eating disorders

[dolfette]

...who would rant and rave and wouldn't let me move until I had finished my meal. Eventually all mealtimes became stressful and I didn't enjoy anything.

that's how it all started.
mealtime ranting and raving.
and i would sit there until bedtime.

 

[ManofThunder]

coward!

picking on you was cheering me up.
you're a selfish bastard, aren't you!

Yes, I am all of the above.

 

[EllieP]

Dolfette, I'm reminded of my self-imposed fast about 15 years ago. I was a single mom trying desperately to do everything I had to do. Eating was quite literally the least of my priorities. But I had an absolute craving for ice chips. I had a cup of crushed ice with me almost all waking hours. But I didn't want to eat anything.

I remember having to fix my daughter's meals and I would get nauseous thinking about eating it myself. I don't even remember what I ate during that time, but it lasted for well over a month. My mum visited and went ballistic. Sent me straightaway to the doctor. Found out I was severely anemic.

That was the only time I remember not wanting to eat, though. Otherwise it's mostly the opposite.

 

[dolfette]

i craved ice like crazy during my first pregnancy. i've hated it ever since.
my mother wouldn't react that way. the schools used to call her in to tell her they were worried i wasn't eating. she'd lie and say i ate at home.ever the ostrich.

 

[SprinkleMe69]

I fucking hate stress. Grrrr!!!

 

[hsarge]

A few years ago I got very sick, had no appetite, and all food tasted bland and sickening. I started losing weight that I couldn't afford to lose. The doctor gave me a pill that within 20minutes of taking restored my taste and appetite for about an hour. That was enough time, twice a day, to stabilize my weight and gain back strength and recover.

 

[D_Rufus_D_Dufus]

In high school I battled bulimia, I lived on a pieces of gum and tea and ran miles and miles each night and I ended up losing 73 lbs in 3 months. No one knew what was going on until my mom walked in on me with my face in the toilet throwing up Christmas dinner. After that incident my mom forced me to go see a therapist and I ended up putting on weight again.

But even now I still struggle, most days I eat one meal and if I eat too much it's extremly easy for me to throw it up. I battle with it on a daily basis.

 

[Guy-jin]

Ice craving is a sign of iron deficiency.

Usually this type of "all food is gross" feeling is either a consequence of medicine (esp. treating for mental disorders) or a sign of a bulimia relapse.

 

[D_Sharon Taint]

I can never go without food... I turn into an absolute wreck and end up wretching, which is an issue when I am anxious and lack an appetite.

I do tend to be a bit of an emotional eater, but I am pretty sure that's a typical thing and I don't gorge myself on anything specific like sweets.

 

[dolfette]

Ice craving is a sign of iron deficiency.

Usually this type of "all food is gross" feeling is either a consequence of medicine (esp. treating for mental disorders) or a sign of a bulimia relapse.

i don't hurl. ever. nor do i binge.
and i'm not on any meds.

 

[Guy-jin]

i don't hurl. ever. nor do i binge.
and i'm not on any meds.

But you do know what the word "usually" means, right?

Here, let me try to add something so I don't seem like a complete asshole.

Eating disorders come in all flavors, as you know (lols @ pun). If you aren't on meds and have never been bulimic then it certainly could be a less common type--for example, a selective eating disorder where you're restricting what you eat to a very select set of things. This disorder doesn't get the attention of anorexia or bulimia, but it's certainly just as real.

Ultimately, it's still a control issue (just like anorexia and bulimia).

I always felt like the best way to treat these issues was to approach the control issue head on. But then again, I'm not a psychiatrist. The actual treatment is probably gene therapy, but we're not there yet. As for you, if you're getting the nutrition you need to be "healthy" (read: not malnourished), then you'll be okay.

 

[dolfette]

nope, i'll eat a wide range of foods.
what i can manage changes each day.
yesterday it was livers, the day before was a sandwich.
i think it's less about control and more about stress.
people always assume food is a control issue.
but in insane, abusive parent can create phobias of almost anything. the ranting, stressful mealtimes create a simple, pavlovian reaction... food = stress.
eating alone is easier but still hard.

 

[Guy-jin]

nope, i'll eat a wide range of foods.
what i can manage changes each day.
yesterday it was livers, the day before was a sandwich.
i think it's less about control and more about stress.
people always assume food is a control issue.
but in insane, abusive parent can create phobias of almost anything. the ranting, stressful mealtimes create a simple, pavlovian reaction... food = stress.
eating alone is easier but still hard.

How is that not a control issue, though? A parent took away your control over how you eat and now you struggle with it. That's the epitome of a control issue, isn't it?

 

[dolfette]

it's as much of a control issue as vertigo.
it's a conditioned response.

 

[Not_Punny]

Yikes! Sounds like food is a trigger for a withdrawal/protective mechanism. (Sorry for the clumsy wording)

That so totally sucks.

I don't know if the National Health service provides for it, but some form of cognitive therapy might help. This doesn't sound like something that can easily be battled alone.

 

[B_subgirrl]

I can't relate at all to those of you who have no appetite and/or get the heebies from food. I really can't. I don't think I've ever felt like that in my entire life.

My food issues revolve around taste and flavour. I love flavours. I get positively addicted to them. One of the things I really miss about being overweight is that my flavour experience is short now, despite me eating slowly to try to make it last longer. I miss being able to have large amounts of several flavours in a meal or snack.

I really can't imagine not enjoying food.

 

[Hand_Solo]

I thought we'd have food pills along with flying cars by now. Science fiction really let me down.

 

[Enid]

I thought we'd have food pills along with flying cars by now. Science fiction really let me down.

I would have thought, based on the works of Arthur C. Clarke alone, that we
would all have flying high-heel boots and laser gloves by now. Guess not.

 

[MickeyLee]

uuggghhhhhh!!

laser gloves would be so sweet!!
*pwing.. pwing... pwing*

 

[Hand_Solo]

Nose-picking could be a problem.