It sucks feeling guilty for eating and not even for body image issues now. Like I don't even hate my body that much anymore but i still feel the need to eat as little as possible. It's basically almost thoughtless compulsion now instead of deliberately doing it. At least i don't make myself throw up anymore

Really getting concerned about this because I've been on T for a bit (FTM) and i am getting extremely hungry now and super tired when i eat the way i normally eat. Like I don't think I'm going to die from it but it's definitely negatively impacting my work and home life. Any tips?

Hey guys, I want to share my story because I don’t know what to do right now and I’m really struggling. I have been addicted to laxatives for about 7-10 years now. I’m currently 21 years old and I really want to stop.

When I was around 11 years old I got diagnosed with pcos. I was techically considered obese was really struggling at this period and decided to lose weight. When I turned 15 after I reached a highest weight of and decided enough was enough. Since this was during covid I decided to really dedicate my time to weight loss. I lost a lot of weight which I was so proud but I also found laxatives. My parents had used them and recommended them to me since I dealt with serious constipation. It would take me 3 days to have a normal bowel movement. So I started taking dulcolax. As I got more dependent, I started increasing the medicine.

My weight would fluctuate a lot during this period. Mainly due to the laxatives. I then ended up going to a new dietician where I stopped my use of dulcolax. I had been taking around 6 pills a day. When I went off I struggled a lot and was bloated for around a month. So I decided to go to my pharmacist and he prescribed a natural laxative. I would take 4 pills a day.

I don’t want to say that I have an eating disorder or anything but I’m just so upset about my dependence on the laxative. I need advice on how to go off it because it’s really affecting my life and my mental health. I constantly feel that I can’t do it because I know I will gain weight and feel pain, but I also want to be free from this medication that is causing me so much stress. Does anyone have advice on what to do.

Hello,

I’m about to reconnect with and date a former acquaintance of mine who has (or had; don’t know about her progress) anorexia. Over the course of the years we mainly sent time together going out to dance and eat. But at some point she “vanished” which was connected to her therapy. She unfortunately never told me about this herself so that I someday got told by someone we both know.

I know this is incredibly general but I want that she feels comfortable with me and that I don’t care about how she looks. At the same point I want to assist her on her journey.

Tl;Dr, I’ve got two questions:
1. What are things i should avoid saying, doing etc.
2. What date ideas are suitable for someone with an ED

Again, I’m very sorry for the shallowness of this post, but in my opinion there’s nothing better than advice from actual affected people.

I decided to talk to my best friend about my ED. I struggle to talk to people about my mental health face to face. However it’s been especially bad lately and I knew I had to tell him we don’t keep secrets. He just listened. He didn’t freak out or judge me he just listened and encouraged me. He let me talk for as long as I wanted and get everything out. I’ve had people try to scare me out of my ED for years now and it’s not like I didn’t want to stop but for the first time I feel like someone genuinely got through to me by just listening and being gentle and supportive. I’m starting an outpatient program soon because of that conversation and I wanted to share that with you guys.

I've suffered from AN & ARFID since I was 12, I'm now 44 so it's been a very long time. I've never considered I had BN until my specialist wrote it as another disorder I have. I thought BN was binging & purging which I've never done, my specialist is basing the diagnosis solely on my laxative abuse. Does this figure?

No discussion of weight/behaviors.

Curious to hear how other people’s doctors were and how clear they were about your diagnosis is/was.

Recently I was going through my medical records because I’m switching doctors, and discovered that the diagnosis I had been telling people I had was incorrect; up until I had my first relapse, every document refers to me having ARFID, before it switches to anorexia with no mention of ARFID or any ARFID related behaviors.

The behaviors I started with were, in hindsight and from the documentation, were very much more ARFID than AN, but it was never presented to me that way nor was I ever told directly (same with my depression diagnosis, but that’s a different issue…)

Is this normal? I’m aware that switching between EDs is, but I was never really told directly what I had was X eating disorder/that it had developed into something else and it just really threw me to find because I think it would be relevant to my psychiatrist/current doctor, especially since I’m currently having issues.

