The worst part about having an ED is not a single day goes by where you do not obsess over food. Whether it’s binging, starving, or binging and purging. Most of my day is consumed with panicking over eating too much.
Don't be afraid of this situation. I'm not a professional but in my experience trying to understand what i'm going through and seeking help from internet(like this video) helped me a lot. I sometimes don't even remember that i had an eating disorder in the past. I think i'm fully recovered. However whether you fully recovered, half recovered or not recovered the important thing is trying to get better and working on yourself, trying to love yourself, trying to change your thoughts about food or body image. I promise it gets better. You are aware of your situation. You are sick of it. That is what is important. Try everyday. Share your thoughts. Think. Search. Speak. This is a battle, and you are going to be winner
@@whosarisa8468 dont comment this pls,not in a comment section like this, you musn't mention numbers.However,your not alone and i eat WAY more than that and feels healthier than ever,health doesnt equal calories
how did you know had an eating disorder? how do i differentiate whether my desire to be healthy, limit caloric intake, and not gain weight is just me wanting to have a good body, or if its an actual disorder?
@@zainabsiddiqui6154 When you take it to the extreme. When food intake makes you have a panic attack, or sends you into a depression. It becomes an obsession. Looking to see if the vitamins I take have calories. We should care about what we eat and being healthy, but usually an ED is rooted in some sort of trauma.
The hardest part of an eating disorder isn't the eating, it's the mental aspect. When I started recovering from my ED, the biggest struggle was trying to change the way I think about food and myself, as well as the amount of time I spend thinking about food and my body. It still is, even though I'm recovered on the outside, every single day you have to fight it.
I thought food disorder would be the end of me. I never went to doctor or shared my problem with my family. I would just stare at my food and the voice in my head would tell me if you take a bite you will vomit I would force feed myself. I have now fully recovered after eating vegetables which I would never before. I can still remember the torture, 3 years and no one ever noticed.
To everyone suffering from an ed, i just want to say : 1. Don't be afraid or ashamed to seek help and don't think lesser of yourself for seeking help. Everyone falls sick at some point in their life and people suffering from an illness deserve treatment whether it be a mental disorder or a physical disorder 2. You are not alone. So many people, including me have become better and I promise, even if it takes time, one day things will get better for you too
you know, there are many people around me including ME who suffer from body image issues but no one is gonna care about it because our surrounding is one of the major factor of us feeling this way. so even if someone does recognise the fact that they have ed and somehow do gather the courage to seek help,even the people closest to them will invalidate it.
@@midwhore I think it can be both true, that societal pressures very much facilitate these eating disorders AND still therapy is very good for your mental health and the way you perceive those external pressures
its hard and i kinda want to quit at times... i wouldnt do this for myself . i still hate myself so much lmao its really really a pain but i hope one day ill recover. the staff told me it isnt possible though because i have a milk allergy i will always have to check everything i eat , which is a pain..
I’ve come to realize that eating disorder cannot really be fully treated/fixed. Once you developed it, it just never goes away. Like, you can never look at foods the same way you used to.
From personal experience, I'd say I'm about 97% recovered. I now have a very unemotional relationship with food the vast majority of the time, but there's still that little 3% of disordered thinking that pops up occasionally. So I think major recovery is possible, even if it doesn't completely go away.
It's about control of the situation and reasserting positive practices into you life. It is going to be a life long journey until the very last beat of your heart.
The crucial part of my recovery was admitting that starving myself made me feel incredibly good. It was a coping mechanism and thus served its purpose. I needed to realize that before I could start to find other coping mechanisms. Ones that weren’t self destructive. And I’ve been recovered for a long time now. My relationship with food isn’t perfect but I’ve become addicted to nurturing myself. I can acknowledge that an empty stomach made me feel amazing, almost high in a way nothing else can and still want to remain recovered. I chose life. And I do so everyday. Every meal that I make for myself is a way of telling myself that I deserve to be fed. I deserve to have a strong body. I deserve a good life. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it’s not impossible.
@@gemmaASMR well there’s no other feeling quite like that but what helped me most was having a good environment to live in. Like, finding people who love me no matter what, going to college and building the life I always wanted. At first it was just a distraction but step by step all those things took the Ed‘s place in my heart and mind, if that makes sense. Life’s so beautiful when you start to open yourself up to actually experiencing it
There is hope and you CAN recover. I had an ED for 18 years. It started when I was 13/14. After I had kids, and the thought of them going through what I have been through just broke my heart and I decided to fully commit to recovery. Now I’m 3 years into recovery. It’s been a struggle with lots of ups and downs. But overall, I’m very happy with where I am today and finally at peace with my body 😌
So proud of you!! 👏👏👏 you’re so strong & brave! Congratulations on 3 years! I’ve only just started seeking help so this is very encouraging to read 💖💖💖
Thanks for point out that eating disorders are about control. I had anorexia and it wasn't at all about wanting to get thin. I just felt that food was the only thing I could control in my life and every pound lost was a confirmation of that control. The core of the problem is more often than not much more complex than just "wanting to be thin enough".
I agree! But for me it really was just about being thin enough. I didn’t feel in control and i knew it wouldn’t make me feel in control, but i weighed myself obsessively and only wanted to be tiny. I knew it had veered out of control and I knew I was stunting my growth and I knew I was killing myself, but it was never enough
Yeah. It's not about social media, magazine models or looks for me. I dont even like how skeletal I looked and wear clothes that cover it. It's about control, restriction and numbers... and other stuff...
its like I can't control my life, and my family wants to shape me, but at least I can shape myself (to be lean) where as "apparently" (no effort) they "can't"[lose weight like me] , which insights *strong* envy in them, that in turn makes me feel like any semblance of power or control , both of my life and over others perception of me (I can make ppl see me as the "thin/lean" guy which unfortunately in this society also gives me "beauty points"
I feel like one of the hardest parts of recovering from an ED, is that you’re never really “cured”, at any moment, at the slightest inconvenience, upsetting situation, or weight gain, you get those thoughts again, of “what if I just didn’t eat?”, or fall back into habits of eating your problems away that ultimately make your relationship with food worse than when you started recovery. The important thing isn’t to not have these thoughts, it’s to know how to deal with and ignore them, it’s not easy but you’ll pull through :)
Hi!!! Idk if this is helpful but I just wanted to say that it does get better with recovery, though slowly. I've been recovered for a little over 2 years now and though thoughts like that appear sometimes they are never particularly strong and fairly easy to resist. My first instinct when things get hard is rarely to not eat anymore and while my life definitely isn't perfect now it was so much worse with an eating disorder. You just have to keep pushing through and it will eventually get easier!
Or everytime anyone makes any comments about your weight / figure, which.... society and people does that a lot... Anyone calls me skinny? Ah great. I'm doing a good job. I shall continue to keep myself skinny in order to be valid... or make myself skinnier... Anyone calls me chubby? Ohno... I would need to lose weight...
If the “your bmi is good and you are perfectly healthy” does not get cured we will have an ED pandemic. That one sentence is someone with an Ed’s worst nightmare.
When I was thirteen and was in the middle of my severe ed, my doctor told me I had done a food job losing weight, because I had been chubby before my ed started. It's so deep rooted in the medical system.
I got never really treated.. because I was normal weight.. one of my therspists tried to treat me a bit, but it was at the end of our meetings, so we didnt really have much time :( Still struggling and I'm 30. Bulimia, BED and orthorexia.. but hey, I'm normal weight so I must be ok.
@@think_bubbly exactly that they to need realise nowadays the mental implications are so much more important than dropping a few pounds to be “healthier”
@@kylemacinnes9867 not only..... and they are taken into consideration. But if you are overweight it increases your risk for a multitude of health issues, similarly (but with a different group of health issues) with being underweight. Ofc the goal is to loose/gain the weight needed in a healthy way. But in some cases the weight gain/loss is more important at the moment because it can damage your body as well. And not everyone that has to change their weight will develop an eating disorder so thats also that. And doctors dont see inside a patients mind. If you feel like you have a bad relationship with food, speak up about it and then your doctor knows and can help you with it.
there are so many myths and misconceptions around all mental disorders but eating disorders specifically, thank you so much for trying to clear them up. there are maybe a couple more things you could have gone over but thankyou TED-ED for spreading awareness when possible :)
@@ferretappreciator I responded to you, but apparently my comment was deleted. I said something about this account likely being a bot because it wrote the same thing below lots of comments. But since there are so many Christian spam bots, there must be a lot of people behind this. Then I compared that to what a certain very big country does to change the public opinion about that country and what it does at the moment. Maybe that's what got my response removed.
as a 17 year old boy, I was hospitalized for anorexia. i struggled a lot with how i looked especially since i do competitive swimming and struggle a lot with ocd. i struggled for about a year and a half before seeking help and in the end it was one of the best decisions i made. i can’t describe how tired, cold, and dead i felt. i lost all social abilities really and lost interest in a ton of things that i once loved. it physically hurt to do simple things such as smiling and laughing because i wasn’t getting the energy to do those simple tasks. I was always trying to seek validation through my eating disorder and never felt satisfied, and always thought i could go ‘further’ by malnourishing myself even more. One thing that fueled my eating disorder from the start was when people made any comments on how i looked. My mom would constantly comment how skinny i was and that i needed to gain weight. for a moment i would feel guilty and think to myself ‘alright’, but a little later i would feel almost satisfied and think that is what makes me attractive. i would also get comments that some of my features on my face look really good and such, and it really fueled my sickness. I want anyone who is struggling with an eating disorder to know that it’s a very challenging process and never feel you are invalid. you are not alone in this fight ❤️
It sucks that most of the time if you’re not underweight and seek help, doctors don’t do anything. No matter how severe it is, they look at you and say your fine. I went to a mental hospital inpatient and they still didn’t believe me there yet I’d been struggling with it for years. I’m not trying to stop people from getting help, I’m sure it helps a lot of people but there needs to be a change in the system in regarding eating disorder treatment
im not that deep in the topic but since i obsess about what i eat a lot and had a lot of phases in the last years where i would either binge or limit my intake to a point i wouldnt be able to do a workout anymore, i believe that i also struggle with some sort of eating disorder. but honestly i think thats pretty normal in todays society. maybe the doctors you seeked out for, struggle the same way but wont talk about it and as long as you are a healthy weight its non of their business since they are only there to treat "urgencies". yk what i mean? im not saying that your feelings or even struggles are unvalid, but i think what we all tend to forget sometimes, is that everyone struggles and that the health system most of the time only cares if you're close to death or if you're inable to work (physically or psychologically) which damages the productivity of society. thats kind of the bitter truth, i still struggle to accept since ive almost just left my all so carefree childhood where everything was supposedly fine (when it never was). sure we can raise awareness and try to develope the system regarding treatments but wouldnt it just be all of us trying to treat each others issues since in the end all of us have them (ik they variate). Maybe the only solution is to fight all the lies in todays society. to try to reduce all the pressure in our lives, since it actually damages our ability to communicate with each other. Communication in my opinion is the key to many of our problems. people need to learn to talk about their problems. family and friends should be able to treat each other
Just wanted to give hope, I've had an ED on and off since I was sixteen, turned fifty this year and I'm two years recovered. Keep trying, you can recover, it might take multiple attempts but it's possible 💗
@@ErelfBow I wish I could say some sorr of pat answer for you. I think mostly it was a result of a few things, none of which anyone would call "treatment " for it. The panny happened and I really thought about how valuable time is and how I was just giving up hours and years of my life. I was finally sick and tired *enough* believe me I've been sick and tired many times. But this time it stuck, I was tired of starving and all the other stuff that was making me miserable. I just slowly stopped doing behaviors and the less I gave into those urges the less I had them. I did falter a few times but I would just start over again. I found hobbies and activities that took up time and energy. I distracted myself until my brain stopped trying to get me to do behaviors. I can kind of explain it like this; all my life I was a nail biter. No matter what I did I couldn't stop biting them. I felt so embarrassed constantly if people saw them and said anything. I tried everything, fake nails, getting manicured, foul tasting polish. Nothing worked. About four years ago I just stopped biting them. I can't say why or what finally made me stop. I just stopped. Because I could have chosen to do that all along. It's the same for the ED, you can stop, but you have to choose to. I'm sure this wasn't very helpful, but I do hope it was ✌️
For me, I think the worst thing is that I will never ever forget what is inside the food what I’m eating. I feel like I’ll always know how many calories are in food and I have to just try and eat it anyway instead of restricting. The guilt after “overeating” is hard to get over, but I’m getting there!
I’ve been a “picky eater” for as long as I can remember. Something about certain smells and textures puts me off to most foods that people usually like. I’ve never had a big issue with how my body looks, and have never felt a need for control over anything, it’s simply been a factor of my life that has always been with me. It’s caused a lot of conflict with my mother especially, and when she tried to put me through a sort of therapy program it only made me feel worse about myself and terrified of ever going back. It even made me start loosely counting calories and worry about my weight. I’ve tried to explain to her how I wish I was normal, how it isn’t a choice for me, but I don’t know if she’ll ever truly understand. I can still get all my necessary vitamins and I like things in every food group. Overall, I’ve made peace with my situation and try to manage it as best as I can. Every once in a while I can even try something new and maybe I end up liking it. But for some people it will never be enough. For years I have faced the shame of not eating what everyone else was eating, the shame of knowing that I might be hurting someone’s feelings without meaning to at all. It isn’t just some switch you can turn on and off, it’s always there. I just hope maybe people can begin to understand that.
