Posted by Racer on May 10, 2007, at 12:50:49
In reply to Let me explain..., posted by WorryGirl on May 10, 2007, at 7:07:19
Actually, it sounds as though you know nearly as much about Human Steamrollers as I do!
Your family doesn't sound so helpful. You know that, right? You're not alone -- and when you get to the secret clubhouse, we'll teach you the secret handshake. I won't tell you my stories about it, but I've got 'em -- from "I know you're anorexic, but you still look great" to the "you're anorexic, you need help -- can you tell me how to lose weight?" -- so you're really not alone there.
As for the rest of it, there's so much I could say, and I think none of it would make much difference. A good therapist -- I sound like a broken record -- would be the best thing I can suggest. Someone to help you address the whole "good girl/approval" issue, and help you accept yourself, and approve of yourself.
What I do know, though, is that someone with an eating disorder is all too likely to hear the phrase "you're fat!" in almost anything anyone says to them. "Wow! Great haircut!" sounds an awful lot like, "Poor thing, she's so fat" to me sometimes.
Also, weight control isn't as simple as math. There's no "just eat this, then do that" about it. It's only now that anyone is doing research on this stuff, so it's not surprising that the general public doesn't know. I know, though, and now I'm telling you: there are many factors involved in weight, and some of them are not within your control.
One thing you have a bit of control over, though, is your metabolism -- in that you know that if you starve yourself you'll slow it down to a snail's pace. A few months ago, the doctor treating me for infertility told me I needed to gain weight and eat more starches and carbohydrates if I was going to have any chance at getting pregnant. I doubled or tripled the amount of starch exchanges I was eating -- and LOST weight the first week. Weight is NOT simple.
My advice: certified eating disorders specialist, if you can find one, or any other good T; and a registered dietitian, to help you normalize your eating habits.
By the way, I was just talking to a bulimic friend about the weight gain while purging thing the other day. She'd read that one absorbs about 80% of calories contained in an average binge, I'd read that an average of 1200 calories were absorbed from an average binge. Neither of us know how they'd calculate that, and frankly I don't think I want to know. What's clear, though, is that you're not getting rid of nearly as much as you think you are, no matter what you see when you do it.
I hope there's something helpful in there.
poster:Racer
thread:757357
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20061124/msgs/757472.html