and exercise. This is not exactly a picture of glowing mental health but the alternative is being dangerously fat. I have never forced myself to throw up though.
The main difference between me and an anorexic is that I am driven to be as healthy as possible while an anorexic is driven to be as skinny as possible and can never be skinny enough, regardless of the consequences. This really is a critical difference though. Being overly concerned about being healthy may be a mental disease but at least it causes no physical harm.
One of my coworkers had gastric bypass surgery when it was a rare operation and lost about 120 of the 170 pounds his doctor thought he should lose. His wife had the surgery too and nearly lost her life a few years later due to a complication. While it is tempting to look down at people who lost weight through surgery the truth is they lead a much happier and more balanced life than I do. Like naturally skinny people food no longer rules their life. I really envy that part of their life.
Losing weight without surgery requires a lot of discipline. So much that others will view it as abnormal. But I would rather be seen as a little odd than be dead due to a stroke or deal with the side effects of surgery.
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jessalynne
New Member
| Joined: | 13 April 2008 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 163 |
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Posted: 27 April 2008 04:24 pm |
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I'm sorry that everyone is disagreeing with you AshIdiot. In many ways, I do think you are right - women mis-dianose their disordered eating as an eating disorder, when in reality it is not the same thing at all. I have had a friend with anorexia, and she really did have no choice in the matter - it wasn't a questioni of "just eat something," it was far deeper than that.
However, in my opinion....many women at least have days or times when they feel anorexic or bulimic. Just because they don't have a full-blown out of control eating disorder doesn't mean they don't deserve to investigate these feelings and try to stop them! Better to be paranoid and attack these tendencies in the bud, before they take root in us and lead to the true disease!
Thanks for bringing to attention that many of us take these terms too lightly. It reminds us all that these are REAL medical conditions!
--Jessa
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cportwine
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 April 2008 04:37 pm |
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Just want to say "WELL SAID DOUG!"
I find alot of what you said to be true in my life. I have friends and my husband who can't understand why I am so focused on my weight and exercise. I have to be, otherwise I will gain all the weight back that I lost. They don't get that it not just a diet, it's a way of living.
As far as eating disorders I think we all have them. I guess it's just a matter of how serve it is and if it's effecting you in a negative way. Like doug, I get obessive with watching what I eat and exercise. But, I would never down play a diease as anorexia.
AshIdiot- I understand your point and you have a right to state your mind. But, I think you are being harsh on everyone. Just because your not throwing up doesn't mean your not struggling with some sort of food issue.
I tend to eat when I am stressed out. Is that a eating disorder. I tend to think so cause it's not normal.
So everyone has there own point of view.
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AshIdiot
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 April 2008 05:00 pm |
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Wow, this got a lot of replies.
I tried to post earlier but my internet went down and I lost it :x
First, I'm glad someone mentioned COE, along with a couple other conditions that are true eating disorders like orthorexia. There's also a big distinction between eating disorders and disordered eating. Think of EDs as needing medical care and DE as needing caution and preventative measures.
Also, I'm not denying that anyone who engages in dangerous behavior to modify or maintain their weight doesn't have a problem—they just don't have a life-wrecking mental disease. And why would anyone want one? Who would want to "obtain that status" or "become worthy of the title"?
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Peter
Founder, caloriesperhour.com
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4178 |
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Posted: 28 April 2008 06:40 am |
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AshIdiot wrote: Think of EDs as needing medical care and DE as needing caution and preventative measures.
I see what you are saying, but I wouldn't make the distinction because a happy-go-lucky person with only DE can eat themselves to an early death (from the diseases of obesity) just as well as anyone with an ED.
Interesting discussion!
Peter
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REDQUEEN
New Member
| Joined: | 19 December 2005 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 59 |
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Posted: 28 April 2008 04:49 pm |
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Doug wrote: One of my coworkers had gastric bypass surgery when it was a rare operation and lost about 120 of the 170 pounds his doctor thought he should lose. His wife had the surgery too and nearly lost her life a few years later due to a complication. While it is tempting to look down at people who lost weight through surgery the truth is they lead a much happier and more balanced life than I do. Like naturally skinny people food no longer rules their life. I really envy that part of their life.
