Eating Disorders

[maryjane]

Hi everyone, I'm new ;D

I wanted to find out how many people on this site also have problems with eating disorders. I'm 22 and have had an ED since i was 16...It's been up and down but I'm alot better now, just still not quite "Recover ED" quite yet. Anyway, I (and my therapist) see a lot of links between the ED behaviour and the skin picking...she loves to theorize about how it's like I'm "picking away at myself" etc.

Is it common for people to have problems with both of these??

Any thoughts?

MJ xx

[anonymousartist]

I used to compulsively overeat. Since college I've mostly only had to deal with the compulsive part. I gained a lot of weight in high school stuffing myself with comfort foods and started college weighing 215 pounds. I now weigh a bit under 180 almost five years later and I'm trying to make better choices for my diet. I still like the comfort of food but I try to eat healthier comfort foods.

When I think about the way I used to eat and how I pick I can't believe how much harm I let come to myself.

[shrinkingviolet]

I'm 27 and I've been bulemic since....1999 (?) I'm "recovering" now. I haven't purged since last July. I still have serious food issues though. I can't eat with my family. I don't eat anything 'till everyone is in bed, and then I only allow myself about 1200 calories. All at once that's a lot, but not for the whole day. I think it has something to do with the feeling you get when your full. Your brain releases endorphines that make you feel good. So I guess I still sort of do the binge part. *sigh*
Oh well, we're all a work in progress, right?

xxoo

[louisio]

I used to be anorexic, it started at the same time as i developed trichotillomania. I have beaten my eating disorder...it's not affected me for about 5 years...but then skin picking took over. Clearly i will be image conscious forever.

[sunshinefunk]

I have not had an eating disorder, but a lot of people on this site have mentioned it. I can't imagine having an eating disorder on top of my picking problem. You must be going through so much every day. I sympathize with all of you and wish you the best of luck. This site has saved me more than once. We are all here for you!
-sunshine-

[cinnamonfern]

I didn't have a eating disorder, but in 2002, I was addicted to exercising to lose weight. I would be down in my garage exercising for 4, sometimes even 6 hours everyday. It got so out of control, I lost 30 pounds, but I was miserable at the time, nothing made me happy. It's not surprising that some have eating disorders here, it's very similar to picking and is a viscious cycle we're in.

[amarat]

Hey alright so I'm new and am hoping this works- suppose I'm going to sound like the craziest one by admitting I seem to thoroughly enjoy not only skin picking but also trichotillomania and obsessive compulsive eating as well. That was sarcasm mind you- if I enjoyed this I most definitely would not be here.
So anyway, I just turned 20 and, while you would never know it based on normal appearances, have been progresively doing these - plus probably some other charmingly related "habits"- since I was about 11 just to share.
I am really interested in talking with other people who have similar deals to find a final solution to solve these strange behaviors as quickly as possible, so my email is [e-mail] if anyone is interested. Later, Tamara

[tina]

I have ED too. I am a compulsive overeater, flour and sugar addict and have a history of excercise bulimia. I have tried various things to cope with this. Simply put, I am a relief seeking missile. I will do anthing for relief.

[Mimidspeak]

Hi,
I purged a meal this weekend. It had been almost 2 weeks which is awesome for me. I was down-hearted though, I hate Valentines day and my dad is sick, he's not making much progress. My brother died Sept. 12th and the anniversary of my sisters death falls very close to Valentines day, plus I 'm not in a very happy marriage.

I believe eating disorders, troubles with alcohol, substance abuse, compulsive over eating, all these and more are all connected. All we can do is take things day to day though, and try to move forward

Here are a few healing affirmations from Louise L. Hay's "Heal Your Body" I turn to these affirmations often:

Nails: The nails represent protection
Affirmation "I reach out safely"

Nail Biting: represents frustration, eating away at the self, spite of a parent
Affirmation: "It is safe for me to grow up. I now handle my own life with joy and ease"

Bulimia: represents hopeless terror, a frantic stuffing and purging of self hatred
Affirmation: "I am loved and nourished and supported by life itself; It is safe for me to be alive"

If we can manage our behaviours, they can be tolerable, If we can not beat ourselves up when we slip we can move forward to the next sunrise, it will come, we have that, things will look diffrent to us! Trust in this, you must!!!

I often gently repeat these affirmations, whether what Louise thinks they represent are true for me or not. They tend to put me at ease with myself, reflect on my humanness.

Anyway, I'll bet you have qualities that make up for the things about yourself you are not happy about: make mental list of these (or better list them here! I have! It made me feel good!)
then repeat this list as often as you need!!!

Be well and please be gentle with yourself,

Mimid Say

[lauryn]

they both fall under Body Dysmorphic Disorder

[tina]

Yes, BDD, another horrible affliction. I am coming off of a hardcore, week long food binge which resulted in me getting the usual stomach ailments- acid reflux and you can guess the other one.

I went from being totally perfectionistic/obsessed with my weight, looks and excercise in my 20s to apathy, sloth and gluttony in my 30s. Being perfect was a full time job and I got exhausted, so I gave up completely. Then I started coming to terms with some sexual trauma and I did not want to be attractive- so I made myself ugly. I still struggle with this and it manifests through my eating.

Sugar and flour are the main culprits, I managed to put together one day of abstinence from these products today. Writing on this board has helped me so much with picking, I figure I need to write about my eating too. And my compulsive spending/debting. I really want to stop being self-destructive altogether. I have hurt myself too much for too long. I want to make good decisions for my life and be kind to myself. Having almost 7 days pick free is a huge accomplishment for me. It really symbolizes how much I am growing to love myself. It also has a cyclical effect on my self-esteem. I stop picking and I feel more attractive; I feel more attractive, so I don't want to pick. Then I feel better all around and I can tackle the food issue. But with kindness, not with self-hatred and punishment.

As my chiropractor says" Be good to yourself" as he wishes his patients a good day, I wish you all to "be good to yourselves as well". Have a good night.

[alex 21 in cali]

yes!!!! ED and picking cobined! what a wonderful thing. =) ok so I am 21, female, live in california, picking forever, decided to be anorexic in 11th grade. the summer before, actually. then I became bulimic like a crazy woman every night alone for hours and hours and hours purging into the garbage disposal. isn't that lovely? the summer before 12th grade my mom came out of her alcohol induced stupor long enough to send me to an ED treatment center for two months. I am extemely blessed. since then every year or so I have a few weeks where I struggle again but I consider myself recovered. at the mo. while I had ED I think if I remember (which I don't too well) I wasn't picking as much. gues that is understandable since I found a more absorbing pastime. anyways till this year I hadn't known csp was real. thought I was just weird.
love you guys for making me feel less alone.
ps anyone else on here have alcoholic parents??

[KateyKat]

I have been diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia in my life but now I am into the not eating enough but still eat too much and weigh too much to be anorexic. I only throw up if I feel like I am going to throw up anyway

[celine]

Yup I also have a mild eating disordor to go along with the picking thing. The two definitely feed off one another, it's like when I lose control with one it raises my anxiety level so that I start abusing the other.