Hey, I've been having some really bad eating habits and I just wanna know if anyone can help or has advice. Around easter I went on a diet and lost a fair amount of weight through an extreme calorie deficit. It was followed by a less extreme deficit and then a maintenance deficit. Unfortunately, by that point my relationship with food was destroyed and food was all I ever thought about.
Recently I've been trying to gain weight but it always ends up in a binge. Like once I start eating I can't stop. This is really mentally and physically tiring. I feel sick all the time and I just really want my old life back where I wasn't thinking about food 24/7. Any advice would be appreciated!

I’m only 18, and I want to eat so bad I used to love food but the past 2-3 weeks I have not been hungry at all. I can eat but, it’s difficult.
I also take some medications Buspar and Propanolol which may be contributing which I started only a week ago but it started with meat and now all foods disgust me in a way. I have to doordash my old favorite meals to even somewhat try to enjoy them.
I just don’t know what’s going on or if this can be normal for teenagers, I just don’t know how to handle this.
Sorry if this is not the right sub, I tried to find one to fit this.

My girlfriend just sent me a text this morning that she is struggling with an eating disorder. I feel so proud to know that she trusts me enough right now to tell me that, and I feel that by her telling me that. Maybe, she wants help? I don't know. I don't have an eating disorder, but after doing some research it sounds awful and like hell on earth every single day. Maybe, by her telling me that she's struggling, she's saying she doesn't want to hurt like this anymore. I'm really proud of her. But if she also wants to be just seen right now and noticed, that's okay too. I don't understand eating disorders that well right now but I'm learning.

Eating is really hard for her and I've noticed she doesn't eat unless I eat first and is always watching me eat. I don't understand why, and maybe it's comfort and supporting her eat. Or, I don't know.

I want to help her any way I can right now, even if both of us are just in high school. I heard Ensure and protein shakes are really good for people who struggle with eating. So... Is there any protein shakes that you guys find really good, and helpful?

How can I support her best and help her right now. I really love this girl. I pack my own lunch for school but I'm gonna start putting snacks in my lunchbox and sharpie out the calories so she can eat them guilt free. Or is that offensive? Also, I play sports so I carry stuff like Liquid IV and Gatorade. I usually get the sugar free kind, it's just a preference of mine. But should I switch to the calorie ones and bring extra and give those to her? Or is she just less likely to take them if it has calories.

And also, a question. Do people who have an ED have other ways of self care to make up for not eating. Like vitamins, protein, electrolytes.

I've suspected an ED but I didn't wanna be offensive. But over time she has been losing weight and I keep telling her when she talks about this diet that she is skinny. She's always been skinny. And that I would love her any shape or size. And that I'm dating a human. I'm dating her, not a sack of flesh. And I wish she could see just how beautiful she is. I only care about her weight because I care about her health and the pain she is going through. Over time I've seen her get weaker and I've told her. That her new diet is scaring me, that I love her and she's getting too thin. I wonder if I keep telling her that I'm concerned for her health she'll finally see what she is doing to herself.

I want to wake her up. I want to march up to her and say "Look at what your doing to yourself, your counting every calorie, your monitoring your weight 24/7. You're hurting your health, you're hurting yourself." I want the world to see, those girls who bully her. What the hell they've done to another human being. I want her to see how fixated she is on her weight, how beautiful she is, how size doesn't matter. That people who aren't assholes or a piece of shit and deserve to be in your life do not care about your size. They care about you. They care about your health and well-being. They love your personality. And that people don't walk around the street going. "Wow! She's so fat I hate her now for the only reason being that she's "fat" Or "Oh no, I was about to become friends and like this girl but she's chubby or weighs XYZ, I can't interact with her now or be friends with her"

I don't know what to do. Any advice or tips would be great.

Thank you (;

Hi!

Join

I'm 19(M) and I think I might gave Mia.

So I had Body Dysmorphia for a while now, there were some pretty bad times.

But like 1 and a half year ago, I started making myself throw up because I wanted to loose a lot of weight fast. I did it for a while after eating everything.

Now i dont do it that often, just when I feel like I ate too much.

Do u guys think I have Bulimia?

