If you struggle with overeating, bingeing, yo-yo dieting, or bad body image, you are not alone! These are the stories of women like you who are dealing with, or are recovered from, eating issues. Read and relate.
- Sunny’s story
- Margarita’s story
- Tamara’s story
- Maggie’s Story
- Amanda’s Story
- Erica’s Story
- Aria’s Story
- Samantha’s Story
- Polona’s Story
- Lacy’s Story (pregnancy and relapse)
Submit your Real Story via email or scroll down to leave a comment.
I have had Anorexia Nervosa for two years, every day encouraging girls to love themselves and their bodies. I never thought i’d be the one to get an eating disorder. But each day i battle on through. And at the end of the day, A THOUGHT IS NOT A FACT.
There is beauty in very aspect of life, it’s just whether or not we’re ready to act upon it.
X
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[...] Real Stories [...]
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Hello Sunny!
I’ve followed your story, and was an avid reader of Margarita’s blog on Glamour.com (I’m thickthighs), and I’m so happy to have found this blog. I’d like to contribute a piece, and my reasons are two-fold: primarily, I’m an emotional eater/compulsive overeater. I’m also one of six individuals chosen by CNN to train for and complete the Nautica New York City Marathon as a part of CNN’s Fit Nation. I was chosen because the producers thought I could motivate a number of women to make a similar commitment to getting fit. I think I can, too, but I’m struggling with emotional eating. The training’s going fine. The nutrition plan is not, but I’m determined that this is my year.
I hope you’ll contact me. Thanks.
MC
I know this site states that it’s for “girls & young women” however, as we all know, these issues affect all ages. I’ve had issues w/food & body image problems as far back as I can recall. I also had the misfortune of being raised in a family that was not well suited to a child of that type. In addition, @ the age of 32 I was diagnosed as Bipolar I. Obviously, not a great scenerio :} Now, @ the age of 42 I am slowly beginning to recognize my distinct behavioral issues where food is concerned. Everything does overlap, but the binging does have it’s own very distinct personality. I hope that in the process of sharing my experiences I’ll be able to make someone else feel better &, on the flip side, as I read everyone else’s posts, I’ll be gaining many new perspectives. Thanking everyone in advance!!
[...] and alone. Thanks to the many women who’ve shared their stories here on Weightless and other blogs and websites, I know that I’m not the only one who’s struggled with these issues. [...]
[...] Real Stories [...]
[...] Real Stories [...]
Back when I was in college, studying for my Masters (2002) in counseling, I wrote a paper on BED. In 2005, while doing some individual research work (yep, Im a big research nerd), I had this “ah-ha” moment… Im a binge eater. Now, I have struggled with my weight for many many years, but even though I was always just a bit overweight, I was still healthy, active. etc. And It wasnt until 2005, after the birth of my 2nd child that things went downhill for me. In 2005, I gave birth to my 2nd daughter. She was born 2 months prematurely due to placental abruption. It was a horrific experience. It was then that I was diagnosed with post partum depression and post traumatic stress disorder. My weight went up and up and up. Kept going up and has continued to go up . Also, in 2005, just months after she was born, I became extremely ill.. constant nausea, abdominal pain, etc. It was some sort of mystery illness. but with each new doctor I saw, they prescribed more meds, changed meds, did this, that and the other. I have had so many surgeries since then that I have had 1 or 2 a year. They have removed organs, scar tissue, explored, etc. And the latest diagnosis is IBS. Anyways, over the course of these years, I began binge eating. I would eat my normal 3 meals a day. I ate snacks when the kids did, I ate what they didnt finish on their plates (after all, who likes to waste food when so many out there are hungry?), I ate in between these meals and snacks. I ate while cooking. I ate while doing dishes. I have a secret stash of food (mainly sweets-chocolate, and salty crunchy snacks). I eat when Im out of the house. I eat when no one’s looking, especially my husband. And then when I notice Im gaining more weight, I get depressed, angry with myself and guess what I do? I eat some more. I feel guilty when I do all this other eating and sneaking and guess what? eat some more. I havent worn shorts in 7 years.. and want to..and it does get hot here in alabama, 6 months out of the year to be exact. My kids want to go to the beach. But I have this horrible fear of the beach. Back about 4 years ago, we went to the beach , took the kids and a picnic lunch. We all had on shorts and tee shirts. No bathing suits as we had not planned on taking the kids in to the water. But as we were walking on the beach, 4 girls/ladies were laying there on their towels, music playing, each smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer, loudly and rudely says as we walk by, “OMG, look how fat she is”. and one woman says to the rest “if i ever get that big, i want you to shoot me”. “she should be ashamed of herself” “she is super fat” my 3 year old, who doesnt forget anything, talks about that time, each time the beach is mentioned. She tells me when other people say that her mommy is fat. And I am fat. Im severely fat. Im 299 lbs at the present time. but was up to 315 , my highest weight. I need to exercise. And I am active. I do go for walks. I do clean the house, do yard work, play with the kids. Im not considered a lazy person (as most people think when they see an obese person, that’s the first thing that pops in to their head, LAZY). I could go on and on and on., but Im sure you got the picture . BED is a serious disorder. I think that it is linked to obesity. I think that Obesity should be classified in the DSM-IV with all the other eating disorders. Alcohol included. After all drug and alcoholism is listed and they are addictions. Obesity is an addiction to food. I am glad I found this website and Sunny’s blog. Today is the 1st day of the rest of my life. Today, I fight back. Today, I take back control of my life and my eating habits. And today, I learn to love myself more, stop putting myself down, and live .
