Profile of an anorexic

LauraLLee

I was not sure whether to answer to this post or not. I was anorexic when I was 16.

First thing is I do not fit any of the descriptions that were pointed out. I fill it is wrong to try and pigeon hole any one. I have a hard time when someone (whether they are a "DR" or not) tries to generalise a condition. I was not trying to turn back puberty. I did not decide to do this to myself. There was no smoking "gun". My mother or family were not obsessed about weight. It just happened. Life happened. I didn't redo my homework because I made a mistake. I was part of the popular crowd. I played sport and was socially active. I wasn't even aware I had a problem until a friend of mines mother rang mine and said she had seen me putting my uniform on to play netball ( I was in the same team as her daughter and was spending the night) and that I was very under weight. My mother hadn't seen me getting dressed for years and I was one of those girls that preferred to wear jeans and baggy tops, so she hadn't noticed the change I was going through.

I was 1/2 a pound away from being admitted to hospital when I saw our GP. My mother convinced the GP to let us try and sort this out at home and we did. It took a very long time for my weight to stablise. It was a very hard and emotional time once we started my road back to recovery. My mother became so aware of my weight that even in my 30's she would still be worried about me.

This condition can happen to anyone. Men and women .... girls and boys. Some of us that it happens to are not trying to be super thin to be like someone or to please someone ... it just happens.

Just don't think that there is a magic formula for telling who it will happen to because there is not.

I am writting this not to critise the original post but to let those mums and dads out there know that if you have children just pay attention to them. It's hard to notice a few pounds here and there from your spouse as you see them every day and the same can be said about your children... Every once in a while just have a really "good" look at them to see if they are loosing weight but also to see if they are putting weight on. Childhood obesity is another condition that parents tend not to notice until it's too late too.

It has to be said that this is my own opinion and if it differs from yours then that is ok it's what makes this forum real.

I just want to say it is quite ok to tell your side of the story. I just want to get this information out. I think some people are more prone to having an eating disorder and I agree with you that we should not create stero types. We are individuals. Like I said before This information need to be out so others who are living dangerously or those who love them can recognize the behavior and get some help. That is the purpose of this post.

b0ink83

I never acknowledge it till I was in my mid 20s that I was suffering from "female athlete triad syndrome" throughout my teens + 6 years in cheerleading in my late teen to early 20s.

My lightest ever was in my cheer days @ 47kg. I remember my mad Thai coach telling me to drop it till 45kg when I was selected to do more advance flying. I became nervous over if I was too heavy for my bases that I always "cleanse" my bowel with laxtives for few days before competition/ performance. After depriving of food, I'll tend to overeat & feel guilty.

It took an reconstructed left knee and a few years of strength training to undo the physical & mental damages.

I'm 5"3, weight in 53kg. I'm gifted with my mom's big bone structure & incredible strength ( mom broke the washing machine door once while chasing a roach) that allowed me to lift heavy. Argh!

cowlover22

Thanks for educating people! I suffer with both anorexia and bulimia for 24 years now. Have been in and out of treatment so many tomes I cant count. And have severly damaged my body to the point of almost dying a couple of times. It is a horrible disease and the more aware people are about it the sooner it can be caught. Thanks!!

elgface

wow, I just started to cry reading this...

kdao

Thank you for sharing!

abcwhite10

Thank you. I sometimes catch my 11yo daughter making comments about her body type in self consiousness. She is a very muscular and athletic girl. Most adult women would kill for tone like hers. But she sees it as "big"......."I hate my legs - they are so big". Little comments here and there. She is absolutely a perfectionist. A+ marks, if she gets a 95 on a test, it's unacceptable. She will redo something until it's just right. I have always evcouraged her and told her she is beautiful and healthy - I just hope it's enough. Funny thing is the majority of her classmates and friends are chubby, so I don't know why she feels "big".

Artemis726

Thank you for this, so that others know what to watch out for. :flowerforyou:

I suffered from anorexia and bulimia for over 10 years, and fit your profile to a 'T'. It took becoming a mother and removing toxic people from my life for me to shake off most of the demons, so that I didn't continue the cycle over for my children. I gained 90lbs eating normally with my first pregnancy thanks to my wrecked metabolism, and after 4 I am still trying to lose it the right way. Committed to being healthy, strong, and a good role model for my family.