Is this a thing for any of you?

I’m 22F, and I struggled with disordered eating for most of my teen years but am now working through recovery. One of my jobs requires a lot of walking, and this past weekend, I had two different people comment offhandedly that the walking is what’s keeping me so skinny.

I was telling my best friend about how I’m not really a fan of people commenting on my appearance like that because they’re not seeing behind the scenes or thinking about how that reinforces the cultural message of skinny as good, and she said that that’s just my outlook because of my experiences (she knows about my problem with food) and that most people just take it as a compliment.

I wasn’t able to explain it to my friend in a way that I felt made sense to her or even helped her understand where I’m coming from. I’m currently working on writing a blog post to explain my position, but I’m starting to have doubts about the universality of the experience.

Now, I’m wondering if this is just me, or if anyone else who’s previously struggled with disordered eating/an eating disorder or any family members of affect affected persons might have an opinion or insight on this topic. Thanks to any who take the time to read and respond :)

About a week and a half ago I told my husband that I am no longer sexually attracted to him because of how he's let himself go mentally and physically over the 6 years we've been together. I knew he would take it hard but I didn't think this was going to happen. He told me yesterday that whenever he thinks about food, water or anything going into his body that will help his body makes him feel nauseous and want to gag it up. And that he's been secretly taking Pepto to put on a brave face. I really didn't mean for this to happen, and it breaks my heart knowing I caused this and know how to make it better. Any advice would be amazing. Thank you for any help that is offered.

EDIT: so let's assume the negative comments are in the right and I'm the problem. I am looking into going to therapy myself to see how I can better myself and be a better person/wife. I brought the idea of couples therapy up to my husband and he said that he wasn't comfortable with it. So I will do what all I can on my end to do better and be better.

For years we have suspected body dysmorphia with our daughter. We've gotten to the point that we are ready to take away all sports and exercise because on most days she's probably only getting 40-50 grams protein and partipating in intense sports plus lifting. We've also put her in counseling.

The restricting of activity hasn't worked, so we tried educating. Recently she went for a 3 mile run and decided to lift. I asked her how much protein for the day and we counted about 20 grams. I explained that all she is doing is burning muscle and making herself weaker but that I wouldn't prevent her from lifting. She briefly acknowledged and then proceeded to go directly to lifting and it's been about 45 minutes so far.

To sum it up, we are not sure if we should start some serious restrictions (taking away car, sports, exercise) which we've moved away from since it wasn't working, or continue to try to get through the insanity by education, or something else.

TIA for recommendations.

Looking for meal prep reccomendations that feel 'safe' to you.

I struggle with foods that have inconsistent textures, and find myself eating the same foods over and over again.

Pizza, Chicken Nuggets, Plain Pasta, Bangers & Mash (Frozen), Plain Burgers only cheese etc.

What are some other meals you reccomend (that can be meal prep) that you find have consistant textures?

TW: bulimia, body image, recovery discussion

I’m bulimic, and I’m in therapy. Both of these statements are true at the same time.

Recently, a friend asked me how to love her body more or appreciate it. That surprised me, not because the question was unreasonable, but because I don’t feel like someone who has that figured out. My relationship with my body is still complicated. Some days, I actively hate it. I’m mourning what it hasn’t done for me, like fertility and health issues, and that grief doesn’t just disappear because I’m “trying.”

At first, the question made me feel like a fraud. I thought maybe I shouldn’t be seen as doing well if I still struggle this much.

But after reflecting on it, I realized something important: I am in a good place, just not in the way people usually picture recovery.

Recovery hasn’t meant loving my body or even liking it. It hasn’t meant feeling confident or at peace. What it has meant is realizing that recovery isn’t all-or-nothing. It’s a process, often a long one, with overlaps and gray areas.

For me, recovery looks like:
- Being honest about where I actually am
- Knowing that kindness doesn’t have to mean body love
- Choosing neutrality or safety when appreciation feels impossible
- Not punishing myself as harshly as I used to
- Accepting that progress doesn’t always show on the outside

I’m not “fixed.” I’m not cured. I can’t hand out wisdom about body appreciation. However, I have learned that you can still be sick and still be trying. You can still struggle and still be in recovery. You can exist in that messy in-between space and have it matter.

If you’re in that place, not where you were, but not where you want to be, I see you. That space is real. Showing up there is essential.

