Eating Disorder Career Guide and Counseling

Question: How does eating disorder treatment work? I am going to start seeing an eating disorder specialist next week and eventually do a partial hospitalization program possibly. How hard is it to recover from anorexia or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS)? Does the therapy really help? What exactly happens in treatment that helps? Do they make you force yourself to eat?

Answer: Yes, eating disorder treament does work! I used to be bulimic, but I had to go through treatment... it REALLY helped. But you have to get in the right mindset, you know? You need to want to get better. They don't force you to eat. They explore why you aren't eating, and encourage you to find other ways to deal with stress. And um no, they don't "guilt" you.

Question: What kind of eating disorder is someone drinking beverages more than eating food? Well, my friend has been drinking beverages more than eating today. I mean, today, she only ate three spoons of noodles and a slice of pizza, and she is full the whole day. But she drinks more frequently than she eats that she could still finish a whole bottle of milk in one sitting! Is this a disorder? What is wrong?

Answer: Well, I have an eating disorder and everyone I know who is anorexic would NEVER eat an entire slice of pizza or noodles voluntarily. Maybe she's developing an eating disorder though, because people tend to start out just lessening their diets and then work there way down to less and less food. And some of us go on certain diets, like juice diets and stuff. Check what she's drinking. If it's got calories in it it's probably not an eating disorder because she's obviosusly not counting calories. And if she's drinking milk, that has crazy calories in it, so it's probably not an eating disorder. Nevertheless, I would talk to her about it, just in case. Just let her know that you're there and want her to be healthy. Even though she doesn't yet have an eating disorder, she could be in the beginning stages of it and they're earlier to stop the earlier they are detected. Good luck!!!

Question: How does a girl with an eating disorder think in the begining stages of an eating disorder? I mean in the begining stages, before she starts to quit eating. What are beginning thoughts she thinks before the actual disorder happens? What causes eating disorders? What are outward signs?

Answer: I know from previous exsperiance. First off, it won't just start by her quitting to eat. If it's anorexia it's more gradual. bulimia too. It can start for soo many different reasons. for me i was going through a phase of depression as well as trying to get into the modeling world. I started to just eat less and less, then i started to feel fat for eating an apple a day. I wanted to be beautiful, i wanted people to notice how thin i was. I wanted to be somebody, but in the end i ended up wreaking my future.

Question: How would an eating disorder be triggered by the death of a parent? Just trying to do a little analyzing. What feelings do you think would trigger an eating disorder after the death of a father, or any parent? Let me know what you think. :)

Answer: An eating disorder is all about control. If someone feels like they have no control over what is happening in their lives, they look for an escape of stability, usually leading into an eating disorder. Most doctors, or even the anorexics or bulimics themselves don't know why they picked food for control. It is probably because they aren't happy with what they look like in the first place, so that is the way they go. It's hard to understand how someone cannot just eat, or throw up after consuming large quantities of food, but it's not that simple. The disorder completely consumes their lives, and they become depressed. When you say the death of a parent can trigger an E.D. it probably could. If that happened to me, I wouldn't want to they about my father or mother who died, I would just want to find an escape to keep my mind off them. I would work hard to seem ok, and in control of my life. An E.D. would almost seem like a friend. All I would do is concentrate on food, or not eating. I would plan all my meals around the clock. Try new workouts and try to keep my metabolism up. I'd worry about hiding it, making sure no one knows. Eating by myself because I'm embarrassed how other people see me. Letting the scale in the bathroom control how my day will start off. I'd lose all my friends because if I went out, I'd be too worried about eating. It's a VERY consuming mental illness. You don't think about anything else.

Question: What are the statistics of having an eating disorder? What are the statistics of girls with eating disorders? How many of them that start dieting at age 13-14 get an eating disorder? What percent? Maybe I should have put it this way: What are the chances of a person who started dieting at age 13 getting an eating disorder? i.e.(this isn't true but just an example of the kind of answer I'm looking for)---20% of people who start dieting at age 13 get an eating disorder...

Answer: I can't tell you the likelihood of developing an eating disorder according to age, but here's some information about the age of onset. •86% report onset of illness by the age of 20 •10% report onset at 10 years or younger •33% report onset between ages of 11-15 •43% report onset between ages of 16-20 A panel at the 2004 International Conference on Eating Disorders in Orlando, Florida, suggested the following spectrum of risk factors. The more any one person has, the greater the probability of developing an eating disorder. High weight concerns before age 14 High level of perceived stress Behavior problems before age 14 History of dieting Mother diets and is concerned about appearance Siblings diet and are concerned about appearance Peers diet and are concerned about appearance Negative self-evaluation Perfectionism No male friends Parental control Rivalry with one or more siblings Competitive with siblings' shape and/or appearance Shy and/or anxious Distressed by parental arguments Distressed by life events occurring in the year before the illness develops Critical comments from family members about weight, shape and eating Teasing about weight, shape and appearance

Question: How hard is it to recover from an eating disorder? I am going to start seeing an eating disorder specialist next week and eventually do a partial hospitalization program possibly. How hard is it to recover from anorexia or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS)? Does the therapy really help? What exactly happens in treatment that helps? Do they make you force yourself to eat?

