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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lost_and_delerious on May 21, 2006, at 18:44:40
ok here is my situation...I was anorexic from the ages of 12-15 and at that time my weight hovered between 85-90 pounds, throughout highschool I just started to eat lunch and a small dinner and maintained a weight of around 90-95 pounds. When I went off to university though I was never around a scale and I ate all the time never really knoing what I was doing just living to study and ate because everyone else was eating and it became a social thing, purging was never a thought in my head. wehn I came back from univeristy I weighed a somewhat disappointing 135pounds but I lived with it over the next 3 years I became depressed after my step father died of cancer and was put on several antidepressants and went up to 160 pounds last october I started to go on a really healthy diet to loose the weight and settled that 140 was a good weight but got to 135. this january 24 my mom died. at the time I weighed 135...depression has changed my eating habits. I now eat becuase I have to. Some day I go without eating because I've really forgotten or just haven't felt that food is interesting. I will eat if people are around me but also I don't know if I'm doing it becuase i'm scared that I'm losing weight I'm counting the calories that i eat. I now weigh between 119 and 121 depending on the day and I'm 5'4. it's still healthy, but I'm afraid it will go to far. sometimes I catch myself thinking well I'm 119 so I can be 115...and i know that sort of logic is wrong.
Is the anorexia coming back ?
Posted by llrrrpp on May 22, 2006, at 16:39:34
In reply to How do you know if your anorexia is back, posted by lost_and_delerious on May 21, 2006, at 18:44:40
Hi L&D
I've never been anorexic, but I have had a really hard time eating enough in the last 2 months. I've been diagnosed with major depression, and for the most part I have no desire to eat. I think this is a pretty common symptom of depression. I used to have a VERY healthy appetite, so it's kind of caught me off guard. At the moment I'm not exactly in a position to be giving advice, (I will anyways, but it's 100% hypocritical) but you might want to talk to your doctor and/or therapist about strategies to maintain a healthy diet. Several people recommended that I eat frozen entree's, for example, or nutrition shakes, since chewing was kind of a bother. Plastic utensils and paper plates eliminate the excuse "I have no clean dishes, therefore I can't eat". Also, I find that it's easier for me to eat if I eat with my friends. So I was really good for a few weeks about finding a lunch break buddy, and going out to dinner with friends.You may need to be extra conscious to get enough food, and enough of the right kind of food, even if you do have to count calories for a while. I think that a good goal is to maintain a stable weight. Remember that the brain needs high-quality amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates in order to repair itself and work well. I think the amino acids are particularly important to make those neurotransmitters that are likely out of balance due to your depression. I hope you can find an expert to talk about this with. I know little about eating disorders.
Good luck and peace
Posted by Poet on May 23, 2006, at 11:40:50
In reply to How do you know if your anorexia is back, posted by lost_and_delerious on May 21, 2006, at 18:44:40
Hi Lost & Delerious,
I'm sorry to hear about your mother and step father. That's a lot to have happen and I can see why your anorexia might be hard to control right now.
I know my bulimia is getting out of control again when I am bingeing and purging because I think I need to lose weight or am looking fat. I tend to not eat when I'm depressed and binge/purge when I have anxiety.
You said that you're eating when people are around you, that makes me think that maybe you're anorexic thinking is becoming more intense. Not in a major I have to restrict all food way, but in a it wouldn't hurt me to lose weight, but I'm scared of what can happen to me way.
Did you ever see a therapist for your anorexia? If so, it might be a good idea to call him/her and talk about it. Keep posting here. We're here to help.
Poet
Posted by Racer on May 23, 2006, at 16:36:44
In reply to How do you know if your anorexia is back, posted by lost_and_delerious on May 21, 2006, at 18:44:40
First of all, I want to take Poet's excellent advice a step farther: if you didn't see a therapist for your anorexia in the past, go find one now. It really is necessary, even if this is "only" depression and grief.
And now for my pedantry: Yes, that's definitely Anorexia -- but is it Anorexia Nervosa? "Anorexia" means lack of appetite, from any cause. Depression and grief are causes, and anxiety for some people, as well. Anorexia Nervosa includes a few other elements, such as the distorted body image, basing your self-worth on your weight, rigid perfectionism, etc. If you're counting the calories right now, because it's kinda second nature to you, that may not be AN. It might just be habit, because you did it before. On the other hand, if you're counting the calories as in "I can't eat that -- it's got more than 100 calories per serving!" Well, I guess I don't have to tell you what that would probably indicate, huh?
My own experience is that virtually any severe stressor will send me down that road. How far down I get depends on a lot of things, but once it gets past a certain point there's no turning back. I can watch myself killing myself, and still not be able to change anything. That's where nutritional counseling and psychotherapy come in. And they are pretty well necessary.
Also, consider joining Weight Watchers, for the meetings. You're obviously not there to lose weight, but you are there to learn healthier eating habits, which is a cheaper version of nutritional counseling. Their "points" system is based on the American Diabetes Association exchanges, and those are used by most nutritional counselors. If you're not quite sure about WW, get a copy of their little pocket exchange book. It lists how much of each sort of food makes a portion, and you can use that to learn to judge what's a normal amount of food to eat.
It's scary, and it's even worse when it's part of a triple whammy like that. You won't do yourself any favors, though, by trying to get through it alone. Try to find a good therapist who specializes in eating disorders, or a good grief counselor. Find a good grief support group -- that's really valuable.
And good luck.
Posted by lost_and_delerious on May 28, 2006, at 6:17:52
In reply to Re: How do you know if your anorexia is back » lost_and_delerious, posted by Racer on May 23, 2006, at 16:36:44
Thanks for all the posts, I am thinking of talking to my doctor about seeing a nutritionist to see if I can just even get a menu started and stick to that with simple easy to prep foods that I don't have to thinka bout because that is some of my problem. Also the issue of hey I don't have clean dishes so I won't eat but that is getting better over time.
But I guess my main issue really is general interest in food. Even if i am interested in it and truely do want to eat I will only eat about half of what I have before getting full...now I'm not sure if that's an actualy "full" feeling or a me just saying stop but I will feel ill if I try to eat any more.
LD
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