I have been monitoring the chatter, but now I feel like that I need to chime in myself. First of all, I had a gastric bypass in 2002. I lost a tremendous amount of weight, but I was/am totally OCD about everything I eat. I keep a calorie/journal notebook where I record everything. I think about what I am going to eat, how much, the calories, what exercise I need to do to counter what I ate, what I can afford to eat (calorie wise), about what calories I need to save for a bedtime snack, what I am going to say to my friends who want to go out to eat, etc. I am OCD about nutritional information, health information, diet and exercise. . . the list goes on and on. But you know Doug, you are wrong if you think that gastric bypass makes you act like "a naturally skinny person; happy and well balanced" (at least in my case). Your brain still has the same thoughts it always had regardless if you weigh 150 or 350. People eat for many different reasons, and in most cases being hungry has absolutely nothing to do with it!
For the past three years I have been a raging bulimic on top of everything else. I originally I started doing this because I was so afraid that I would lose my weight loss "blessing", but I have since learned that it is totally emotionally based and I also have body dysmorphia. AshIdiot, in my case there have been days where I have actually thrown up so many times, that I have lost count. I would love for it to be so easy for someone just "slap me upside the head" and I would stop, but I find myself so addicted to this harmful behavior that although I know the right thing to do, I can't stop! So, I agree with Cportwine, many people are dealing with food issues and I think that you are doing a great disservice to paint everyone with such a broad brush. People who suffer from bulimia also feel a tremendous amount of shame and guilt. It was also very interesting to read in Doug's post of how tempting it is to "look down at some one who has lost weight due to gastric bypass". I hardly ever tell anyone that I had it done! I have had this double whammy guilt and shame about the fact that I have had the surgery and ended up bulimic; it has taken me a long time to admit that I even have a problem because of these feelings. I have begun the long hard road to recovery, and it is the hardest path that I have ever traveled. Most days, I fail, but I try to remember that everyday is a new beginning. Nonetheless, I just felt that I needed to share this with all of you. I would appreciate all of your prayers, and please know that you all are in mine!
REDQUEEN
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cportwine
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 April 2008 05:22 pm |
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Redqueen- It sounds like an addiction. And with any addiction it will be the hardest thing to quit. Best of luck to you and my prayers are with you.
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lifegoesnowhere
New Member
| Joined: | 14 May 2008 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 5 |
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Posted: 14 May 2008 07:11 pm |
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I'm starting to get really tired of people brushing off ed-nos as not being a "real" disorder. A big part of my problem is that I don't feel I'm "sick enough" to deserve help or even say that I truly have an ED, and people saying things like this just reinforce that. Just because someone isn't on the edge of death and so obviously underweight that everyone knows what's going on and hospitalizes them doesn't mean they don't have a "real" disorder, and it's pretty callous of you to say that someone else's disorder isn't good enough. I understand the disdain for people trying to "catch" an ED, but even with them it's obvious that something is wrong if that's what they're resorting to. A normal, healthy person doesn't go, "Y'know, I'm feeling a bit fat today, I think I'll get anorexia!" So yeah, maybe the phrase is being overused a bit, but it's just as bad to go to the opposite extreme like you've done with this post.
And I just noticed it's a couple weeks old but I don't care.
Last edited on 14 May 2008 07:12 pm by lifegoesnowhere
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REDQUEEN
New Member
| Joined: | 19 December 2005 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 59 |
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Posted: 19 May 2008 11:51 am |
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Lifegoesnowhere,
I have thought about your post since I read it last week. I totally know how you are feeling. . . the guilt and shame about having the bulimia weighs heavy upon me too. It is a very difficult thing to deal with the emotions and feelings that you have. I have learned, in my case at least, alot of the feelings that I had/have about not being worthy or deserving or good enough led me down this road I am on now. During therapy, I am learning that I turned to being secretly bulimic instead of dealing with my emotions, feelings, and accepting myself for being a human being with human emotions. It was much easier for me to share those feelings with the trash can, and maintain that fascade of nice, perfect, happy girl, instead of confronting the real issues and standing up for myself.
You do not have to be ashamed, or think that you are not "sick enough" to deserve help. I know that your problem is just as real as mine. . .and just as overwhelming. . . Just don't give up hope. I know how easy it is to get discouraged and to want to abandon all hope of ever getting through this. But I know that you can do it! You made the first step by even responding to the original post!!! YOU ROCK!
You will be in my thoughts and prayers. . . Please let me know if I can be of any help to you.
REDQUEEN
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lifegoesnowhere
New Member
| Joined: | 14 May 2008 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 5 |
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Posted: 19 May 2008 07:50 pm |
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Thank you RedQueen. We shouldn't put people into such generic categories and judge them based on whether or not we think they're "sick", especially when it comes to eating disorders, because that can just make things worse. Telling someone they're not "truly disordered" can just lead to them striving to become that way instead of stopping and getting help.