I’ve had the exact same problem all my life! But it has started to change for the better. I’ve always been a picky eater but now that i’ve started sporting and i’ve gained muscle mass i decided I didn’t want to hold myself back with my way of eating. I’ve started to try new things that are in the range of textures and smells i like, crispy things or things with a warm soft nice smell. Once i’ve tried a thing from a new type or category of food i will be expending within that category intill i feel the time is right to start with a new type of food. Try to find your passion or a hobby that forces you to change your way’s how ever hard it may be! My love for the gym has made me eat way more things. Take small steps! Don’t try to eat very special foods because every small step counts and a few small steps add up to a big step in the right direction. i’m still not nearly there but don’t look at others just look at your own progress and alway’s try to stay positive!
Going to a friend’s house growing up was always a nightmare if there was a homemade dinner! To always feel bad for picking at food while they sit there thinking I hate the meal didn’t help with my relationship with food
I think I am very much in the same position as you. I'm very "picky eater" and I don't typically eat what other normal people eat. That being said, I don't feel any sort of worry or anxiety over my weight or anything like that. So is this just us being weird individuals or are we also having some kinda eating disorder?
I had and suffered from an ed i can only imagine your sister’s suffering, my heart in with you and your sis, i know from my parents as they’ve lived seeing me.. you are so sstrong hope you both fight through
the saddest and hardest part of an eating disorder is when you realize you have one. the first time a developed an eating disorder i realized i had developed one when my mother asked me if i wanted food and in my mind i was saying yes please, but my mouth said no, i'm not hungry. it was so heartbreaking realizing that i had an eating disorder. the second time i developed another eating disorder i realize i had developed an ED again when i had to run to the bathroom after eating to throw up, it was when i was crying infront of the mirror because i didnt want to throw up and when i wad telling myself to just throw up one more time and another voice in my head was crying begging me not to do it again.
I was diagnosed with Anorexia restrictive subtype when I was 13. I’m 24 now, and after a decade of struggling all along the ED spectrum, I can tell you that it can get better. I don’t think you ever fully “recover,” the mental parts will always be there but you learn how to manage.
yes, i think it never goes away completely you just learn to try to get over it but really those thoughts are always in your head. I know because I have anorexia since I was 12 years old .
@@susanasilva9722 I completely agree with that. The thoughts are always there in the back of your mind, but at this point its something you e dealt with for so long that you can control it.
Can you tell me which disorder is this 👇 I want to gain weight but i can't eat i afraid to eat sometimes in front of people or sometimes I lost my appetite even when I m alone i don't know why i feel hungry but i can't eat because of fear of vomit attack 🙄🙄🙄🙄 so what is this disease is?
I really wish you had covered non-body image related eating disorders like ARFID and pica. I have ARFID, which is already extremely misunderstood and often misdiagnosed as anorexia. Not all eating disorders are because of poor body image. Mine is from sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. Please end the stigma against these lesser known disorders.
@@semolinalibra The only causes they mentioned were the causes of body-image related disorders. They didn't mention sensory sensitivities, neurodivergent conditions like autism, emetophobia, physical disabilities that make it difficult to swallow, or anything else relevant to disorders outside of AN, BN, or BED. They never once mentioned ARFID, pica, or any other eating disorder that doesn't fit the general public's perception of one. This lack of awareness leads to lack of resources, misdiagnosis, the prolonged suffering for people like me.
If you've gotten any treatment for your ARFID could please give me any tips you've learned or have realized? i havent been diagnosed before and dont entirely know if i have it, but after reading up so much about it i think it's very well within the realm of being possible, and in any case i have a lot of symptoms. Over the past year I've been getting worse with my intake and feeling worse as a result, if you know anything about recovering it'd be a big help, and i hope you're able to recover from it soon
It breaks my heart reading the comments, people are struggling with it, misinformation and stigma is almost unbearable! God bless all of you, you are not alone, you don't have to be embarrassed, ask for help, therapy is expensive, but nowadays with the internet, you have more chances of talking to a lot of people, while staying somewhat anonymous. You can do it!
I had an eating disorder, now i can proudly say that i overcame it all by myself,though I'll never forget those traumatic years. If u r reading this and have ed, be strong u can conquer it yourself.
EDS are the worst :( I used to have both kind of eds just in 2 years due to my depression. But luckily, I'm able to manage and balance my life again. For anyone who has eds, just be strong, foods are friends, all food is good and the most important key is moderation! This video is very helpful
there are more than "both kinds" of eating disorders. i know, mine isnt like anorexia or bulimia. thanks. "just be strong" totally cured me. much like being told to just be happy while depressed. if you had restricted eating and bingeing, while depressed, chances are they were side affects of medication you were taking. EDs dont just cure themselves
@@evildaemo no you do , no one does it for you ....and yes I starved myself to stay thin for years ! Also took ephedra for years to not have an appetite 😕. I stopped on my own ...why cause I got older and had no children's moms to empress anymore .
@@melindasmith3713 what you did. not needing to impress other women, is the first step in healing "treatment 101" each persons route and method of healing/treatment will be different
What a beautiful quote that is at the beginning. I went after it in full. It says: “There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.” Such a great message.
My high school health teacher actually suffered from bulimia for a large portion of her life, and so when she taught the unit on mental disorders she was actually able to give personal insight on the difficulties people with some eating disorders face, especially during the recovery process. She’s doing amazing nowadays, and I hope that the fact that she’s happy and safe now helped or will help people in my class if they were/are struggling.
Suffering from avoidance/restrictive ED is so difficult. No one understands that it's not as simple as "I'll just eat more", it's a steep hurdle that takes years to recover from (I'm still suffering from this until today).
It would've been nice to hear about binge eating disorder. It feels like BED is always the odd one out when talking about eating disorders and I wish we could talk about it more often.
I thought the same-it was a little disheartening to get through the entire video and not hear a single mention of that. When I was younger my doctor refused to diagnose my BED because she told me that eating disorders are only about restricting or purging, so I feel like it's important to include that in awareness about eating disorders
I first started having an ED when i was 16. At first it was anorexia and i lost so much of weight. I was happy about loosing weight but i gained it all back due to the pressure of loosing more weight and then my binging episodes began. I would binge 4-5 times every single week and i had no one to tell. I couldn't tell my family about it and i just had my best friend with me. It was one of the worst years of my life. I fell into a deep hole of depression. I am 19 now and after much struggle,i can say i have gotten better and recovered about 60%. I still struggle but i have learnt to cope with it and i have hope that i will get ever better now. I am proud of how far i have come and i know that even you can do it. Please take care of yourself and stay strong and do not give up 🥺💌
I suffered from binge eating disorder from my late teens. When I finally opened up about it during psycho therapy, my therapist said, that when I feel like eating sweets I should eat dates and other healthy dried fruit, and when I’m eating I should never finish my food and leave some on the plate. I cannot explain the horror and sadness I felt when she said that. The one person I thought would understand and help me just reinforced all of the destructive behaviours I already had. It’s so important to find a good professional, who can actually treat you. Glad over time I learned myself how to manage it and try to live a healthy non food centred life. The binge is always on the brim of coming back, but I really don’t know how to trust therapists with my problem now.
Maybe there was a misunderstanding. When you said "binge eating" in your comment, I assumed the disorder where you eat a lot and then restrict or purge. Maybe he/she was trying to get you to stop eating the unhealthy processed food first. Then to leave food on the plate ONLY when you intended to binge? This would be ok along with instructing you to try to eat healthy EVERY day (no skipping or purging). Hard to know without hearing the full conversation, but sometimes misunderstandings happen. Sorry, I don't want to invalidate what you felt and went through, just proposing a possibility that might bring you some peace on that experience.
So happy to hear them say you can be a normal weight and still have an eating disorder. I developed an ED over 15 years ago (and manage it pretty well now) but I've never truly believed that I had a "proper" disorder because I was never underweight.
If you're watching this and have one, let me tell you it's possible to overcome one! I was bulimic for many years and thought that miserable way I felt was going to be my life forever, but I completely recovered and can tell you IT IS POSSIBLE
@@nicolavh well this is some things that worked for me: to heal my relationship with food I had to realize that I didn't hate it, because I thought I did cause it was the source of all my problems, I had to accept that food was not my enemy and that I actually really enjoy it, that I could really enjoy it and that it was good because it kept me alive. I had to give myself a lot of love, for me that meant taking care of my body, my mind, my relationships. Pamper myself, treat myself and tell.me how much I loved me no matter what. Also I kept myself busy, I was in my late teens, I got a job and that help, because when I was busy doing things I had no time to think about food and binging and purging, I started journaling and other things to keep my mind and body busy. I took me many years, you have to trust the process, it's not going to happen over night, there's a lot of things to heal.... the most important part was to learn to forgive myself when I did it and understand that didn't meant all my progress was gone. Hope it helps! I sent you a lot of love 💝
@@Losdiariosdemel Thank you for your reply this means so much 💗 you are truly inspiring and I for sure will take in some of the tips! Sending lots of love right back at you :)
I had an eating disorder. When I was about 9 I had a traumatic experience with vomit. After that I was so scared that I could vomit again that I stopped eating. The worry and anxiety kept me from ingesting any food. I would have panic attacks at the thought of food. I would deny any food. I lost a lot of weight. This is was off and on until I was about 12. My parents finally took to a therapist. I slowly got better. I discovered recently that is a certain type of eating disorder called ARFID. It is a lesser known eating disorder since it does not involve with body image. ARFID is an fear of vomit and choking taken to the extreme. Usually ADHD and ASD people are more likely to to have something like this. I hope my little PSA will help someone who doesn’t know what ARFID is.
I remember several years ago I suffered from severe depression and mental disorder. I was addicted to illicit pills, alcohol, and smoking until I was recommended for psilocybin mushroom treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly I'm 8 years clean now. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against anxiety and depression.
To be honest, mushrooms are one of the most amazing things on the planet and it is natural, they serve in many ways not only for mental related issues.
Can you help me with a reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. It is very hard to get a reliable source here in New Zealand. Really need!
I wish they were readily available in my place. Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He's 59 & has many mental health issues plus probably CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac. He's constantly talking about killing someone. He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD knows if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Something I didn't think you underlined enough: eating disorders are not just or even at all about trying to gain control over your body, but your life in general. My friend with a very severe eating disorder (at worst 25 kg (55 lbs) at 170 cm (5'7")) doesn't do it because she cares about her body. It is all about control. Again, not control over your body, but just control over your life. In my experience, often the instances where it is about body image is easier to treat because it is "simply" about confidence and acceptance.
@@A.Isabel when someone feels like they don't have control in their lives, sometimes they feel like the only thing they can control is how much they eat. Even if they have body image or confidence issues, controlling how much they eat/what they eat can make them feel like they can control their lives even though the eating disorder is destroying them, they might not realize it
@@A.Isabel For me personally, my eating disorder has nothing to do with my appearance. I have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. For me, when my anxiety is really bad because of things happening that are out of my control, I stop eating. It's not to punish myself or to make myself skinnier. It's just a bad coping mechanism. My eating disorder also has to do with having OCD so I have to eat things in a specific order and cant eat certain things due to sensory issues with texture. All in all my disorder is about controlling one aspect of my life because I can't control anything else. Edit: spelling
Y’all didn’t mention anything about ARFID, which has a whole different range of causes and issues. It’s possible to have an eating disorder not related to weight or body image issues but more likely related to trauma or undiagnosed/untreated neurodivergence. These are more likely to involve sensory issues, restrictive eating, rituals surrounding eating, and food hoarding, though the disorder can involve any of the other symptoms of the other eating disorders. Often times ARFID is brushed off as picky eating and remains untreated, even more so that the average eating disorder, so it’s important to spread awareness about it.
@@keyaunna. it’s so true, the number of times I’ve had professionals just dismiss me because they don’t know about the disorder or because I didn’t need help in the typical areas of eating disorders is ridiculous.
True they are also spreading misinformation...i have anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa... difference?BIG difference... anorexia ISN'T about body image...nervosa is....in anorexia...i know i should eat...It's better for health and EVERYONE around me tells me to eat or else I will die...i used to be okay....but little by little cuz of my lifestyle I started losing my appetite and now I just cannot eat...my mind my stomach is refusing food....not even tasty food...mind that i don't care about "weight" it's just happened...i have a healthy weight but not a healthy body....i hate these people who have spread misinformation about anorexia...all they talk about is nervosa...but there's another kind of anorexia that i have...don't know how to get better
THANK YOU. I have an ED and have for multiple years, despite the fact I don't "look underweight" I now have permanent heart issues and fatigue, meaning I can't participate in so many things. Couldn't go to school for months, hospital, treatment, and constant tests, I haven't played sport in at least a year. There is so much invisible damage that having an ED does to your body that nobody ever talks about.
