Anorexia

[polyfrag]

Was/is anyone on this board an anorexic?

 

What are useful things to know about voluntary starvation? And I'm not asking for the bullshit drivel parents and school try to shovel into your head to keep you consuming.

 

I'm considering going on starvation, because that's what all the cool raver people are doing. Like this guy -> http://superk.dj/partykid/archives/random_raver_shots_1999/

 

More 'thinspirations' are the anime-ish characters from the old MTV series of short movies called Aeon Flux: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeon_flux. The originals depict super-anorexic people in light of a higher culture and advanced civilization (hard to explain based on crappy pics from the net, without actually seeing the original movies).

 

To me voluntary starvation seems like a self-refinement process and trying to achieve perfection, even though it goes against everything my parents and all the people I know would say. But anyways, that's another subject.

 

 

I've gone on semi-starvation before, and I found progressively that each time I got up or moved around I became more and more light-headed (low blood pressure?)

 

Eventually I stopped because I actually collapsed and blanked out on the floor (yeah, yeah, sounds bad, but that was more of an experiment to see how many days I could go without taking a 'break'; all this stuff went away when I began eating again).

 

Does anyone know anything about that? I don't think it had anything to do with vitamins/minerals because I ate 2 or 3 childrens' pills a day, so what was the exact problem? Not eating, of course, but more specifically what about the physio-chemical processes?

 

 

And I realize this might be shocking to some, since I'm saying all this without any restraint, so don't give me any annoying reminders of how terrible anorexia is supposed to be. I consider this to be an experiment, with myself as both the scientist and the test subject.

[Callipygous]

What are useful things to know about voluntary starvation? And I'm not asking for the bullshit drivel parents and school try to shovel into your head to keep you consuming.

 

the people at school/your parents are not interested in controlling your every action. they are interested in helping you grow up to be a successful human being who contributes to society. baring that in mind, it seems pretty obvious that the "bullshit" they spout, isnt actually bullshit, but good information to help you stay alive and healthy.

 

on to more medical stuff.... there is a reason you have hunger. your body is telling you your being stupid and that it needs fuel. just like pain, it is your bodies way of alerting you to a need, not some pesky habit it just has.

 

affects of self starvation... death seems the most obvious. earlier than that it depends how far you have taken it. if your a female between the age of 12-14 and about 20 (the most common group) one of your biggest, or most threatening to your future, problems will probably be bone loss. during that age your body is building up the bone structure that it will use for the rest of your life. when you lose enough weight you stop having your period, your period releases hormones that stimulate bone growth. if you go more than 3 months without a period you should see your doctor because youve gone far enough that its a serious health risk.

 

another of the more serious problems is heart failure. your body needs fuel to keep going, just because you stop feeding it doesnt mean it stops consuming fuel. it has to get energy somewhere, the first place it turns for quick fuel is muscle, and when youve eaten away all of your fat thats all it uses. your heart is a muscle, when you eat it it eventually stops working.

 

those are the most serious problems, there are all sorts of other bad things that happen to your body from starving it, but its 2:18 where i am so i dont care enough to keep going at this point. also, quite frankly, ive spent a lot of time on eating disorder websites trying to understand the mentality, i recognize the way you talk very well, and i understand that there isnt really any point in trying to have a logical conversation about it. there are people here im sure can give you all the in depth info you could ever want about your body, so enjoy, im sure youll learn a lot.

[Phi for All]

What are useful things to know about voluntary starvation? And I'm not asking for the bullshit drivel parents and school try to shovel into your head to keep you consuming.

I want you to know before you read this that I feel very sad that you would treat yourself this way. It actually makes me ache that you think anorexia is cool or that the people you call friends would reject you if you weren't emaciated.

 

Others will give you physiological advice about starving yourself which I really hope you will listen to. I will offer only this: without proper nutrition, you will never realize what a misadventure this kind of experimentation is. You are thinking only of your body when you should be concerned with your brain. Without those nutrients, you are compromising your judgment, learning and motivation systems. Your cognitive functions will suffer. Your emotions will be unstable. You will soon be too stupid to realize how stupid you are being.

 

I'm sure you've encountered someone who was too drunk or stoned to function rationally. Isn't it always amazing that the guy who can barely walk thinks he is able to drive a car? They're always just FINE, aren't they? This is the kind of brain dysfunction you can look forward to from voluntary starvation. Before you risk neurological disease I beg you to reconsider.

[Dak]

I used to have mild anorexia -- not thru choice, but because of a problem with my intestines, which also prevented me from properly adsorbing what food i did eat.

 

 

I was all weak and feeble, felt like shit, grumpy and slow (both phisically and mentally), and as for looking cool -- i looked like a zomby/skeleton.

