Can anorexia ever be a healthy lifestyle choice?

I have a friend who calls her self "Pro-Ana" as in she is anorexic by choice, and chooses to starve her body down but will eat enough to survive. She claims she does not have an eating disorder, and differentiates her anorexia as Pro-Ana, rather than ED-Ana.

This sounds like a grade A crock of shit...am I right on this assumption?

directly or indirectly, whether I ever get it under control or not.

So I say, yes, you're right.

Sounds to me like she wrote the book on denial and rationalization.

God! I have no idea what their ages were. They looked like two concentration camp survivors! I felt so sorry for both them and their poor parents. The parents thought that if they could help one of them, maybe she would draw the other in for help. Sadly, that's not the way it has worked out.

Sometimes in the past I have wished I had "a little bit of anorexia" -- but now I think that's like being "a little bit pregnant."

http://insider.tv.yahoo.com/celeb/3290/

You can't be a little bit, because it gets to the point where it consumes you mentally. You're no longer making a conscious choice; it's just part of who you are and what you see and believe about yourself, sadly :(

I've seen people dying of cancer who looked better than that. To do that to your own body is never EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER a good thing.

EVER.

Admitting the problem is the first step. If you are that focused on food to begin with, then you have an eating disorder.

anorexic...trust me, I know

it's a deluded thought that stems from needing control of their anorexia and thinking that real "ED-anoretics" don't - it's an elaborate delusion to cover up the fact that they've also lost control

it's a deluded thought that stems from needing control of their anorexia and thinking that real "ED-anoretics" don't - it's an elaborate delusion to cover up the fact that they've also lost control

there is a major difference between eating to survive and eating to be healthy.

What are her reasons for willfully choosing to be anorexic? In any event, anorexic behavior, whatever the reason, is dangerous. She should look for help pronto!

Thing is she's not healthy as a size 0....I've known her as a size 8 and her bone structure is much more designed for that kind of body....

The fact that she is thinking in terms of skinny rather than healthy is a red flag.

Not to say that women/people who want to be "skinny" all have disorders, but when you consider yourself "pro-ana" then I would say it is a red flag. She sounds like she is consumed by food.

And I can't really make her eat....or change her mind...so its a bit frustrating

As a man, trust me. Most men think that size 8-10 is the most attractive and beautiful. Most of my friends that I know have told me that really skinny girls are quite possibly the biggest turn-off for them.

This is the problem with girls with anorexia. They somehow think men will be attracted to them, when they look completely ugly...

Marilyn Monroe was a 12

The gamut could run as high as 12-14, as long as they have a pretty face.:)

My ex-girlfriend was a size 8, and even I personally thought she was a little too skinny at the time.

in a different time, by today's standards she would have been a 6 or 8. Womens sizing has changed.

Even if it had been at one point in time. I'd say that just as many girls and women use anorexia in order to not be attractive to men as use it to be attractive to men. Often it has nothing to do with anyone else's perspective. If anything, women use anorexia to be thin because it is a major achievement to be thin and it is good to be thin. It is good to be good at something, especially something as visible as anorexia, when you otherwise feel like crap and that your life is out of control.

It would be so inapproriate on this thread.

but thanks for putting words into my mouth

Such teeny people do exist. That is the way she's supposed to be. It is not beautiful if a woman should be am 8 or 10 or 12, etc., and starves herself to be a zero.

most things women do with their bodies really have nothing to do with men. It's more about how they see themselves.

Denial is a huge part of this eating disorder which kills.

its good she has you

Thing is, I call her on this shit....not a lot of her friends do...

She usually gets upset when I do but fuck...I can't sit there and nod "yeah - you look beautiful as a wax skeleton...really healthy there..."

the change has to be in her eyes...or it won't come at all...she'll be in my thoughts...

I've had many medical and mental health professionals tell me anorexia is one of the most difficult disorders to treat -- they really think they are beautiful, and they lie, cheat, and manipulate to "fix the numbers," but still be anorexic.