I apologize if this is too much information. This is my first post and am hoping to get any type of information.

Symptom: chronic bloating. All day. Everyday. It does not matter what I eat or do, I am constantly bloated. And it is not a cute little bloat, I look pregnant.

History: In school I was always smaller. In high school, I gained a little belly fat - normal.

My freshman year of college, I was at community college and I noticed no change. During the summer between freshman and sophomore year, I felt the need to lose a little weight. I also remember talking to people about having tummy issues (the start of my bloat?? Can't remember if this is true or superimposed into my memory). Minimal to no bloat. This is the summer that I start going to the gym. Up until high school, I did not like being active. In high school, I played tennis. In college, I began to value exercise and am now pretty consistent.

My sophomore year of college, I went to a university. The reason I bring up these dates is because throughout my university experience, I have been under immense stress (could this affect my symptoms?). Symptoms weren't too bad at the start of the semester. I started feeling "fat" after every meal and felt the need to lose weight (did not realize that this was bloat!). I gained some weight. Spring semester of my sophomore year, I am at my heaviest weight, ever. I start HEAVILY restricting my meals (we're talking one meal a day. I can barely function because food is all that I think about). I lost quite some weight within three to four weeks (continued one meal a day with bingeing for about a month). I start bingeing and also (I am so incredibly embarrassed to admit this), start taking my roommates food. I lose my period.

The summer between my sophomore and junior of university, I go to basic training and AIT (for the military). I am severely underfeeding myself. I lose my hair. I am unaware of what I am doing to my body. I am out in the sun and running around all day and eating undressed salads. I always felt "full" but it was just because I bloated so fast. It got to the point where many of my drill sergeants and battle buddies were concerned, however, I was convinced that was all that my body needed. I discover low-FODMAPs. I am at home for what should have been my junior year fall semester. I attempt low-FODMAPS, I am HEAVILY restricting my diet, and hit my lowest adult weight. My GI doctor tests me for a slew of issues, and everything comes back negative. My heart rate is extremely low and we chalk it up to me being a runner. Spring semester of my junior year, I return to school and I start gaining some weight. I try low-FODMAPs but it is hard. My stomach would be flat in the mornings occasionally (but I am also just not eating ENOUGH food). Halfway through the semester, I am starting to inch my way out of that that headspace. I gain my period back. April and May I see a therapist. I start throwin' back food (I love it again? Well, I never stopped loving food, I was scared of it). The bloat is bloatin'. My goal for the summer was to de-stress (does not happen). I had two long trips and I was not eating as healthy as I usually do.

Now we are up to the present - fall semester of my senior year in college. I am EXTREMELY stressed. I am not eating as healthy as I would like. I was very intense about my workouts at the start of the semester, and now I am burning out. I hate to admit it, but stealing roommates food has not subsided. I have seen a nutritionist twice now. At first she thought that the bloat was because I was not eating breakfast (no). She believes that it is the re-feeding process taking place. She would like me to get re-tested for some GI issues.

Questions: What do you think could be the cause of my chronic bloat? How long does chronic underfeeding have to occur for bloating to become a symptom? How long does refeeding take for bloating to stop? Will I ever get my body back/stop feeling/looking like this?

I value any thoughts. This is hard for me to admit, and some of this information is embarrassing to share. I understand that some of it is weird, so I would appreciate no negative comments on that (or perhaps ways of stopping it. I'm talking the food stealing, because whoah, that's weird. Why am I doing that?).

I’m not seeking a diagnosis and I don’t want to get too specific as to not trigger others

The basic rundown;
Obese since age 5. Parents had me on many programs since then up until 18. Eventually had surgery at my biggest. Gained some weight back and went on a GLP1. Currently at my lowest weight which is still considered overweight.

I’m in therapy and IOP for other mental health concerns. My therapist and IOP tell me to seek an ED specialist because I do not eat anywhere near what my calorie intake should be or have more than a meal a day. My argument is that I’m on a GLP1 which makes me not want to eat. I feel I don’t have an ED since I’m on this medication.

