Not "sick enough" to recover? Need motivation.

thejoyoflife98

Hello! This is my first post here and I'm honestly just looking for some support. I'm under 21, 5'1" and fluctuate between 85-90 lbs. I reached this weight from a healthy 117lbs after 5 months of restricting my intake to around 1000-1200 calories a day. At this point, I'm beginning to realize that I may have gone too far. I'm always cold. I'm usually dizzy. My hair falls out A LOT. It hurts to sit and sleep.
I'm all for gaining a few pounds, but I can't help but think that there's no reason for recovery, as I was never "that bad". I only have a few pounds to gain but does that still mean I need 3000 calories? (I exercise 5 times a week for an hour each time). For the past few days I've een reaching 2000 calories and experiencing crazy hunger, causing me to eat whatever I see, junk or not. Sorry if this post is confusing. I just feel really lost.

guroprincess

My advice would be to seek professional help. Fact is, no one on this forum is going to be as knowledgeable as someone who deals with eating disorders for a living and they can help out a lot more.

If you're cold, dizzy, in pain, and your hair is falling out, then you are DEFINITELY "sick enough" to recover. Not to mention at 85-90lbs you should be gaining at least 10-20 pounds to be in a healthy range, not just a couple of pounds.

thejoyoflife98

Thank you! It will be hard for me to get help, seeing as my parents think I'm capable of recovering alone.

guroprincess

I don't know if you have access to it, but if you can drive, you might be able to look into getting help yourself. Even if you have to go to the ER and you told them that your parents didn't believe you/weren't supportive and you have an eating disorder, they can help you with contacting local resources that will help.

When I was first getting help for my depression/anxiety, the first thing they asked me was a series of questions that tested if I had an eating disorder or not. I didn't have one, but I think it's a prevalent enough thing, especially for young females, that it's not too difficult to get screened for it. Hopefully you can find some help because going it alone is really difficult for a lot of mental disorders, especially this one.

thejoyoflife98

Thank you again. I'll try to find someone

thejoyoflife98

Bump. Looking for more opinions

thejoyoflife98

Bumpitty Bump.

thejoyoflife98

Final bump c:

miller930

I agree that You should seek professional help, maybe a counselor if Your in school or another trusted family member or adult in Your life. If money is an issue there should be a family clinic somewhere that could help You. It might also be a good idea to lay off the 5 days of exercise and give Your body a rest until that help has been received. Good Luck to You!

thejoyoflife98

Thank you Miller!

littleburgy

How sick is "sick enough"? -- All too often, people wait far too long to get help. Coldness, dizziness, losing hair and experiencing pain is concerning enough, I hope you are able to get help. I think it's better to "nip it in the bud" and get treatment sooner rather than later.

I did some extensive dieting in college to point of being underweight and didn't realize how much I was affecting my health until I got help -- life is just too short, we have to take care of ourselves and enjoy life!

thejoyoflife98

I've been asking myself what "sick enough" means as well. My thoughts are controlled by my "eating disorder" so I can't properly answer that

littleburgy

I've been asking myself what "sick enough" means as well. My thoughts are controlled by my "eating disorder" so I can't properly answer that

Don't worry, it's a rhetorical question. I know what you mean. :flowerforyou:
My belief is that anything less than optimal health and feeling good is sick enough to at least get help or ask a professional. It never hurts to get things checked out if you aren't feeling well. Sending you best wishes today.

jenlarz

Realizing you've gone too far and need some help is a big step. There are definitely professionals out there that can help. If your parents are against it remind them getting help is confidential and nothing to be ashamed of. (maybe they aren't worried about that, but I as a mom I can't understand not wanting your child to get any help needed). Be strong!

hannahpistolas

There is no such thing as 'not sick enough'. An unhealthy relationship with food and your own body is sick, and it can easily spiral out of hand and affect you for the rest of your life. Just ask any anorexic. Everyone has a beginning, that is never quite as serious as the end result.

Please, please go seek help. They have professionals who deal specifically with food and eating disorders. Mine was an absolute game changer in the course of my ED.

echofm1

I'm going to add my voice the idea that you should aim to get professional help. They will know how to best handle your situation.

Still, I will add my bit of advice since that's what you came here looking for. You don't have to eat 3,000 calories a day to lose weight. In fact, that would probably leave you feeling kind of awful after so drastically restricting your food intake. Much like I've had to slowly cut back my food intake to avoid feeling hungry all the time, the same works in reverse. Figure out what your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR - What it takes for your body to keep going when you're just laying in bed all day) is, as well as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE - Your BMR + the energy to do basic tasks like brushing your teeth, walking to class, etc). Eat just a bit over what your TDEE is, even if it's just 200-300 calories over, and if you exercise remember that you should eat back those calories too. And if you feel hungry, that's great. It can be hard to get over the mental barrier that says it's okay to eat, but that's part of the process.

It's definitely not professional advice though, which you should get. Just some thoughts to get you started on recovery. The biggest barrier is going to be re-training the way you think about food.

Charlixoxo

I agree with above, there is no such thing as not sick enough.
people seem to think you have to be dangerously underweight to suffer with an eating disorders, when in actual fact it's a mental condition that can affect even morbidly obese people.
You should definitely see professional help, they can guide you in the right direction to a healthier lifestyle and help improve your relationship with food

I am not underweight, infact my bmi borders on overweight and I have suffered with an ED for about 4 years but never felt Id be taken seriously because I was not sick or underweight so I can completely relate!
Please feel free to add me if you want to chat, I understand and I know it's difficult to find people who do fully understand

Xxx

UpEarly

The National Eating Disorders Association has a free hotline to talk to people in your situation.

1-800-931-2237

thejoyoflife98

Thanks for all of your opinions /advice!