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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Katt on April 19, 2002, at 13:54:39
Ok, at the risk of overexposing myself....
I have been told on numerous occasions that I have one. But it doesn't seem possible. I can give you the figures: I am 5'1" and fluctuate between 85-95 lbs. That seems pretty normal to me, don't you think? Wouldn't it seem that everyone was overreacting over this?
Posted by beardedlady on April 19, 2002, at 14:10:55
In reply to What defines an ED?, posted by Katt on April 19, 2002, at 13:54:39
Normal is different for everyone. I have a friend who is 4'11 and weighs 100 pounds. To me, she is TINY. I would guess you are underweight, but only those who know you could tell whether you had an eating disorder. I'm sure there's a list of questions you could answer to determine this if you really don't know. If you think you're fat or you cut back your calories or you exercise out of control, that would certainly indicate a problem. If your hair is falling out and you don't have a period, you can be pretty sure that you're not getting enough nutrition.
But what do I know? I thought going to a bar was a good idea.
drinkabeardy : )>
Posted by paxvox2000 on April 19, 2002, at 17:24:48
In reply to What defines an ED?, posted by Katt on April 19, 2002, at 13:54:39
Technically, like in DSM IV and all that? An eating disorder would GENERALLY only exist when someone has weird ideas about their weight, and self-image related to it. To the degree that one, say purges after eating because he/she thinks he/she is fat, then you have a problem. Just being "aware" or "careful" about what you eat because you don't want, to be overweight, or because you want to lose weight is no big deal. Don't worry so much about what OTHERS say is an ED, think about what that means to you. Do you think you are fat, and therfore unattractive? Are you NEVER satisfied with your weight? Do you not eat for a day, then binge, then feel guilty and purge? Those are the key questions to ask yourself. The good news is that even if you DO have an eating disorder, it can be treated IF you are willing to do what is necessary. However, like a drug addict or alcoholic, until you are READY to get help, and make a major CHANGE IN LIFESTYLE, you can't be "cured". Tell us more about your situation.
PAX
Posted by shar on April 19, 2002, at 23:13:32
In reply to What defines an ED?, posted by Katt on April 19, 2002, at 13:54:39
How old are you?
If you had a very petite frame (bones like toothpicks) that weight MIGHT be ok.
You should talk more about this, I think. Not just this one little detail (ht/wt). What is your lifestyle like?
Shar
Posted by Katt on April 20, 2002, at 0:00:59
In reply to Re: What defines an ED? » Katt, posted by shar on April 19, 2002, at 23:13:32
I am 26. My lifestyle...my situation. Pretty boring for the most part. Don't have a job and its making me crazy. Do I feel guilty when I eat? I thought everyone does. Do I obsess about my weight? Yes, like all girls. Ok, since I was like in the 5th or 6th grade. Yes, I stare at myself in the mirror all the time, I catch myself looking at my reflection in store windows, shoot, shouldn't have had whatever it was I had. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But, don't we all obsess? I exercise...my form comes in walking. I can walk forever and ever. I used to walk to and from my class that I taught that was about four miles away. But I don't do crazy strenuous exercise. Minor sidenote, when I was in the hospital last time, they tested me three times and I came up anemic each time. Then they put me on iron. I was ok with that for a while, but I heard it causes constipation so I got worried about taking it. After my doc dumped me while in the hospital, I was like "screw it," I don't want any part of being healthy if he isn't in life so I started to refuse it. Plus, if I am not in a state of discomfort, I am unlikely to take something. But that was a side note. My bp is sometimes low, but nothing to worry about. I still occasionally get a period that will last a day or two...much shorter than it used to be. But, heck, I hate getting my period! I wouldn't mourn its death. I am really hating being me right now. Dunno why.
Posted by beardedlady on April 20, 2002, at 5:51:44
In reply to Re: What defines an ED? » Katt, posted by paxvox2000 on April 19, 2002, at 17:24:48
>An eating disorder would GENERALLY only exist when someone has weird ideas about their weight, and self-image related to it. To the degree that one, say purges after eating because he/she thinks he/she is fat, then you have a problem. Just being "aware" or "careful" about what you eat because you don't want, to be overweight, or because you want to lose weight is no big deal.
