Anorexia?

[Poltergeist]

Your thoughts on so-called anorexia?

Do you think it is a real disease, or it is just an invention of bored and spoiled "girlies" - sometimes even some more mature women, unfortunately - who fare too well in their lives, have everything (middle-class well-off caring family etc), have absolutely no problems in their lives, therefore have to find some? After which this fad gets heavily exploited by the media.

[Bard]

I think it's a real disease, with psychological basis.
Human mind is complicated and often really messed up, I feel sorry for those girls who suffer of Anorexia.

[Anthropos]

It's a real disease, and it is not only girls who have it. Some people die of it. Some women become infertile as a result of it. Many cases are simulants, though.

[Eldritch]

Your thoughts on so-called anorexia?

Do you think it is a real disease, or it is just an invention of bored and spoiled "girlies" - sometimes even some more mature women, unfortunately - who fare too well in their lives, have everything (middle-class well-off caring family etc), have absolutely no problems in their lives, therefore have to find some? After which this fad gets heavily exploited by the media.

You should not trivialise such a dangerous and often life-threatening condition. In my experience girls/women who become anorectics aren't "bored", quite the contrary: they're usually perfectionists who set the bar impossibly high for themselves, and therefore cannot help but fail.

As for whether or not it is a "real" disease, I just don't know.

It's my (somewhat unorthodox, I guess) view that alcoholism, for example, is not a "real" disease. People with, say, diabetes or cancer don't have the option of getting up in the morning and thinking to themselves "I think I'll stop being diabetic or a cancer patient today". The alcoholic, on the other hand, has the luxury of deciding whether he drinks or not. And I guess the same (or rather reverse) logic could be applied to anorexia as well.

But regardless of what category (diseases or something else) we stick anorexia in, it does need seeing to by professionals if allowed to progress far enough.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I've found that corn syrup is a good cure for anorexia

[Poltergeist]

It's a real disease, and it is not only girls who have it. Some people die of it. Some women become infertile as a result of it. Many cases are simulants, though.

On second thought, it's more or less what I think too, only that it seems to me that the latter category (the simulants) is way more numerous than they want us to believe.

Yes, I know it is not only women, but they seem to prevail.


You should not trivialise such a dangerous and often life-threatening condition.

It is not trivializing. Even if it were true that it is all about "bored and spoiled" girlies, it wouldn't be trivial either. It would be a social problem of some relevance.


In my experience girls/women who become anorectics aren't "bored", quite the contrary: they're usually perfectionists who set the bar impossibly high for themselves, and therefore cannot help but fail.

Well, these things may not be so incompatible in certain cases. For example, someone can be bored in a sense that he has no real life problems and hardships to cope with, and then embark on some stupid and fruitless way of "self-perfectioning". It may be some idle and harmless hobby, but it can also turn out to be very harmful, as in this case.


It's my (somewhat unorthodox, I guess) view that alcoholism, for example, is not a "real" disease. People with, say, diabetes or cancer don't have the option of getting up in the morning and thinking to themselves "I think I'll stop being diabetic or a cancer patient today". The alcoholic, on the other hand, has the luxury of deciding whether he drinks or not. And I guess the same (or rather reverse) logic could be applied to anorexia as well.

Yep. You caught my point well. Why I am suspicious in regards to anorexia being a "real disease".

[Treffie]

In the literal sense, it is a disease, but not considered a disease by many as it's not infectious.

n.

1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.

[Fortis in Arduis]

One thing is for sure:

these bitches know how to lose weight...

This is what I picked up from a thinspiration website:

1. Drink a glass of water every hour. It will make you feel full.

2. Dont try to fast for days and days. First of all, fasting for long periods of time actually slows down the metabolism, second, it increases binge cravings immensely, and third, it affects your mood greatly. Instead of being happy for losing weight, youll be depressed simply because of lack of food.

3. If you live on your own or have a lot of privacy, tape/tack up pictures of your favorite models and always carry one around with you. When you're hungry pull out the picture. If you live on your own, tape them up on the fridge, freezer, and cupboards (just remember to take them down or cover them when people come over).

4. In between each mouthful of food that you eat, take a sip of water. It fills you up and slows down your eating so that you stay in control and the meal doesnt turn into a flat-out binge.

5. I would not recommend taking laxatives because they are not an effective way of purging, and you actually gain weight by taking them. There are natural laxatives though, found in foods like prunes and grapes. Also, there are certain sugar-free cough drops and candies that produce a laxative effect because of the sugar substitute used in them.

