I am 16 years old. I have had anorexic tendencies since i was 12. I've been bulimic for a year.

 

My eating disorder started when I was in seventh grade. I was kind of chubby still, and all the other girls were so skinny. People made fun of me and I was never popular. But that is only part of it.

 

My mom had moved us in with her boyfriend, who was an alcoholic. My mom was always really skinny and beautiful, but during the time she was with him, her weight had dramatically changed. She went from 135 to 205 in a little less than five years. I saw how unhappy she was, and I didnt want to be like that, so I started starving myself. I have been in and out of anorexia/bulimia for the past 4 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anorexics have an intense fear of becoming fat. Their dieting habits develop from this fear. Anorexia mainly affects adolescent girls.

People with anorexia continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin, are very ill or near death. Often they will develop strange eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of other people. Sometimes the individuals will prepare big meals for others while refusing to eat any of it.

Bulimia

Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is a psychological eating disorder. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge-eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging). Inappropriate methods of weight control include vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives and diuretics, or compulsive exercising. Excessive shape and weight concerns are also characteristics of bulimia. A binge is an episode where an individual eats a much larger amount of food than most people would in a similar situation. Binge eating is not a response to intense hunger. It is usually a response to depression, stress, or self esteem issues. During the binge episode, the individual experiences a loss of control. However, the sense of a loss of control is also followed by a short-lived calmness. The calmness is often followed by self-loathing. The cycle of overeating and purging usually becomes an obsession and is repeated often.

Compulsive Overeating

Compulsive overeating is the excessive consumption of food (bingeing), often thousands of calories at a time. People with Compulsive Overeating have what is characterized as an "addiction" to food. They often use food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.

Bingeing is used as a release or response to negative situations. For this reason, it is often called "comfort eating", although compulsive overeating can be far more serious than this. Binge eating temporarily relieves the stress of these feelings, but is unfortunately followed by feelings of guilt, shame, disgust, and depression. Binge eating, like Bulimia, often occurs in secret. Often times, Compulsive Overeaters eat normally or restrictively in front of others and then make up for eating less by bingeing in secret. Not every compulsive overeater binges by eating thousands of calories at a time. Some may eat foods all day long.

ED-NOS

The formal diagnosis of "Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" is a catch-all for eating disorders that don't exactly fit the parameters of anorexia or bulimia. It is a very broad category, because it may can mean many things:

• A person who severely restricts food intake but is not yet underweight by DSM-IV standards
• A female who meets all other criteria for anorexia but continues to have regular menstrual periods.
• A person who regularly binges WITHOUT engaging in inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as purging (also known as binge eating disorder).
• Someone who binges and purges but does not meet the frequency or duration requirements for a diagnosis of bulimia
• Someone who regularly purges after eating regular amounts of food, but is not yet "clinically underweight."
• Someone who regularly chews food and spits it out without swallowing, but does not meet the criteria for either bulimia or anorexia.
• Any individual who is recovering from or just about to enter one of the "specified" eating disorders.

Orthorexia

Whereas anorexia nervosa is an obsession with the quantity of food one eats, it is also possible to be obsessed with eating foods of a certain quality.

While it is normal for people to change what they eat to improve their health, treat an illness or lose weight, individuals with orthorexia nervosa may take the concern too far. It is common for individuals who are on diets to be concerned with what types of food they are eating, but this concern should quickly decrease as they near or achieve their desired weight.

In the case of orthorexia nervosa, people remain consumed with what types of food they allow themselves to eat, and feel badly about themselves if they fail to stick to their diet.