 

 

I'd advise against putting yourself through it if atall avoidable.

[Mokele]

You need serious psychological help, and I'm not just being a bastard here, I mean it. Anorexia is a *disease*, and one that can kill you (and will, if left untreated). Don't buy this "lifestyle" and "perfection" bullshit.

 

Remember Terry Schaivo? The woman in a persistent vegatitive state? You know how she got that way? Heart failure due to potassium imbalance, which was due to *anorexia*.

 

This isn't something that will just kill you slowly; it can litterally make you just drop dead in your tracks one day. And if you let it develop, it will haunt you for the rest of your life.

 

I know what I'm talking about; my GF used to be anorexic (long before we met), and it *still* causes her problems now and then, and *still* sabotages her now-healthy body image at bad times.

 

This is not a game, and not a fashion statement. It's a disease.

 

Mokele

[YT2095]

Fascinating!

you ask about This:

Why is it that after wrestling practise I feel so much more relaxed and uninhibited?

 

 

 

Wrestling practise forces me to be agressive without thinking about it' date=' but isn't there a neuro-chemical aspect to it?

 

 

 

Does exercise or competition raise testosterone levels or something, and are there ways to maintain this heightened level of consciousness?[/quote']

 

and then make this thread... Don`t you find the two a little contradictory at all?

[Nevermore]

Polyfrag, anorexia not only eats your muscles and brain, but it often causes nervous and stress disorders. Stress disorders are not fun! This may sound like the type of 'bullshit drivel' (as you so sophisticly put it.) that you were talking about. But anorexia can, and quite possibly will, kill you painfully.

[golden_ratio]

Let me think a sec...

[golden_ratio]

It's interesting to read different people's take on this subject. Mostly I find it intriguing that so many of the post are written for your benefit. Having been anorexic, and I guess I really can't say "having been" since I'm sure I will always have this as part of my consciousness, I do understand your questioning. The only way I can think of to explain the "perfection feeling" is as feeling lonely. I eventually became so focused inward on myself, just being around other people irritated the hell out of me! Mostly because I felt like they were pushing their ideals on me of what I should look like, what I should or shouldn't be doing. Eventually I got to a point were I realized that if I didn't conform no one would help me get to the point were I am now, which is finishing medical school. Though at the time I felt like giving in and conforming was a weakness, now I understand, at least partially and I think it could have been the best decision I could have made. As for the physical aspects of the disease, they are numerous. The variety of which I felt I could handle. In actuality I was not performing with all the cognitive prowess and ability that I was capable of. My reaction time and IQ which I always prided myself on, was 25 points lower during my "purification" time then I'm tested at now. Funny thing is that I would not have even been aware of this since I was top of my class to begin with and would have just kept going without getting help. My point being that by choosing the path of a perfectionist you don't end up with "perfect" results. For one thing to be perfect other aspects can't.

[gib65]

And I realize this might be shocking to some' date=' since I'm saying all this without any restraint, so don't give me any annoying reminders of how terrible anorexia is supposed to be. I consider this to be an experiment, with myself as both the scientist and the test subject.[/quote']

 

I'll take this into consideration.

 

I'm considering going on starvation' date=' because that's what all the cool raver people are doing.[/quote']

 

I've taken it into consideration, and this statement still disturbs me. It's SOOOO uncanny how similar this statement is to "I jumped off a bridge because everyone else did."

 

Nevertheless, it doesn't sound like you're going in with the intention of hurting yourself. It sounds like you're trying to attain some higher mind state and you're experimenting with food abstinence as a potential path - a la Gandhi. All I've got to say is starving yourself is not natural. There are a lot of things humans do that aren't natural, but one aught always to take into consideration what this implies. If you're doing something that is radically eccentric, breaking from more "natural" propensities, then you really should know that your body and soul were not design, in terms of evolution theory, to deal with such endeavors. This is not to say you're ultimately doomed, just that you may be taking bigger risks than you expect. From the sounds of it, not only are you starving yourself, but you're experimenting with drugs too. Do realize these will (not might, will) have long term effects. You will not necessarily feel them or notice them.

 

Be careful. Reality hits hard.

[polyfrag]

No, I'm not on crack or marijuana or ANYTHING. I don't believe in souls, I couldn't care less about Gandhi... You people are paranoid.

 

And appearantly I've already violated several forum rules and got some warnings, so I have to change my stance on the subject or stop posting. =/

[polyfrag]

I'm considering going on starvation, because that's what all the cool raver people are doing. Like this guy -> http://superk.dj/partykid/archives/random_raver_shots_1999/

 

By the way, this was more of a joke... Just look at his pictures. Compare them to the stuff I said about 'self-control', 'higher culture'...

 

I think now I gave the wrong impression, but whatever.

