Last week I was in Hawaii and attended a luau at night. I was there only with my parents and there were booths there for flower lei making ect. and as I was walking past one of the booths I saw a girl that made me stare. She was maybe 5'7 wearing a small shirt that was still big on her and long jeans that hung loosly. What caught my attention were her arms. You could see every vein and artery in her arms and her shoulder bone, there wasn't any fat or muscle at all on her arms.

Later I discovered that we were eating at the same table. I think that everyone my age has at least had one friend that was anorexic but this was something you only see in horror stories or when someone comes to talk to your Health class about the dangers of anorexia. She didn't eat her salad, her main course, her dessert. She didn't even touch them, she just watched her mom eat and ordered a diet coke which she had about two sips of.

I sort of always expected someone anorexic to look sad or depressed since most phychiatrists say that people become anorexic from, not peer pressure, but problems in their life and their weight is seen as the only thing they can control. The thing was, her mom seemed like a great person, they laughed and talked a lot, the girl smiled a lot, she looked like a really happy person... Later my dad mentioned the girl and said that she would be lucky to be alive in a year.

I guess that I am writing this to raise awareness about it. A lot of people know someone anorexic but they think it will just go away, but it doesn't. I'm sure that a lot of people have success and horror stories to share about their own or their friend's anorexia but I really want to stress that it is a big thing that shouldn't be taken lightly. Most of the people have seen the commercial of someone drowning or in the street after falling off their bike and the message is "If a friend was in trouble, you would help them." focussing on teenage problems with alchohol and drugs, but I really think that eating disorders should be added to the commercial.

Welcome to YN, baja13! In the future, please try to condense all your writing into one post. To maintain the "flow of the boards," we try to limit double and triple-posting (posting two or three times in succession on one thread).

Also, please note the dates that posts were written. There's nothing wrong with responding to a point someone made over 3 years ago, but if you're trying to address that person directly, you may not get a response (Jellybean13, for instance, has not logged onto YN since November 2004!).

well i have never actually met an anerexix

to jelly bean no it is not because i love that stuff to

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I thought it was strange that her mother didn't stress her daughter to eat. She only said that the salad was good, she didn't even tell her she should eat! I think denial in parents, particularily moms, makes it harder for anorexics to admit to get treatment...

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While I do agree with you that denial is a huge problem, we don't know if that's the case with this girl. Her mother might be aware that she has an ED. But you can't force someone to eat. That doesn't solve the problem.

Someone mentioned eating disorders which go under the category of no specific label, and yes that could be a sign of OCD. You should perhaps look into it, or consult your physician if it worries you.

omg! I do that thing with the M&M's and chex mix and basically, anything i'm eating!!! is that really a sign of OCD? maybe its yet another eating disorder... does anyone know?

"Wow... same here... especially the m&m part... except for me it was always the reds and yellows."

*gasp!* do you do that with chex mix too!??! we must have been seperated at birth.

"I swear, 2 of the women in that commercial who were griping about their weight looked as if they were a normal weight... ever thought of using ppl who are actually overweight for the commercial-- and then they play that commercial on channels watched by young ppl(bad idea)."

someone said that except about commercials for like plans to stop smoking. they said that it would be better if they didn't show people smoking on the commercial because it awakens cravings for nicotine for people watching the commercial that are already trying to stop. maybe dieting and weight loss commercials are like that for some teens. you see them doing so well and you want it to work for you to so you take it to the extreme.

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i remember eating lucky charms dry and eating the cereal first then categorizing the marshmellows in accordance to what shape they were (clovers, balloons, ect.) then eating them in reference to their size. even when i eat m&m's or eat a chunk of carmel popcorn i save the best pieces or green and blue's for last. the hardest thing is finding the very last, perfect piece of whatever it is. i can't even sit down and watch tv while eating because i end up obsessing about the food instead of watching

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Wow... same here... especially the m&m part... except for me it was always the reds and yellows.