6. Try to eat in the same place every day. Somewhere solitary. Not in front of the TV or computer. If you have to stop what youre doing to go eat you might not even bother.

7. Eat what you crave. But eat it before you crave it in moderation. For instance, instead of a whole chocolate bar, get one of the small ones and only eat 1/2 of it. Allow yourself to enjoy it. Deprivation leads to bingeing.

8. Sleep at least 6 hours a night. Less than 6 hours sleep a night stimulates appetite by 15%. A lot of people with eating disorders suffer from insomnia, but it really is important to get as much sleep as possible.. Not just for weight loss, but because it helps the body stay healthy even though it is starving.

9. Always eat teaspoon size amounts of food at any one time and chew well. You will become fuller with less food so wont want to finish what's on your plate.

10. Try drinking more hot beverages, especially in fall and in winter. Hot liquids expand the intestinal tract and make you feel more full. A warm drink can help take the edge off your hunger, preventing overindulging later.

11. Focus especially on the first three bites. After that, the excitement of eating will begin to slowly subside, and you'll probably be content with a smaller portion.

12. Spicy foods raise your metabolism and burn slightly more calories than mild foods.

13. When you go out, take only a few bucks with you so when you walk past the pastry shops you can't afford anything.

14. Before you dig into that carton of ice cream, bag of chips, etc., take a deep breath and count to 100. Usually, by the time you stop counting you will have convinced yourself that you don't really need it.

15. Write a note to yourself listing all the reasons you are finally ready to lose weight. Keep this letter with you at all times, for inspiration.

16. You'll eat less on a black or navy blue plate.

17. Eat your sweets at breakfast

18. Track your triggers. Log them in a notebook, post them in your journal, whatever. This way youll know when a trigger is going to hit, and youll know in advance to keep yourself occupied during that time.

19. Sit up straight. You'll burn at least ten percent more calories sitting upright than reclining.

20. Always leave at least 3 hours between eating anything and going to sleep. If you eat before sleeping it can help you to put on weight, the 3 hours gives your body enough time to burn calories, which you wouldn't burn if you went to sleep.

21. Take a picture of yourself scantily clad, and every time you want to grab for the cake and cookies and ice-cream, just look at the picture (it could be nude but keep it hidden).

22. If you're in college, plan your schedule so that it spreads throughout the day. That way you won't have long gaps of time where you can pig out in your dorm.. Wont your friends be jealous when they gain the Freshman 15 and you havent?

23. Put your fork down in between bites at meal time.

24. Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day. This is an obvious one, but there are other reasons to due this, other than weight loss. Drinking water ensures that the kidneys are functioning properly. If you are not fully hydrated this means that the kidneys are not working to their full capacity and results are that the waste products are then dumped onto your liver, which is where the fat process actually occurs. Water actually speeds up your metabolism.

25. If you eat at night before you go to bed, make sure you lay on your left side. It makes the food go through your system faster and wont have as much time to suck fat out of the food. But remember that you shouldn't eat before you go to bed. It slows down your metabolism.

26. Remember, out of sight is out of mind. If there are goodies lying around on the counters or table, put them away and/or hide them. That way whenever you walk through the kitchen you won't be tempted.

27. Make vegetable soup with low cal veggies cut up in chunks. You can have a full bowl and feel full, but actually you havent eaten very many calories.

28. Eat breakfast! This gets your metabolism going.

29. Eat as slowly as you can. It takes your body around 30 minutes to realise it's full. Chew until the food dissolves in your mouth.

30. Eat in front of a mirror naked.

31. Count to 100 if you're having a craving. Hopefully it will go away.

32. Never eat past 7 pm.

33. Throw away the foods you think you'll binge on.

34. Carry a picture of your favourite trigger everywhere you go.

35. If you're binging, don't swallow the food, spit it out.

36. Eat your meals on smaller plates.

37. Pinch all your fat and see how disgusting it is and then you'll think that if you eat you'll just add more to it.

38. Obesity is disgusting. Remember that.

39. Thinspiration is your best friend. You think you've lost weight? Trust me you haven't. Just check out the models online and you'll realise that.

40. Live by the scales. It's right and you're FAT.

41. Watch what other people, especially fat people, eat and feel superior because they're feeding their bodies and getting fatter.

43. Eating in front of TV distracts you from your body's fullness signals, and you're more likely not to notice what you're eating. Do not do it.


Oh, and if anyone here is worried about their weight they can join:

The Apricity Shrinkers (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/group.php?groupid=40)