*sigh* I wish your friend luck. The odds are good she may die.

Good on you for calling her on it. Hope she gets the help she needs, before she hurts her heart too much. :(

:crazy:

I'm sorry, but your friend is seriously messed up.

I have an acquaintence, in her mid-50s no less!, who does the same thing. She's positively skelatal. The dear husband is slowly losing his wife.

And the kicker is that I blame her church for putting these ideas in her head. They used to tell her (as a kid) that fat people live sinful lives, and that a true Christians are always healthy and thin. She's left the church, but the thoughts were planted there...

Even here in the Bible belt, I have never ever heard such.

Just hers

Blame the media and entertainment industries first. Blame those in her daily life who make unnecessary and unkind comments regarding overweight people, and reserve their praise of "attractive" or "sexy" for only those who are model-thin.

Let her know that a woman can be sexy even without being considered "good looking," via confidence, intelligence and compassion. Set an example and name some women you find sexy, who would not be considered conventionally "beautiful." Be prepared to defend your choices. Let her laugh at you, that part doesn't matter.

Don't ever stop telling her that she is becoming physically LESS attractive in your eyes, no matter how much she doesn't like hearing it.

Her body image is distorted, so help her understand what "normal" is. When you are with her, ask her to point out women who are "too fat" or "too thin." Disagree with her as warranted. Or ask her to point out a woman who whose body size/shape she thinks is close to her own. You will probably be surprised. Again, disagree as warranted.

If none of this helps, maybe it's time for an intervention.


http://www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/mentalhealth/bodyimageandselfesteem/bodyimagetimeline

Good luck. And thank you for recognizing this problem and treating it with maturity, compassion and respect.

Or at least partially.


http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar02/genetic.html

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/03/12/anorexia020312

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1575523.stm

One well-known Bible passage says:

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14)

hmm... the "narrow gate" to Heaven, and the "wide gate" to Hell... maybe they have something there! :crazy:

with this with one of my daughters, start by reading everything you can. Go online and there are books and workbooks. I think if you could convince her that she should get a physical because of her weight loss that may be a way of bringing an outside voice into the mix. Only she can make a difference about this but she will need constant support if or when she confronts the issue. Often times high blood pressure can be associated with this and that may be a good entree into helping her get a complete workup. There are a number of weight loss drugs (pills) out there that she could be using via internet prescription that can also complicate her recovery. The first thing is for you to become super informed about the disorder so you can approach it from a realistic and helpful way. This is a disorder she has - it is not just the way she is. Good luck and find others to talk this out with as well.

same difference, really. Sure, there are a lucky few for whom crack doesn't cause major problems, and there a lucky few who can live with anorexia for years. but most people, the overwhelming majority of people can't handle it, it spirals out of control and kills them.

Actually, anorexia doesnt sound like a bad idea . I mean look at all the steroids and hormones used in our food. And all the artificial chemicals, flavors, colors, and preservatives used. The MSG, the sodium nitrate, the high fructose corn syrup, the red dye number 2... And then the farmers - grind cattle up and feed them back to each other! Shit, anorexia actually sounds like it could be a healtier alternative.

"anorexia doesn't sound like a bad idea."

it's not an "idea" - it's a disease. if people who suffer from it had as much of a choice as other people think they do...

...But on the other hand, I can tell you that I wouldnt eat a lot of the crap that passes for food these days.

nt

I've seen it before, and I was literally powerless against it.

Here's a good website:

http://www.plagueangel.net/grotto/id1.html

I'm not sure what the counter to this could be. I've been reading a lot about this on the internet lately because I'm interested. The only chink in the armor I see is: Is she healthy enough to enjoy physical activity? Is she manifesting any of the symptoms of starvation, i.e. hair loss and so on. In reading some of the "pro-ana" sites I think some of the people there seem to want to be ultra thin but still alive and healthy enough to enjoy life. So maybe the correct approach is health.