THANK YOU for bringing up the fact that eating disorders don’t depend on weight. Even my psych professor this year kept DSM-thumping and claiming that anorexia doesn’t “count” unless you hit a certain BMI. It made me so furious, I was shaking the entire class.
i've struggled with bulimia for around 5 years, im 19 at the moment. I wish i could send this to my family who currently do not believe i am bulimic, nor do they care to understand. I am seeking therapy for my own health and hoping to recover, this video brings me comfort in the way that there are people who understand what is happening to me and what i'm going through.
YESSSSS IM SO HAPPY YALL ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS!! I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder for 4 years now. It’s kind of a forever thing for me now and I’m realizing there’s steps for me to overcome it and have way better days. I definitely fall off the wagon, but I’ve been working hard to be able to get back on more lately. It gets better guys. I promise. Just because your journey started rough doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility to treat yourself better for the future. You gotta be kind to your mind and body when you’re already going through something difficult. Thank you Ted ed for highlighting this.
I had an eating disorder (ARFID) in 2018 and it’s a newly explored case of eating disorders. I’ve grown up with emetophobia, the fear of vomiting, and thus began to starve myself because I didn’t want to throw up in front of others. I lost so much weight in a short amount of time, but made a full recovery in a eating disorder facility which I stayed at for 41 days. ARFID doesn’t just involve the fear of throwing up, but fears that range outside of starving for appearance or eating a vast amount. I was 13 when this happened, and am now 17 with some struggles but thriving much more than I was. It’s scary and such an intense internal fear, but with time and support can be helped❤️❤️
I think something people rarely mention is how exhausting it is. Going out to eat, meeting up with friends, family brunches… were all so tiring. Constantly thinking about what I’m eating, explaining to others why I’m not eating much, feeling sick, finding excuses to leave the table, and hiding how I felt all at the same time. The awkward glances, the concerned whispering, and how people thought it was just about “attention seeking”. My heart goes out to everyone else struggling with this. You have all of my love and respect. 💛
I find this video really frustrating. I have an eating disorder called Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), which is characterized by some combination of disinterest in food and/or extremely picky eating and/or fear of choking. It has NOTHING to do with body image or weight stigma and usually begins when someone is a toddler. ARFID can be just as dangerous as anorexia. This video perpetuates the myth that all eating disorders are, at least partially, body image issues. That's incorrect and harmful to people who have the less common EDs like ARFID and Pica.
They said that body was one of the most common causes, not the only one. I'm sure they could make a whole separate vid about ARFID. However eating disorders are very much a mental battle irregardless of the specific cause. I hope you all get the treatment and self-care you deserve, it sounds like a very serious struggle (as with all eating related disorders) and I hope you find some peace
True...i have anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa... difference?BIG difference... anorexia ISN'T about body image...nervosa is....in anorexia...i know i should eat...It's better for health and EVERYONE around me tells me to eat or else I will die...i used to be okay....but little by little cuz of my lifestyle I started losing my appetite and now I just cannot eat...my mind my stomach is refusing food....not even tasty food...mind that i don't care about "weight" it's just happened...i have a healthy weight but not a healthy body....i hate these people who have spread misinformation about anorexia...all they talk about is nervosa...but there's another kind of anorexia that i have...don't know how to get better
As a psychologist specializing in eating disorders and working on the front line with parents, the challenges families face are astounding. This illness is so multi-faceted and wildly complicated... as are human beings in general. It is a disorder of the self, where one's struggle in their relationship to themself is reflected in their relationship with food and their body. Recovery is possible! But we need to do a better job of seeing this disorder through the lens of the person-first and disorder-second.
It’s so hard, because I’m reading these comments with an undiagnosed ED literally crying and my relationship with food is so confusing and twisted and it’s hard for me to understand why but I know that in the past I used excessive working out to feel good and knowing that I had control over what I ate or how much I didn’t eat, I knew if I just stopped eating eventually I would lose weight and then results was like an accomplishment like I lost weight and I felt in control but then I got obsessive about everything I noticed it was an issue when I started hiding food or flushing down the toilet and now eating it’s like I don’t like anything and it’s such a struggle
It’s so difficult. I was diagnosed with restrictive anorexia. Although I am now a healthy weight, I still think about food nonstop. I wish I was normal and could be free from my prison of a mind like I used to be before I was 15. Life is difficult everyday.
I'm recovering from a loooong ED, I had lots of ups and downs. There were years where I thought I was fine but I now realize I was still ill. However, I see my full recovery closer and closer. I never thought I would say this, but here am I. If you are struggling with any kind of eating disorder, please know there is a way to get out of there. The path is hard and complicated but so so worthy. Also, for restricting eating disorders I hands down recommend reading Tabitha Farrar. Her books helped me so much to understand what was happening in my mind and body and how to fight against it. Thank you TED for making this video so well explained. Of course there are thousands more things to cover, but for someone who has a stigma or don't know about EDs is very educational. Love to everyone
When I started recovering, I realised that it's more effective to target your insecurities and fears, not "eating more" and hoping that you'll wake up one day loving food. It was the hardest time period of my life yet, even if it was only for about 6 months. I never sat, unless my mom would "glue" me to the chair to eat. Took up all the chores of the house to stay active, extra exercising in my room, making up lies to not be put on a feeding tube, constantly jumping, running. When I was left home alone once for 30 minutes, I spent that entire time running around the house, crying and screaming from the agony and exhaustion. Would feel my knees ache, my back hurt, my body giving up, yet couldn't stop myself from hiding food from my plate somewhere in my pockets. I was on constant watch, I ASKED for constant watch, yet I was the one abusing it. I nearly died.
I don’t have a eating disorder (tho I eat less when I’m depressed or have anxiety) but I never fully understood them and I made comments to my friends related to food and now they are upset with me. It’s important we understand eating disorders and well as other mental health issues so we can understand each other and make our world better.
I had one that developed starting around the age of 12. It went undiagnosed until I was 22. I still struggle with mine, even after treatment. But I will never forget my mother telling me that eating disorders aren't real when I tried to tell her I was sick
I wish this video had gone a little more in-depth on the full scale of EDs (thin people who binge, heavy people who restrict - both damaging their systems despite no outward evidence, and dealing w the mental health issues of people assuming the opposite) - but you did touch on not being able to tell who has an ED based on outward appearance, so thank you for that
In my experience. E.ds are almost like a terminal mental illness. It doesn't go away and it can get worse but it can also get better through medicine and support hut it's still there
two weeks ago i was in the ER because my doctor told my mom to take me since my heart rate and bmi was so low, I was there for 6 hours before they moved me to a room in this unknown locked unit and hooked me up to a machine and told me nothing just to sleep. in the morning a nurse woke me up and took me to the bathroom where i wasnt allowed to close the door or flush the toilet, and they weighed me but i wasnt allowed to see. then I found out I was diagnosed with anorexia and they trapped me there and I wasn't allowed out until I gained 75% of the weight back, which was 40 lbs. i just got out and i am just so filled with anger. they took away all my rights by forcing family based treatment which gives my parents complete control over everything I consume (including telling me I CANT have things) and now my parents are just mad at me all the time and give me the silent treatment if I ask any questions, they told me I cant go back to work so I'm losing money, and im not allowed any physical activity. we werent allowed phones in the ed unit and now im only allowed my phone for 1 hour after a meal if I eat it and dont cry or complain or ask questions. so maybe it wouldnt be so hard to treat if they didn't punish me for having an ed, thats what recovery is, a punishment.
Part of the problem is that it is hard to realize when you need help. When I had an eating disorder, I would constantly be in denial about having one. I did not want help, I wanted to be skinny and thought being skinny would be worth the pain. This was very different from depression for me as I was more willing to receive help to deal with the pain. Eating disorders cause people to almost live in a different reality.
What helped me was get a friend. A reasonable one. If I was alone I would never seek help. But my friend being like "yo what the heck go seek help man" made me seek help... and if I tried to get out of it/escape my friend would probably help hold me accountable
I was only nine when my eating disorder started, my mom and other family members kept talking about how skinny I was and then when I started eating more because I was insecure about how skinny I was they started saying things about how much weight I was gaining, all of my friends made joking insults about my skinniness and/or the weight I started gaining. I dropped them and found better friends but my family would NEVER be the ones I'd go to for help. I'd go to friends who actually understand me so I can help them and they return the favor. I'm recovering from my ED but anytime I find myself eating a lot I'll stop and throw it away. I know it's a waste of food but I can't eat or my ED will get worse, the last time I pushed myself to finish eating the food my family joked about how much weight I was gaining so I just stopped eating that much. Now I have a healthier diet but I still skip breakfast due to how far I live from my [PRIVATE INFORMATION] so I just go on with the day after that. (Wow. So many words.)
We want to seek treatment. We want therapy but most of us cannot afford it. Many of us are in our adolescent ages and even if we tell our parents we get ignored specially in third class countries. WE WANT THERAPY but we are afraid even if someone offered it to us our parents won't allow it. HELP
I've been struggling with my eating disorder since 2011. I've went from normal weight to clinically underweight and now a little overweight. I've tried almost everything but nothing really worked. Seeing a professional and being hospitalized didn't help that much either. But after a long time, I kinda learned how to live with it. Yes, I do struggle everyday still...because the thoughts are still there. But I don't purge 4 times a day anymore and I don't starve to the point where I faint. I miss my skin and bones but my health is more important now. I hope one day I'll get much much better!
#1 reason is while things like cigarettes alcohol and drugs are additive, they're not required to sustain us. We must still be exposed to food even if we have to 'cut down'...
Its not easy for people to understand eating disorders because its mysterious and misunderstood, and nobody knows where it comes from. My brother went to Rhodes Farm and it has affected him and my family for the rest of his life.He still has problems eating but has developed in other ways.
Im a 17 year old girl and I’m pretty sure all of my siblings have eating disorders. My sister started when she was 12 and I was 10, and she would make fun of my weight which lead me to be incredibly insecure and start starving myself when I was 12, then my younger brother would make fun of my weight and I would use it as motivation to stop eating- and eventually I noticed him skipping meals and adopting the same habits as me and my sister. I always tell myself I got better and that I don’t actually have problems with eating anymore, but I definitely still do. I’ve just gotten used to them. I permanently stunted my growth too. I was 4’10 as a 12 year old, which is when I started, I haven’t grown a single inch since
@@ren.pfa.99 disordered eating is not intentional, eating disorders are intentional. for example, you kept on skipping meals unintentionally, you don't mostly think about eating and u mostly forget abt eating. thats disordered eating, you mostly do not care abt having a good health and nutrition, or at least not your priority. on the other hand, eating disorder is intentional. you skip meals because u want to, you dont eat healthily because u want to, u restrict because u want to. people with disordered eating do not feel any guilt after eating, most people w eating disorders do. the very huge difference is how they feel about food.
@@kiri2256 i have disordered eating...i wanna eat cuz I am not healthy but I just can't ...cuz of depression my lifestyle got really bad...so I didn't eat food and starved myself not for my "body image" just starved...i just didn't feel like eating and now I have lost my appetite completely....i don't know what to do...and actually what I have is anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa...BIG difference....
i remember when i had anorexia when i was 13, i had serious body issues and depression, i might've been 100 pounds or something. i wouldnt eat breakfast or lunch at school, and only dinner so my parents wouldn't get suspicious. it destroyed my mental health and body in general. i still have some body dysphoria. and i'd like to say to anyone suffering from an ed that you are not alone, and it'll get better. i promise.
I've been suffering from a binge eating disorder since I was a kid in addition to severe depression, anxiety, and high functioning ASD. I'm 27 years old and almost 400 pounds. I've had several doctors try to treat me for it over the years, but so far nothing has worked. Honestly at this point, I don't think this is treatable. I hope this doesn't dissuade anyone who needs treatment, but I just wanted to get this out there. I'm just convinced I'm beyond help no matter what I do to fix it. I don't want to believe that, but I'm just so tired.
@@lynncrf I'm in the process of preparing for bariatric surgery in a few months. I suffered CHF last year so my doctors said I need to undergo it. Tried Ozempic, it caused pancreatic problems.
I would like to say that not all eating disorders are related to body image or food restriction, for example ARFID (which is what I have) is unrelated to those things and has more to do with fear of trying foods
I recently found out someone I grew up with has an ED, but because my experience is so different from theirs it’s hard to know what to say. Eating disorders are not a singular experience, and we all have a different relationship with food and our bodies.
In the end is only you, so you should be able to love yourself from head to toes. When I was struggling with anorexia and bulimia I tought I would never recover but focusing on the mental aspect rather than on the physical aspect helped me so much. You have to see again the Beauty in life and in yourself and I promise You that there is!✨
For anyone who needs to hear this, eating disorders are not all weight related. This video doesn't outright state that it's only talking about the weight related ones, but it does feel that way a bit. "Restricting food intake" can look like a lot of things, and I think the word "intake" is misused here. Simply "restricting food" is a full enough sentence, and encompasses more. It's not necessarily always about amount, but also what the food is. Others have mentioned ARFID, but there's also Orthorexia (essentially over healthy eating/ only eating what you consider pure), ED's related to emetophobia (I have this), other phobias, and so on... Any fear or anxiety you have surrounding food can link to this. It's not the same as dieting, although it can present as such. I'm sure there's much much more I don't know about, but if you're struggling to figure out what's going on with you, and came to this video for some guidance, just know that it's not just weight. The absolute best thing you can do is go to your doctor/GP or see a therapist.
