Anorexia.

ambie35

All I can say is THANK YOU for stating this and letting everyone know. I am so tired of hearing "Real woman are this" we are all women and we come in every shape and form.

EmilyKateAlice

An ED is a mental condition just like any other. And just like you wouldn't belittle Alzheimer's, depression or schizophrenia, no-one should belittle an ED. It is just unfortunate that in the case of ED often the mental illness is physically visible, although the physical signs have no relation to the diagnosis of an ED (ie, you have a BMI of 15 and not have an ED, or have a BMI of 22 and have one).


I would say to anyone out there who finds EDs hard to understand or relate to:

- There is nothing in my life more difficult than sitting down to a meal and having a physical panic attack - unable to breathe properly, dizzy, light-headed, chest pains, shaking - just because of having to eat, and yet wanting desperately to be able to eat what is in front of you.
- There is nothing worse than being unable to process wearing size 0 clothes, having people concerned for your weight loss and not believing any compliments about your appearance and instead just seeing fat in the mirror.
- It is hard to hate yourself every day even when you want more than anything else to accept your body. It is even harder to not trust the judgement of those who you love and who love you about your body.
- My every waking moment is consumed by food and eating. It keeps me awake at night wondering if I will manage to eat 3 meals the next day, and wondering how long I have got until I get really sick from not giving my body the nutrients it needs.

And that is why when I get a message from someone here telling me to 'snap out of it' and 'just f***ing eat', it is quite difficult to respond appropriately. There is so much misunderstanding of EDs as nothing more or less than a mental illness.

^ That is brilliant. That is I often feel.

Ninja_Knitty

Big hug to all you women. Really women love, hate, laugh, cry. They're strong, they bruise. Sorry people had to be so cruel. They could have learned something. Ignorance is their curse. Live strong.

redraidergirl2009

There are a lot of rude people here and most are ignorant to what an eating disorder is

sarahkatara

An ED is a mental condition just like any other. And just like you wouldn't belittle Alzheimer's, depression or schizophrenia, no-one should belittle an ED. It is just unfortunate that in the case of ED often the mental illness is physically visible, although the physical signs have no relation to the diagnosis of an ED (ie, you have a BMI of 15 and not have an ED, or have a BMI of 22 and have one).


I would say to anyone out there who finds EDs hard to understand or relate to:

- There is nothing in my life more difficult than sitting down to a meal and having a physical panic attack - unable to breathe properly, dizzy, light-headed, chest pains, shaking - just because of having to eat, and yet wanting desperately to be able to eat what is in front of you.
- There is nothing worse than being unable to process wearing size 0 clothes, having people concerned for your weight loss and not believing any compliments about your appearance and instead just seeing fat in the mirror.
- It is hard to hate yourself every day even when you want more than anything else to accept your body. It is even harder to not trust the judgement of those who you love and who love you about your body.
- My every waking moment is consumed by food and eating. It keeps me awake at night wondering if I will manage to eat 3 meals the next day, and wondering how long I have got until I get really sick from not giving my body the nutrients it needs.

And that is why when I get a message from someone here telling me to 'snap out of it' and 'just f***ing eat', it is quite difficult to respond appropriately. There is so much misunderstanding of EDs as nothing more or less than a mental illness.

Mili, this is beautifully put. I remember every single day and feeling of that horrible time when i was consumed by ED. it robbed me of everything i could have ha high school, friends, dances, days at the beach, my family, happiness....and left me with scars (emotional and physical) that will never go away. People don't understand and are more concerned with being "right" than try to comprehend what we go through. It's a mental and medical condition and women AND men, on either end- whether you're a binge eater or anorexic or anywhere in between- who battle any ED deserve help and empathy. Food is NOT the problem. Food is a symptom. What causes you to have that symptom (whatever you do with food, exercise, etc) is the real issue. It takes true strength and courage to beat this disease. It turns the one main thing that we need for survival into the Antichrist and i know that personally, the fear i felt during my recovery was beyond overwhelming. It's a puzzling disorder but all too real and much, much too common. There seems to be a belief that you can just have a "little bit" of an eating disorder...ah, sorry but no. (yes, some do have disordered eating without being diagnosed as having an eating disorder. my point is that it's not a "diet." it's a disease that ruins your life and can kill you. Not something to "dabble" in to just lose a little weight.)

My big problem with MFP is that they do not remove the absurdly triggering and unhealthy profiles that provide "thinspiration" and have people encouraging starving themselves and such. There are too many to address one by one for me as a member. I really feel strongly they need to be monitored better (profiles that is). Things like that are destructive for everyone. There are other (unfortunately ) pro-ED sites sick individuals can go to. I NEVER would tell anyone to do so but MFP is supposed to encourage health.