I've only just now started seeing a therapist and all that to try and figure out why I do all of this. I've only had one session and I almost didn't go to that one because I had the irrational fear that she'd laugh and turn me away. I still feel that way.
Recovery may be difficult, but it's worth it. Sometimes you have to take it day by day, but just know that you can make it through.
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MourningDove
New Member
| Joined: | 22 June 2008 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: 22 June 2008 07:37 pm |
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Different parts of me agree and disagree on this...
BACKSTORY: feel free to TL;DR, I suppose it's not that important, though it may help you understand where I'm coming from...
When I was 13, I was diagnosed with and hospitalized for anorexia. At the time, I felt like I couldn't possibly be anorexic, or that if I was, I had the disorder in the least extreme of senses. I was 87 pounds, and didn't feel at all thin. On top of that, I remember eating like a pig - my idea of how much I should have been eating what very distorted at the time, so I don't trust myself to remember correctly, but I know that I wasn't very good at controlling my eating.
I had this idea about what "real" anorexics did - counted calories, excercised compulsively, and weighed themselves multiple times a day. While I would look at the nutrition facts of everything I ate, I would never keep track, and I didn't know how many calories things without labels had. I never excercised, and I really never touched a scale. I couldn't possibly be an anorexic - I was far too fat and compulsive for that.
My suspicions were confirmed after being hospitalized. For the week or so, I wasn't allowed to leave my hospital room, so I never saw any of the other girls. When I was allowed to join the group sessions and meals, however, I found that they were all much thinner than me, and that their eating disorders were much more severe. Some of them had been in the hospital for almost a month, and it didn't look like they were going to be able to leave any time soon. I recovered extremely quickly, though, and was out of there in less than two weeks.
However, when I think back on things, and see how distorted my thinking was, I realize that something was very wrong with me, even if I was hospitalized in a much earlier stage of my eating disorder than the other girls. My size zero jeans were somewhat loose, and I had to keep pulling them up all the time. However, I don't remember having skinny legs at all. I felt the same way about my legs then as I do now, even though I'm wearing sizes 3 or 5.
END BACKSTORY
Despite the fact that my thinking is less distorted, I still don't think that I had a very serious eating disorder at the time. It could have easily gotten more serious had it been allowed to progress, but that didn't happen. I find it kind of funny when I see people online claiming to be "anorexic" and then revealing themselves to be 130 pounds. While I believe them when they claim to be very obessive about their bodies and their eating, I feel that it's not really anorexia unless the obsession continues for long enough for someone to at least get below 100 pounds. Certainly restricting one's diet is unhealthy, but it's not really an eating disorder if you don't think that way for very long.
On the other hand, I realize that we shouldn't view anorexia as some sort of elite club that only a few people are worthy of belonging to. I know that we shouldn't disregard the body-image issues of people over 100 pounds and tell them that they're just fine, and should get over themselves.
Personally, I could say that I still have periods where I think in a way that's similar to how I did during my eating disorder. When I diet, it's not so much of a diet as a small slice of an eating disorder, even though I'm at a healthy weight, and my body image isn't insanely distorted like it was. When people who aren't underweight claim to have eating disorders, I imagine it's because their thinking is quite like mine at the moment. I wouldn't say that I have an eating disorder, but I do think that my thoughts and obsessions are rather unhealthy, and are something to be concerned about.
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lifegoesnowhere
New Member
| Joined: | 14 May 2008 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 5 |
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Posted: 22 June 2008 08:06 pm |
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I think that goes back to what I was saying about most people's view on ed-nos. Anorexia nervosa isn't the only eating disorder. You don't have to weigh less than 100 lbs to be in serious danger. A lot of people with bulimia or ed-nos don't ever reach the underweight category. There are also disorders like compulsive overeating and binge eating disorder. Now technically to be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, yes you have to be underweight. So someone online saying they are anorexic at 130 pounds is either very tall or mis-diagnosing themselves, or their doctor has decided that they fit the other criteria well enough to dismiss the weight "requirement". Basically, not everyone is the same. Disordered eating can cause serious damage to your body whether you're 100 lbs or 200 lbs. Starving, restricting, binging, purging, it all damages the body without regard to how much you happen to weigh at the time. Determining how sick someone is solely on weight is just not the way to go.