I dunno, good luck. :hug:

in retrospect that was utter crap...as is the whole pro-ana thing

I knew a woman once (well into her 50's) who was a pothead. I don't have any issues with pot smokers--it's probably safer than any other substances out there. But this woman--I really think she had a problem. Any others that spent any length of time with her felt the same.

I never used to think people could have problems with pot. She changed that for me. I guess people can get addicted to anything--pot smoking or not eating and asserting a sick sense of control over your body.

Being food-obsessed is never healthy, and she's setting herself up for many very dangerous, irreversible conditions: osteoporosis, reproductive problems, and brain tissue loss, among others.

Anorexics are recognized in part by that spaced out look.... does she want to be spaced out all the time?

That girl needs a checkup from the neck up. And pronto.

Redstone

Even if she was just voluntarily dieting to keep herself at a low weight, she would still be damaging her body. Our media and even health establishment is so into "Obesity is unhealthy." that the dangers of being significantly underweight are often ignored. Most anorexics do not die from starving to death. A lot of damage takes place before a person gets to that point.
I think that anyone who is obsessed with staying underweight and will go to lengths to control their food and weight does have an eating disorder by definition. Does she know that if she keeps this up for any length of time that she won't be able to eat a decent meal if she were really motivated to? Does she know that she could get to the point where her digestive system won't be able to handle enough food? She knows that this is a progressive illness, doesn't she? She does know that more people die from this disease than any other psychiatric disorder, doesn't she?
She does have to want to get better in order to get better. Even people who really want to get better often have a difficult time beating it. Encourage her to get help.

I'm glad to see more research is being done in the area of anorexia instead of the tired old "looking at thin bodies in magazines" explanation - I think it is much, much more complicated than that.

for the express purpose of longevity. They of course take great care in balancing what they eat to get their nutrients. There is pretty good scientific theory behind their efforts, as I understand it.

I'm not suggesting that we are talking about the same thing here, but I have wondered if it isn't a pretty fine line.

Your friend, like all of us, should eat to thrive, not "survive".

People are very quick to criticize & condemn a super skinny person, both behind her back & to her face, even suggesting that an intervention should be done to confront her with her unhealthy food choices. If someone would suggest these same things be done to an OBESE person, whose eating is every bit as dysfunctional & unhealthy, people would be coming out of the woodwork to support the overeater's right to be fat and tell those offering criticism to mind their own business. I'm just saying... :dilemma:

We do know, however, that she once was normal weight (size 8) and is now underweight (size 0). We know that she she chooses to identify as an anorexic and tells people that she is fully in control of her restriction, which she has undertaken for the purpose of become skinny which to her equals beautiful.
I think these facts suggest that she has a problem. If she is physically healthy now, she probably will not be for long.
The health effects of obesity are well known thanks to the media. The health effects of being underweight are not as well known. Many people do not know that the health/mortality curve is completely different on the different sides of healthy weight. The curve on the underweight side is steep. The curve on the overweight side is much more gradual. Twenty percent underweight is a serious health problem that needs to be addressed immediately. A person who is twenty percent overweight isn't in danger of dropping dead anytime soon if that is their only problem. Restriction in a person without much nutrient reserve can be dangerous in itself. Regardless of prior health, the average person will die in less than a month without getting any calories. One of the first organs affected by restriction is the brain, which makes it harder for the person to break out of this disease.
People die from this disease. Many others have low quality of life. You should be interested to know that people can be committed to a mental hospital for this condition and are.

Karen Carpenter's death helped open this horrible disorder to the light, and there has been so much about it...

Binka last week.

She may not starve, but she'll become malnourished. Ick. I severely restricted my calories when I was losing weight after my last baby, and it's very hard to get adequate nutrition even on an "acceptable minimum" diet. When I was about 18, I enjoyed sporting the heroin-chic look, but I've lost my appreciation for it, after seeing how curves look on me. She's full of BS. She has an eating disorder.