RE: An old enemy named Ana - Anorexia Nervosa

Thank you for sharing this very private part of your life. I was 30 before I realized I was anorexic. Thankfully, not to this severity, but I maintained a very low, unhealthy body weight through high school and into my controlling marriage. I had no idea what I was doing or why until during a crisis in my life I went three days without food. I turned on Sally Jesse Raphael and the show was on anorexia. I watched and listened with climbing horror as the skeletal girls shared their inner dialogs and I thought... that's me! I called a support line and confessed my eating habits. Thankfully, I was able to recognize what I was doing and began to force myself to eat. Sometimes I gagged over normal food. I'd self-talk and advise myself *you will get sick. You are a mother. Eat. And although I occasionally fall into abstaining from food when under extreme stress, I've learned to eat more healthy. The time frame was long, though. At least 15 years of not eating well. The aftermath carriers on. Last year, at 54, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. The poor eating is most likely the key culprit. I'm on meds to rebuild bone, but it's slow going. It's so much better to prevent this as soon as possible. Anorexia is slow suicide and a lack of understanding our true value. I'm so glad you are better. Resteemed.