Not all EDs involve alterations in self-perception! Sometimes it can be caused by sensory issues or anxiety or just an overall lack of interest in food. sincerely, someone with ARFID
In the end, what really helped and still helps me today is being around people who have a seemingly good relationship with food. I get to see what a normal portion can look like, learned that snacking in between meals is okay and that you can go and grab a second plate if you’re craving it/still feel hungry. There‘s lots more of course. Still not easy tho. I have been going through recovery for a few years and only now started seeing a therapist. I know that I can get even better
I am a male and used to have bulimia. It’s quite common among bodybuilders, specially during the cut phase. I’ve talked to a few men who have eating disorders and don’t know it, because most people think only girls can adopt such behaviors. Anyways. Worst time of my life. I feel totally fine now. For those who don’t know this: bulimia doesn’t always mean vomiting. For a big part of those years, I’d eat like a lion and do cardio out of guilt right after. It felt terribly relieving. I’m very grateful it’s gone now.
I’ve been struggling with my ED for about 7 months now. It’s gotten so bad, and I’m really scared about my health. I’m young, and my period has stopped, my nails are always purple, my lips are always blue, im always cold, and I’m just always in a horrible mood. Every single day is a struggle for me.. it’s gotten so bad that I can’t stand eating infront of other people. It’s gotten so bad I stay up late on purpose so that I don’t eat earlier in the day. I don’t eat at school, not until exactly 6:40pm every single day. I’m honestly at my worst right now, and if you don’t have an eating disorder you won’t understand. I used to say I never knew how people got eds because I love food so much, but now I have one and I’ve lost 10 pounds from it.. please, do not ever tell someone to “just eat”. It’s so hard to recover. I wish recovery for everyone struggling right now. I would say “you can do this”, but honestly, right now, I can’t even do it.
I’m currently in the ICU i have been for 3 months and before i had gotten super sick i wasn’t eating and skipped meals everyday my immune system was so weak that something as simple as the flu put me on deaths door step . my point is don’t ruin your self to please others.
i didn’t even know i had an eating disorder until my sister walked in the changing room i was in and told me it scared her to see my ribs. take care of and keep an eye on your loved ones.
The weight aspect is so important and so often disregarded. I've struggled with disordered eating all my life, and in various ways. It has occasionally manifested in drastic weight changes - I have been severely underweight during a few years of anorexia, overweight when I had reached a frequency of binges that made it impossible to purge. When I was underweight, the people around me noticed and acknowledged that I had an eating disorder. But the majority of my life I had bulimia, and so my weight is perfectly normal. I am not too thin, and not overweight, perfectly normal BMI. Yet, at least every five days and more often than not, every day, I binge up to three times a day followed by a purge. To anyone looking at me, they wouldn't say I have an eating disorder. Yet I've had it for 20 years. Mental illness in general is silent, discreet, almost invisible. That's what make it so treacherous, and so hard to be treated unless one has the self awareness to seek help on their own - and the luck to find the right people to help.
Im just a layman but Its a shame that a cursory mention was not given specifically to the other Eating Disorders as the title would suggest. Because Binge Eating Disorder shares elements with Bulimia but without the compensatory behavior such as purging, ARFID having boundaries or differential diagnosis with Anorexia and the NOS Disorders sharing often the same restrictive, purging and binging you've already mentioned it would have been nice to see them included for inclusiveness sake, not to mention Pica or Rumination Disorder. Anyway gg
This video really doesn't explain the nature of the illness, it just highlights the sterotypes around it and its media 'friendly' image. I feel very sad about how people are treated with the condition in the UK.
Hi as someone with ARFID and recovered anorexia I’d like to add that disordered eating isn’t necessarily about body image and self esteem some of us have sensory issues that contribute to our disordered eating
It’s a slow process, but I promise it does get better. First you’re afraid about the calories, but when you notice how much energy you get and how much stronger you feel, calories stop being a concern❤
i feel like treatment traumatized me more than the actual anorexia. it made anorexia even more attractive because i was completely stripped of my bodily autonomy and my entire life was emptied of joy and enrichment; this was supposed to pressure me into behaving, and it did, but it didn't cure my problems it just made me afraid and caused my ED to resurface later, worse
I remember in 4th grade my older sister was telling me about purging and anorexia and i remember thinking why would anyone do that to themselves. I guess it kind of makes sense now
hi guys, I have ARFID . I have had this for around 12 years and it’s usually based on the fear of the unknown food, texture, smell etc. I’ve been referred to multiple food therapists who all didn’t get through to me and cause this “magical amazing breakthrough” I think everyone expects. It’s really not like that at all with any psychological disorder. Recently, I’ve been trying to get control of my body and finally feel comfortable sitting at a dinner table like all the other teens my age. Here’s what I’m trying to do, and I hope maybe this can help you too, even if only a little. Basically I’ve been trying to change and increase my portions eg, instead of reaching for a bag of crisps, grab a yogurt, or fruit, or something kinda out of my comfort zone but I still see as a “safe food” - this way I can begin eating food better for my body. More advice because apparently you’re still listening to the crazy rambling of a teenage girl! Don’t change for others, the people calling you “picky” or “a fake disorder”, do it for you because at the end of the day it’s your life and your decisions and nobody else really matters! Thank you and I hope this can help you on the long old journey to recovery, which I know me and you will eventually get to
I used to think too much and try my best not to eat as much. But nowadays I struggle with negligence in eating. Stress and depression got me tied up busy, anxious, too lonely, drained and unmotivated to make my full yummy meals, enjoy food nd more. I’m pretty sure I have ARFID nd OSFED. They’re common EDs and not as many ppl know bout it
Exactly, that's what makes treating anorexia so difficult. The affected may be interrupted by peers or side effects, but they don't want the behavior itself to end. In contrast, most people with e.g. anxiety disorders or depression would love to jettison those mind states.
thank you for this :) I've reached a healthy weight but as soon as that happened I went back to some of my old habits because "I'm not sick enough or at risk anymore". I still have difficulty eating in front of other people as I try to get my life back together (and eat pretty small portions), and some people don't really understand but I felt pretty safe watching this :) thank you again
I can't eat properly for the past few weeks for the smells of certain foods sicken me. During these circumstances, it's great to stumble onto this video.....
I'm here trying to study this in order to help my little sister suffering from bulimia. It's so hard for relatives, you cannot realize it. I can never be happy or simply relaxed in my own house!
I tried since 2 years now but i still can't stop. When the clock strikes 4pm i go crazy. Till I sleep at night I just keep thinking about junk food. In the end 99% of the time i end up ordering a pizza or burger or fries etc and after eating that's a different kind of guilt. It just doesn't go away. Even after a great meal I feel guilty and i turn to aerated drinks which are also harmful btw. It's a vicious cycle. Every month begining I promise myself that id start eating less and eating healthy. Even this July, I promised that to myself but it has been just 7 days and i have already eaten dessert and other snacks and then I feel why bother. Let's eat the entire month and start the process from august. But this continues and that perfect month/week/day never arrives. In the end I'm left feeling immense hate for myself. It's just so so sad.
Please know that you don't have to feel bad about eating junk food/dessert early on in July. "Everything in moderation" is a good motto! You don't have to restrict yourself entirely from dessert and junk food, just have a balanced and healthy diet and that's what matters. Unfortunately I can't really help you, as much as I'd like to, but please don't hate yourself. Eating a squished piece of dough with tomato sauce and cheese on it does not make you a worse person. Maybe start eating some fruits/vegetables/other healthy food whenever you eat something like junk food or dessert and feel bad about it? Then you can say to yourself, "Okay, I made a decision I don't really like, but I also made a good decision and ate something healthy."
I had ED for so many years. First started out as anorexia, then bulimia, then binge eating. I didn’t think I would ever recover, but I eventually did. I’ve been binge free in the past 6 years. To all out there who is suffering from ED, I feel you and I send you all my love. I know you will get through this eventually. Just be kind to yourself until then❤ P.S.: What really helped me was reading “Brain over Binge.” Putting it out here in case it helps someone.
I had a big misconception about eating disorder, like I used to be so confused, "just eat" i think to myself. But in reality its not that simple, my friend with ED explains it to me. I was resentful at first (cuz i thought there was a simple way to cure it and that they "just dont want to") but now that I'm informed I feel really guilty for thinking like that in the past. I'm not perfect but I'd like to learn more about this so I dont make the same mistakes twice. Thank you for the video, it really do help with misinformed people like me.
I experienced a eating disorder back in February, it was when I recovered a dengue fever. Basically, I lost the interest to eat and I would feel disgusted to consume any type of food. Of course I was hungry, but the thought of eating easily overwhelmed me. Since I can't go on hungry, I have to force myself eating bit by bit. It was an excruciating task to do. It only better a week later when my dad brought me to eat steamed fish lunch. I don't know how or why, but that steamed fish was so tasty and delicious, it basically open my appetite back.
I'm surprised by how much I relate to this. I got the stomach flu really bad in April and haven't been able to enjoy food since then. I just got sick again this week and it really scares me that I know I need to eat but I'm not hungry. I know how you feel.
I appreciate this video so much. I struggle with anorexia and just recently started recovery and it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve done, but these videos just remind me of how much worse it was when I was struggling. At its most recent peak, I had so many people begging me to eat and recover but I refused because I was never underweight and I didn’t really lose that much weight but after my boyfriend told me he was frustrated at me for not eating it made my heard break. I recovered because of all my wonderful friends and my amazing boyfriend that never gave up on me. Everyday is a battle but it’s a battle that will lead to forever freedom! Don’t wait, chose recovery now ❤
The worst part about having an ED is not a single day goes by where you do not obsess over food. Whether it’s binging, starving, or binging and purging. Most of my day is consumed with panicking over eating too much.
Don't be afraid of this situation. I'm not a professional but in my experience trying to understand what i'm going through and seeking help from internet(like this video) helped me a lot. I sometimes don't even remember that i had an eating disorder in the past. I think i'm fully recovered. However whether you fully recovered, half recovered or not recovered the important thing is trying to get better and working on yourself, trying to love yourself, trying to change your thoughts about food or body image. I promise it gets better. You are aware of your situation. You are sick of it. That is what is important. Try everyday. Share your thoughts. Think. Search. Speak. This is a battle, and you are going to be winner
Most of the time I won’t eat over a 1000 calories a day cause I think it’s unhealthy
@@whosarisa8468 dont comment this pls,not in a comment section like this, you musn't mention numbers.However,your not alone and i eat WAY more than that and feels healthier than ever,health doesnt equal calories
how did you know had an eating disorder? how do i differentiate whether my desire to be healthy, limit caloric intake, and not gain weight is just me wanting to have a good body, or if its an actual disorder?
@@zainabsiddiqui6154 When you take it to the extreme. When food intake makes you have a panic attack, or sends you into a depression. It becomes an obsession. Looking to see if the vitamins I take have calories. We should care about what we eat and being healthy, but usually an ED is rooted in some sort of trauma.
The hardest part of an eating disorder isn't the eating, it's the mental aspect. When I started recovering from my ED, the biggest struggle was trying to change the way I think about food and myself, as well as the amount of time I spend thinking about food and my body. It still is, even though I'm recovered on the outside, every single day you have to fight it.
I totally relate... everyday is a constant battle
I thought food disorder would be the end of me. I never went to doctor or shared my problem with my family. I would just stare at my food and the voice in my head would tell me if you take a bite you will vomit I would force feed myself. I have now fully recovered after eating vegetables which I would never before. I can still remember the torture, 3 years and no one ever noticed.
I couldn’t have worded it any better. That is exactly how I feel🥺
this
Thank you for your hard work! All of you. This crazy world is better for you being here and on the road to recovery. I leave hugs if you want them.
To everyone suffering from an ed, i just want to say :
1. Don't be afraid or ashamed to seek help and don't think lesser of yourself for seeking help. Everyone falls sick at some point in their life and people suffering from an illness deserve treatment whether it be a mental disorder or a physical disorder
2. You are not alone. So many people, including me have become better and I promise, even if it takes time, one day things will get better for you too
Aawwh god bless you, if only more people would think like you.
you know, there are many people around me including ME who suffer from body image issues but no one is gonna care about it because our surrounding is one of the major factor of us feeling this way. so even if someone does recognise the fact that they have ed and somehow do gather the courage to seek help,even the people closest to them will invalidate it.
@@midwhore I think it can be both true, that societal pressures very much facilitate these eating disorders AND still therapy is very good for your mental health and the way you perceive those external pressures
The world needs more people like you. Maybe if everyone had a friend like u, there wouldn’t be as many ppl with ED.
its hard and i kinda want to quit at times...
i wouldnt do this for myself .
i still hate myself so much lmao its really really a pain but i hope one day ill recover.
the staff told me it isnt possible though because i have a milk allergy i will always have to check everything i eat , which is a pain..
