Eating Disorders

[housewife19]

Just rerad the info on eating disorders on the mumsnet front page.
Although i totally agree with what was written i really feel a big section is being missed. It isnt only teenagers that suffer with eating disorders, it is also very common amongst adults.
I am 46yrs old and was only diagnosed last year. I realize now through therapy that it is a problem that has been with me for a very long time , but its not about being thin or what i weigh or even thinking i look fat (i can see the bones, im not dysmorphic ) its about CONTROL.
If anxiety strikes i control, if im worried i control, if things feel out of control, i control.
And the easiest thing to control is what i eat, or dont eat, how much i exercise and how much i deprive myself, if i control all that, then i control me.
So please spare a thought for those of us fighting this battle on a daily bases, who s teenage years are far behind us .

Thanks for your post OP. I know I have an ED, it manifested in later life in my early 30s and I am 40 this year. I think my ED began out of anxiety and after a very serious weight loss. It is about control and I know I my controlling ways are the way I deal with day to day life. My poor family who manage me on a daily basis are so tolerant as I know I am not easy to live with. The warning signs were probably there from a much earlier age though - always worth being aware though.

Your right , its only with therapy that i can see my ED has been with me a lot longer than i thought. A Controlling personality is the key, Anxiety, Control and a little OCD and before you know it its in every move you make. But it is managable, i think i have finally accepted that this is with me for life, but that doesnt mean its going to run my life, you can learn to respect it and accept that it will always have to be considered but it can also be pushed to the back as you control it and not the other way round .