Answer: Well an eating disorder is an addiction, an addiction to being skinny. I am not familar with the exact treatment, but if you refuse to eat while under the treatment they will put a feeding tube in so you can gain weight.

Question: Can a woman with an eating disorder carry a baby to full term? My friend is 26 and pregnant with her first child. She has been battling anorexia and bullimia for years. She is about normal weight and height right now and is 5 months pregnant. She told me that she eats about 1200 calories a day on average. She said about once a week she binges and then purges. She is going to a therapist and her doctor is aware of her eating disorder. Can she carry this baby full term? Will the baby be okay? Do you know anyone who had a eating disorder that had a baby?

Answer: right before I got pregnant I had anorexia and bulimia. Althought I was way underweight and very sick looking when I got pregnant. My motivation was for that unborn child. I ate what I could and althought I was extremely sick the entire pregnancy I carried my child close to full term. I had him a 34 1/2 weeks which was somewhat premature but he was perfectly fine. He was 5 lbs. But he was healthy. What i should say is that child should be her motivation to try as she might to not throw up intentionally. Your going to gain weight during pregnancy. and she will lose it once its all over. I am currently back down to my healthy weight for my height and I am perfectly fine with that. She needs to think of that child, before she runs into the bathroom after she eats. But to answer your question ... she may have complications along the way but she should be able to carry the child to full term or around there. But seriously help her get herself under control!!!

Question: How come everyone with any eating disorder is so beautiful? Logically, I know this is not true, but I believe it. Now I want an eating disorder really badly.

Answer: if you want to get an eating disorder you have to get rid of a few things. These include: self worth friends family thoughts about anything other than food or weight loss self esteem everything you care about your life I have an eating disorder and it isn't about beauty. It's about pain, suffering, obsession. I'm killing myself and I still can't stop even though my back and probably my heart look like you would see in a 40 or 50 year old. I have so many health problems because of this but I still can't stop. It's horrible having an eating disorder. Imagine this. You haven't eaten in 2 days. You eat a few bites of something...not even something with a lot of calories. You start panicing. Suddenly, you run to the bathroom and throw everything up because you can't stand how much you hate yourself and how disgusting you feel just from those few bites. How glamorous is throwing up on your hands and having vomit get stuck up your nose? How glamorous is having bruises on your knucles from your teeth? How glamorous is being thin if you can't see it in the mirror because your reflection keeps getting bigger no matter how much weight you lose? I don't mean to sound hypocritical or mean but I don't want anyone else to have to suffer through this. Eating disorders aren't what the media makes them out to be. I'll admit, I think bone-thin women are amazing, I do want to look like that. But do you really want to look like this just to see a cow in the mirror: http://www.charlescountycafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/thinspiration1.jpg If you still want to after reading this, you probably already have an eating disorder.

Question: How can I tell if my friend has an eating disorder? I have a friend who'se 5'11 and she weighs 105 pounds! Could she possibly have an eating disorder? I know shes not bulemic because she never uses the bathroom, but whenever we're at a restaurant she eats a few bites and claims to be full. She drinks only diet soda and never stops talking about her weight. She brags about being skinny, though. Could she have an eating disorder or is she just really skinny?

Answer: 105 lbs is very skinny for a tall girl. It looks to me that she gets full so fast because her stomach is so small and she can't fit much into it. But who knows? Maybe you should ask her. Just try not to be harsh about it. Good luck!

Question: How to make a healthy comeback from an eating disorder? So, I've been dealing with an eating disorder on and off over the past year. I'm 5'10 and I've dropped from 190 to 145 and wouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds, but overall am fairly happy with my weight. My eating disorder has consisted of basically, anywhere from 500-1,500 calories per day some days in one sitting sometimes in several. Exercising about 3-4 days per week burning about 300 calories per workout with both cardio and weight lifting. Now, I would like to adopt a healthier diet, but would like to do so without gaining back any weight. Any advice on doing this would be great as I realize my recent diet has not been very healthy. *Please no useless replies or comments. Thanks!

Answer: eat cake. and people. Human Flesh cures all.

Question: What kind of unusual problems can occur with an eating disorder? I have had an eating disorder for about 2 and a half years, I am recovering now and doing much better, but while i had it (bulimia/anorexia) I had some medical problems i had never had before but didnt seem to be listed as common problems associated with having an eating disorder. Such as I has ovarian cists, kidney stones, blueish coloron my fingernails, and when i first started i lost my period even though i wasnt seriously underweight at the time. Does anyone know why these type of things might happen, and if they could be ED realated or are they just coincidenses>?