I’ve come to realize that eating disorder cannot really be fully treated/fixed. Once you developed it, it just never goes away. Like, you can never look at foods the same way you used to.
From personal experience, I'd say I'm about 97% recovered. I now have a very unemotional relationship with food the vast majority of the time, but there's still that little 3% of disordered thinking that pops up occasionally. So I think major recovery is possible, even if it doesn't completely go away.
Yea, i agree with you, it's not going away ever, we just learn to live with it and try to keep ourselves healthy... whatever "healthy" means 🤷🏻♀
It's about control of the situation and reasserting positive practices into you life. It is going to be a life long journey until the very last beat of your heart.
I had ED for 3 years. I was fully recovered 9 years ago because of Jesus! Pray and have hope!
And it’s tough, it’s not like addiction where you can just take that thing away forever. You have to keep eating, so it’s even harder to recover
The crucial part of my recovery was admitting that starving myself made me feel incredibly good. It was a coping mechanism and thus served its purpose. I needed to realize that before I could start to find other coping mechanisms. Ones that weren’t self destructive. And I’ve been recovered for a long time now. My relationship with food isn’t perfect but I’ve become addicted to nurturing myself. I can acknowledge that an empty stomach made me feel amazing, almost high in a way nothing else can and still want to remain recovered. I chose life. And I do so everyday. Every meal that I make for myself is a way of telling myself that I deserve to be fed. I deserve to have a strong body. I deserve a good life. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but it’s not impossible.
That's wonderful and very interesting, proud of you
I relate to this a lot. Thank you for putting it into words so beautifully
What else have you found that can make you feel great like starving did?
@@gemmaASMR well there’s no other feeling quite like that but what helped me most was having a good environment to live in. Like, finding people who love me no matter what, going to college and building the life I always wanted. At first it was just a distraction but step by step all those things took the Ed‘s place in my heart and mind, if that makes sense. Life’s so beautiful when you start to open yourself up to actually experiencing it
There is hope and you CAN recover. I had an ED for 18 years. It started when I was 13/14. After I had kids, and the thought of them going through what I have been through just broke my heart and I decided to fully commit to recovery. Now I’m 3 years into recovery. It’s been a struggle with lots of ups and downs. But overall, I’m very happy with where I am today and finally at peace with my body 😌
😊🎉 I am so pleased for you. What a champion! Good luck on your journey ❤
So happy for you, thanks for sharing your story! ❤️❤️❤️
So proud of you!! 👏👏👏 you’re so strong & brave! Congratulations on 3 years! I’ve only just started seeking help so this is very encouraging to read 💖💖💖
omg that's amazing!!! cheers to you friend!!!
18 years wow, and you still recovered I'm so happy and proud of you. I have am eating disorder for almost 8 years and I thought I could never recover
Thanks for point out that eating disorders are about control. I had anorexia and it wasn't at all about wanting to get thin. I just felt that food was the only thing I could control in my life and every pound lost was a confirmation of that control. The core of the problem is more often than not much more complex than just "wanting to be thin enough".
I agree! But for me it really was just about being thin enough. I didn’t feel in control and i knew it wouldn’t make me feel in control, but i weighed myself obsessively and only wanted to be tiny. I knew it had veered out of control and I knew I was stunting my growth and I knew I was killing myself, but it was never enough
This is so true
Yeah. It's not about social media, magazine models or looks for me. I dont even like how skeletal I looked and wear clothes that cover it. It's about control, restriction and numbers... and other stuff...
its like I can't control my life, and my family wants to shape me, but at least I can shape myself (to be lean) where as "apparently" (no effort) they "can't"[lose weight like me] , which insights *strong* envy in them, that in turn makes me feel like any semblance of power or control , both of my life and over others perception of me (I can make ppl see me as the "thin/lean" guy which unfortunately in this society also gives me "beauty points"
Control..Sometimes, success..Achieving..
I feel like one of the hardest parts of recovering from an ED, is that you’re never really “cured”, at any moment, at the slightest inconvenience, upsetting situation, or weight gain, you get those thoughts again, of “what if I just didn’t eat?”, or fall back into habits of eating your problems away that ultimately make your relationship with food worse than when you started recovery. The important thing isn’t to not have these thoughts, it’s to know how to deal with and ignore them, it’s not easy but you’ll pull through :)
Hi!!! Idk if this is helpful but I just wanted to say that it does get better with recovery, though slowly. I've been recovered for a little over 2 years now and though thoughts like that appear sometimes they are never particularly strong and fairly easy to resist. My first instinct when things get hard is rarely to not eat anymore and while my life definitely isn't perfect now it was so much worse with an eating disorder. You just have to keep pushing through and it will eventually get easier!
Or everytime anyone makes any comments about your weight / figure, which.... society and people does that a lot...
Anyone calls me skinny? Ah great. I'm doing a good job. I shall continue to keep myself skinny in order to be valid... or make myself skinnier...
Anyone calls me chubby? Ohno... I would need to lose weight...
If the “your bmi is good and you are perfectly healthy” does not get cured we will have an ED pandemic. That one sentence is someone with an Ed’s worst nightmare.
When I was thirteen and was in the middle of my severe ed, my doctor told me I had done a food job losing weight, because I had been chubby before my ed started. It's so deep rooted in the medical system.
I got never really treated.. because I was normal weight.. one of my therspists tried to treat me a bit, but it was at the end of our meetings, so we didnt really have much time :(
Still struggling and I'm 30. Bulimia, BED and orthorexia.. but hey, I'm normal weight so I must be ok.
@@think_bubbly exactly that they to need realise nowadays the mental implications are so much more important than dropping a few pounds to be “healthier”
@@StatchanaReborn It’s becoming way too common nowadays, I hope your feeling a lot better we just have to remember our ED’s don’t define us as people
@@kylemacinnes9867 not only..... and they are taken into consideration. But if you are overweight it increases your risk for a multitude of health issues, similarly (but with a different group of health issues) with being underweight. Ofc the goal is to loose/gain the weight needed in a healthy way. But in some cases the weight gain/loss is more important at the moment because it can damage your body as well. And not everyone that has to change their weight will develop an eating disorder so thats also that.
And doctors dont see inside a patients mind. If you feel like you have a bad relationship with food, speak up about it and then your doctor knows and can help you with it.
there are so many myths and misconceptions around all mental disorders but eating disorders specifically, thank you so much for trying to clear them up. there are maybe a couple more things you could have gone over but thankyou TED-ED for spreading awareness when possible :)
@Jesus is LORD Oh no, another spam bot. Guys, this is most likely not a real person. Report the bot.
@@solar0wind honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it was a real person. Religion always brings out the weirdos, no matter where you go
@@ferretappreciator I responded to you, but apparently my comment was deleted. I said something about this account likely being a bot because it wrote the same thing below lots of comments. But since there are so many Christian spam bots, there must be a lot of people behind this. Then I compared that to what a certain very big country does to change the public opinion about that country and what it does at the moment. Maybe that's what got my response removed.
@@ferretappreciator well the person behind the bot is a religious weirdo
as a 17 year old boy, I was hospitalized for anorexia. i struggled a lot with how i looked especially since i do competitive swimming and struggle a lot with ocd. i struggled for about a year and a half before seeking help and in the end it was one of the best decisions i made. i can’t describe how tired, cold, and dead i felt. i lost all social abilities really and lost interest in a ton of things that i once loved. it physically hurt to do simple things such as smiling and laughing because i wasn’t getting the energy to do those simple tasks. I was always trying to seek validation through my eating disorder and never felt satisfied, and always thought i could go ‘further’ by malnourishing myself even more. One thing that fueled my eating disorder from the start was when people made any comments on how i looked. My mom would constantly comment how skinny i was and that i needed to gain weight. for a moment i would feel guilty and think to myself ‘alright’, but a little later i would feel almost satisfied and think that is what makes me attractive. i would also get comments that some of my features on my face look really good and such, and it really fueled my sickness. I want anyone who is struggling with an eating disorder to know that it’s a very challenging process and never feel you are invalid. you are not alone in this fight ❤️
congrats chip. ily 💓☀️
Oh goodness.. ocd tendencies combined with anorexia sounds like a devastating, deadly mix...
It sucks that most of the time if you’re not underweight and seek help, doctors don’t do anything. No matter how severe it is, they look at you and say your fine. I went to a mental hospital inpatient and they still didn’t believe me there yet I’d been struggling with it for years. I’m not trying to stop people from getting help, I’m sure it helps a lot of people but there needs to be a change in the system in regarding eating disorder treatment
im not that deep in the topic but since i obsess about what i eat a lot and had a lot of phases in the last years where i would either binge or limit my intake to a point i wouldnt be able to do a workout anymore, i believe that i also struggle with some sort of eating disorder. but honestly i think thats pretty normal in todays society. maybe the doctors you seeked out for, struggle the same way but wont talk about it and as long as you are a healthy weight its non of their business since they are only there to treat "urgencies". yk what i mean? im not saying that your feelings or even struggles are unvalid, but i think what we all tend to forget sometimes, is that everyone struggles and that the health system most of the time only cares if you're close to death or if you're inable to work (physically or psychologically) which damages the productivity of society. thats kind of the bitter truth, i still struggle to accept since ive almost just left my all so carefree childhood where everything was supposedly fine (when it never was).
sure we can raise awareness and try to develope the system regarding treatments but wouldnt it just be all of us trying to treat each others issues since in the end all of us have them (ik they variate). Maybe the only solution is to fight all the lies in todays society. to try to reduce all the pressure in our lives, since it actually damages our ability to communicate with each other. Communication in my opinion is the key to many of our problems. people need to learn to talk about their problems. family and friends should be able to treat each other
If youre not underweight whats the problem?
Just wanted to give hope, I've had an ED on and off since I was sixteen, turned fifty this year and I'm two years recovered. Keep trying, you can recover, it might take multiple attempts but it's possible 💗
How did you recover
@@ErelfBow I wish I could say some sorr of pat answer for you. I think mostly it was a result of a few things, none of which anyone would call "treatment " for it. The panny happened and I really thought about how valuable time is and how I was just giving up hours and years of my life. I was finally sick and tired *enough* believe me I've been sick and tired many times. But this time it stuck, I was tired of starving and all the other stuff that was making me miserable. I just slowly stopped doing behaviors and the less I gave into those urges the less I had them. I did falter a few times but I would just start over again. I found hobbies and activities that took up time and energy. I distracted myself until my brain stopped trying to get me to do behaviors.
I can kind of explain it like this; all my life I was a nail biter. No matter what I did I couldn't stop biting them. I felt so embarrassed constantly if people saw them and said anything. I tried everything, fake nails, getting manicured, foul tasting polish. Nothing worked. About four years ago I just stopped biting them. I can't say why or what finally made me stop. I just stopped. Because I could have chosen to do that all along. It's the same for the ED, you can stop, but you have to choose to.
I'm sure this wasn't very helpful, but I do hope it was ✌️
That makes me so happy to read and really gives me hope :)
How did you lose weight? Did you just stop eating, drink coffee, smokes? What method works the best?
@@itwasallforyou1523 so happy to know that, good luck, you can do it too 💗
For me, I think the worst thing is that I will never ever forget what is inside the food what I’m eating. I feel like I’ll always know how many calories are in food and I have to just try and eat it anyway instead of restricting. The guilt after “overeating” is hard to get over, but I’m getting there!
i'm very proud of you
I used to be the same but it turns out you do eventually forget the numbers of you pursue full on recovery.
I’ve been a “picky eater” for as long as I can remember. Something about certain smells and textures puts me off to most foods that people usually like. I’ve never had a big issue with how my body looks, and have never felt a need for control over anything, it’s simply been a factor of my life that has always been with me.
It’s caused a lot of conflict with my mother especially, and when she tried to put me through a sort of therapy program it only made me feel worse about myself and terrified of ever going back. It even made me start loosely counting calories and worry about my weight. I’ve tried to explain to her how I wish I was normal, how it isn’t a choice for me, but I don’t know if she’ll ever truly understand.
I can still get all my necessary vitamins and I like things in every food group. Overall, I’ve made peace with my situation and try to manage it as best as I can. Every once in a while I can even try something new and maybe I end up liking it. But for some people it will never be enough.
For years I have faced the shame of not eating what everyone else was eating, the shame of knowing that I might be hurting someone’s feelings without meaning to at all. It isn’t just some switch you can turn on and off, it’s always there. I just hope maybe people can begin to understand that.
i deal with the same thing because i’m autistic. i am very malnourished. :(
It’s called AFRID. There is a very supportive subreddit dedicated to this ED.