Worrying about being fat when you weigh between 85 and 95 pounds and are 5'1 is certainly as much a sign as purging meals. If she had said she weighed 110 pounds and was 5'1, I'd have thought she sounded healthy.
> Don't worry so much about what OTHERS say is an ED, think about what that means to you.
In the case of eating disorders, it is very much about what others think! The disorder presents itself as a distorted body image.
People with eating disorders generally think they are like everyone else. And most don't try to get help. It is their mothers or friends or doctors who finally get help. My sister's best friend almost died from anorexia and spent a long time in the hospital trying to live. (Instead she died of cancer two years later at the ripe old age of twenty-two.) My best friend in college had it, too. She wouldn't listen to me or her other friends when we told her she was losing too much weight. She said she didn't have a problem, but I told her that she should get help if she noticed hair loss and stopped getting her period. One morning after her shower, she called me crying. Hadn't had a period in months, lost a lot of hair.She got help pretty early, and she's never had a problem with it again.
beardy
Posted by beardedlady on April 20, 2002, at 5:56:15
In reply to Re: What defines an ED? - a little more info, posted by Katt on April 20, 2002, at 0:00:59
People who have eating disorders generally don't think they do. Many get so sick they can't eat anything at all without vomiting. You are already at a point that it's affecting your health, and it won't stop there. Eating disorders kill. I don't mean to scare you, but then again, I do. I hope you will get some help.
beardy
Posted by beardedlady on April 20, 2002, at 6:30:39
In reply to Re: What defines an ED? - a little more info, posted by Katt on April 20, 2002, at 0:00:59
Katt:
I didn't see your last line and am really sorry to have posted before I read it completely.
I want to tell you not to hate being you right now, but that's something that really does happen to most of us. At difficult times in our lives, we hate being us. I hate being me this morning because I had to take a sleeping pill AGAIN! I have taken sleeping pills five of seven days this week; before this, I hadn't had one in six weeks. Between July and December, I'd had about five.
Whatever I'm going through right now sucks. I hate being me, the weak, pathetic loser who, after 36 years of excellent sleep habits, has forgotten how to go back to sleep after waking up at 2:00 a.m. to go to the bathroom. I wake up almost every night at 2:00 or 2:30, and I hate it. And I hate myself for having to take pills.
My sister has asthma and terrible allergies. She has been in the ER a couple times this year from severe asthma attacks. She worries about dying from it and sometimes hates herself.
My mom carries the weight of the world and her children on her shoulders. She hates being herself sometimes.
I am guessing you asked the question about your eating disorder because you already knew the answer. I could be wrong (it's happened once or twice!), but you probably know the signs as well as anyone else. It's a hard thing to beat, but most people do. You'll come through if you get yourself some help. And come here for some extra support. It's a caring place.
Now, take care of yourself.
beardy : )>
Posted by IsoM on April 20, 2002, at 11:57:26
In reply to What defines an ED?, posted by Katt on April 19, 2002, at 13:54:39
I SO agree with beardy. It's not necessarily your weight alone that defines whether you have an ED but many other things. You very much sound like you do have one, but still at a treatable level. As she says, PLEASE seek help now before your health is irrversibly ruined ...or worse.
I used to weigh 110 lb at 5'6", & had hip bones that showed through my clothes, but I didn't have an ED. I ate like a lumberjack (could outeat most men), had normal periods & all. I was just genetically thin. So weight alone doesn't indicate an ED, but the other things you've listed definitely DO.
Posted by paxvox2000 on April 20, 2002, at 20:21:42
In reply to Re: What defines an ED? » paxvox2000, posted by beardedlady on April 20, 2002, at 5:51:44
I clearly was not speaking with any first-hand experience or knowledge. Maybe the old adage is correct about keeping one's mouth shut and letting the question of ignorance remain unanswered. But I was just trying to be supportive in a general way.
PAX
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