Answer: I'm not a doctor, and it is difficult to give you a good answer without a few more details (length of time of ED, etc.) but I do know that the body is a SYSTEM and it makes a lot of sense to me that when one part of you is "malfunctioning", other parts will as well. If you are not getting the proper nutrients and/or not absorbing them, your body will manifest these deficiencies through dis-ease. Bulimia puts a great deal of pressure on your metabolic system: you are forcing expulsion of food, sending confusing messages to both your digestive system and to your brain. The body becomes "acidic"-- its natural state when ill-- and it is easy to understand how you could develop kidney stones and even cysts. Re your period being irregular, that is not really such a huge issue-- quite often periods are irregular in the beginning, not really settling into a pattern for a couple of years. I hope you are seriously including fresh, organic, ripe and raw fruits and veggies into your life, and lots of them. If you want a boost to your recovery process, you might want to try the non-invasive, easy-to-learn and easy-to-apply energy therapy called Emotional Freedom Technique. you can download the free Get Started Package at http://tinyurl.com/yh5zhu, or if you want to dive in right away by purchasing the inexpensive instructional DVDs click here>>http://tinyurl.com/ycwle8 All the best!

Question: What is an eating disorder in simple terms? And what is the types of eating disorders a person can have? I would just like to know what the term 'eating disorder' means and the various types as well as a short description Thank you for answering =)

Answer: The Free Dictionary describes an eating disorder as "Any of various psychological disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, that involve insufficient or excessive food intake." There are many different eating disorders, but the five main eating disorders are: -anorexia: defined by insufficient calorie intake, weight loss and refusal to maintain normal bodyweight, disturbance in the way that the person views his/her body and fear of weight gain -bulimia: defined by a pattern of binging (consuming excessive amounts of food in a short period of time) and compensating for a binge, usually by purging, but also through other methods such as laxatives, diuretics, excessive exercise and fasting -eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS): an eating disorder which involves many of the symptoms of bulimia or anorexia but is atypical to that disorder (i.e. the person may have anorexic behaviors, but has not lost significant weight, etc) -compulsive overeating: defined by a continual urge to eat, despite not feeling hungry; compulsive overeating is characterized, like binge eating disorder, by an addiction to food -binge eating disorder: characterized by periods of binging in which the individual is not hungry, but lacks control over his/her eating habits and consumes large amounts of food in a short period of time

Question: Is an eating disorder the same as suicide? I am planning on going on an eating disorder because I dont feel like eating anymore and im so depressed by being harassed and bullied im sick of it nothing has helped guidance ,principal ,pyschologist nothing.I'm 13 by the way.

Answer: i guess in a way it is.. is the harassing happening in school? if so maybe your parents can talk to someone there and have something done and get it stopped.

Question: How do i get help with my suspected eating disorder? I think i have a eating disorder. I 've had it for about nearly 2 years, on and off. I think i'm fat and now its gotten more serious. I'm always sick, Bloted stomache and even after i eat a small meal.I think i'm really fat and friends are now seeing how thin, i'm getting. I feel so tired and i really want to get help but i don't know how to go to my school Counsller, and say i have a eating disorder. Plz... Any ideas...Thanks.

Answer: Hey hun, I'm sorry to hear that you have to deal with this. It's awful that you are so young and you have to deal with such a huge issue. I usually think I have pretty great self-esteem, but I even go through spells where I hate everything about how I look. It's difficult for all girls, even if they don't talk about it. Who CAN you talk to? Is there any teacher you feel like you can talk to? It sounds like you want help getting out of this nasty cycle, so talking to a younger teacher might be your best bet, and you know who the best one will be. If you ask them to meet with you after class and chat for a while, they will probably (hopefully) approach the counselor for you. Go on a day when you feel strongest about wanting to get out of this, and then don't turn back. Your counselor will have great resources for you, and it will be worth it. If you work hard, you will start to feel better, you'll have more energy, and you'll have the tools you need to start loving yourself. Good luck sweetie.

Question: How do i know if iam developing an eating disorder? Hi, I'm a 17 year old girl and i have recently started dieting. i have become obsessed with counting calories and paranoid with what i eat and gaining weight. this is putting so much unnecessary stress on me. i am becoming more depressed and feeling guilty about food. i am afraid of developing an eating disorder. I'm planning to see my doctor but wonder if any one has advice for me or can tell me if I'm headed towrds an eating disorder.

Answer: I've walked in your shoes before.Seeing a doctor and talking about this with people who care about you is the best thing you can do.Don't be paranoid about eating.If you slip up one day or even all seven days of the week, don't worry!Just change it up, and keep moving towards your weight goal.Losing weight, or I should say, changing eating habits is not easy for some.Take it one day at a time, and pace yourself.Make sure you're exercising along with eating healthy!

Question: How did your history of an eating disorder affect you while pregnant? I'm doing a study on how pregnant women manage with their pregnancy while dealing with the challenges that an eating disorder leaves in your life. I am also looking for triggers that affected your eating during pregnancy. For example: being nauseous in the first 3 months can trigger bulimic (or anorexic) behavior and thoughts. You can also add anything that helped you overcome theses challenges. Thanks!

Answer: at the end of the day you have to eat for 2 whilst you are pregnant and if the mother who has had an eating disorder in the past should speek to a profesional whilst pregnant as they can monitor the weight of the mother and advise her on what foods to eat and so on. regular meals and plenty of fluids are advisable during pregnancy bet with the morning sickness thing simple dry foods like plain oat buisgets and crackers help and also the unborn child is still gettng food.