I have something to say....

[Raelee]

It’s been awhile since I’ve been here on this website. I am recovering from an eating disorder and I used this as a way to purposely trigger myself. I restricted calories to the extremes and suffered so many health problems because of it. I just want to say that please be very careful with your reason for wanting to lose weight and the way you decide to do it. I’m only 17 and developed the eating disorder when I was about 14. It had nothing to do with wanting to lose weight but that’s what it seemed like on surface level. I’m begging you, please just be very careful. I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I did.

 

[Cate]

Thank you for sharing this. Being healthy is the most important thing we can be, both mentally & physically. I hope you are getting support & love, xoxo

 

[Truffle Monster]

Hi Raelee,

Thanks for sharing. I always get concerned when people fad diet or starve themselves.

The only reason you should ever try to change your body is for yourself. If there is even the slightest hint that you’re doing it for someone else’s approval you should stop.

You are perfect the way you are and you were perfect the way you were. Please remember that and share yourself with the world. More people need to see your example and resilience.

 

[overlandflyer]

shortly after starting an intermittent fasting diet, now going on nearly seven months, i kept hearing many people here and other places confusing fasting with starvation. not eating is fasting... starvation mode is triggered by calorie restriction, unfortunately the misinformed basis of the vast majority of OTC diets; your body treats these two actions much differently.

as long as there is a financial element to proper nutrition, there is not a lot of motivation to educate the populace. ignoring science also seems to be a trend with the current political environment, not surprisingly typically also financially motivated. my diet excludes well over 50% of what is available on grocery store shelves. who on earth is going to tell you not to buy their sponsor's or lobbyist's products?

OP, i feel sorry for you that better education more than likely wasn't part of your history. there are many good lectures on the internet and it's not hard to sort out the more effective speakers. at least you are young and if you're smart it won't take you >60 years to finally figured it out, like me.

 

[Truffle Monster]

shortly after starting an intermittent fasting diet, now going on nearly seven months, i kept hearing many people here and other places confusing fasting with starvation. not eating is fasting... starvation mode is triggered by calorie restriction, unfortunately the misinformed basis of the vast majority of OTC diets; your body treats these two actions much differently.

as long as there is a financial element to proper nutrition, there is not a lot of motivation to educate the populace. ignoring science also seems to be a trend with the current political environment. my diet excludes well over 50% of what is available on grocery store shelves. who on earth is going to tell you not to buy their sponsor's or lobbiest's products?

Hi, not sure if you were responding to me but I wasn’t talking about Intermittent fasting per se unless it’s done incorrectly. I don’t know anything about it so I can’t comment. I don’t follow ANY diet regime except I’m vegetarian by moral choice (16 years now).

Would you not agree that many people suffering eating disorders do so in part because of all the talk about miracle diets etc in the media these days?

 

[overlandflyer]

Hi, not sure if you were responding to me but ...

not a short answer, but if there was one, it would be no.

i suppose i do have an issue sometimes with someone saying, "you are fine just the way are if you are ok with it". the only way this could be true, as i think i've already said, is a lack of education. anyone with a large girth and without the concept of the dangers in that physical attribute would have to be living in a fantasy world... you know, the kind of world where they get the reinforcing support of, "you're just fine".

 

[Raelee]

Hi Raelee,

Thanks for sharing. I always get concerned when people fad diet or starve themselves.

The only reason you should ever try to change your body is for yourself. If there is even the slightest hint that you’re doing it for someone else’s approval you should stop.

You are perfect the way you are and you were perfect the way you were. Please remember that and share yourself with the world. More people need to see your example and resilience.

Thank you. Eating disorders have actually barely anything to do with the food and desire to change one’s body. It is actually so much more than that and mostly results from past trauma and it’s a response to wanting to find control. It’s just another form of self harm.
As an update, I am doing very well. I’m in recovery right now and my body has needed 3,000-8,000 calories a day. I’m probably gonna gain weight a little bit but I’m not too worried about that. I could use some extra weight. It feels good to let my body eat however much it wants and needs. It is repairing the damage I did to it which is why it needs so much food. But I’m learning to except that. Thanks for everyone’s support!

 

[Truffle Monster]

not a short answer, but if there was one, it would be no.

i suppose i do have an issue sometimes with someone saying, "you are fine just the way are if you are ok with it". the only way this could be true, as i think i've already said, is a lack of education. anyone with a large girth and without the concept of the dangers in that physical attribute would have to be living in a fantasy world... you know, the kind of world where they get the reinforcing support of, "you're just fine".

Yeah cool.

I guess we’re looking at it from differing perspectives. I deal with mental health issues constantly; especially with my sister. In my opinion the greater evil here would be the mental illness which is why I keep coming back to “you’re fine.” Once someone has leveled the mental stigma and they are in a good steady mindset they will see much better results physically however if we only treat the physical side an obese person could very easily transform into an anorexic patient because they will keep telling themselves they’re fat. This is a struggle that many millions of overweight people deal with every day.

 

[Truffle Monster]

Thank you. Eating disorders have actually barely anything to do with the food and desire to change one’s body. It is actually so much more than that and mostly results from past trauma and it’s a response to wanting to find control. It’s just another form of self harm.
As an update, I am doing very well. I’m in recovery right now and my body has needed 3,000-8,000 calories a day. I’m probably gonna gain weight a little bit but I’m not too worried about that. I could use some extra weight. It feels good to let my body eat however much it wants and needs. It is repairing the damage I did to it which is why it needs so much food. But I’m learning to except that. Thanks for everyone’s support!

God bless.

 

[Cate]

Thank you. Eating disorders have actually barely anything to do with the food and desire to change one’s body. It is actually so much more than that and mostly results from past trauma and it’s a response to wanting to find control. It’s just another form of self harm.
As an update, I am doing very well. I’m in recovery right now and my body has needed 3,000-8,000 calories a day. I’m probably gonna gain weight a little bit but I’m not too worried about that. I could use some extra weight. It feels good to let my body eat however much it wants and needs. It is repairing the damage I did to it which is why it needs so much food. But I’m learning to except that. Thanks for everyone’s support!

Thank you for coming back & telling us that you are doing well. I'm so glad that you are getting the support you need & are on the way to recovery.