I’ve had the exact same problem all my life! But it has started to change for the better. I’ve always been a picky eater but now that i’ve started sporting and i’ve gained muscle mass i decided I didn’t want to hold myself back with my way of eating. I’ve started to try new things that are in the range of textures and smells i like, crispy things or things with a warm soft nice smell. Once i’ve tried a thing from a new type or category of food i will be expending within that category intill i feel the time is right to start with a new type of food. Try to find your passion or a hobby that forces you to change your way’s how ever hard it may be! My love for the gym has made me eat way more things. Take small steps! Don’t try to eat very special foods because every small step counts and a few small steps add up to a big step in the right direction. i’m still not nearly there but don’t look at others just look at your own progress and alway’s try to stay positive!
Going to a friend’s house growing up was always a nightmare if there was a homemade dinner! To always feel bad for picking at food while they sit there thinking I hate the meal didn’t help with my relationship with food
I think I am very much in the same position as you. I'm very "picky eater" and I don't typically eat what other normal people eat. That being said, I don't feel any sort of worry or anxiety over my weight or anything like that. So is this just us being weird individuals or are we also having some kinda eating disorder?
Thank you for making this video. My sister is dying from an ed. The overall stigma, lack of knowledge, and limited treatment available is infuriating.
I had and suffered from an ed i can only imagine your sister’s suffering, my heart in with you and your sis, i know from my parents as they’ve lived seeing me.. you are so sstrong hope you both fight through
Worst is "treatment" that consiously hurts and damages people.
the saddest and hardest part of an eating disorder is when you realize you have one. the first time a developed an eating disorder i realized i had developed one when my mother asked me if i wanted food and in my mind i was saying yes please, but my mouth said no, i'm not hungry. it was so heartbreaking realizing that i had an eating disorder. the second time i developed another eating disorder i realize i had developed an ED again when i had to run to the bathroom after eating to throw up, it was when i was crying infront of the mirror because i didnt want to throw up and when i wad telling myself to just throw up one more time and another voice in my head was crying begging me not to do it again.
I was diagnosed with Anorexia restrictive subtype when I was 13. I’m 24 now, and after a decade of struggling all along the ED spectrum, I can tell you that it can get better. I don’t think you ever fully “recover,” the mental parts will always be there but you learn how to manage.
yes, i think it never goes away completely you just learn to try to get over it but really those thoughts are always in your head. I know because I have anorexia since I was 12 years old .
@@susanasilva9722 I completely agree with that. The thoughts are always there in the back of your mind, but at this point its something you e dealt with for so long that you can control it.
Can you tell me which disorder is this 👇
I want to gain weight but i can't eat i afraid to eat sometimes in front of people or sometimes I lost my appetite even when I m alone i don't know why i feel hungry but i can't eat because of fear of vomit attack 🙄🙄🙄🙄 so what is this disease is?
@@user-os5xg2co8u Please talk to a professional about this. Sounds like an eating disorder, but it could be something else.
@@SummerRocks50 ok thank you 😁
But what kind of eating disorder you have ?
I really wish you had covered non-body image related eating disorders like ARFID and pica. I have ARFID, which is already extremely misunderstood and often misdiagnosed as anorexia. Not all eating disorders are because of poor body image. Mine is from sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. Please end the stigma against these lesser known disorders.
They didn’t just talk about image issues tho (which is usually the most prominent reason today), they talked about different causes.
@@semolinalibra The only causes they mentioned were the causes of body-image related disorders. They didn't mention sensory sensitivities, neurodivergent conditions like autism, emetophobia, physical disabilities that make it difficult to swallow, or anything else relevant to disorders outside of AN, BN, or BED. They never once mentioned ARFID, pica, or any other eating disorder that doesn't fit the general public's perception of one. This lack of awareness leads to lack of resources, misdiagnosis, the prolonged suffering for people like me.
If you've gotten any treatment for your ARFID could please give me any tips you've learned or have realized? i havent been diagnosed before and dont entirely know if i have it, but after reading up so much about it i think it's very well within the realm of being possible, and in any case i have a lot of symptoms. Over the past year I've been getting worse with my intake and feeling worse as a result, if you know anything about recovering it'd be a big help, and i hope you're able to recover from it soon
@@l.k.5996 Tag me if they respond please
So many people just see it as being picky or bratty, I hate it
It breaks my heart reading the comments, people are struggling with it, misinformation and stigma is almost unbearable! God bless all of you, you are not alone, you don't have to be embarrassed, ask for help, therapy is expensive, but nowadays with the internet, you have more chances of talking to a lot of people, while staying somewhat anonymous. You can do it!
I had an eating disorder, now i can proudly say that i overcame it all by myself,though I'll never forget those traumatic years.
If u r reading this and have ed, be strong u can conquer it yourself.
EDS are the worst :( I used to have both kind of eds just in 2 years due to my depression. But luckily, I'm able to manage and balance my life again. For anyone who has eds, just be strong, foods are friends, all food is good and the most important key is moderation! This video is very helpful
there are more than "both kinds" of eating disorders. i know, mine isnt like anorexia or bulimia.
thanks. "just be strong" totally cured me. much like being told to just be happy while depressed.
if you had restricted eating and bingeing, while depressed, chances are they were side affects of medication you were taking. EDs dont just cure themselves
@@evildaemo no you do , no one does it for you ....and yes I starved myself to stay thin for years ! Also took ephedra for years to not have an appetite 😕. I stopped on my own ...why cause I got older and had no children's moms to empress anymore .
@@melindasmith3713 thats called removing the cause.
treatment 101
@@evildaemo you don't need treatment . You fix it or you don't. So be strong as you were suggested to ..........that's the point 👉
@@melindasmith3713 what you did. not needing to impress other women, is the first step in healing "treatment 101"
each persons route and method of healing/treatment will be different
What a beautiful quote that is at the beginning. I went after it in full. It says: “There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.”
Such a great message.
My high school health teacher actually suffered from bulimia for a large portion of her life, and so when she taught the unit on mental disorders she was actually able to give personal insight on the difficulties people with some eating disorders face, especially during the recovery process. She’s doing amazing nowadays, and I hope that the fact that she’s happy and safe now helped or will help people in my class if they were/are struggling.
Suffering from avoidance/restrictive ED is so difficult. No one understands that it's not as simple as "I'll just eat more", it's a steep hurdle that takes years to recover from (I'm still suffering from this until today).
Im struggling a lot with the same situation
Especially when your literal stomach strinks and you get full much quicker.
It would've been nice to hear about binge eating disorder. It feels like BED is always the odd one out when talking about eating disorders and I wish we could talk about it more often.
I thought the same-it was a little disheartening to get through the entire video and not hear a single mention of that. When I was younger my doctor refused to diagnose my BED because she told me that eating disorders are only about restricting or purging, so I feel like it's important to include that in awareness about eating disorders
Finally a comment I can relate to!
@@maddiecollart3734People with BED are almost always in a binge restrict cycle though. So there definitely is restriction in BED.
This is so often the case and it strange because BED is the most common ED of al eating disorders!
I first started having an ED when i was 16. At first it was anorexia and i lost so much of weight. I was happy about loosing weight but i gained it all back due to the pressure of loosing more weight and then my binging episodes began. I would binge 4-5 times every single week and i had no one to tell. I couldn't tell my family about it and i just had my best friend with me. It was one of the worst years of my life. I fell into a deep hole of depression. I am 19 now and after much struggle,i can say i have gotten better and recovered about 60%. I still struggle but i have learnt to cope with it and i have hope that i will get ever better now. I am proud of how far i have come and i know that even you can do it. Please take care of yourself and stay strong and do not give up 🥺💌
That’s amazing how hard you’re working to recover. You can continue, and I hope that some day, the sun shines fully on you.
I suffered from binge eating disorder from my late teens. When I finally opened up about it during psycho therapy, my therapist said, that when I feel like eating sweets I should eat dates and other healthy dried fruit, and when I’m eating I should never finish my food and leave some on the plate. I cannot explain the horror and sadness I felt when she said that. The one person I thought would understand and help me just reinforced all of the destructive behaviours I already had.
It’s so important to find a good professional, who can actually treat you.
Glad over time I learned myself how to manage it and try to live a healthy non food centred life. The binge is always on the brim of coming back, but I really don’t know how to trust therapists with my problem now.
Maybe there was a misunderstanding. When you said "binge eating" in your comment, I assumed the disorder where you eat a lot and then restrict or purge. Maybe he/she was trying to get you to stop eating the unhealthy processed food first. Then to leave food on the plate ONLY when you intended to binge? This would be ok along with instructing you to try to eat healthy EVERY day (no skipping or purging). Hard to know without hearing the full conversation, but sometimes misunderstandings happen. Sorry, I don't want to invalidate what you felt and went through, just proposing a possibility that might bring you some peace on that experience.
Psychoterapists are like sappers
So happy to hear them say you can be a normal weight and still have an eating disorder. I developed an ED over 15 years ago (and manage it pretty well now) but I've never truly believed that I had a "proper" disorder because I was never underweight.
If you're watching this and have one, let me tell you it's possible to overcome one! I was bulimic for many years and thought that miserable way I felt was going to be my life forever, but I completely recovered and can tell you IT IS POSSIBLE
do you have any tips for recovery? :)
@@nicolavh well this is some things that worked for me: to heal my relationship with food I had to realize that I didn't hate it, because I thought I did cause it was the source of all my problems, I had to accept that food was not my enemy and that I actually really enjoy it, that I could really enjoy it and that it was good because it kept me alive. I had to give myself a lot of love, for me that meant taking care of my body, my mind, my relationships. Pamper myself, treat myself and tell.me how much I loved me no matter what. Also I kept myself busy, I was in my late teens, I got a job and that help, because when I was busy doing things I had no time to think about food and binging and purging, I started journaling and other things to keep my mind and body busy. I took me many years, you have to trust the process, it's not going to happen over night, there's a lot of things to heal.... the most important part was to learn to forgive myself when I did it and understand that didn't meant all my progress was gone. Hope it helps! I sent you a lot of love 💝
@@Losdiariosdemel Thank you for your reply this means so much 💗 you are truly inspiring and I for sure will take in some of the tips! Sending lots of love right back at you :)
I had an eating disorder.
When I was about 9 I had a traumatic experience with vomit. After that I was so scared that I could vomit again that I stopped eating. The worry and anxiety kept me from ingesting any food. I would have panic attacks at the thought of food. I would deny any food. I lost a lot of weight. This is was off and on until I was about 12. My parents finally took to a therapist. I slowly got better.
I discovered recently that is a certain type of eating disorder called ARFID. It is a lesser known eating disorder since it does not involve with body image. ARFID is an fear of vomit and choking taken to the extreme. Usually ADHD and ASD people are more likely to to have something like this. I hope my little PSA will help someone who doesn’t know what ARFID is.
Currently one month free from bulimia after spending two years of my life binging and purging everyday !
I KNOW IM A BIT LATE BUT CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
congratulations!!
I remember several years ago I suffered from severe depression and mental disorder. I was addicted to illicit pills, alcohol, and smoking until I was recommended for psilocybin mushroom treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly I'm 8 years clean now. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against anxiety and depression.
To be honest, mushrooms are one of the most amazing things on the planet and it is natural, they serve in many ways not only for mental related issues.
Can you help me with a reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. It is very hard to get a reliable source here in New Zealand. Really need!
I wish they were readily available in my place.
Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He's 59 & has many mental health issues plus probably CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac. He's constantly talking about killing someone.
He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD knows if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Is he on Instagram?
Microdosing helped me get out of the pit of my worst depressive episode, a three year long episode, enough to start working on my mental health.
Something I didn't think you underlined enough: eating disorders are not just or even at all about trying to gain control over your body, but your life in general. My friend with a very severe eating disorder (at worst 25 kg (55 lbs) at 170 cm (5'7")) doesn't do it because she cares about her body. It is all about control. Again, not control over your body, but just control over your life. In my experience, often the instances where it is about body image is easier to treat because it is "simply" about confidence and acceptance.
Thank you! This video dissapointed me because it neglected to mention this. It is all about control.
@@Sunshine-yr3ut can you explain what do you mean? Please.
@@A.Isabel when someone feels like they don't have control in their lives, sometimes they feel like the only thing they can control is how much they eat. Even if they have body image or confidence issues, controlling how much they eat/what they eat can make them feel like they can control their lives even though the eating disorder is destroying them, they might not realize it
@@A.Isabel For me personally, my eating disorder has nothing to do with my appearance. I have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. For me, when my anxiety is really bad because of things happening that are out of my control, I stop eating. It's not to punish myself or to make myself skinnier. It's just a bad coping mechanism. My eating disorder also has to do with having OCD so I have to eat things in a specific order and cant eat certain things due to sensory issues with texture. All in all my disorder is about controlling one aspect of my life because I can't control anything else. Edit: spelling
Is it possible to even go that low? The saddest case ive seen is eugenia coony's though...
Y’all didn’t mention anything about ARFID, which has a whole different range of causes and issues. It’s possible to have an eating disorder not related to weight or body image issues but more likely related to trauma or undiagnosed/untreated neurodivergence. These are more likely to involve sensory issues, restrictive eating, rituals surrounding eating, and food hoarding, though the disorder can involve any of the other symptoms of the other eating disorders.
