Looking for a Healthy Norm

If you want to gain weight quickly then you must use proteins powder that help you in making your body and give you the desired weight as you want and stay relax yourself.

Thanks! That's not exactly what I was asking/my intent, though.
I'm nervous about this all happening too fast.

Hi Psuedosapiens,
Firstly, welcome to the forum!
Do you know what initially drove you into anorexia? Rather than fight your weight concerns directly, try and figure out what happened. A trauma? Bullied? Depression? How you were raised? I have an ED, also. It was an important step for me to look closely as what my triggers are. For me, it might be a loss of some sort (even just my therapist going on vacation for a week constitues a loss.)
Also, stories of people dying. My biggest fear is of someone close to me dying, so stories about other deaths is just kindling for the fire. When my finances are not good, I get stressed. Stress is a major trigger. And I get easily stressed over things.

I guess what I'm saying is that your anorexia is more than just about weight. An ED is generally a symptom of a bigger problem that most likely has nothing to do with food at all. Your condition is a "coping skill" for something in your life thatt causes you to feel powerless. Also, bc you've been anorexic for so many years, your body has become addicted. You've etched new pathways in your brain to the point that your behaviors become automatic and seem impossible to battle. So tackling thte root of the psychological problem is jut the first step in learning how to manage your addictiton.

Also, in order to erase a behavior, you need to replace it with another behavior. You can't just stop doing an engrained behavior- there will be a gaping void in your ability to cope with life. A common example is when people give up smoking and then gain a lot of unwanted wieght becase they've switched eating for comfort over sucking on a cigarette. (ED is much more powerful and dangerous additction that this example, imo. )

I've found Dialectical Behavior Therapy very useful in curbing my impulse to purge after eating. DBT teaches new skills to get through the moment, to get through the kind of discomfort you have since you gained weight. This is my fourth go 'round with DBT and it's just now starting to really sink in. I purge WAY less. DBT groups are the best alternative, but you can get books on DBT and work on it by yourself. The concepts are simple. DBT just gives you new skills to practice.

I hope this is helpful. Also 120 lb puts you just inside your BMI for normal weight. You could stand to gain quite a bit more AND you're out of the danger zone of being overly underwieght.
So kudos for that feat!

Thanks much, stella_blues; this seems like a superb forum, and the advice is quite appreciated.

I liked stella's reply a lot.
Eating disorders are not just about food, they are there for telling us something.
I used to suffer from anorexia first then binge eating and it was awful.
Little by little I faced my problems and unveiled the reasons behind them.
Anxiety was making me eat too much and eventually became depression as I felt I was stuck in a vicious cycle and powerless.
very important steps to me were: recognizing I had a problem, accepting it with no judgements ( quite difficult at first! ) and then developing the wish to overcome this problem.
This wish made me looking up for solutions and I didn't give up until I found the one that was fitting me the best.
A life free from food disorders, anxiety, depression etc is really possible!!!

All the best to you Pseudosapiens and let us know how it goes if you feel like!

stella_blues wrote:Hi Psuedosapiens,
Firstly, welcome to the forum!
Do you know what initially drove you into anorexia? Rather than fight your weight concerns directly, try and figure out what happened. A trauma? Bullied? Depression? How you were raised? I have an ED, also. It was an important step for me to look closely as what my triggers are. For me, it might be a loss of some sort (even just my therapist going on vacation for a week constitues a loss.)
Also, stories of people dying. My biggest fear is of someone close to me dying, so stories about other deaths is just kindling for the fire. When my finances are not good, I get stressed. Stress is a major trigger. And I get easily stressed over things.

I guess what I'm saying is that your anorexia is more than just about weight. An ED is generally a symptom of a bigger problem that most likely has nothing to do with food at all. Your condition is a "coping skill" for something in your life thatt causes you to feel powerless. Also, bc you've been anorexic for so many years, your body has become addicted. You've etched new pathways in your brain to the point that your behaviors become automatic and seem impossible to battle. So tackling thte root of the psychological problem is jut the first step in learning how to manage your addictiton.

Also, in order to erase a behavior, you need to replace it with another behavior. You can't just stop doing an engrained behavior- there will be a gaping void in your ability to cope with life. A common example is when people give up smoking and then gain a lot of unwanted wieght becase they've switched eating for comfort over sucking on a cigarette. (ED is much more powerful and dangerous additction that this example, imo. )

I've found Dialectical Behavior Therapy very useful in curbing my impulse to purge after eating. DBT teaches new skills to get through the moment, to get through the kind of discomfort you have since you gained weight. This is my fourth go 'round with DBT and it's just now starting to really sink in. I purge WAY less. DBT groups are the best alternative, but you can get books on DBT and work on it by yourself. The concepts are simple. DBT just gives you new skills to practice.

I hope this is helpful. Also 120 lb puts you just inside your BMI for normal weight. You could stand to gain quite a bit more AND you're out of the danger zone of being overly underwieght.
So kudos for that feat!

hi stella

This is the 2nd time i'm writing this, first one got lost. Left the computer, came back and i had to resign in. Hate it when that happens

anyway, about DBT, was it hard for you to keep faith in it? you said around the fourth time of going through DBT, it started to sink in. What about the first 3, how did you handle those? My girlfriend has bulimia which originates from a really bad self image. Tonight she was crying and feeling shi* and suicidal because of it all. Do you think DBT can help someone like that?