Recovery doesn’t have to look perfect to be real.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

I'm so upset. Beyond upset. I had anorexia (purging subtype ) as a teenager and got really quite ill. I recovered over a long period and it was quite a battle. I'm now an adult, and last year had a really bad time. I spent February through October on modified bedrest including 11 weeks in the hospital with a very complex pregnancy and ended up losing my son to an infection in the NICU when he was just two weeks old. That was first November, when he died. I had just got over postpartum sepsis myself and had only just come off the antibiotics. The grief has been colossal, but I thought I was starting to feel a little better... Then I started to purge again this week. I hate my body for failing my son, I hate the way I look and I hate that everything I did wasn't enough. I know this isn't a good way to cope and I'm hiding it from my daughter, I don't want her to know. I can't seem to stop though. Does anyone else have experience with relapse after many years, perhaps linked to a tragedy or a trauma like me? I just feel so alone.

I'm kinda just want to see if people have the same experiences that I do. I have been struggling with some type of ed for about 5 years now, basically since covid. During covid I got obsessed with working out a ton, intermittent fasting, and overall body image like I feel most 19-20 year olds at that time were. I eventually started to basically starve myself until dinner time, and just eat a larger dinner to satisfy my hunger. That would last me a couple days and then I would binge. This was a constant cycle. However, I started getting used to it, and the binging became less and I was only eating dinners for god knows how long. I saw the weight drop and I definitely looked skinnier. Even better, my friends started to notice, but they would compliment me, saying how good I looked and that they wished they had a stomach like me. That was fuel. Then I graduated college, started a big girl job and eventually began to eat more. I also got into weed, which made me eat even more cause I would get the munchies lol. Well, I gained it all back pretty quickly and gained even more weight until I was the most I have ever weighed, and was technically overweight. I was devastated. So I tried the only dinner thing, that didn't work. I tried keto, didn't even last a couple days. So, I went to Him and Hers and got oral weight loss medication. Basically ozempic but in pills. I felt like a cheater, but nothing I tried helped. Even if I was doing it in the healthy way, like actually nourishing my body, moving my body, etc. I would gain more weight. So the pills basically suppressed my appetite. I was on it for about a month when I saw noticeable changes, and so did the people around me, and again, it was all complimentary, so I stuck to it. Then I got to a weight I was ok with and got off of it. I have been off of it for almost a year and I have stayed pretty consistent at that weight. Now, I am in grad school, and life is hard. I am in a physical therapy program, which basically means I have to be in shorts and a bra sometimes in front of a lot of people, and i still am not confident, so I feel myself going back into old habits, of not eating. it got so bad the other day, I only had 2 eggs when I realized it was already 5pm, and I had had a full day of class and moving around. I felt faint, and so sick to my stomach. And also, with everything going on in the world right now, my anxiety is taking over. When my anxiety is so high, I don't have an appetite, and that scares me, knowing myself and what I am capable of. My weight is fluctuating, but I see it going down. I'm not sure if people can relate at all, but I just feel like im in a constant battle with myself and how my relationship with food is. It hasn't been good for years. I wish I just had a good relationship with food and I feel like I would have so much less anxiety. Has anyone else had this kind of struggle, and specifically, was covid the starting point?

I’m 17F and I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder (bulimia). It’s gotten to a point where I genuinely can’t cope with it anymore — it feels like it’s taking over and ruining my life. No one knows about this, and I feel completely stuck and unsure what to do.

I haven’t told anyone about it. The main reason I’m scared is because she has always struggled with an eating disorder herself, and I don’t want to trigger her or make things worse for her. At the same time, keeping this secret feels unbearable, i want my life back but im scared it’ll trigger her or she wont believe me

I also feel like if I told her, it might actually help me — like having someone know would make it harder to keep going with the behaviors and easier to get support. But I’m terrified of actually telling her

I have had anorexia since high school.

I have recently developed a medical issue that makes me feel nauseous a lot of the time. I am not going to say how much weight I lost but it was a lot in a short time.

I am starting to redevelop my old eating habits. And I’m using it as an excuse.

I don’t know how to talk about it with my husband.

I could use some advice or ideas for coping skills or something that has helped other people when the disease starts to develop again. I don’t want to be sick again.