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heidiv
New Member
| Joined: | 10 July 2008 |
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| Posts: | 162 |
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Posted: 19 July 2008 08:58 pm |
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| The word eating disorder could umbrella anyone who has a dysfunctional view of food and compulsively changes their behavior to compensate the view...degree of severity varies.
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tangog1rl
New Member
| Joined: | 24 February 2009 |
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| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: 24 February 2009 09:21 pm |
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Wow, this was harsh. I don't know what to say: having been both,ana and mia, ed and de, is either one really separate? No not in my opinion, once you have gone that path its just how far you go...why judge so harshly?
What it seems to me is control: if I start throwing up 5 times a day again, and having back spasms to the point that I can't get out of bed due to potassium deficiency, or starving myself so that I faint or eating and exercising healthfully but never not being hungry, constantly thinking about food to the point that I can't have a social life that is spontaneous..its all the same to me. I don't feel like any of these realities are less stressfull, they are just more dangerous or less.
You are entitled to your opinion, but honestly, why are you so angry about people claiming disorders that you think they don't have? Have you thought of how that must feel for people who struggle? I think you are probably coming from a space of arrogance, which usually means...eating disorder. I felt really superior when I had one and its not a badge of courage...Sounds like you need to worry about yourself not how others define themselves...
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Cii
Senior Member
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Posted: 25 February 2009 05:41 pm |
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I agree with AshIdiot and would like to share my thoughts.
- Yes, we take ED too lightly.
- People pretend to have an ED to lose weight, i know these people, they stopped when they got thin.
- Being OCD isn't an eating disorder, It effect all aspects of you life, and eating is just a part or life.
- Compulsive Over-Eating, in my opinion, is not an ED, we are raised to eat when we feel any kind of emotion, and most people eat when they feel strong emotions. The only reason everyone Isn't overweight from this "disorder" is because other people eat when they win a sports game, or even lose that game. Its just an issue of metabolism and life style.
- People want an excuse to be obese and a way to get fit, and EDs shouldn't answer ether of those.
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tangog1rl
New Member
| Joined: | 24 February 2009 |
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| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: 26 February 2009 03:17 pm |
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Well, to put "compulsive" and "eating" together, meaning someone unable to stop eating, and then add that it is not an ED, well that it like saying "compulsive drinking" is not alcoholism, right? So what is the difference? HOw can you be unable to stop something, and still be of free will? Are you saying that because you don't like the idea that compulsive eating is a disorder its not? Its one thing to say something bothers you, its another to start defining others right to claim their problems.
More specifically what I want to know is why people are so concerned with keeping ED's so elite: that is a bit creepy, it implies judging other people and saying "gee my disorder is real yours is not real". That seems a bit unhealthy. Personally I don't feel like my ED trumps someone's OCD, not into that game. I want to support people.
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NymphoNelle
New Member
| Joined: | 25 February 2009 |
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| Posts: | 5 |
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Posted: 26 February 2009 08:00 pm |
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| hmm nice rant i believe that some people truely have eating disorders but out of all the people that claim they have on 40% of them are just stupid 30% are lazy fattys who are addicted to cheesburgers and also slighty stupid as they cant stop 10% trying to loose weight quick and start throwing up and 20% of them have an actual disorder they cant help. Last edited on 20 April 2009 06:21 am by
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Cii
Senior Member
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Posted: 26 February 2009 08:57 pm |
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tangog1rl wrote: Well, to put "compulsive" and "eating" together, meaning someone unable to stop eating, and then add that it is not an ED, well that it like saying "compulsive drinking" is not alcoholism, right? No, they are using the term compulsive eating, It's the term I don't agree with.
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tangog1rl
New Member
| Joined: | 24 February 2009 |
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| Posts: | 9 |
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Posted: 27 February 2009 06:29 am |
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"40% of them are just stupid 30% are lazy fattys who are addicted to cheesburgers and also slighty stupid as they cant stop 10% trying to loose weight quick and start throwing up and 20% of them have an actual disorder they cant help."