I agree about more commercials showing the horrors of anorexia and bulimia... anorexia is just as much of a problem as tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs... if not more of a problem because in a way, anorexia is encouraged by the media's portraying of excessively skinny ppl and commercials encouraging weight loss among ppl who dont neccesarily need to... Has anyone seen the commercial for Suvaril, that weight loss pill?? I swear, 2 of the women in that commercial who were griping about their weight looked as if they were a normal weight... ever thought of using ppl who are actually overweight for the commercial-- and then they play that commercial on channels watched by young ppl(bad idea). Personally, I think commercials for diet pills should be kept off channels which are generally watched by ppl under 25

Technically there is a difference between anorexia and bulimia in that anorexics starve themselves of food and nutrition, whereas bulimics binge and purge (whether by vomiting, excessive use of laxatives, or excessive exercise). However, I have read about purging anorexics, who are more or less anorexics that starve themselves, but vomit the very little food that they eat instead of purging.

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i suffer from a mild case of obessive compulsive disorder, and i am a perfectionist to the extreme

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i have never been diagnosed with ocd, but I am 100% sure I have it, even when i was 6. i remember eating lucky charms dry and eating the cereal first then categorizing the marshmellows in accordance to what shape they were (clovers, balloons, ect.) then eating them in reference to their size. even when i eat m&m's or eat a chunk of carmel popcorn i save the best pieces or green and blue's for last. the hardest thing is finding the very last, perfect piece of whatever it is. i can't even sit down and watch tv while eating because i end up obsessing about the food instead of watching. i am surprised still that ocd has not affected my eating habits.

i am a major perfectionist particularily with my writing. i'll re-write my entire math assignment because of wrinkling the paper or things like that.

i think that bulemia goes unnoticed most because unless you like live with the person or are around them for about a 24 hour span, you might never know because they would eat like normal in front of you. usually though, correct me if im wrong, people are not both anorexic and bulemic because typically bulemics purge?

Don't forget about ED-NOS: Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

InNeedOfHelp05,

Yes! There are numerous eating disorders! Thank you for also pointing that out. You'll notice I mentioned that there are others, but I basically stayed on the topic of Anorexia since that's the subject of this post in the first place.

But that reminded me of yet another thing: it's true that when people think of eating disorders, they automatically think of boney, malnourished anorexic females. This isn't what every person with anorexia looks like. In fact many, MANY people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are actually overweight or of appropriate weight. A lot of people hide their disorder very well. I've heard a lot of folks say, "well I think you would notice someone vomiting in the bathroom of your home", but the truth is: NO, it's not always that way. Things are not always as they appear to be.

I wanted to mention, I read somewhere that a college dorm building had to put up signs that read: "PLEASE STOP VOMITING IN OUR TOILETS" because so many girls were purging that they actually had to replace the pipes in the building.

Now along with Bulimia and Anorexia are disorders like Sleep Eating Disorder, or Body Dysmorphic Disorder (when one actually sees their body in an abnormal and false way), and even Orthorexia Nervosa (obsession with a "pure" diet). I think a lot of times we don't focus on thee problems because people just think "well hell, that sure is a diet I'd like to be on" and no one realizes how horribly unhealthy and deadly these diseases can be.

Well, you get the point. I need to stop writing these disgustingly long entries, haha.