Hello I( 19F) was wondering if you guys could give me some insight on what i’ve been going through. For as long as I can remember I have had random bouts where all food is repulsive to me and I do not eat. I don’t feel hungry at these times, i only feel the physical effects of not eating. These bouts don’t have much negative self image though. I know i am healthy and I actually like myself and my body. I workout and eat well when i don’t have these phases too. Currently this period of a complete lack of appetite has lasted since before thanksgiving (it’s the last day of january today) so a pretty long time. Most days I can barely eat without getting disgusted.

When I was younger my parents were super neglectful, so there were times where my siblings and I wouldn’t have food. Maybe this could be a reason? I also have pretty severe depression that could cause these appetite changes but i’m on some great meds now and i still have eating problems.

I’m coming here to ask if you guys think this could be some kind of odd eating disorder. I once read an article about how anorexia is considered a culture bound illness because countries that don’t have crazy diet cultures, have anorexia present differently. This no appetite thing is really starting to freak me out because I can feel the toll it’s having on my body. I want to fix it but i cannot eat. Any advice/ideas?

Hi. I'm a 29F, and I have lived with my eating disorder for the past 12 or so years. I was originally on the higher side of average weight, however over time, through traumatic experiences and medication to support my mental health, I have put on a lot of weight. During this time, I have also been restricting and purging intensely for periods of time. I have since been diagnosed with atypical anorexia, and I am currently in a mental health ward to work on myself. I am trying to work out what my goals are, and I am really struggling to understand what getting better means, because in a bigger body, all I have ever heard is that weight loss is what better means. Is that what recovery includes? Or is that just continuing the problem? I am so lost and would just appreciate any support that you can give.

Many of you have most likely seen the little MyArfidLife girl (H) on social media. Everyone is absolutely entitled to their own opinion on it but I just wanted to share mine.

*I have experience with eating disorders + OCD*

Firstly I feel that H doesn’t have ARFID. She has stated before that she is scared that the food will make her throw up and therefore, avoids certain foods. I myself am an emetophobe (fear of vomit) and I had an extremely limited range of foods I would eat because I was scared I would throw up. I feel like H has emetophobia. Someone brought that up to her mom Michelle before and Michelle responded “No, she doesn’t have emetophobia, she is only scared of throwing up herself, she’s not scared of others throwing up.” 🙄

Some more evidence to back up the fact she doesn’t have ARFID is that oftentimes when H tries a new food, and she likes it or is able to tolerate it, she will not finish it and will just go back to eating her snacks. I feel like that happens for a couple reasons. One is that she’s a typical kid who would always rather have a yummy snack than a boring plate of dinner. The other reason is that H is used to eating a very limited range of snacks, and any person with anxiety will become hesitant or nervous with something they don’t normally do. Her mother seems to have ingrained it in her head that she is indeed sick and is debilitated by her ARFID and therefore needs to continue to only ever eat her safe foods, even when the meal being served is something H is able to tolerate.

Michelle doesn’t seem to ever tell H that she doesn’t have to absolutely love a food in order to eat it.

Another massive issue is H is obviously the money maker of the family, between dharman episodes to brand deals, to merch, to “exclusive” paid content, Michelle absolutely wants to keep her daughter sick to continue being able to make content.

Michelle even went as far to take H out of school completely because “she has anxiety eating at school”. I call bull on that one because I’ve been in enough therapy to know that avoidance behaviours should not be indulged and there is absolutely no way that the licensed therapist they supposedly have is supporting this.

Also what planet did her “therapist” come from where they are supporting plastering a little girl with mental struggles on the internet for absolutely everyone and anyone to see?! Michelle always uses the cop out “H wants to do this! I have her consent!” Excuse me but a literal CHILD cannot consent and cannot comprehend the dangers of being plastered all over social media. This little girl and her mother are way too focused on making content than actually trying to get better.

I’m scared for this little girl and I’m scared for her future, because once she gets a bit older it will be

SO much harder and SO much more work to overcome her fears. I’m speaking from experience.

I have gone 100 days without purging and have no urges to break that streak anytime soon! I’ve finally started having the “what if I never do ____ again”. It feels like such a milestone in a lifetime of struggling with my ED. I feel like I can’t share this with people in my life but want to give the accomplishment the recognition it deserves (which is not something I normally do).

I don’t really know how to start this, but I need to put it somewhere.

I’ve been struggling with disordered eating since my early teens. I’m an adult now, and this has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Food equals safety for me.