You mean this rant about the stupid, lazy fattys who need to "loose" right? Yup, nice one:)
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zenobia
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 February 2009 06:58 am |
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i'm kind of interested in how one pretends to have an eating disorder. how do you pretend that? i mean, i know people that publicly proclaim that they are not eating and they have not had more than a raisin and a peanut in three days, but in my experience, it usually means something else is going on- there are underlying issues with a person that behaves that way. those whom i have known to be anorexic or bulimic or a... chronic binger (?)... try to hide any signs.
how does one "pretend" to have an eating disorder until they "lose the weight"? i mean, maybe i am being dense, but i just don't understand how that would or could actually exist. so they say they are anorexic, but they actually eat healthy and lose weight? so they say they are puking but they really don't?
no, OCD is not specifically an eating disorder, but it is a pretty general term and can inclued eating. one can be obsessive and complusive about counting calories. or working out. or washing hands or locking doors.... one can count cals over and over, or have a bite of chocolate and believe that they have to run three hours to get rid of the dirty fat... they can be intertwined- they very much are.
interesting to mention compulsive over-eating and deny that it is a disorder, and then say that it is all about metabolism and that most people eat when they win or lose a sports game, but biologically, people absorb and burn through food differently. i think that is making some rather far-fetched conclusions and over simplifications.
and i totally agree. an ED should not be an answer to anything. infact, it creates many more problems. some people are looking for attention. this is fact. people go to great extremes to get attention. and there are a lot of people that have... disorders. it covers a lot -- from eating disorders to suicide attpemts. usually there is a bigger problem underneath it all. one way or another there is an issue that should be adressed.
and what about the fact that all three groups do their respective acts (not eat, puke, over eat) even while knowing that it does harm to their bodies, their lives, when it hurts those they love. they want to stop but can't... doing the act fulfills them in some way, despite all the negative consequences.... or what about those in denial? it's such of a huge scope and can be overwhelming... just my thoughts....
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Cii
Senior Member
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Posted: 28 February 2009 04:43 pm |
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When I say "pretend" to have an eating disorder, I mean they can turn it on and off. OCD is a disorder, I just wouldn't say and ED, because Its more of a life disorder. And I"m just saying that compulsive over eating is just emotional eating. And skinny people have a high metabolism and/or exercise.
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zenobia
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 28 February 2009 09:42 pm |
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in my opionion, if you even turn on and off mia or ana, you have a degree of a disorder. it's a spectrum and people can fall into different places on that spectrum.
yes, i realize that slender people do either exercise or have a high metabolism or just don't really eat.... i won't argue with that.
i'm just saying that it's not just that. if you have a piece of pizza or two after a game because you won or lost or what ever is totally different than having an entire pizza or two because you lost or won a game. i don't even think that's a life style necessarily. i mean some people just can't stop. and some people can't eat when they feel strong emotions. i was once that way.
and no, over eating is not just emotional eating. it's just not that way. it can deffinately be biological. it can come from extended periods of calorie restiriction, for one.
i guess that's what i meant.
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Jess185
New Member
| Joined: | 6 May 2009 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 60 |
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Posted: 10 May 2009 01:13 pm |
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I agree that yes, the term 'eatong disorder' is used very lightly these days, especially in the media. I know that I have purged, fasted, become depressed about the way I look. However I wouldnt consider myself to have an eating disorder. I do not know whether this is denial or the truth, but either way, does it really matter? If you think you have an eating disorder, then maybe you do. I think it is totally irrelevant if you have no intentions on seeking help anyway.
I mean if you want to keep your eating habits a secret (which I know many people with disorderd eating do) then why worry what others think about the issue. All that matters is how you feel, and that you know whether it is a problem or not.
I think it is a really difficult topic because, although I do not feel I have an eating disorder, I also know that most of the time I cannot think of much else, and when I eat little I am happy, when I eat lots I don't leave the house.
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CrimsonAnimus
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 10 May 2009 06:37 pm |
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Ashley, I completely understand your problem with statements like the following:
Can you imagine how offended they get when people say they "want to go anorexic for a while"?
We live in a society where the majority of the population is overweight, yet would also have us believe that we need to be thin to be normal (while this is emphasized for the ladies, guys feel the pressure, too!)
However, I think the term "eating disorder" encompasses a large variety of mental issues. Whether or not you want to call it a "disease" is a personal choice. In addition to anorexia and bulimia, binge eating disorder is also medically accepted as a disease, but many people would choose not to accept it as such.
The fact is, though, that it is a disease, and I know a lot of people who have it. Food is on my mind all throughout the day, and it fills me with shame, gradually chipping away at my self-esteem day by day. I mean, it's just food...how can such a thing have such a grip over people's lives? Well, it does, and for people like me who have had it almost their entire lives, it's not apt to ever go away. Treatable, yes. Curable...not likely.
In any case, there are many people who drastically cut back their calories so that they can fit in that swimsuit for the summer. I wouldn't call that an eating disorder, until they do it repeatedly. I wouldn't call it a disease unless it is done chronically, because I do not believe that a real eating disorder can be turned on and off like a light switch. Just my opinion.