anorexia is not the only eating disorder. for a year and a half i have been struggling off and on (mostly on) with bulimia. more girls do it than you would think. they eat whatever they want then throw it up later...and its so hard to stop. right now i just got back from camp. i have been going to camp for three years now and it really is the most amazing place. my counselor found me in the bathroom and everything snowballed from there. my unit head, and then the camp doctor, and finally my parents were informed. all in a matter of one week. everyone who knew wanted to help. and boy did i need it. i still do. for the first week i carried around a hair tie, snapping it whenever i was upset. i used to sit there for hours just snapping away, in my own little world, oblivious to what was going on. i really owe a lot to my counselor. and to three people in particular. my best friends R and C. the two of them are absolutely fantastic. so many times i just cried with with, and they sat there and held me. and j, i owe him so much. he would just sit and hold me, or hold my hands to keep me from snapping. i felt SAFE, and wanted. he knew i didnt WANT to stop. i still dont want to stop. but i have to. my parents know and they watch me like a hawk, but as reference to that girl in hawaii, parents feel like its their fault. sometimes they just are so bewildered they dont know what to do. i go to doctors now, and i am meeting with a nutritionist. but i have what my doctor calls "triggers" that set me off. stress is HUGE, i suffer from a mild case of obessive compulsive disorder, and i am a perfectionist to the extreme. this is a huge weight on my shoulders at school. and in the sports i do. i just take things too seriously. i really try to focus and its just overwhelming. now that i am home from camp **and i miss it soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much** i realized that its all up to me. my best friend is MAD like really really mad that i didnt stop. and i cant make her understand. bulimia is my security blanket, stress, disappointment, love, all these emotions come in tidal waves and i can always fall back on this. its something I control. to quote from another person
"not peer pressure, but problems in their life and their weight is seen as the only thing they can control."
im trying, and SLOWLY getting better. i will always struggle with this. but i want to thank C for showing me this website. i love you so much. and believe me, all of you who are the same as me, you can do it. that is what i keep telling myself and reluctantly i am giving this up and believing what i am saying.

I totally agree. It really does grill me that there are "Talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol" commercials and TRUTH'S "Cigareete's kill" and MY ANTI DRUG commercials with the message "If your friends needed help, you'd help them" but none of these organizations or commercials include "Talk to your kids about eating disorders" or "Anorexia kills".... Eating dissorders are on a climb, even with guys, but especially with girls.

It's very true that Anorexia Nervosa (as well as other eating disorders) pose a very
large threat to (mainly) young girls today. I myself have suffered from such a disorder, and
I have also known numerous females as well as males which have suffered as well. The
subject is definitely something that needs to be looked upon just like other threats such as
drugs, alcohol, and/or sexual addictions.

Every single day, people are confronted by the "perfect" body, or the "ideal" face
which society has created, when in reality, these standards are impossible to healthily
meet. As the United States quickly grows into its frenzy over obesity across the country
and diet plans (Atkins being the main trend at this time), more and more people are
becoming aware of their physical build, and becoming more and more insecure of
themselves. On top of this, teens are growing up in very stressful environments and
attending education systems that are year-by-year pouring on the discipline and hard work
while many students are fighting their own battles in the home... Hence, the beginning to a
very harmful disorder in which a person needs control over something in life, in this case:
their body.

I just watched a commercial (and I'm sure that you have seen these too) by STAND, an
organization that encourages youth to stop the use of tobacco and ads by companies that
are mildly directed at young people. If there is an organization with television
commercials, billboards, and magazine ads that encourage us to stop using tobacco, and
there are organizations such as DARE, that promote termination of drug abuse, why is it
that I cannot immediately think of someone who is out there, trying to stop these eating
disorders before they start? Why is it that while I suffered, I felt so alone, and so do so
many other men and women who are experiencing the same?

Thank you so much for bringing this subject to attention. Something definitely needs to
be done.

"i don't wear ecsesivly baggy clothes, but they arent tight."

the thing was, the girl wasn't wearing baggy clothes on purpose. im positive that the tag on that shirt was a small and her pants had a waist line the same as mine and I wear a 0 in shorts, but when she sat, there was 2 inch space, AND she was wearing a belt. it made me want to cry.

"I have a friend who is anorexic and her Mom acts like it's not a problem, it's horrible."

I thought it was strange that her mother didn't stress her daughter to eat. She only said that the salad was good, she didn't even tell her she should eat! I think denial in parents, particularily moms, makes it harder for anorexics to admit to get treatment...

That is disgusting ...

I agree, people should talk more about eating disorders. People act like they don't even exist. In health class I never saw one thing about eating disorders, not one. It wasn't even mentioned.

Eating disorders are a growing problem and it needs to be talked about.

I have a friend who is anorexic and her Mom acts like it's not a problem, it's horrible.
-Sunset

thank you. i don't wear ecsesivly baggy clothes, but they arent tight. i really agree that more awareness should be raised about eating disorders. and not just models with their bones sticking out. real people like that girl i've known a lot of people that were anorexic. i think only one was acually "cured" maybe.