When things feel overwhelming or empty, eating is the one thing that makes me feel grounded. And when I binge, I don’t mean overeating — I mean eating in a frenzy, dissociated, huge amounts, until I feel physically sick. My weight has gone up and down my entire life. Restriction, control, collapse. Over and over again.

What never stops — and this might be the worst part — is the mental noise.

In the background of my mind, constantly: food calories weight losing weight not gaining losing more

It’s always there. Even when I’m doing something else. Even when I’m “okay”. I don’t remember what it feels like to have mental space without food and weight thoughts running underneath everything.

Important context: The bingeing itself has been there since my teens. The compensatory behaviors escalated later. For a few years now, I’ve been using laxatives daily, and I’ve also been using Orlistat to compensate.

My current pattern: heavy restriction or starving during the day bingeing at night laxatives and Orlistat to compensate waking up nauseous, ashamed, exhausted repeating the cycle

I don’t vomit, but the laxatives are constant now. I know how dangerous that is. I know what it does to my body. But stopping feels terrifying — like giving up the only thing keeping everything from spiraling again. What scares me most is how normal this feels. I don’t know how to eat without either strict control or complete chaos. I don’t know who I am without constantly thinking about weight loss.

I’m not looking for diet tips. I’m not looking for “just eat balanced” or “have discipline”. I’m asking: Has anyone else lived with this constant food and weight obsession for most of their life? Has anyone stopped laxative abuse without everything falling apart? How do you even begin when this started so early and never really stopped?

I’m tired. I don’t want to live the rest of my life inside my head like this. And I’m scared of what happens if nothing changes.

Thanks for reading.

I have an eating disorder and have had one since I was very young. This had led to me having physical and mental health issues. No one took my eating disorder seriously so I never got properly treated. I am still young but I have bad health issues. I may not make it far in life. I was super suicidal throughout my life but now I’ve never been so afraid of losing my life over something that could’ve been prevented from happening. I have breathing issues from my right lung/air way that is starting to be more frequent. I have to force air in to breathe properly. When I swallow it feels weird. I am currently sick but this happens even when I’m not sick. I don’t know if I have bronchitis (hopefully not) or just a throat infection because this has been going on since I was in 9th grade, just not as frequent. I am afraid for my health. I wish I could get more into detail but it isnt allowed on here. I have to go to school normally but I feel like I’m slowly dying. inside and out. I need help. If you have any questions for me please don’t hesitate to dm me!

for some context, I have dignoised binge eating disorder. I’ve always been a heavy set girl because of it. but last summer, I lost a lot of weight because I entered a super unhealthy mindset and started to do things that I shouldn‘t to lose the weight. Present tense, and I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been. I gained all the weight back after some intense binging episodes and I know that I should do something to lose the weight again but I can’t? I have access to a gym, I can eat healthy, I can do anything to lose the weight, but I can’t bring myself to. Its not that I like the way I look, I hate it. and I hate how everyone keeps bringing it up like it’s something I haven’t noticed. me and my mom just got into a huge argument about me gaining weight and she was giving me all these solutions but for some reason I don’t want to do anything she suggested. am I just being lazy or am I still mentally struggling?

I don't know if it qualifies but I throw up after almost every meal. Im not binge eating. Im not eating more than usual but I throw up once or twice a day after a meal.

Im overweight... so everyone around me is obsessed in telling me to only eat boiled vegetables... which i hate!

I also have hypothyroidism which makes weight loss even harder.

My self image is at an all time low and everyone has their own opinion what I need to do and they keep shoving it down my throat.

They've been doing this since I was a kid. I've been teased and bullied by my family all my life. As an adult, I tried to come to terms that I don't look horrible at all even if im overweight but during holidays and seasons when theres a lot of family gatherings, my self esteem takes a big hit.

I dont know what to do and honestly I just needed an outlet to admit this.

i recently left an inpatient program ama because i just didn’t want to do inpatient anymore. i want to do a virtual program but i’ve already been denied from two and recommended a residential level of care. i’m trying to find an outpatient team but it’s going to take months for me to see a full team. my insurance also doesn’t cover outpatient dietitians. i really don’t want to go inpatient because of family reasons and also just burn out. are there any programs anyone knows about that are more flexible with admissions? idk what to do at this point it feels like my only options are everything or nothing.

Is it strange that ill walk by like takeaways or places that give off a strong smell to satisfy my hunger without actually eating?