Message Replying To

From Kate, Age 15

Several people have posted messages about eating disorders, and I'd like to say my piece, as well. After being aneroxic (as well as purging food when I was backed into eating) for three years, I have finally started on the road to recovery. Some people seem to think that being aneroxic or bulimic means being thin and nothing else. During my years of severely restricting my food intake and forcing myself to throw up what I did eat, I lost so much more than weight. Whenever I went to brush or even touch my hair, it would come out in huge clumps in my hands due to a protein deficiency. I am very into singing, but purging so often left my glands swollen and my throat sore. I have the beginnings of osteoperosis which has no cure and it will only get worse as I get older. Because of this, I am no longer allowed to swim on my school's team- something I greatly enjoyed. When my parents finally realized that I had an eating disorder, they took me out of school so I could go into treatment at a hospital. I missed months of important education, and when I finally did go back to school people didn't stop gossipping for weeks. This is the norm for an eating disorder patient- I was no exception. Now that I am recovered and have reached a healthy weight, my life has changed completely for the better. Although I'm sad about the things I lost because of my eating disorder, I'm grateful that I was able to recover. So all you people who think aneroxic is cool, I think you need to ask yourselves: how cool is it to have permanent bone damage, lose hair, and finally leave school in the middle of the year to get treatment? Obesity isn't healthy, but aneroxia and bulimia are just as unhealthy. If you are overweight and it is affecting your health then of course its good to lose a few pounds THE HEALTHY WAY. Which is not skipping meals and forcing yourself to throw up.