Triggering (ED): Question?

[Nomophobia]

How do you know when a diet turns into something more sinister and worrying?

[.Jess.]

Hey

This isn’t a straight forward question to answer because there are so many factors that can affect your diet and the development of an eating disorder. But personally I feel if you can notice your food patterns changing and your attitude towards food changing then it might be time to step back and look at what you’re doing. There is a massive difference between a diet and an eating disorder. When you’re on a diet normally you cut back and make an effort to stick to a food plan you’ve made to lose weight. Once you reach your goal you start to reintroduce foods and watch carefully to ensure you weight stays consistent. With an eating disorder (depending which one, I’m talking generally about anorexia here) you continue to restrict to an extent you make yourself physically ill.

Are you worried your diet is getting to strict? Maybe you could give us a bit more information Or if you’d rather chat in private just get in touch! Take care.

[Revolution]

Pretty much what .Jess. said. There's also a different aspect to eating disorders, in the end, it's really not about the weight loss. People with eating disorders, pretty much of all kinds, have an unhealthy relationship with food, whether eating a small large amount, they use it as their way of control in an unhealthy way. Regular people like food, but also think of it as a necessity and not something particularly bad or comforting. I consider what you think of food, as an enemy? As your only friend? Different eating disorders have different opinions.
Another thing to consider is your view on yourself. People with eating disorders generally think very low of themselves, no matter what their weight is or was. With regular self esteem, even overweight people can see their goods along with their flaws. I would consider how much you see your flaws when you look in the mirror.
I hope this helps. Feel free to message me whenever!

[Angel]

When you start becoming obsessive and the goal has become unhealthy and unreasonable, there is a problem. Most people on diets have a set goal in mind, whether it is for their health or appearance. In most cases, they lack a certain mindset that eating disordered individuals carry, one that causes self-loathing and a rather destructive one at that. When you find yourself questioning your behaviour, it may be a cause for concern.

[bailatyvm]

What everyone else said. When food/weight becomes your focus, whether it be in a positive or negative way. Take care of yourself, though. If you're getting worried, that might mean something's up.

[emma01]

I think when food takes over your life. It could be an obsession with it, like always wanting to be around food and/or eating it. Or it could be always thinking about the fat content/calorie content. Maybe your weight goal keeps going down, beyond 'underweight.'

But everyone is different, and you really don't just wake up one day and think "I am going to have an eating disorder" It is usually a slow progression and often starts with diet-like habits (healthy ones) which slowly become eating disorder habits and people dont pick up on them like that.

[Nomophobia]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I will look out for these signs. Today I had a strong urge to purge..don't know where it came from, could this be a sign? If you see another thread by me...then things won't b going well with my diet :s

[.Jess.]

Have you purged before? Having thoughts like that definately aren't a good thing and could well be a sign of disordered eating. It's really great you haven't given in to these thoughts though because that could really lead you down a slippery slope. You said you don't know where you're urge to purge came from but can you think if there is something inparticular that made you think about it? Did something trigger you? It might be worth keeping a diary of all your thoughts and feelings surrounding food so you can read back and identify what's healthy and what's unhealthy. Maybe, if you're struggling to identify between the two you could share some with us and we can help you identify what's okay and what's not okay. Stay strong, here if you need anyone, take care

[Nomophobia]

Thanks for the support Jess, it means a lot <3

No, I've never done it before. I'm not sure, I was feeling really fat, and part of me wanted to comfort eat because I also felt low..but I reaaaaally don't want to gain weight, so I guess it came from that chain of thoughts.

[.Jess.]

You're right, it does sound like a huge chain of thoughts. When they build up like that it can become really overwhelming can't it? Does that happen a lot? How have things been today? Keep us posted with how you're getting on, we don't want things to get any worse

[Nomophobia]

Thank you urm..a chain like that only happened the once..but the feeling fat is constant. Today...well I don't really want to eat much..again, I feel like that most days atm though.

[.Jess.]

Even though you haven't felt like eating a lot have you still managed to eat a substanial amount of food? I can understand and relate to the feeling of not wanting to eat a lot but it is important to make sure you're eating what your body needs. Other wise it just gets harder and harder to eat and not eating becomes more normal, which isn't okay. Perhaps you could eat smaller meals but more of them to make it easier for you to eat? It's really good you can identify your not eating much though, because it means you can do something to change it

[Nomophobia]

Thanks again! Well I have been trying to eat as little as possible...if I'm totally honest. I know it isn't really good but I really want to lose weight :/