Thursday, November 16, 2006

 

Anorexia

Okay,
let's define what Anorexia really is.

I talked about myself being anorexic at one point in my life in the post just previous to this one.
Most people mistakenly think this is the disease where you throw up your meal and you benge eat and then throw it up also.
That is not what anorexia is.

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by voluntary starvation and exercise stress.
The term anorexia refers to the medical symptom of lost appetite.

What happened with me was this:
I was concerned about weight and pant size.
I didn't intentionally starve myself.
That thought never entered my head.
I thought of it as dieting.
My diet consisted of just not eating.
I ate one meal a day ... just a little ...
and then exercised every day.

I did aerobics,
rode my bike miles a day,
and worked out with weights ...
every day ...
sometimes more than once.

Once you go a period of time without eating much,
your stomach actually shrinks and you don't feel hungry.
It doesn't take much to fill it up.
And pretty soon you're not eating enough to maintain your body.
That's what I did.

My recovery process started by eating a piece of toast and a cup of chicken broth.
That's what I had for breakfast and for lunch every day.
And I had to eat it in front of someone so there was a witness that I didn't feed it to the dog or just throw it away.
It was hard.
I can remember crying while I tried to get it all down.
I can remember being so angry to have someone sit there and watch me chew.
It made me just want to spit at them.
(which I didn't do, by the way)
I can remember having to eat it when I wasn't hungry and gagging just trying to get it down.
It was a serious problem.

I have to thank my ex-husband, Paul, for this.
It was him who did this for me.
He saved my life, I have no doubt of that at all.
I am very grateful.

As I became able to eat this menu regularly,
the menu changed to things that were more substantial and I slowly began to eat more
and eat regularly and gain some weight.

I still thought about it all the time though.
And I was still an exercise fanatic.
But I was making progress.

Eventually I found that I actually felt healthier with some weight on than I did without it.
My way of thinking began to change.
I actually got hungry several times a day and ate because I wanted to.
It took about two years to accomplish the physical change and the mental change to go along with it.

You all know that I just lost 30 pounds on a diet recently.
This was done because my excess weight was affecting my lupus adversely and the doctor told me to try to get down to my target weight.
Which I did.
Then I lost ten more pounds without even trying.

I was worried and set a time limit for the weight loss to stop or I was going to go to the doctor and get some help.

It has since stopped and I'm fine.
In fact,
I've gained a little weight back!
That's wonderful!

Anyway,
now you know
and now you understand.

I still like to exercise,
but have changed to toning exercises,
hence the stretching, Thai Chi and Belly Dancing ...
both low impact and non stress to your body exercises.
They just keep me limber.
It's been a nice trade.







Comments:
brave post, Ava... your journey has been a very courageous one!
In awe of you,
gracie
 
Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad you were able to overcome your anorexia before you did really serious damage to your body.

Congratulations to you for finally learning how to deal with your appetite. Appetite is something that most people in this country have to struggle with, some more than others. I know I struggle with mine. Fortunately for me, right now I seem to be winning the struggle.
 
Hi Ava ~~ I am so sorry you had to fight to get over that awful illness.
But I am so glad that you did, thanks for sharing that with us. Be very proud of yourself and take good care of yourself now. So much lvely music
could have been lost. Love, Merle.
 
I've tried to keep up with anorexia and bulimia. My middle girl has some concerns about her weight (unnecessary - she's slim as a wand).

I hadn't known this about you and I admire your courage in writing about it.

I suppose, like many related illnesses, we can never take recovery for granted.

As a recovered alcoholic, I've always thought the eating disorders were the most difficult to overcome. We don't have to drink (or smoke or do drugs) to survive; we do have to eat.
 
Good to hear that things are back to normal and that you no longer suffer from anorexia. You are so brave to post about your eating problem. Many young women suffer from anorexia and bulimia.

You should be very proud of yourself.
 
Hi Ava, I have a lovely grand-daughter who suffers from the other well known eating disorder, Bulimia, she has been battling this, with mixed results, for several years now.
So glad to hear that you have your problem under control, maybe my GD will in time she is only 22 at present.
 
Hi friend! Nice to visit again. So you lost some weight. Wow! What an ordeal you went through. I was actually anorexic too but for other reasons. I suffered from my gastro intestinal system all my life (finally last year they told me I have Celiac, after all these years of suffering), so I subconciously blocked eating. I did not like to eat because it made me so sick (because I was eating things I was allergic to). Anyways, I can relate.

I come from a country in which curves are appreciated, though, and I am grateful for that. It is nice to see curves and natural bodies as beautiful. Flesh is good. Curves are good. Some fat between your bones and skin is good.

Hugs.
 
Just popping in to see if you'd posted Ava!

I hope and pray for you.. and hope you are doing well and that you are especially... happy!!

I have a dead stomach; so food is no longer a big thing for me; but, if I"m not careful; the pounds fall off.

I agree with Tanginkika... a little meat on bones looks natural, and more beautiful...

I hope you had a good thanksgiving...worried about you.. I am!

with loving kindness,
North
 
Hi friend! How are you doing? Hope you are feeling warm and cozy inside, even if the days are cold and gloomy. Hugs!
 
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