"eating disorder" thrown around loosely

Anorexia will kill you faster than being fat will, in general. So when someone comes here at already an unhealthy low weight and talks about eating less than 1200 calories a day, yes, it is cause for alarm. Not everyone comes here because they were fat, many come here because they *think* they are fat when in reality, they are not.

I find myself holding both sides of this. I do think "eating disorder" is thrown around much to freely around here. I have personal experienced the horrors of anorexia and bulimia, though. I find myself worried with some people's caloric intake and might urge them to truly look at whats going on for them self. I am not a doctor (eventually I will be!!) and I can not diagnose nor treatment people with any form of any eating disorder (Binge eating, Anorexia, Bulimia, EDNOS, etc.) I personally make the conscious effort not to use diagnostic terms on these forums, simply to illuminate misunderstandings or any stress. I find it more helpful to look at specific behaviors (ie- eating under 500 calories and having a goal weight thats considered under weight)

I do think the general population assumes that when an individual who loses a drastic amount of weight and has different eating habits, they have disordered eating or even an eating disorder. which, may be true- though it also may be far from the truth. It's a dialectic; both can be true (even though they're opposing truths.)

As a child (age 8-13) I struggled with severe anorexia and bulimia. I was standing at the nearly the same height I am now (5ft and few inches) and I never broke 80lbs. (though prior to my eating disorder I was weighing in at a healthy 115pounds.) I usually weighed in between 72lbs and 76lbs. I ate between 0-100 calories a day and never ate more than 800 calories a week. I would set my alarm for 3am and walk (or run) the streets of my town untill 7am, when I returned home and faked sleeping in my bed. I literally was a walking skeleton. My checks were hallow, every rib was visible, my hip bones held my childrens pants on my body, my tail bone and bottom was constantly bruised from sitting and having no fat for padding, it was hell. I started purging (self-induced vomiting) the tiny bits I did eat. It was a living nightmare. I wound up have numerous (15) lengthy hospital stays-each one ranging from 2 weeks to 12 months.) I spent 18 months away from my parents at age 12 because I fell into a coma and was deathly ill. Iived in a specialized eating disorder hospital. To this day, doctors are baffled at my survival.

Unfortunately, though, in my late teens (15-17 years old) - after a stint of recovery-like behavior (weighing around 115lbs)- I began bingeing uncontrollably and skyrocket to 280-something pounds in less than 2 years. I ate all day everyday. At 17, I went back into treatment and began getting help.

Eating disorders destroy lives and I am grateful to be in somewhat of a recovered state now. I hate when I see these diseased terms being throw around. If people are genuinely concerned for someone, send them a personal message or get curious about whats going on for them. We are all here with the intent of losing weight. It looks different for everyone. We all gained weight in different ways and inevitably we will all lose it in different ways to.

I'm sorry for my long rambling response... I just don't want to discount either side of this situation.

Eating too much or too little is unhealthy. We don't know if people have or don't have eating disorders- we can only support them with the knowledge we do know.

Again, sorry for my rambling.