Idk am I in denial? Do I seek out an ED specialist? I guess my biggest concern is what will a specialist do if I don’t believe I have an ED and don’t want to change this right now?

Curious about this because I've read over and over again that, in early recovery, people with restrictive EDs tend to be constipated and bloated because our metabolism is slowed down. However, I go through periods of remission and through relapses, and whenever I get out of a relapse and start eating adequately, I get the exact opposite. Sure, I do get horribly bloated and gassy but I'm also occupying the toilet all the time and when I eat something, anything, it just flies straight through me.

I feel really weird about it not only because it's gross but also because all articles about EDs and recovery only talk about constipation, not about...this. When I was experiencing it for the first time, my doctor didn't even connect it to my ED because of how atypical it is and my therapist didn't think of it being connected either. Considering that it's a pattern though, I can safely say that it is just what happens whenever I get out of a relapse.

Hello all;

I have a student/client who is in their late teens that suffers from Emetophobia (fear of vomiting), and as such has lately been severely restricting their food intake from that fear. They mentioned the phobia to me recently, and I knew it was an issue that’s been affecting them as of late. Their mother has spoken with me as well and has said they’re acting out from this a lot lately. I presume they’re in therapy for it, though I’m not sure. They do have a fairly good relationship with their mother based on what they’ve mentioned before to me, so I don’t feel concerned on that front, tho I’ll obvs keep an eye/ear out for their safety.

What I’m seeking is any advice anyone may have on something like this, if anyone has dealt with this before? I’m looking for the best ways that I can support them and help them as they deal with this, beyond just making sure we’ve got ample snacks and food on hand when they’re here.

Thank you in advance for any help and resources you all can provide!! Thank you.

I've been in recovery for 30 days now, after restricting for around 16 months. But I never feel hungry or full anymore, it's like my cues are completely gone and I'm constantly at a state of neutrality. It's very confusing because I don't ever have a feeling of hunger, but at the same time no matter how much | eat I never get any sense of fullness (It would take me to eat 4k+ to actually feel some sort of fullness). All I want is to be able to actually FEEL hungry/ full like a normal person. After each meal it's like I haven't eaten anything and am left with that same feeling of neutrality. So right now I'm wondering if I should kind of go "all in" and honor this lack of fullness by eating until | can actually get that feeling no matter how high the amount is, or if I should stick by the recovery amount range and end my day of eating regardless if I feel full or not? For context, I lost Quite a substantial amount of my body weight in the span of 16 months and am now quite UW and I know that I need to restore weight and eat more, but I'm confused on if the overall intake or time of day/consistency matter more for bringing these cues back. I've also lost my period for quite some time, and l would love any advice on what helped you/what you think I should do to help my situation.

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Hello, I've been in a relationship with my girlfriend for almost a year.

She has a severe eating disorder and that worries me.

We are in LDR so I can't help much but I need any kind of advice and help because I'm truly worried about her health.

Sadly therapy is out of the question(family issues)

I went to residential treatment at the end of November last year and left in February, and then did PHP and IOP until the end of June this year. I genuinely was doing so much better for so long and I thought for a while that I was almost fully recovered.

A couple weeks ago I spiraled into a depression that always seems to come this time of year and slipped back into old habits. My therapist said today that if there’s not significant progress within the next week then I will have to go back to residential.

I feel so guilty and I don’t have high hopes that I’ll be able to make enough progress to not go because I’m really struggling. And I do think going back would really help me. But I feel so much shame and like embarrassment to go back there after doing so well, and it feels like such a quick turn around. I literally sent my residential team a letter a month ago telling them how well I was doing and I feel like they’re going to be disappointed in me. I’m scared my family is disappointed too. I’m disappointed in me.

I think it would help me to hear similar stories (preferably with a happy ending)? I’m starting to feel like there’s no hope for recovery if I can go from doing so well to needing to go back to residential in just a few weeks.