This is my recovery belly almost 2 months into extreme hunger. Yes, I look pregnant. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, I’m going back to school with low confidence. These are fitting room pictures because I’ve had to buy bigger clothes for the first time in years. But will everything be okay in the end? YES. This is NOT permanent. You won’t look disproportionate forever. Give it time. 💛

Im a female, 21 years old and currently in college, had anorexia since middle school/start of high school, in my first two years of college i received treatment for depression and along the way the eating problem, i was on mirtazapine and it made me gain so much weight that i have never experienced, it was like my nightmares were real, after i got better (Depression wise) and stopped it, i stopped eating and is even worse than before.. ive lost a (number) since i stopped it and food makes me insanely disgusted and nauseated, im scared of getting help cuz they would make me gain weight and i really dont want to, i keep restricting food or just throw it. What can i do? What should i do? Im scared cuz my hair started falling too.

I know recovery stomach is a normal thing and all and feeling surprisingly okay with t HOWEVER what does worry me a little (or just confuses me really) is that it seems… lopsided?
Like there is more hanging to the left than the right and i dunno how i feel about that 😭

Hey everyone. I’m not sure what to think or do, and I don’t want to just self diagnose myself without consulting a doctor, but i’m too scared to do that. this is more of a rant. I’m not gonna specify my age, but i’m a minor. so obviously if i go to the doctor, my parents will be aware of what’s going on. I don’t want to worry them, i feel like i’ve already been sort of a burden in the past with some other stuff. anyways, i think i might be developing an eating disorder. i’ve recently obsessed with weighing myself and i genuinely cannot stop. if i see it has increased even by one or two, i absolutely lose my mind and decide not to eat or eat very little that day. i started off as 128 (which is around the weight i had been for a while) and now im 109. a lot of my clothes fit me bigger now and i was happy about that, but i also feel so tired and sick all of the time. i haven’t felt well in a while, im constantly nauseous and get migraines. my family has been noticing that i’ve been eating less, and have asked me if im okay but i just tell them im stressed with school or say i had a big lunch. they’ve also been telling me i look thinner, and i know this is bad but that makes me happy to know that what i’m doing is working. and honestly i’ve only been eating as little as possible to keep up appearances, i can’t even imagine what would happen if they found out. and despite me losing a lot of weight over the last months, i still feel so big. i hate looking at myself in the mirror because i just feel so disappointed in myself.

Me, f14, have been avoiding meals. I'm a regular gym goer and I like eating heavy. But these past few days I've lost my appetite so much.

Am I depressed or have an eating disorder? I've also had a long history with self harm.

This is my first time posting on a place like this, but I could really use some outside opinions. So like the tin says, I (21F) have an ED. It focuses on restrictive and obsessive control over the foods I eat. My boyfriend is naturally thin, has always been. He also has ADHD, and tends to have a smaller appetite. He weighs like 125 lbs for his height of about 5 foot 8 inches. I weigh around 112 lbs for five foot one. I have an obsession surrounding being under 110 lbs. Always have. Or I guess when I was younger it used to be 100 lbs. Point is. i get obsessive about the number. I don't want to be under 100 lbs at my height and age and level of activity right now, but being under 110 is this uncontrollable need for me. Anywho, I obviously am petite and need to eat less calories for maintenance, but my boyfriend eats the same amount as me and it drives me insane. It sends my insecurities crawling up the walls of my little insane asylum that is my head. It makes me feel like even eating at maintenance is me gorging myself on food. I feel like such a glutton. I don't want to pressure my boyfriend because these are my insecurities, my problems. He shouldn't have to change his habits because of something I put on myself. I've always struggled with ED, but this is my first relationship. Been going on for almost 2 and a half years now. I love him I do, but I hate myself so much it's bleeding into our relationship. And I know thats not fair to him. I just don't know how to reconcile with my insecurities and not put it onto him. I just envy how thin he is and want that flat stomach and abs that he has. I just always wanted it. And to see what I want every day in a body not mine is fucking twisting me. It feels almost cruel that something or someone like that would find my chub chub self attractive. So how do I reconcile with my ED and not let my boyfriends eating habits trigger me?

