Temporary loss of appetite or anorexia relapse?
I haven't been eating a lot lately, been getting maybe 400-500 cals at most. For a little over a week, eating has just not been the easiest thing to do. Normally, I eat a really great diet, but I just haven't been able to eat it. I don't feel weak, or hungry enough to really eat. I can take a couple bites of something before the thought of food just nauseates me. I wish I could eat more calorie dense foods, but I have Crohn's, so that stuff really doesn't go down well... I can't even drink things that have calories...so it's been sugar free stuff. This probably wouldn't worry me if I hadn't had a nasty run-in with anorexia some years back... Does it sound more like a temporary thing or anorexia?
Can an anorexic teen recover in 6 months?
It depend entirely on the person.In my personal experience, I recovered in about 4 months after about 3 years of restricting. So in this case, I would say it’s entirely possible. But this will only happen if the person is committed to recovery and try his/her best to eat more than the minimum required amount (even better if eat according to hunger cues). For me, once I recognized that I was sick and that food was my only medicine, I looked up recovery websites like YourEtopia and other online forum for general guidelines. Then right there, I decided—no more night sweats, excessive hair fall, foggy mind, consumed by food all the time—I will recover. And I did.I ate whenever I was hungry, which seemed like all the time, and my body first craved a lot of processed food(which is normal-Food Fears I: Food, Family and Fear ) and I basically ate what I wanted. Most importantly, I did not restrict. I made up my mind to get better again and I knew then reverting to my restricting habits would only slow the process. And so I recovered physically quickly, I experienced many anxiety-triggering symptoms like edema, even more night sweats, feeling tired and heavy all the time…and the voice in my head wouldn’t stop telling me how this is making everything much worse—but I still hang on and I was glad that I finally had a clear simple direction on how to get better.And it did get significantly better(thank god), and I still continued to eat whatever I want and cut off all my exercise. In a few weeks time, I had gain back weight, my mind felt much clearer and I was able to actually think without obsessing over food all the time. I lost interest in tumblr food pictures, food blogs, Youtube food videos.My advice would be, trust your body. It’s seriously impossible for your body to keep gaining(it’s also not worth your time and effort to worry about it). Your body is in desperate need for more food to repair all the damage and rebuild tissues, cells and muscles. Be patient. It will take a while, but you can definitely recover. 6 months by standard recovery period is a short one, so if you really insists on a deadline(which you don’t), then you must change your mindset completely and be willing to do whatever it takes to recover.You can do it!
Is it possible to be anorexic again after you have recovered from it?
Yes, this is possible with any eating disorder because the eating disorder is a maladaptive coping mechanism. I was in treatment with a peer who had this experience.Long term recovery - or as one might say - she no longer had an eating disorder (10 years out). However, she experienced what felt like to her to be unsurmountable stressors and hardships and reverted back to the eating disorder behavior.Eating Disorder (ED) behavior serves functions in a person's life. For example:ED behavior can help a person numb out or distract from something that is bothering them.Obsessively focusing on one's body image is a distraction from other things - like a fear - that they do not want to face head on.Making one's body different - either really small or larger is a form of self protection (think sexual abuse or assault survivors).The different types of ED behavior all “light up” the reward centers of the brain.Finally, ED behavior can serve a punishment function (think I don't deserve to eat).Remember - the eating disorder develops over long periods of time and these maladaptive functions are often times deeply engrained behavior. It is understandable how a person who is on overload can revert back to an older behavior that is more familiar than a newer more healthier one.When I was in treatment I was told that relapse IS a part of recovery. This resonated with me. I also found it very comforting. That is - I did not feel I would have to do recovery - perfectly. It gave me permission to have realistic expectations of myself. Freedom to be me.Recovery - your life worth healing.BethanyEdit:There are more potential functions an eating disorder can serve. This answer makes reference to only a few. Also, not all eating disorder functions are present in the life of every person who has an eating disorder. This varies from person to person.A Google search will pull up some good information on this topic.
I have had bulimia relapse once a week for the past month. How do I go back in track with my recovery?
