I’ve had anorexia for years AMA

[moonmoon123]

I’ve had anorexia 5 plus years have recovered and have a child. ask my anything you want to know/don’t understand and I won’t find it triggering or offensive

would love to know peoples questions and things they’ve always wondered

Are you happy now? I hope you are.

still struggle but I am so far from where I once was, there was a time where I am now is all I could dream of. so yes I am happy. thank you

Was it gradual or just a quick switch? I hope you are well.

How was lockdown for you? I know of a lot of people who considered themselves recovered from eating disorders, but relapsed hugely during lockdowns.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

How did it start for you? Are there any warning signs for us with DC that we should be watching out for? Do you think there was a reason for you developing an eating disorder?

What do you wish people had said to you or what was helpful to you?

Wha

If you've recovered, have you channeled the addiction onto something else?

What thoughts were going through
your mind in times of struggle? How would you describe it?

Did it develop in your teens or in adulthood? What treatment did you receive as part of your recovery and what did or didn’t work?

I've always wondered how anorexic people can have the energy to go about their daily lives when they are starving.

Do you consider yourself fully recovered or would you describe yourself as always in recovery?

Do you consider yourself neurotypical or neurodiverse? If diverse in some way, how did that influence your anorexia?

What advice would you give someone trying to help an anorexic person?

Do you know what triggered it?

What would help (or not help) my child if my child developed one? I mean what could I do (or not do)?
It is one of my fears

a bit of both, I’d say gradual but once it got bad it got bad very very quickly.

lockdown was definitely hard, especially as my safe foods were not available, I definitely struggled so much but also it sort of helped me I don’t know why though I just remember mentally finding things easier

Did you have any stomach issues as you adapted to eating again?

nobody is under any obligation to remain the same, we grow and change constantly. don’t burden yourself with guilt..it wont change what’s happened. cut out those family members sooner! it changed your life positively like you thought it would

what do you think when you look back at pictures of yourself?

Most therapist and doctors will say it was about control it wasn’t, I wanted to be small so I am not noticeable, the smaller I was the more invisible I felt and it spiralled from that.
Warning signs= asking for validation ( do I look small,big ) comparing to friends and relaitives, suddenly eating/not eating certain foods, watching things about food a lot etc.
I still don’t know why I developed it but I wish I didn’t

i wish they’d of just praised my small steps like if I managed something that may seem silly to them to me that was massive, I need to here ‘I’m proud of you’ which is actually really controversial with anorexia

very early teens I was in an eating disorder hospital with just under 2 years and under camhs for 4/5 years. hospital scared me into eating but never actual recovery but what helped was talking about what I want to achieve in life with my therapist.