[Phi for All]

And appearantly I've already violated several forum rules and got some warnings, so I have to change my stance on the subject or stop posting. =/

It's one thing to ask questions about destructive behavior, that's encouraged. It's completely different to advocate those behaviors on a public forum, that's against our policies.

[polyfrag]

Yeah, you're right. But I didn't think I'd get beyond "don't do it" if I didn't defend it...

[YT2095]

well just make sure you take plenty of Zinc suplements (at least 50 miligrams a day).

[ecoli]

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_1676.asp

 

I found this article interesting. It's about this program by the swedish government to help their widespread anorexia epidemic. However, the article is a little hazy about their actual practices.

Well, I saw a documentary about this place, as it turns out, they force the patients to eat everything on their plates. If they don't everything, then they save the food for the next meal and make them eat all the new food and the old food. And, if they don't eat they also sedate the patients. I'm not sure this place is better then being anorexic.

[Callipygous]

I found this article interesting. It's about this program by the swedish government to help their widespread anorexia epidemic. However' date=' the article is a little hazy about their actual practices.

Well, I saw a documentary about this place, as it turns out, they force the patients to eat everything on their plates. If they don't everything, then they save the food for the next meal and make them eat all the new food and the old food. And, if they don't eat they also sedate the patients. I'm not sure this place is better then being anorexic.[/quote']

 

 

it also doesnt solve the problem. you cant force someone to stop being anorexic. you can do things to get them to start eating for a little bit, but to get rid of the eating disorder they have to want to. they need psychiatry, not force feeding.

[Phi for All]

As far as I'm concerned, this is an OCD thing. The victim lowers his nutrition intake and finds he likes the "lanky look", so he lowers it some more, hoping for a lankier look. He keeps obsessing about his lanky look until there is a major health problem. By this same logic, if two aspirin cures your headache in an hour, twenty aspirin should cure things in about three minutes.

[aj47]

My ex girlfriend used to be anorexic (not when I was with her) and if you could talk to her you really wouldn't be making this thread. Its one thing having a psycological problem like she did and not be able to stop but asking advice on how to have an eating disorder is ridiculous.Its called a disorder for a reason.

 

Basically she ended up in hospital several times after collapsing and ended up being fed through her nose to keep her alive. It took her half a year of counselling and help to stop but shes still affected years after.

 

If your really determined to ruin your body then go for it but alot of people find it hard to stop. I don't know how serious you are about doing this but if your determined to lose weight there are better ways of doing it by just changing your diet, not just completley stopping eating.

[Callipygous]

As far as I'm concerned, this is an OCD thing. The victim lowers his nutrition intake and finds he likes the "lanky look", so he lowers it some more, hoping for a lankier look. He keeps obsessing about his lanky look until there is a major health problem. By this same logic, if two aspirin cures your headache in an hour, twenty aspirin should cure things in about three minutes.

 

its a much deeper psychological problem than that. its more about control than looks. its based in low self esteem and disfunctional family lives. i cant really adequately explain it, so im just going to leave it there. its a very deep, complicated psychological problem.

[aj47]

I think the reasons it is so physcologicaly addictive is the feeling of achievment anorexics get from going without food for a certain amount of time.

 

As at heart they associate eating with doing harm to thier bodies (even if this is subconciously) they feel good about them selfs and thier will power.

 

Obviously this is not the only reason but I would think it is definately one of the main factor for most anorexics that makes it such a hard disorder to get over.

[polyfrag]

And in case anyone knows why I got light-headed from anorex-ing, please explain (on the physio-chemical level)...

[Nevermore]

And in case anyone knows why I got light-headed from anorex-ing, please explain (on the physio-chemical level)...

Starvation results in anemia, without the nessacery iron, your red blood cells do not carry oxygen as well, and thus, your brain does not recieve enough oxygen, resulting in light-headedness.

In essence, you are choking yourself.

[gib65]

It's gotta have a biological component to it as well. I mean, don't anorexics have lower apetites? I know that if I tried starving myself, I would cave in less than a day.

[Callipygous]

It's gotta have a biological component to it as well. I mean, don't anorexics have lower apetites? I know that if I tried starving myself, I would cave in less than a day.

 

no. anorexics have a desire to take control of some part of their lives and achieve a form of "perfection" that has been mis-defined by their low selfesteem and/or other social and family life factors. no matter how skinny an anorexic person gets they will still see fat that they "need" to lose. any loose skin, any bulge, any place where they can feel anything but bone and skin is imperfection and it becomes an obsession that they need to remove.

 

it doesnt have to do with apetite, it doesnt even really have to do with food. at its core its not even about weight, it has to do with the image they have of themselves, their self esteem, their self worth. its not about the food.