Relapses are part of the recovery process. Just like giving up smoking or drugs, sometimes we can take a step back. The 2 most important things to do are 1) not be too hard on yourself - you came this far and you can do it again. Being hard on yourself may affect your self esteem and make getting back on track harder. And 2) if you can, try and work out what the trigger was for the relapse. Sometimes there isn't one, but if there is, try and work that through and avoid or minimise your exposure to it when you can - its important to have a plan. Finally remind yourself you may lapse again from time to time. We are all human. You are not a failure if you do.
PLEASE HELP ME eating disorder relapse?
i have minor bulimia/ anorexia. only 2 close friends know. my family does not, my therapist does not. they only know i have a little loss of appetite from severe depressin. i cant tell my parents since ive put them through so much pain and stress already with the depression. my ED is a way to self harm but there are some self image problems tied into it. ive been trying to make myself eat, still dont eat breakfast or lunch (but sometimes a couple bites of food if my friend doesnt want all her lunch). but now ive been making myself eat dinner and small meals or snacks between after school and dinner. ive stopped myself from throwing up so far but i have constant thoughts about it. whenever the topic of food comes up or when i have to decide to make myself eat i just think, 'you dont need to, you dont need to eat, no one knows, you dont have to eat, dont eat this' i usually try to ignore those thoughts and shove food down my throat anyways but after i eat the thoughts come back but only with wanting to purge. i always have thoughts of wanting to purge after i eat, every single time i will think those thoughts and i hate it. im taking care of this ED by myself i dont want to come clean about it to my family. the thoughts are getting worse and its getting harder to stop the urges. i can feel im going to relaps soon. please help me. please help me. p.s. since ive been eating more i have started self harming in other forms such as choking, giving myself bruises, and cutting. i hate doing this, my ED satisfied my need to self harm, these other ways do while im doing it but i feel horrible afterwards and hate myself. once again please help me.
Anorexia recovery: I didn't gain my appetite yet?
Hello im almost 18 years old and 1.5 years ago, i started recovering from anorexia after being bulimic for a year and anorexic for 2. When I was anorexic, i lost my appetite completely that food became disgusting and I would only have 2 meals per week and i was very underweight. That's I was forced in recovery by my doctors. I told my doctors i couldnt eat so they prescribed me a med that increases appetite (zyprexa) and it did! It was still hard to but much easier. I was able to eat 1-2 meals per day. I gained 25 lbs in 1.5 years(of course there were couple relapses too) and now im declared healthy. My doctor said he didnt want to take me off my meds until august but I insisted to be off it now so i could feel more independent he said it is my choice because he trusts me enough not to relapse. The first couple of days were okay but then i went to point 0. Not mentally just physically. As in I dont want to lose weight and I dont have the fear of gaining weight or any anorexic thoughts but food is disgusting to me. I cant have more than half a meal per day. I try to force food but the flavor is just too strong it makes me so nauseous and throw up (not intentionally) if i didnt stop. Im trying my best not to resort to meds again because i cant depend on it for the rest of my life. I thought i would gain my appetite back after 1.5 years but why didnt I??? Is this even normal??? I feel like Im the only person who still have this problem after recovery of anorexia.
How do you handle a self-harm relapse?
You know when I was just 17 I tried to commit suicide by cutting my wrist …..I was hospitalized for three days . I still remember one of my friend …..sid said ….DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ! The day you were born your mom's eyes were filled with tears of happiness or when first your dad held you in your arms . You are a blessing for them . I was influenced by his words through I was almost in tears ..it was something like I did not hurt myself I hurt my mom and dad .The next time whenever you feel depressed and take self harm as your option , just think about the beautiful times you've spent with your parents and your loved ones …it will lead you to tears but even give satisfaction and happiness to your inner self . ( you can text me , if you have any thing to assert regarding this answer )PLEASE FOR THIS UNKOWN FRIEND OF YOURS DONT HARM YOURSELF …
How long does it take for girls with anorexia to lose weight?
it's hard to say because different people go through it differently and their bodies are affected differently. how far they starve themselves and such. after a few days there wouldn't be signs like weight but maybe fatigue. a few weeks there would probably be significant enough weight loss for it to show. I recently relapsed... never kept track before but I've been starving myself for about 2 weeks and I've lost about 5 pounds, my boyfriend has noticed but I suppose you'd have to look for it to see it.