Related Articles
Flatting? Try these easy recipes!»Read More
Lose those love handles!
»Read More
Cardio just not cutting it?
»Read More
Is it being vegetarian actually better for you?
»Read More
Healthy lamb kebabs
»Read More
Love it, Win it!
 |
WIN Impulse Love PacksEnter Now |
|---|
 |
WIN a double pass to My Week With Marilyn!Enter Now |
|---|
Anorexia: One Girl’s Story - Part 2
If you haven’t read Part One of Sarah’s Story, click here
PART TWO: THE TAKEOVER
During my teens I’d go through times where I would exercise a lot and eat ‘healthy’ for a while, then feel discouraged and flip to the other extreme. There were times my self-esteem was so low I didn’t care what I wore or how I looked. I didn’t see any point buying new clothes, and I basically didn’t feel like I was worth taking care of, so I stopped.
When I was 19 I moved out of home, and around the same time started going out with my first boyfriend - who went overseas a few months later. It was also my last year at Uni, I stopped going to the youth group I’d been involved with, and started working part time - five hours a day, five days a week. I kept myself so busy, I didn’t even know how to sit down and chill out.
That year was full of changes and new pressures for me, and there were times I felt more than a little overwhelmed. It seemed like I’d been trying so hard for so long to be the girl other people thought I should be, I didn’t actually know how to be myself. One of the things I realised was that no one could tell me what to eat and when. I guess deep down I was angry, and trying to take control.
I started going to the gym a lot, and whenever I needed to get somewhere, I walked. I would walk and walk like I couldn’t walk fast or far enough. I trained myself to eat less and less, and over the year went from a size 12 to an 8. I couldn’t believe my hard work had finally paid off! At the same time, I was exhausted and still felt driven to work harder, eat less, lose more.
I desperately wanted to be clear-headed, but I couldn’t make the voices stop.
What it does to you
Even though anorexia often starts out as an attempt to drop a little weight, it can become an obsession that has little to do with vanity. If you’re worried your weight loss is starting to get out of control, please ask for help!
How can you tell you’re pushing yourself too far?
- You always try to eat as little as possible.
- The thought of eating with other people scares you.
- You come up with ways to hide the fact you’re not eating or not eating much.
- You feel panicked when you don’t exercise.
- You don’t trust your own hunger and feel food is something you have to earn.
- You’re constantly distracted by thoughts of food and weight loss.
- You find it hard to be around other people, and struggle to make conversation.
- You’ve started exercising compulsively at weird times.
- You feel overweight but other people are worried you’re getting too skinny.
- You’re irritable and tired but find it hard to relax / sleep.
- You’ve started doing things like making yourself vomit (bulimia) or taking laxatives so you can lose weight quicker.
How to help
If a friend’s weight loss seems to be getting out of control, it might be time to confront them. Don’t be aggressive, but let them know you’re worried and ask if there’s anything you can do to help. Try and educate yourself on what they’re going through, by talking to a school health nurse, or counselor. They’ll have lots of info and should be able to give you some advice on how to approach your friend without upsetting them. It’s important that you do this confidentially though, and keep your friend’s identity private.
|
Wow your story is so true, any girl could be going through the exact same things as you did. Posted by Sugaax! "on" 08/08 "at"11:53 AM |
Best of the rest
I went through a phase where I would refuse to eat junk food or “bad” food. I thought it was fine, and when people said “why aren’t you eating that?” I felt like telling them all to shut up.
Then I realized that I was being ridiculous!
Putting a small amount of butter on your toast isn’t bad for you!
Now I eat like I used to, and I am a lot happier.
(though I will choose water over milkshakes!)