*Rant* about BED v/s other EDs.

irishjeepgirl1969

I AM NOT DERIDING OTHER EATING DISORDERS!!! Disordered eating in all of it's forms is a nightmare to live with. My mother has fought with bulemia for decades. It's horrible and I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

With that said....


I've been doing a lot of reading about BED lately in an effort to find help. Over and over I'm reading that BED is the most common ED. More Americans struggle with BED than with anorexia, bulemia, or anything else. But no one is talking about it.

When was the last time you saw a 20/20 special about someone with BED? No one is talking about it. Why? IT'S THE MOST COMMON EATING DISORDER!!!. The media is silent....unless you count TV shows like Biggest Loser or My 600 Pound Life, both of which I find disgusting.

I'm so frustrated by the lack of help and caring.

mweckler

I have been seeing more commercials for B.E.D. and medications and treatments for it. Also on your point try being a man with the disease almost 40% of the people who have this are men, but most go undiagnosed because as a gender we are too stubborn to admit something is wrong. That is my frustration sorry to tag onto your post.

irishjeepgirl1969

I don't see that. But I might watch an hour of TV each week.

What I see is people who have an ED that causes your body to be fat, then you don't really have an eating disorder, you just lack will power. You're just a glutton who needs to stick to eating carrots and celery.

If, however; your eating disorder causes you to look skeletal or doesn't really change your appearance much, well then you are suffering from an eating disorder. Then you are "sick" and need help.

The contrast is striking. And it bugs me. I have a friend who is easily 600 pounds. His wife is a waif. She does not have clue one what he is struggling with. She just thinks he's weak willed. She treats him pretty bad. She has no idea what he struggles against. She is a sweet, kind, loving person in all other respects. But her perception is WAY off. She is our society personified.

But I am walking around with a chip on my shoulder lately.

irishjeepgirl1969

And I just realized that this resentment I'm feeling is really about self pity. "Poooooor me and my eating disorder."

Sorry. I hate whining. And this posting is just whiny.

mweckler

It is ok. This is a safe place to vent.

ab6046

irishjeepgirl1969 wrote: »

I don't see that. But I might watch an hour of TV each week.

What I see is people who have an ED that causes your body to be fat, then you don't really have an eating disorder, you just lack will power. You're just a glutton who needs to stick to eating carrots and celery.

If, however; your eating disorder causes you to look skeletal or doesn't really change your appearance much, well then you are suffering from an eating disorder. Then you are "sick" and need help.

The contrast is striking. And it bugs me. I have a friend who is easily 600 pounds. His wife is a waif. She does not have clue one what he is struggling with. She just thinks he's weak willed. She treats him pretty bad. She has no idea what he struggles against. She is a sweet, kind, loving person in all other respects. But her perception is WAY off. She is our society personified.

But I am walking around with a chip on my shoulder lately.

I agree with you on the whole willpower thing, for sure. I have struggled with anorexia and bulimia in the past, and I now struggle with BED. I have DEFINITELY felt that I am treated differently depending on my weight, as weight is often seen as a symptom. For example, when I was struggling with anorexia people didn't really see the problem and kept congratulating me on my weight loss and "getting healthy." Of course it wasn't until I lost so much weight that the negative comments began, and it turned into a "problem." Even then, I still got a lot of positive feedback during that time. I'm sure part of that is because I didn't become skeletal when I started binging. As for bulimia, my weight was pretty average for most of that. I never got any kind of comments on that, since nobody knew about it until I was in treatment for it. As for BED, anyone who knows about my binging issues do not really take it seriously. They see it as a lack of willpower, for sure. I am currently of average weight, and I know this is part of the issue. However when I was 40 pounds heavier and struggling with BED, I would get general advice about things like exercising more, etc. I hate the unwelcome advice I get from friends and family. I know that they mean well, but I feel like they think I'm stupid. Things like "well maybe if you ate three larger meals a day, then you would be satisfied and wouldn't overeat later." I eat consistently throughout the day to keep my hunger in check, but also because I binge in the evenings regardless of whether or not I'm hungry, so I feel like controlling it while I can is all I can do. It's not like I binge because I'm physically hungry. Or advice like "maybe you should eat less sugar." Well DUH...I would LOVE to.

I think weight has a lot to do with it. And I think that people do not recognize BED as being a real problem. Perhaps people start to recognize it more if the person is extremely obese, but even then it does seem to more of an issue of willpower or not having self control. I saw a post on the forums recently where someone was ranting about "how can someone ever let themselves get to be 600 pounds?" It was a very disturbing thread to read, and I feel that many people are very ignorant.

Sorry for the rant, I got a little carried away.