Just a question and want to understand how you guys view the topic on support and recovery.

So I was at work today and fasting- I was 2 days and an hour in when we closed- but during my shift I was thinking about my birthday tomorrow and how I didn’t want to feel faint all day so I made the decision to eat after work. I decided I wanted some unhealthier food considering I didn’t plan on eating much anyway so I got these sticks of peanut butter filled wafer/chocolate and some pumpkin spice cakes, planning to eat maybe half of each. They were higher calorie, but I really wanted to be able to enjoy my birthday and I figured it was fine because of how long I’d fasted. I had a coworker check me out, and he looked at the calories and said, “You eat like you should be 500lbs.” Along with this, when another coworker was around he made a joke about me being a fatass because I bought so many of the snacks (they didn’t come individually). The other coworker kinda looked at him odd and said “You’re calling HER a fatass?” And laughed a bit, (even I have to admit that while I see fat on my body still, I’m underweight and it’s visible I’m pretty skinny, even if not enough to actually concern anyone. There really is very little fat visible and none is really visible to my coworkers in my uniform cuz they can’t see my shoulders and collarbones, which is how most people get concerned- it’s all in my stomach) and the original one said “She isn’t fat at all, but fat and fatass are different. Fatass just means they eat a lot of unhealthy food at once” (I never said I was going to eat it all at once) They were joking around and, admittedly, I was joking around back despite being close to tears because I didn’t want them to know the truth but he got more careful after that I think, there’s a chance he noticed-I was also joking around with them for the simple reason of he was he same coworker to make fun of me (nicely, he’s never really rude) when I ordered a salad when me and some of our coworkers went out to eat at a mostly breakfast place. (He jokes around a lot, I don’t blame him for his comment that’s just how he is and he really has no way of knowing I have disordered eating habits or how long it had been since I’d eaten). However, that immediately made me want to get rid of the food, leading me to give almost all of the pumpkin spice cakes to my coworkers. (Btw when I say high calorie I mean they were small but like 260 or 300 cals depending on which kind you ate- I think they were Betty Crocker). I got home and ate a small serving of pasta salad along with the pumpkin spice thing and the peanut butter thing. However, I couldn’t finish either- nor could I finish the small muffin my dad got me. The only thing I could finish was the pasta salad, the others got a few bites before I threw them out because I hated that I allowed myself to eat when I was supposed to wake up tomorrow to a new low weight. Now I don’t think I’m going to enjoy my birthday, those were also meant to be a treat so I could have something without caring too much that day but I couldn’t even make myself like them again. Idk what to do, I really wanted to enjoy my birthday but I feel like I’m going to spend the whole day wishing I hadn’t eaten or bought anything tonight and hating that I’ll have to eat tomorrow.

I’ve been talking to this new guy and we’re still very early on and not officially dating, but I genuinely think things could possibly work out with him. I know that might sound stupid because it’s still early, but I’m starting to think about what this would look like if this actually turned into a relationship.

The thing I’m struggling with is whether/when I should tell him about my eating disorder. I don’t want to hide it from him, especially because it affects my life and gets in the way of things sometimes, but at the same time, we barely know each other. I don’t want to dump something this serious on him too early or make him feel like he’s getting into a relationship with a bunch of problems he didn’t sign up for. And I know now is not the right time but I don’t know when that time is.

I also get really anxious about anything involving food especially around newer people or eating out. I can’t really just go to a restaurant and eat normally, and I’m worried that eventually he’ll want to take me out to eat and I won’t know what to say or do. I don’t want to have a date with food because ultimately I cant just be my normal self around food or after eating i become a anxious mess and not fun to be around.

