Eating Disorder Community - How do you actually feel today?
I probably don't have an eating disorder, but lately I just haven't had an appetite. I am ravenously hungry, but I can't force myself to eat anything. Is there a word for this? It isn't stress. I just feel.. empty.
@FriedBananas - I'm not sure if there's a specific word for this, but I know the feeling! When you're really overwhelmed by stress or something else, it can definitely mess with your eating, as you clench stomach muscles, etc.
Are there things that you can try eating that might be easier to get down in the short term? Are you working on what is stressing you to this point so that it won't be an issue going forward? If you haven't yet, I would recommend checking out the listeners on this site and seeing if venting a bit about what's going on can help alleviate your stress. Take care!
I feel really, really bad today. Wish someone could actually save me from myself today.
@MrsBrownEyes - I'm so sorry to hear what a hard day you're having. Do you think talking to someone might help? You could reach out to a listener on here to get some extra support through your day. For me, that can help a lot, as can finding someone in my life and just getting a big hug. Take care, sweetie. I hope your day improves.
It's not going great. I'm only doing one meal a day and even that's small.
@Lexi1244 - I'm sorry it's not going well. One small meal a day isn't enough, but it is a start. Do you think you could focus on slowly bringing that up? Maybe today you could eat whatever you were already going to, plus an extra piece of bread or fruit or something. And the same tomorrow. And then when that feels OK, you could try adding another snack, or another small meal. You don't need to jump all the way to a full meal plan today, but moving slowly towards it can get you there. You are stronger than you think, and you can do this!
And if you need some extra support, you can always reach out to a listener on here to lean on. Take care.
I didn't eat before cause I needed the money for something that I really wanted now that i got it I'm happy
@nxrry18 - I'm glad you were able to get what you were hoping for, but I hope you're able to eat again. Your body needs nourishment!
As a teen I started to count calories, limit my intake of food and had very small portions of mostly everything. I had therapy but I didn't adressed directly my problem, I stopped being concern about food and start to really enjoy eating, I would eat everything and didn't have any regret afterwards. Right now I'm 23 and though I don't feel like I have a severe eating disorder I feel really anxious about my eating habits, I try to eat 5 times a day and I try to workout four days a week. I just feel that I'm over thinking every time that I eat something and when I have some treats I just feel so guilty about it.
@cgc23 - I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so anxious and overwhelmed by this right now. It can be really hard to manage setting a meal plan for yourself when you've struggled with things like this in the past, and overthinking it can definitely be a challenge. How does it feel when you challenge your plan or if you miss or add a meal/workout? Does that bring up a lot of anxiety?
You also said that in therapy, you didn't directly address your problem - are you still seeing anyone and do you feel like it's something you could bring up with them? Are there other steps you could take to address some of the underlying issues that are causing this?
Take care, and reach out if you ever want to talk.
I am bulimic and i feel really guilty when i dont make myself throw up but then i feel guilty for making myself throw up. is there anyway to help with this?
I feel the same way I want to throw up everytime I eat but I don't because my friend always tells me to keep it down for her.
@yellowlime2345 - I wish I had an easy solution for you, but that is honestly one of the hardest parts of recovery. It takes time to get to the point where you fully want recovery, rather than feeling equally guilty when you work towards recovery and when you slip. The only things I can suggest are taking it one step at a time and trying to be kind to yourself along the way, and reaching out for support - whether friends, family, counselors, people on 7 Cups, whoever - you don't have to go through it alone, and there are lots of people who want to help you. Take care, you can do this. <3
I don't have an eating disorder but lately it feels like I'm setting out onto the path to becoming bulimic. Today I ate a cookie before work and I felt so bad afterwordsabout myself that I almost went to the bathroom to throw it up but the only thing that stopped me was that I knew the smell would linger in the bathroom and I was going to have to teach really soon and my students were going to come in and the bathroom is right by the front door. So instead I decided to move around for a while until I was out of breath and the guilty feeling went away but now hours later I still feel guilty about it
@abhabh - Have you ever talked to anyone about the feelings of guilt you're having with food? As someone who has gone WAY too far down that path, I can tell you that it's 100% not worth it, but also that this is the kind of thing that is easier to deal with now than when you're in the depths of it. I know this society makes it really hard to not ascribe guilt to every last bite we take, but just keep reminding yourself that there is nothing inherently bad about eating a cookie, and you do not deserve to feel bad about it. Take care, sweetie.
Hi. I'm 20 and I have never thought of myself having an eating disorder until a friend with bulimia mentioned it to me. I eat approximately a meal a day and have been doing this on and off since I was 15 or 16. I suffer from GAD and PTSD as well and during my bouts of anxiety I eat less. I have never really told anyone this before so I am kinda just getting things off my chest and hoping it helps me by admitting to this in my life.
@TreeStump - thank you for opening up here. I know it can take an awful lot of courage to admit something like that to yourself or to others, and I'm really proud of you for taking that step. Please let us know if there is any way we can help support you, with this or the GAD/PTSD. There are a lot of fabulous listeners who would love to chat, if you think that would help. Take care
I'm actually feeling really good today which is surprising so I really feel like I'm going to make it through day four today we'll just have to wait and see!
Woohoo! Here's to an awesome day ahead!
I'm feeling extremely better sorta! The great thing is I'm on day 6 so I've made tremendous progress. I still feel extremely insecure about my body so I'm trying to not let that over cloud my mind. I'm just beyond happy I made it past 3 days even though it's been hard it's such an accomplishment so here's to working towards one week!
So crazy happy for and proud of you, @decembernight0608 !
The body image part is really hard, and it takes time to get through, but your determination to keep moving forward even through this is incredible. One thing that helps some people is to practice affirmations - effectively, "fake it 'til you make it". Every morning you can look yourself in the eye in a mirror and tell yourself all the great things about you, even if you're not ready to believe them yet. It feels pretty silly at first, but over time, they start to sink in. Hope it helps!