i wish u achieve ur goal. jus keep moving
I just discovered this website and I think it is fantastic. I just wanted to say to every girl who is reading this you can and will get to a stage where you can eat and not feel overwhelmingly guilty if you want it enough and seek the right help. A stage where you eat in moderation, when you feel like it and don’t agonise over treating yourself once in a while.
I have not suffered anywhere close to what a lot of the ladies in the stories on here have gone through but I have been guilting myself into starving myself thin for most of my adult life.
I think one of the biggest keys to happiness is learning to appreciate things about yourself, to start exercising and eating what is good for your body (i.e. enough protein, enough monosaturated fats, enough carbohydrate) rather than what is good for losing weight. Weirdly enough I have lost weight now I have begun to eat the right amounts of food because my body has stopped hanging onto everything I put into it. I have the energy to exercise and enjoy my life and I don’t have to think about food or lack of it every day all day. I would also recommend buying a load of lads magazines (weirdly enough!) the girls in there are not bones with no curves. Men like women with some meat on them and it helps me to be reminded that if I achieved my goal of bones my boyfriend would have been pretty upset.
I guess all I really wanted to say in this message is don’t give up, you have to take control of it yourself, find help, talk to other people, you will find the strength inside you.
Emily.
Were were VERY strict eaters as kids. No pop, no sugary cereal, only one sweet thing a day, lots of fruits and veggies. So when I had the opportunity I would eat as much and as fast as I could! Especially sweets. And still to this day I eat as much and as fast as I can. I especially do it alone. And I make sure I hide all the evidence.
My mom did this because she was obese. She wanted the best for us kids and she did try. She died of Ovarian Cancer at 43. Another reason to hide feelings of hurt. My parents were divorced. Dad chose alcohol and women over me.I never did feel good enough, pretty enough! I had a baby and got post-partum depression. I thought you were supposed to be happy, not sad over the birth of a child! I lost my baby brother in a terrible car/semi accident and once again it got worse.
When I read the article the other day in the magazine so many of those things I related to and it felt so good to not feel alone. Gonna order this book. Thanks for making this known!
Just found your site/book via BoingBoing. Can’t wait to read it. FYI, men suffer from this disease too.
Hi John,
Yes, you are SO right. About 1 out of every four eating disorder cases of any kind are actually in men. I’m actually toying with the idea of starting a HealthyGuy.org site. Let me know if you’re interested in discussing more. Sunny
Love the new layout of the website Sunny. Finally ordering your book. I always come back to this site when I need it the most.
Hi Rachael! Email me your address-I owe you a copy for being interviewed! xo…Sunny
i have a binge eating disorder. the way i feel is lyrics from a song. they are : “Everyday I fight a war against the mirror
I can’t take the person starin’ back at me
I’m a hazard to myself
Don’t let me get me
I’m my own worst enemy
Its bad when you annoy yourself
So irritating
Don’t wanna be my friend no more
I wanna be somebody else “
Wow, all that I can say right now is thank you.
I don’t know how I haven’t come across your blog before, but even after just reading a few articles I feel like somebody has wrapped their arms around me and told me it will be alright.
I am a “binge eater” (yuk) .
I have always resorted to weight loss blogs before to try to stop myself damaging my body with food, but something in the back of my mind has told me that I need to get healthy in body and mind, rather than simply lose weight.
I have managed to overcome a hatred and fear of food after a crash diet, but struggled with the reality of regaining my weight, which developed into bingeing and making myself sick. I have managed to stop the sickness part, but often feel unable to cope with life without comfort eating, making me binge reguarly.
Your blog has given me support which i do not get from friends and family, as this is a secret struggle for fear of being thought of as dramatic or an attention seeker. Thank you so much and I will be getting a copy of your book as soon as i figure out how to get it delivered without my parents seeing it first! Thank you x