Article of a Women's Journey With Anorexia and Orthorexia that Almost Killed Her

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shell1005
shell1005 Posts: 5,945 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I read this woman's account of focusing on her health and how the strict rules became pathological for her. I don't think everyone who gets all CLEAN EATING WHOLE FOODS focused will have this almost fatal outcome, however I found it interesting.

I also found the article interesting since she talked some about the recovery and treatment of her eating/exercising disorders.

http://www.self.com/wellness/health/2015/03/care-too-much-about-healthy-eating/

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    This made me cry, but I'm so happy she got help.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    This made me cry, but I'm so happy she got help.

    Me too. It was interesting to have it from her perspective...even while she was in the midst of her disease.

    I am so happy for her that her mom took a stand and had that intervention with her on the beach. I doubt she'd be alive today without it.

    I agree, her mom rocked it!
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    I was unaware we had such a decent facility here in Reno that handles EDs (and from the looks of it other aspects of mental health as well).
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
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    That's beautifully written.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Thanks for sharing, Shell!
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
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    Thanks for the share. I'm glad this had a happy ending.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited October 2015
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    That's very nice of you to share. So many people really do confuse those who eat healthy with those who actually have EDs.

    It's good to be reminded of the difference. It's also good for people to get a little idea of what those with EDs go through.

    Also, many parents of anorexics attempt to help. They do interventions. They commit the girls. They try buckets of love, they try tough love, they try forcing food and begging - they try everything. Most girls get better, but some die. If you cannot save your child, it doesn't mean you failed as a parent. You just lost and the mental illness won. If you love the child and try to do what is best, you are still a good mom!

    They cannot all be saved :( but failing to save them does not a bad mom make!
  • superhockeymom
    superhockeymom Posts: 2,000 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I was lucky my mom saved me
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    No one said because a parent may have tried and not been successful with an intervention that makes them a bad parent, not one person. Giving a compliment to the mother in this story for her intervention is not a criticism for anyone else who did an intervention that may have not worked.

    Can we please stop the derailing of this thread on what makes a good parent or a bad parent? It is unnecessary. Thank you.
    My comment was not designed to suggest that anyone has said that. Had I thought it, I'd have addressed the person.

    It's just that many people who have children struggling with this tend to blame themselves when they shouldn't. I think discussing that was very much on topic and am sorry that you took it personally and felt attacked. That was never my intention.

    It isn't just the anorexic who suffers, but everyone who loves them, especially the parents, which is part of the article.

    I think you did a great thing here, drawing attention to the problem as well as distinguishing between those who eat healthy and those who have actual mental illness. Brava.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    PrizePopple wrote: »
    I was unaware we had such a decent facility here in Reno that handles EDs (and from the looks of it other aspects of mental health as well).

    From what I have heard....the good ones are few and far between.

    I can't even imagine how expensive that treatment was though. She was inpatient for 11 months.

    I looked the place up, and it is only a 10 bed facility. I'm betting it wasn't cheap at all. It makes you wonder about typical care as this place is certainly not your run of the mill inpatient treatment facility.

  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited October 2015
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    shell1005 wrote: »
    If we could get back on topic and stop talking about parenting, thanks. It's a divisive topic and I'd appreciate my thread not going down that road.

    And the article actually highlighted that those who eat healthy with stringent and rigid rules can turn into orthorexia, etc. Right there in the beginning from the mouth of the woman who experienced it. Is it common, no...but it is something that can happen. The idea of everything having to fit into such a rigid criteria for what constitutes healthy can lead to a really bad place.

    I think it's maybe that vulnerable people who diet can fall into an ED? Last time I read about this, perfectionist daughters (often from affluent families as well), particularly those who have mothers with body image issues, and take on a diet, are the prototypical ED sufferer. I think any restrictive diet (including one that only restricts calories) could trigger it in someone vulnerable enough.
  • Virkati
    Virkati Posts: 679 Member
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    I've never heard of orthorexia. Thanks for sharing this. I have two granddaughters. The older one is definitely a perfectionist. I give her sewing lessons and each time, we start off with the conversation about Who is perfect? No one. Therefore, any mistakes are what makes the project unique." Knowing that she may be at risk for orthorexia is something I can keep my eyes open for.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    If we could get back on topic and stop talking about parenting, thanks. It's a divisive topic and I'd appreciate my thread not going down that road.

    And the article actually highlighted that those who eat healthy with stringent and rigid rules can turn into orthorexia, etc. Right there in the beginning from the mouth of the woman who experienced it. Is it common, no...but it is something that can happen. The idea of everything having to fit into such a rigid criteria for what constitutes healthy can lead to a really bad place.

    I think it's maybe that vulnerable people who diet can fall into an ED? Last time I read about this, perfectionist daughters (often from affluent families as well), particularly those who have mothers with body image issues, and take on a diet , are the prototypical ED sufferer. I think any restrictive diet (including one that only restricts calories) could trigger it in someone vulnerable enough.

    Geez, you just described my best friend from high school perfectly. The sad thing is, her treatment taught her that nothing was her fault, "her mother made her that way." We ended up parting ways and it broke my heart but there was nothing I could do, it was her choice. I did run into her a few years ago though, she was at a healthy weight, married, with two kids. It was good to see that she was one of the ones who made it.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    Focusing on quality food can greatly help people who aren't vulnerable to EDs to improve their nutrition (and health) and diet adherence, because eating that way promotes satiety, for many.

    Food "rules" relating to quality (protein, veg, dairy, nuts, beans, whole grains, some fruit) definitely helped me simplify my approach to food prep and cooking, and it kept me on track. (As in 80% on track. I'm not at risk of ever eating too little or having complex feels about McDonald's. My gain was mostly related to eating out all the time instead of cooking, and not really thinking about the portion sizes.)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    If we could get back on topic and stop talking about parenting, thanks. It's a divisive topic and I'd appreciate my thread not going down that road.

    And the article actually highlighted that those who eat healthy with stringent and rigid rules can turn into orthorexia, etc. Right there in the beginning from the mouth of the woman who experienced it. Is it common, no...but it is something that can happen. The idea of everything having to fit into such a rigid criteria for what constitutes healthy can lead to a really bad place.

    I think it's maybe that vulnerable people who diet can fall into an ED? Last time I read about this, perfectionist daughters (often from affluent families as well), particularly those who have mothers with body image issues, and take on a diet , are the prototypical ED sufferer. I think any restrictive diet (including one that only restricts calories) could trigger it in someone vulnerable enough.
    A person who is prone to that particular type of mental illness is likely to set up rigid rules and seriously restrict their calories. They don't all have rules, but it's not uncommon.

    Dieting doesn't make a healthy person anorexic. Eating healthy food doesn't make a healthy person orthorexic. Exercising doesn't make a healthy person bulimic. Lifting weights doesn't make a person develop muscle dysmorphia.

    Most people can eat healthy, lose weight, lift weights and exercise without developing a mental illness.

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