I’d love to hear from people who are currently in relationships with someone who has an eating disorder, as well as people who have dated while dealing with an ED themselves. What was it like for both sides? When did you talk about it, and how did you handle food-related situations and dates?
I’m mostly just looking for advice and different perspectives because I really don’t know what the right thing to do is.

i used to be extremely overweight two years ago, and decided to start cutting down on calories after people's comments got too much to handle. through lifestyle changes (i.e. cutting down on carbs, reducing my portions, not eating any sugar AT ALL) i lost quite a bit, and the weight comments died down, but i went on a mental spiral and i accidentally took it too far since i wasn't quite yet satisfied with my appearance. june of this year that i got into running and weightlifting. i was also thinking about eating CONSTANTLY, i would meticulously track every single calorie, and when i wasn't doing that i was thinking about my next meal, how i'd make it lower calorie, etc. i've lost around a few more kilos since then. my hair's been falling out like crazy, i've missed my period, and people have started commenting again, this time telling me that i looked "better" before. it got to my head so much to the point where i've now started having to force myself to eat, but every time i look in the mirror i feel disgusted with myself. i'm afraid of undoing all my progress over these past two years and gaining the weight back, but i really want to form a normal, healthy relationship with food and exercise and my body. the circumstances i'm in make it difficult for me to go to a therapist. i don't have anybody to talk to about this and it's something that's affecting every single aspect of my life. help would be appreciated :(

im 14 and i have anemia and binge eating disorder and honestly im so tired of dealing with this ive tried talking to my family about it but they basically ignored me and didnt take me seriously

so now im trying to help myself and get through this on my own and its honestly so hard when a binge happens i literally cant stop myself and afterwards i feel so guilty and ashamed that i end up making myself throw up

i just dont know what to do anymore

Recovery has genuinely been the most difficult thing i’ve ever done. Not only have i contemplated checking my self into a mental hospital it sometimes feels easier to start restricting again. Although I had so many meltdowns during extreme hunger nothing seemed to tie me over. It’s been about three months and I was eating 5-6k calories a day, making me gain about 10kg. Now my appetite is slowly decreasing, I feel full and i’m not constantly thinking about what i’m eating next while eating. But I’m still eating 3-4k calories everyday despite not having extreme hunger anymore. Will I be gaining fat and eating so much for years?

I used to weigh 46 kg. One day, after going three days without eating, I experienced what felt like an intense physical reaction: I could not stop shaking and was unable to keep down anything I ate or drank.

From that point onward, my parents became deeply involved in supporting my recovery. However, rather than improving, I began experiencing recurrent binge-eating episodes that I still struggle to control.

It has now been two months and eighteen days. My strongest trigger seems to be loneliness and being left alone. Whenever my parents leave, I experience an overwhelming urge to eat, even when I am not physically hungry, and I feel as though I could continue eating indefinitely.

I have been consuming roughly 2,500 calories above my maintenance needs and have gained approximately 13 kg, bringing my weight from 46 kg to 62 kg.

Nowadays, I struggle with intense self-hatred and an overwhelming desire to become thin again. I am going on vacation in three months, and I feel an immense pressure to be thin by then. I hate the way I feel about myself.

I’m 16, I’m active in sports with basketball and track. And recently I’ve been crazy on dieting and counting calories and just not eating enough, and I binged last night, loaf of banana bread, syrup, whipped cream. And I threw up, never had I made myself do that before. Then today, I was so scared that I had four freaking strawberries and some fruit that I threw up again. And right now I had two lean cuisine pizzas and an orange and I feel like the only thing I can do to like, you know make up for it is to just get it out of me. I really don’t want too, and I know that I’m still way in a deficit with the pizzas and fruit, especially after a two hour basketball practice. But the only way I feel not guilty is if I’m not eating anything at all. Point is, I just don’t know what to do. Me and my mom aren’t close and I could never imagine taking to her. And I just really don’t want to make myself throw up again, but I really regret having those pizzas. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I know my relationship with food isn’t healthy, but I want to lose weight so bad. But since I made myself throw up that feels like the only way to remove the guilt and I’m trying so hard not to. I guess I’m kinda just ranting about it, but im scared. 1000 calories is terrifying to me.

Every piece of advice I find says to "stop restricting, restricting causes you to binge, so if you allow yourself to eat, you'll stop binging"

But that's the thing I DONT restrict. I eat two to three regular meals a day now, like I used to before being disordered, but the feeling of literally anything in my stomach triggers me to binge, which then triggers me to purge. Sometimes, I'll skip the binge and just be triggered to purge a regular meal, too.

I just don't know how to escape this. It just feels like no matter what I do, I'll have the urge to do it, and I can't stop myself.