Often times ARFID is brushed off as picky eating and remains untreated, even more so that the average eating disorder, so it’s important to spread awareness about it.
ARFID gets absolutely no representation ANYWHERE. it’s so difficult to get treatment for it because it’s rarely known.
@@keyaunna. it’s so true, the number of times I’ve had professionals just dismiss me because they don’t know about the disorder or because I didn’t need help in the typical areas of eating disorders is ridiculous.
Was literally just going to post the same thing. ARFID only got a name in like, 2013 or something. We NEED more representation.
@@keyaunna. right it's genuinely so frustrating to me
True they are also spreading misinformation...i have anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa... difference?BIG difference... anorexia ISN'T about body image...nervosa is....in anorexia...i know i should eat...It's better for health and EVERYONE around me tells me to eat or else I will die...i used to be okay....but little by little cuz of my lifestyle I started losing my appetite and now I just cannot eat...my mind my stomach is refusing food....not even tasty food...mind that i don't care about "weight" it's just happened...i have a healthy weight but not a healthy body....i hate these people who have spread misinformation about anorexia...all they talk about is nervosa...but there's another kind of anorexia that i have...don't know how to get better
THANK YOU. I have an ED and have for multiple years, despite the fact I don't "look underweight" I now have permanent heart issues and fatigue, meaning I can't participate in so many things. Couldn't go to school for months, hospital, treatment, and constant tests, I haven't played sport in at least a year. There is so much invisible damage that having an ED does to your body that nobody ever talks about.
THANK YOU for bringing up the fact that eating disorders don’t depend on weight. Even my psych professor this year kept DSM-thumping and claiming that anorexia doesn’t “count” unless you hit a certain BMI. It made me so furious, I was shaking the entire class.
i've struggled with bulimia for around 5 years, im 19 at the moment. I wish i could send this to my family who currently do not believe i am bulimic, nor do they care to understand.
I am seeking therapy for my own health and hoping to recover, this video brings me comfort in the way that there are people who understand what is happening to me and what i'm going through.
YESSSSS IM SO HAPPY YALL ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS!! I’ve been struggling with an eating disorder for 4 years now. It’s kind of a forever thing for me now and I’m realizing there’s steps for me to overcome it and have way better days. I definitely fall off the wagon, but I’ve been working hard to be able to get back on more lately. It gets better guys. I promise. Just because your journey started rough doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility to treat yourself better for the future. You gotta be kind to your mind and body when you’re already going through something difficult. Thank you Ted ed for highlighting this.
Thank you. I’ve suffered an eating disorder from the age of 8 to the age of 13 and I know that there are so many false misconceptions of them.
I had an eating disorder (ARFID) in 2018 and it’s a newly explored case of eating disorders. I’ve grown up with emetophobia, the fear of vomiting, and thus began to starve myself because I didn’t want to throw up in front of others. I lost so much weight in a short amount of time, but made a full recovery in a eating disorder facility which I stayed at for 41 days.
ARFID doesn’t just involve the fear of throwing up, but fears that range outside of starving for appearance or eating a vast amount.
I was 13 when this happened, and am now 17 with some struggles but thriving much more than I was. It’s scary and such an intense internal fear, but with time and support can be helped❤️❤️
I think something people rarely mention is how exhausting it is. Going out to eat, meeting up with friends, family brunches… were all so tiring. Constantly thinking about what I’m eating, explaining to others why I’m not eating much, feeling sick, finding excuses to leave the table, and hiding how I felt all at the same time. The awkward glances, the concerned whispering, and how people thought it was just about “attention seeking”. My heart goes out to everyone else struggling with this. You have all of my love and respect. 💛
I find this video really frustrating. I have an eating disorder called Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), which is characterized by some combination of disinterest in food and/or extremely picky eating and/or fear of choking. It has NOTHING to do with body image or weight stigma and usually begins when someone is a toddler. ARFID can be just as dangerous as anorexia. This video perpetuates the myth that all eating disorders are, at least partially, body image issues. That's incorrect and harmful to people who have the less common EDs like ARFID and Pica.
That made me pretty upset too. Hello fellow ARFID sufferer, good luck on your recovery
EXACTLY!!! ARFID is so misunderstood..
They said that body was one of the most common causes, not the only one. I'm sure they could make a whole separate vid about ARFID. However eating disorders are very much a mental battle irregardless of the specific cause. I hope you all get the treatment and self-care you deserve, it sounds like a very serious struggle (as with all eating related disorders) and I hope you find some peace
ARFID seems very complex
True...i have anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa... difference?BIG difference... anorexia ISN'T about body image...nervosa is....in anorexia...i know i should eat...It's better for health and EVERYONE around me tells me to eat or else I will die...i used to be okay....but little by little cuz of my lifestyle I started losing my appetite and now I just cannot eat...my mind my stomach is refusing food....not even tasty food...mind that i don't care about "weight" it's just happened...i have a healthy weight but not a healthy body....i hate these people who have spread misinformation about anorexia...all they talk about is nervosa...but there's another kind of anorexia that i have...don't know how to get better
As a psychologist specializing in eating disorders and working on the front line with parents, the challenges families face are astounding. This illness is so multi-faceted and wildly complicated... as are human beings in general. It is a disorder of the self, where one's struggle in their relationship to themself is reflected in their relationship with food and their body. Recovery is possible! But we need to do a better job of seeing this disorder through the lens of the person-first and disorder-second.
It’s so hard, because I’m reading these comments with an undiagnosed ED literally crying and my relationship with food is so confusing and twisted and it’s hard for me to understand why but I know that in the past I used excessive working out to feel good and knowing that I had control over what I ate or how much I didn’t eat, I knew if I just stopped eating eventually I would lose weight and then results was like an accomplishment like I lost weight and I felt in control but then I got obsessive about everything I noticed it was an issue when I started hiding food or flushing down the toilet and now eating it’s like I don’t like anything and it’s such a struggle
It’s so difficult. I was diagnosed with restrictive anorexia. Although I am now a healthy weight, I still think about food nonstop. I wish I was normal and could be free from my prison of a mind like I used to be before I was 15. Life is difficult everyday.
I'm recovering from a loooong ED, I had lots of ups and downs. There were years where I thought I was fine but I now realize I was still ill. However, I see my full recovery closer and closer. I never thought I would say this, but here am I. If you are struggling with any kind of eating disorder, please know there is a way to get out of there. The path is hard and complicated but so so worthy.
Also, for restricting eating disorders I hands down recommend reading Tabitha Farrar. Her books helped me so much to understand what was happening in my mind and body and how to fight against it.
Thank you TED for making this video so well explained. Of course there are thousands more things to cover, but for someone who has a stigma or don't know about EDs is very educational.
Love to everyone
When I started recovering, I realised that it's more effective to target your insecurities and fears, not "eating more" and hoping that you'll wake up one day loving food. It was the hardest time period of my life yet, even if it was only for about 6 months. I never sat, unless my mom would "glue" me to the chair to eat. Took up all the chores of the house to stay active, extra exercising in my room, making up lies to not be put on a feeding tube, constantly jumping, running. When I was left home alone once for 30 minutes, I spent that entire time running around the house, crying and screaming from the agony and exhaustion. Would feel my knees ache, my back hurt, my body giving up, yet couldn't stop myself from hiding food from my plate somewhere in my pockets. I was on constant watch, I ASKED for constant watch, yet I was the one abusing it. I nearly died.
I don’t have a eating disorder (tho I eat less when I’m depressed or have anxiety) but I never fully understood them and I made comments to my friends related to food and now they are upset with me. It’s important we understand eating disorders and well as other mental health issues so we can understand each other and make our world better.
I had one that developed starting around the age of 12. It went undiagnosed until I was 22. I still struggle with mine, even after treatment. But I will never forget my mother telling me that eating disorders aren't real when I tried to tell her I was sick
I wish this video had gone a little more in-depth on the full scale of EDs (thin people who binge, heavy people who restrict - both damaging their systems despite no outward evidence, and dealing w the mental health issues of people assuming the opposite) - but you did touch on not being able to tell who has an ED based on outward appearance, so thank you for that
In my experience. E.ds are almost like a terminal mental illness. It doesn't go away and it can get worse but it can also get better through medicine and support hut it's still there
two weeks ago i was in the ER because my doctor told my mom to take me since my heart rate and bmi was so low, I was there for 6 hours before they moved me to a room in this unknown locked unit and hooked me up to a machine and told me nothing just to sleep. in the morning a nurse woke me up and took me to the bathroom where i wasnt allowed to close the door or flush the toilet, and they weighed me but i wasnt allowed to see. then I found out I was diagnosed with anorexia and they trapped me there and I wasn't allowed out until I gained 75% of the weight back, which was 40 lbs. i just got out and i am just so filled with anger. they took away all my rights by forcing family based treatment which gives my parents complete control over everything I consume (including telling me I CANT have things) and now my parents are just mad at me all the time and give me the silent treatment if I ask any questions, they told me I cant go back to work so I'm losing money, and im not allowed any physical activity. we werent allowed phones in the ed unit and now im only allowed my phone for 1 hour after a meal if I eat it and dont cry or complain or ask questions. so maybe it wouldnt be so hard to treat if they didn't punish me for having an ed, thats what recovery is, a punishment.
Part of the problem is that it is hard to realize when you need help. When I had an eating disorder, I would constantly be in denial about having one. I did not want help, I wanted to be skinny and thought being skinny would be worth the pain. This was very different from depression for me as I was more willing to receive help to deal with the pain. Eating disorders cause people to almost live in a different reality.
What helped me was get a friend. A reasonable one. If I was alone I would never seek help. But my friend being like "yo what the heck go seek help man" made me seek help... and if I tried to get out of it/escape my friend would probably help hold me accountable
I was only nine when my eating disorder started, my mom and other family members kept talking about how skinny I was and then when I started eating more because I was insecure about how skinny I was they started saying things about how much weight I was gaining, all of my friends made joking insults about my skinniness and/or the weight I started gaining. I dropped them and found better friends but my family would NEVER be the ones I'd go to for help. I'd go to friends who actually understand me so I can help them and they return the favor. I'm recovering from my ED but anytime I find myself eating a lot I'll stop and throw it away. I know it's a waste of food but I can't eat or my ED will get worse, the last time I pushed myself to finish eating the food my family joked about how much weight I was gaining so I just stopped eating that much. Now I have a healthier diet but I still skip breakfast due to how far I live from my [PRIVATE INFORMATION] so I just go on with the day after that. (Wow. So many words.)
We want to seek treatment. We want therapy but most of us cannot afford it. Many of us are in our adolescent ages and even if we tell our parents we get ignored specially in third class countries. WE WANT THERAPY but we are afraid even if someone offered it to us our parents won't allow it. HELP
Yeah, I wish they touched more on how much distorted parental beliefs about food and the cost of help impact ED development and treatment :/
@@OhMagicalUnicornLord Or the dangerous "treatments" that people get because of ignorance...
Overeaters Anonymous does that free.
I've been struggling with my eating disorder since 2011. I've went from normal weight to clinically underweight and now a little overweight. I've tried almost everything but nothing really worked. Seeing a professional and being hospitalized didn't help that much either. But after a long time, I kinda learned how to live with it. Yes, I do struggle everyday still...because the thoughts are still there. But I don't purge 4 times a day anymore and I don't starve to the point where I faint. I miss my skin and bones but my health is more important now. I hope one day I'll get much much better!
#1 reason is while things like cigarettes alcohol and drugs are additive, they're not required to sustain us. We must still be exposed to food even if we have to 'cut down'...
Its not easy for people to understand eating disorders because its mysterious and misunderstood, and nobody knows where it comes from. My brother went to Rhodes Farm and it has affected him and my family for the rest of his life.He still has problems eating but has developed in other ways.
Im a 17 year old girl and I’m pretty sure all of my siblings have eating disorders. My sister started when she was 12 and I was 10, and she would make fun of my weight which lead me to be incredibly insecure and start starving myself when I was 12, then my younger brother would make fun of my weight and I would use it as motivation to stop eating- and eventually I noticed him skipping meals and adopting the same habits as me and my sister. I always tell myself I got better and that I don’t actually have problems with eating anymore, but I definitely still do. I’ve just gotten used to them. I permanently stunted my growth too. I was 4’10 as a 12 year old, which is when I started, I haven’t grown a single inch since
I think another misconception people have is confusing eating disorders with disordered eating.
What's the difference?
@@ren.pfa.99 disordered eating is not intentional, eating disorders are intentional. for example, you kept on skipping meals unintentionally, you don't mostly think about eating and u mostly forget abt eating. thats disordered eating, you mostly do not care abt having a good health and nutrition, or at least not your priority. on the other hand, eating disorder is intentional. you skip meals because u want to, you dont eat healthily because u want to, u restrict because u want to. people with disordered eating do not feel any guilt after eating, most people w eating disorders do. the very huge difference is how they feel about food.
