Curious....

[truebeauty]

Hey! I myself am not personally aquainted with either ana or mia, nor am I here to preach. I was simpky curious as to why people turn to such extreams in dieting?

Was there a specific instance that set it in motion? Was it a gradual progression? Is it a compulsion, or do you have to will yourself to do it? Anything you have to say would be great to hear

Thanks

[Thru_The_Looking_Glass]

I'm glad u r not being judgemental. A lot of ppl who come on here that dont have eating disorders (EDs) come on here to tell us how stupid we r.

The answer is that EDs are not about dieting the majority of the time. They are in some ways compairable to drug addiction and alcoholism. EDs are a way of escaping feelings and dealing w anxiety, much as alcoholism and drug addiction are. I have actually studied the genetic components of EDs. Researchers believe that there is a gene or series of genes of predisposition, meaning that we r born w the ability to develop this mental disorder but something has to activate it. In some cases its abuse or rape, but even extreme types of parenting can be a factor (there are actually a lot of factors that come into play). So it is neither nature or nurture, but a combination of the 2. For me, I think it was having a removed parent, being raped, and having an overall perfectionist attitude, but its different for everyone.

To answer the other questions, none of us are alike. Everyone has their own unique experience w the disorder. But in my case it was a gradual progression. I started as an exercise bulimic and then a purging bulimic and eventually it took over my life and i was purging 3 times a day.

And its not that it is forced necessarily, but instead a task i must do. I used to not be able to leave the house until i puked that day. When i am full i have the sensation of fear as though i am being raped, so in order to eleviate that feeling i purge.

However, it is also compulsion. Thoughts of food and weight and exercise take up a signifigant amount of my day. I have a compulsion to stuff myself initially and then get rid of it all. When i was really sick, i would take food out of the garbage.

What you need to understand, and what most ppl have a hard time understanding, is that in those moments an ED patient is not thinking clearly,they are a completely different person and thats y it is a secretive disease. Its a difficult disorder to rap ur mind around because the majority of the time eating disordered ppl appear to be rational, so it is assumed that they are making a conscious choice to do these behaviors.

Sorry for the long spiel, but I am a huge advocate of getting our voices out there and helping society to better understand the reality of this disorder.