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OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 10 May 2009 10:11 pm |
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I agree with Ash, too many people (especially teenage girls) claim to have an ED when they really don't, but I also believe there is an underestimated portion of the population that has some form of, if not an eating disorder, a severe issue regarding food. Yes, teenage girls try to be anorexic and it's sickening. I'm sure many people, even people without E.D's consider this offensive. But just because someone isn't anorexic or bulimic or an over-eater doesn't mean they don't have an eating disorder. If someone is physically hurting themselves to lose weight I consider that some kind of disorder, and I'm not talking crash diets, or young girls who stop eating for a week one summer. I mean people who do things like habitually punish or starve themselves for long periods of time, who eat until they puke, who care more about eating or not eating then everyday life.
Last edited on 10 May 2009 11:29 pm by OnceUpon-A-ThinGirl
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Past Member
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Posted: 16 May 2009 10:52 am |
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That is an interesting issue
Absolutely agree that those with EDs need to consult a health care specialist and those with DE have a risk of developing a medical condition.That doesn't mean that somebody suffers less-you suffer as much as you allow yourself to and willing to accept.Both have emotional issues and inner patterns.
Bulimia can be purging(involves vomiting) and non-purging.
Other compensatory behaviours apart from vomiting include overexercising,fasting,taking laxatives or/and diuretics.So those with DE tend to compenate for overeating with fasting or overexercising.
Here is an article about eating disorders,just an overview:
<Link removed - please read Posting Guidelines>
Last edited on 16 May 2009 01:43 pm by
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nbella86
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| Joined: | 22 April 2010 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
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Posted: 22 April 2010 05:10 pm |
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| I need help. I have been bulimic and a binge and purger for 8 1/2 years. I binge and purge anywhere from 3 to 6 times a day It has gotten to the point were I get chest pains and i feel like my insides are stretching.or making funny noises. I am 30,000 dollars in credit card debt from buying food and throwing it up. I have lost all hope for myself and never want to face problems. I know and can feel that somethign is going to happen. I have anxiety disorders, suffer from panic attacks, and tend to only think about when i will be alone next to eat as much as i possibly can. I have been able to eat small portions but then about 10 minutes later all i can think about is eating more more more..... I have panic attacks when i go out to eat with my family or boyfriend because i worry about where i will be able to throw up. Sometimes I try to eat small amount but when i start to digest it my stomach works the opposite way. and i have terrible heartburn, awful stretching feelings and cant stop thinking about it. I dont know if how i throw up has been better effective for me because i hear people say they have thrown up for 2 yours or 3 years and i am pushing 9!!!!!! My food doesnt even look like it has been digested at all when i throw up. i never taste bitter stomach acid or anything. But last week i have a weird feeling that something was going to happen and on monday i couldnt breath and got very dizzy and had this same stretching feeling in my stomach. I know i have to do something but feel like i have to get up because this is so hard...... i fail every time I try and it seems like unless you have this disease you have no idea how powerful this urge is. Please help
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Red
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| Joined: | 28 December 2010 |
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Posted: 28 December 2010 02:22 pm |
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I agree with Ashidiot ... I find it extremely annoying and frustrating that so many people pretend to have an eating disorder many just for attention or to become thin enough for their ideal weight. I want to scream your #%@&!ing screwed if people knew the real truth of an eating disorder they wouldnt want it or to be associated with it. Its not nice and its not easy nor is it a choice. Its a plague !! a cruel and viscious plague that makes life #%@&! but also keeps you in its grips. There are different degress of eating disorders I understand that but I hate it when people say oh i didnt eat today I am anorexic. I was in hospital a few months ago with severe hypokalemia, I was the anorexic in bed 6 who if i had eaten wouldnt have beenon apotassium drip n heart machine at age 23. Yet I still deny any association with the label .. I come home an old friend messages me and says she was anorexic n wanted to lose weight like me.. she is 52kg and clearly not anorexic but she wants the label she told me his and it infuriated me.
I agree its #%@&! anorexia is a disease of the mind ! its an illness with severe mental implications and the physical effects are a result. It traps you before you know it ... its #%@&! that people call it a diet. I get extremely offended when people ask how to become anorexic especially when its for attention or to look beauttiful to get a new boyfriend !! absolutely bull
Ignorance and stupidity I say people are so narrowminded they just dont get it
I agree its a disease/ a serious illness not a diet
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