@@kiri2256 i have disordered eating...i wanna eat cuz I am not healthy but I just can't ...cuz of depression my lifestyle got really bad...so I didn't eat food and starved myself not for my "body image" just starved...i just didn't feel like eating and now I have lost my appetite completely....i don't know what to do...and actually what I have is anorexia BUT not anorexia nervosa...BIG difference....
i remember when i had anorexia when i was 13, i had serious body issues and depression, i might've been 100 pounds or something. i wouldnt eat breakfast or lunch at school, and only dinner so my parents wouldn't get suspicious. it destroyed my mental health and body in general. i still have some body dysphoria. and i'd like to say to anyone suffering from an ed that you are not alone, and it'll get better. i promise.
I've been suffering from a binge eating disorder since I was a kid in addition to severe depression, anxiety, and high functioning ASD. I'm 27 years old and almost 400 pounds. I've had several doctors try to treat me for it over the years, but so far nothing has worked. Honestly at this point, I don't think this is treatable. I hope this doesn't dissuade anyone who needs treatment, but I just wanted to get this out there. I'm just convinced I'm beyond help no matter what I do to fix it. I don't want to believe that, but I'm just so tired.
Lots of love. Nobody is beyond help :)
GLP-1 agonists are showing good results in people with BED. Would be worth asking your doctors because you are almost certainly insulin resistant.
@@lynncrf I'm in the process of preparing for bariatric surgery in a few months. I suffered CHF last year so my doctors said I need to undergo it. Tried Ozempic, it caused pancreatic problems.
I would like to say that not all eating disorders are related to body image or food restriction, for example ARFID (which is what I have) is unrelated to those things and has more to do with fear of trying foods
I recently found out someone I grew up with has an ED, but because my experience is so different from theirs it’s hard to know what to say. Eating disorders are not a singular experience, and we all have a different relationship with food and our bodies.
In the end is only you, so you should be able to love yourself from head to toes. When I was struggling with anorexia and bulimia I tought I would never recover but focusing on the mental aspect rather than on the physical aspect helped me so much. You have to see again the Beauty in life and in yourself and I promise You that there is!✨
Eating disorders are hard to treat because treatment is scarce, often inadequate/dehumanizing, and very, very expensive
For anyone who needs to hear this, eating disorders are not all weight related. This video doesn't outright state that it's only talking about the weight related ones, but it does feel that way a bit. "Restricting food intake" can look like a lot of things, and I think the word "intake" is misused here. Simply "restricting food" is a full enough sentence, and encompasses more. It's not necessarily always about amount, but also what the food is. Others have mentioned ARFID, but there's also Orthorexia (essentially over healthy eating/ only eating what you consider pure), ED's related to emetophobia (I have this), other phobias, and so on... Any fear or anxiety you have surrounding food can link to this. It's not the same as dieting, although it can present as such. I'm sure there's much much more I don't know about, but if you're struggling to figure out what's going on with you, and came to this video for some guidance, just know that it's not just weight. The absolute best thing you can do is go to your doctor/GP or see a therapist.
Not all EDs involve alterations in self-perception! Sometimes it can be caused by sensory issues or anxiety or just an overall lack of interest in food.
sincerely,
someone with ARFID
Or fear of getting sick from certain foods.
In the end, what really helped and still helps me today is being around people who have a seemingly good relationship with food. I get to see what a normal portion can look like, learned that snacking in between meals is okay and that you can go and grab a second plate if you’re craving it/still feel hungry. There‘s lots more of course. Still not easy tho.
I have been going through recovery for a few years and only now started seeing a therapist. I know that I can get even better
I am a male and used to have bulimia. It’s quite common among bodybuilders, specially during the cut phase. I’ve talked to a few men who have eating disorders and don’t know it, because most people think only girls can adopt such behaviors. Anyways. Worst time of my life. I feel totally fine now. For those who don’t know this: bulimia doesn’t always mean vomiting. For a big part of those years, I’d eat like a lion and do cardio out of guilt right after. It felt terribly relieving. I’m very grateful it’s gone now.
I’ve been struggling with my ED for about 7 months now. It’s gotten so bad, and I’m really scared about my health. I’m young, and my period has stopped, my nails are always purple, my lips are always blue, im always cold, and I’m just always in a horrible mood. Every single day is a struggle for me.. it’s gotten so bad that I can’t stand eating infront of other people. It’s gotten so bad I stay up late on purpose so that I don’t eat earlier in the day. I don’t eat at school, not until exactly 6:40pm every single day. I’m honestly at my worst right now, and if you don’t have an eating disorder you won’t understand. I used to say I never knew how people got eds because I love food so much, but now I have one and I’ve lost 10 pounds from it.. please, do not ever tell someone to “just eat”. It’s so hard to recover. I wish recovery for everyone struggling right now. I would say “you can do this”, but honestly, right now, I can’t even do it.
Thank you so much Ted Ed I wasn’t fully aware on what exactly what my sister was going through and this helps on how I can help her get better❤️
I’m currently in the ICU i have been for 3 months and before i had gotten super sick i wasn’t eating and skipped meals everyday my immune system was so weak that something as simple as the flu put me on deaths door step . my point is don’t ruin your self to please others.
i didn’t even know i had an eating disorder until my sister walked in the changing room i was in and told me it scared her to see my ribs. take care of and keep an eye on your loved ones.
The weight aspect is so important and so often disregarded. I've struggled with disordered eating all my life, and in various ways. It has occasionally manifested in drastic weight changes - I have been severely underweight during a few years of anorexia, overweight when I had reached a frequency of binges that made it impossible to purge. When I was underweight, the people around me noticed and acknowledged that I had an eating disorder.
But the majority of my life I had bulimia, and so my weight is perfectly normal. I am not too thin, and not overweight, perfectly normal BMI. Yet, at least every five days and more often than not, every day, I binge up to three times a day followed by a purge. To anyone looking at me, they wouldn't say I have an eating disorder. Yet I've had it for 20 years.
Mental illness in general is silent, discreet, almost invisible. That's what make it so treacherous, and so hard to be treated unless one has the self awareness to seek help on their own - and the luck to find the right people to help.
Im just a layman but Its a shame that a cursory mention was not given specifically to the other Eating Disorders as the title would suggest.
Because Binge Eating Disorder shares elements with Bulimia but without the compensatory behavior such as purging, ARFID having boundaries or differential diagnosis with Anorexia and the NOS Disorders sharing often the same restrictive, purging and binging you've already mentioned it would have been nice to see them included for inclusiveness sake, not to mention Pica or Rumination Disorder. Anyway gg
I thought I’ve been doing better for a year. And one comment sent me back into a spiral
This video really doesn't explain the nature of the illness, it just highlights the sterotypes around it and its media 'friendly' image. I feel very sad about how people are treated with the condition in the UK.
Hi as someone with ARFID and recovered anorexia I’d like to add that disordered eating isn’t necessarily about body image and self esteem some of us have sensory issues that contribute to our disordered eating
It’s a slow process, but I promise it does get better. First you’re afraid about the calories, but when you notice how much energy you get and how much stronger you feel, calories stop being a concern❤
i feel like treatment traumatized me more than the actual anorexia. it made anorexia even more attractive because i was completely stripped of my bodily autonomy and my entire life was emptied of joy and enrichment; this was supposed to pressure me into behaving, and it did, but it didn't cure my problems it just made me afraid and caused my ED to resurface later, worse
I remember in 4th grade my older sister was telling me about purging and anorexia and i remember thinking why would anyone do that to themselves. I guess it kind of makes sense now
hi guys, I have ARFID . I have had this for around 12 years and it’s usually based on the fear of the unknown food, texture, smell etc. I’ve been referred to multiple food therapists who all didn’t get through to me and cause this “magical amazing breakthrough” I think everyone expects. It’s really not like that at all with any psychological disorder. Recently, I’ve been trying to get control of my body and finally feel comfortable sitting at a dinner table like all the other teens my age. Here’s what I’m trying to do, and I hope maybe this can help you too, even if only a little. Basically I’ve been trying to change and increase my portions eg, instead of reaching for a bag of crisps, grab a yogurt, or fruit, or something kinda out of my comfort zone but I still see as a “safe food” - this way I can begin eating food better for my body. More advice because apparently you’re still listening to the crazy rambling of a teenage girl! Don’t change for others, the people calling you “picky” or “a fake disorder”, do it for you because at the end of the day it’s your life and your decisions and nobody else really matters! Thank you and I hope this can help you on the long old journey to recovery, which I know me and you will eventually get to
Parents can play a big role in it. My mother was my first bully. Food has been a source of stress ever since.
Was bulimic for 2 years until I got pregnant. That changed my mind and anxieties about food and myself. The stuff of miracles.
This helps so much I’ve had a horrible eating disorder all my life I can barley eat anything so this really helps to understand my situation
I used to think too much and try my best not to eat as much. But nowadays I struggle with negligence in eating. Stress and depression got me tied up busy, anxious, too lonely, drained and unmotivated to make my full yummy meals, enjoy food nd more. I’m pretty sure I have ARFID nd OSFED. They’re common EDs and not as many ppl know bout it
personally, i believe it’s hard to treat because i don’t want to “heal” from it
Exactly, that's what makes treating anorexia so difficult. The affected may be interrupted by peers or side effects, but they don't want the behavior itself to end. In contrast, most people with e.g. anxiety disorders or depression would love to jettison those mind states.
thank you for this :) I've reached a healthy weight but as soon as that happened I went back to some of my old habits because "I'm not sick enough or at risk anymore". I still have difficulty eating in front of other people as I try to get my life back together (and eat pretty small portions), and some people don't really understand but I felt pretty safe watching this :) thank you again
It’s sad how I can’t enjoy my favorite food the same anymore :(
I can't eat properly for the past few weeks for the smells of certain foods sicken me. During these circumstances, it's great to stumble onto this video.....
That feeling when you want to control eating too much but your family is feeding you a lot. And that's how I developed eating disorder
I'm here trying to study this in order to help my little sister suffering from bulimia. It's so hard for relatives, you cannot realize it. I can never be happy or simply relaxed in my own house!
imagine how she feels
I tried since 2 years now but i still can't stop. When the clock strikes 4pm i go crazy. Till I sleep at night I just keep thinking about junk food. In the end 99% of the time i end up ordering a pizza or burger or fries etc and after eating that's a different kind of guilt. It just doesn't go away. Even after a great meal I feel guilty and i turn to aerated drinks which are also harmful btw. It's a vicious cycle. Every month begining I promise myself that id start eating less and eating healthy. Even this July, I promised that to myself but it has been just 7 days and i have already eaten dessert and other snacks and then I feel why bother. Let's eat the entire month and start the process from august. But this continues and that perfect month/week/day never arrives. In the end I'm left feeling immense hate for myself. It's just so so sad.
Please know that you don't have to feel bad about eating junk food/dessert early on in July. "Everything in moderation" is a good motto! You don't have to restrict yourself entirely from dessert and junk food, just have a balanced and healthy diet and that's what matters. Unfortunately I can't really help you, as much as I'd like to, but please don't hate yourself. Eating a squished piece of dough with tomato sauce and cheese on it does not make you a worse person. Maybe start eating some fruits/vegetables/other healthy food whenever you eat something like junk food or dessert and feel bad about it? Then you can say to yourself, "Okay, I made a decision I don't really like, but I also made a good decision and ate something healthy."
I had ED for so many years. First started out as anorexia, then bulimia, then binge eating. I didn’t think I would ever recover, but I eventually did. I’ve been binge free in the past 6 years. To all out there who is suffering from ED, I feel you and I send you all my love. I know you will get through this eventually. Just be kind to yourself until then❤
P.S.: What really helped me was reading “Brain over Binge.” Putting it out here in case it helps someone.
I had a big misconception about eating disorder, like I used to be so confused, "just eat" i think to myself. But in reality its not that simple, my friend with ED explains it to me. I was resentful at first (cuz i thought there was a simple way to cure it and that they "just dont want to") but now that I'm informed I feel really guilty for thinking like that in the past. I'm not perfect but I'd like to learn more about this so I dont make the same mistakes twice. Thank you for the video, it really do help with misinformed people like me.
Spread awareness!
I experienced a eating disorder back in February, it was when I recovered a dengue fever. Basically, I lost the interest to eat and I would feel disgusted to consume any type of food. Of course I was hungry, but the thought of eating easily overwhelmed me. Since I can't go on hungry, I have to force myself eating bit by bit. It was an excruciating task to do. It only better a week later when my dad brought me to eat steamed fish lunch. I don't know how or why, but that steamed fish was so tasty and delicious, it basically open my appetite back.
I'm surprised by how much I relate to this. I got the stomach flu really bad in April and haven't been able to enjoy food since then. I just got sick again this week and it really scares me that I know I need to eat but I'm not hungry. I know how you feel.
I appreciate this video so much. I struggle with anorexia and just recently started recovery and it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve done, but these videos just remind me of how much worse it was when I was struggling. At its most recent peak, I had so many people begging me to eat and recover but I refused because I was never underweight and I didn’t really lose that much weight but after my boyfriend told me he was frustrated at me for not eating it made my heard break. I recovered because of all my wonderful friends and my amazing boyfriend that never gave up on me. Everyday is a battle but it’s a battle that will lead to forever freedom! Don’t wait, chose recovery now ❤