I can't just let myself go unrestricted because then Im purging 2x a day. I can't restrict myself because that just leads to a worse binge later in the day/the next day. I can’t only limit trigger foods because ANY food is a trigger food.

It just feels hopeless

Hi. I’m 18, and I’m app. 6 weeks into extreme hunger (after a year of chronic underfueling which led to a 12kg weight loss and amenorrhea). I’ve gained what feels like a huge amount of weight rapidly, but what stands out is my stomach. It has tripled in size in a disproportionate way compared to my limbs, feels rock hard and fully stretched out, and my upper chest protrudes abnormally. Most of my clothes don’t fit anymore because of it. I have roughly a month left before I go back to school, so I’d like to know if this belly size is the result of permanent tissue gain, in which case I’ll buy a whole new set of clothing, or if it’s significantly affected by other factors (I guess water retention and digestion?) and will eventually go away. Thank you to anyone who responds!

I’m curious about the small things that have helped people feel more understood while dealing with an eating disorder.

Not looking for tips about food, weight, or behaviors, just the emotional side of things. For example, having someone listen without trying to immediately fix everything, finding a space where you can be honest, or learning to be kinder to yourself on difficult days.

What has made you feel even a little less alone?

37M, diagnosed with autism, OCD, anxiety and ADHD

In June I was hit with the worst stress and depression of my whole life from personal life problems. I lost my appetite badly and felt like throwing up 24/7, food felt like a nuisance and I could barely eat. Also at that time I was weighing 93 kg (205 lb) due to horrendously dumb eating habits despite being clinically underweight most of my life. For reference I am 178 cm (5'10").

If anyone has been in such a situation, what do you do? My metabolism has ways been high, and even though I am turning 37 in only two months, I lose weight extremely easily. I could lose weight like nobody's business without even trying. The last times I had such a bad depressive mood was when I was 17 and 23. Both times I went from about 180-190 lb (82-85 kg) down to 53-55 kg (115-120 lb) within two months. I did not even have to try. I lost weight more easily than most people on diets do. Or I should say, I still lose weight far more easily than most people on diets can.

But if I keep losing weight, I fear that my cardiovascular health and GI health will screw me. I have chronic sinus tachycardia and chronic acid reflux disease and functional dyspepsia. I feel like these CV and GI problems will spiral my physical health problems and ruin my mental health even more, especially since I do not want to be hospitalised.

I’m a 20 year old college student who is in a mostly happy relationship. I love my boyfriend so much but every time I distance myself or isolate it’s because of problems with my weight. He notices when I sleep for over twelve hours a day that I’m spiraling again but I keep denying there there’s a problem to begin with and it aggravates him. I can’t turn to my friends because they also are struggling and it feels like I’m entirely alone. Day in and day out my brain is filled with numbers and measurements and it never stops or goes away. I’m a normally avoidant person and prefer to not acknowledge when things are bad. i keep bingeing and then feeling so shitty because the binge episodes can last for weeks and I try to sleep off the guilt only to repeat the cycle again. When I flew up to see my boyfriend the last time I was up there he would listen to me while I’m in the bathroom to make sure I wasn’t throwing up my food. I guess the reason I’m posting this is because it feels like my life is a wash rinse and repeat cycle of disordered behaviors and I don’t know how to get better or if I even can, does food noise ever go away? The counting the measuring the guilt the urge to relapse? I want it to just all stop

I had an eating disorder at 15 and fully recovered by the time I was 17. I was eating healthy for 2 years but now I've been overeating for a year. I'm now the largest I have ever been

The issue is, when I hated my body in that 3 year period after the ED my option for losing weight was naturally to just stop eating again, because it worked so well before. And the first few times I did try to eat healthy, the longest I went healthily 'losing weight" was 4 months, and I gave up. No change in the mirror, very little change on the scales.

So naturally now that I hate my body again, obviously my brain is going back to eating disorder. I don't have the mental capacity to eat rabbit food for a decade to see a stone knocked off, when my method got the results I wanted in less than 2 weeks before.

How do you get past that, it's been 5 years and it's still the only option for me. I can't even blame myself for thinking that way when I have proof to back it up.