Looking for someone who recovered from anorexia

I’m looking for someone who recovered from ed to help me a little and offer advice and/or inspire me.

[MEJones]

Hello; I know you posted this months ago but when I was recovering I found this website/podcast very helpful. You can also email Tabitha & she will get back to you with some encouragement. She follows a really healthy recovery philosophy and even though it’s hard to get your head around (due to AN thoughts) it’ makes a lot of biological sense. Good luck x x

tabithafarrar.com

[crazycrossstitcher]

ABC have befrienders - visit their website - I found them fantastic and so helpful and supportive with recovery approaches and suggestions.

[Icanhelpyou5]

Hi dear. I would be happy to help you and support you as much as I can. I had anorexia and bulimia a long time ago when I was a teenager. At that time I didn't realize how I was blinded by the media who had deceived me and made me believe that only skinny and bony girls are beautiful and the "right" shape for a woman. However as I grew older I realized i was so wrong and that I was sick. Anorexia is not an opinion, it is a sickness, addiction actually once you get into it. Starving myself and fasting became so excititing and fun and it was like magic as I saw how fast I was losing weight at one point (almost 1 kg every day.) In a few months I dropped from 52 kg to 40 kg. My parents were devastated and shocked. I had managed to hide it pretty well. However my parents' love for me is so much, they did their everything to get me better. Their help together with God's help took me out of the hands of the devil.

My father simply said "if you won't start eating, I'm gonna take you to the hospital and they will start feeding you through the tube." I was like NO WAY!!! Therefore I had to force myself to eat. At first it was very hard and even physically painful as my stomach had shrunk so much. However little by little more space came and I could eat well. In fact TOO well - I got bulimia. My body was craving in double fold for all the food I had missed. I was eating nonstop. Like a pregnant woman. That was SO painful. I cried because my stomach was so swollen it hurt. I couldn't stand the fact of gaining wait so since I hate vomiting and tried it a few times, I bought laxatives to poo it all out. It worked! - another demon had taken over. However to my salvation, my stomach began to seriously trouble me and ache so I had to stop using the drugs and just keep the food inside. I started seeing a food therapist and a psychologist who advised me and helped me to face the challenge. Little by little eating became nice again and I began to see myself beautiful and acceptable just the way I am (because NO ONE is perfect).

The hardest but the most important thing for you is to accept yourself the way you are (as cliche as it sounds like) look around and compare yourself to other women; you are much more slimmer than they are. You have lost your respect and love for yourself and your own body. Confidence has disappeared. Joy and peace has been stolen from you. Why? Who has the right to do that? NO ONE. Dear, we don't live this life for anybody else but ourselves and for God. This world doesn't get to define us or tell us who or how we are supposed to be like. If you allow them, you will eventually die. Till today I have arrhythmia that requires medication. It came as a result of ED. Til today I can't eat any dairy products and only a little of grain and wheat products. It also came as a result of ED. My bones and joints have become weaker and they ache me every day. It came as a result of ED + I have over flexible joints from birth. I will probably struggle with all these problems for my whole life but at least my life is still good and I can do things as long as I take a good care of myself. Eat well, sleep well, exercise well and take care of your mental and spiritual health. And don't ever ignore any of these things. Otherwise you will get affected.

I hope my story was able to inspire you and help you see some things. You can get through it. We all can. We just need to do it in the right way with the right kind of help. God bless you.

If you have any questions or thoughts, just shoot

Love, Maria