anorexia & MO

[~c~ 1]

I was watching a show the other night about people with anorexia.

Halfway throught he show i started substituting the word MO with anorexic and in my head it's the same condition only in reverse.

(Basically) someone with Anorexia CANNOT feed themselves.Because of something in their mind,they will not put enough food in their bodies to help them live.

(Basically)someone with MO CANNOT eat less food to nourish their bodies.Because of something in their mind,they cannot eat less to help them live.

People feel sad when the see an anorexic,medical people rush and want to help them.There are thousand of centers and treatments for anorexics.People KNOW and ACCEPT that it is totally a brain issue and REAL medical condition.

Why can't people understand that MO IS THE SAME THING?

One eats too little and the other eats too much (quantity or quality)both hurt themselves and cannot help it!

Just because we don't look as fragile and delicate as someone dying of anorexia?

Maybe i am just screwy but i honestly felt they were talking about me but in reverse....

C

[donali 57]

Chantal - I have said that EXACT same thing for years!!

The causes of anorexia and MO are virtually the same, at least for me. They say the profile for an anorexic is a feeling of lack of control of the world around them, so they control the one thing they can - their intake. Generally they are overachievers, perfectionists, and have low-self esteem. Same here. These problems are just manifesting themselves in a different way.

I wouldn't be surprised if anorexia would be said to have its roots in obsessive/compulsive behaviour, which definitely applies to many with MO.

I do think attitudes are changing about MO, but we're not quite there yet...

[Marie3181 5]

I could not agree with both of you more!

Our problem is infinitely more serious than the general populus thinks - unlike an addiction to cigarettes or alcohol, which you can avoid completely after you've gone through recovery, we will never be able to avoid food completely. An addiction to food may just be the most difficult kind to overcome, because not only do you have to learn not to depend on the food, you have to learn to have a comfortable relationship with it, instead of, say, learning to say 'no' to that proffered drink.

We need to raise awareness! Maybe there should be a walk for MO, like there is for breast cancer or March of Dimes. Excercise and fundraiser at the same time!

[donali 57]

One of my dearest friends is a recovering alcoholic. She's been sober for over 20 years. She has said to me many times that NO way, NO how would she trade her addiction for mine. Because as she says, "I can NOT drink, but I could NEVER drink, but in moderation. And that's what you have to learn to do with food."

[Marie3181 5]

Exactly!!

[leatha_g 4]

Originally posted by Marie3181

I could not agree with both of you more!

We need to raise awareness! Maybe there should be a walk for MO, like there is for breast cancer or March of Dimes. Excercise and fundraiser at the same time!

Your wish has already been granted!! http://www.walkfromobesity.com/index.php

[Marie3181 5]

No way! That's so cool, thanks for the link!

None of the walks are close enough to me for me to go, but there's one in Chicago, and my cousin owns a Curves there - I think I'm going to see if she wants to have some of her gals sign up for it.

[bushbaby 8]

Hey thanks for the link. I too have thought that what controls us is just like having a disease. I almost wish I did have another one because then I wouldn't have wasted so much time being disappointed in my lack of contol. The funny thing is, is that I am a control freak elswhere. I've had the discipline to work two jobs and never be late for the last 6 years and when I was an athlete I never missed a practice or meet. But now, I should say before the surgery I couldn't skip a cookie. It is definatly like a drug...

My 2 Cents:)

Ps how do I make the banans?

[nightingale2u 42]

I couldn't agree with you more Chantal! I starved myself for approximately a year when I was 15 ... I got down to 105 lbs at 5'6" tall. Funny thing was... I didn't see myself as skinny... still saw the chubby girl in the mirror and have continued to see her that way for MANY years! After awhile... the not eating had control over me... just as the binging had control over me! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be living in "happy" medium world with my band. I feel "normal" for the first time in years!

Leatha thanks for the link! I went and downloaded forms and will sign up to participate in Neenah WI. Do you know what distance the walk usually is???? It's funny... I was just talking to my hubby about wanting to participate in the Fox Cities Marathon and then voila... you posted a link to a much more important event!

Darcy

[leatha_g 4]

Originally posted by nightingale2u

Do you know what distance the walk usually is???? It's funny... Darcy

I didn't go back and look at the page, but it seems to me it's less than 3 miles, because I remember thinking it was do-able for most people large or small. My doctor is hosting the walk here in Dallas. I may definitely have to attend.

[donali 57]

I may definitely

...

lol

I absolutely might...

[Bright 9]

my sister is anorexic/bullemic and weighs less than 100lbs - she looks scary, and we worry so much about her - when I went to France to "interview" my surgeon who eventually performed the wls, he was asking about my family history - I told him about my sister, and he said "you are both exactly the same - it is the same illness, establishing itself in different ways...." My mother used to call us Laurel & Hardy - helpful! I was watching some old video the other day of me about 2 years ago, at my top weight of 330lbs, and I was shocked at how awful I looked, not just vanity wise, but all puffed up with a sheen of sweat on my face... straining to walk around Disney World.... I was really angry watching that from the perspective of 80lbs lighter - where the hell was my family/friends at that time? Nobody ever took me aside and said "hey, you are going to die young here - can I help you fight this?" Everyone rallied around my sister and begged her to get help, literally moved mountains to help her - I never thought anything of this other than, she has a serious problem and I'm just stupid and fat. It is way more politically correct to be anorexic/bullemic than MO, if you know what I mean. I talk a lot about being MO these days - talking to family/friends about the reasons I got so overweight, and they all kind of turn away, and find the subject a litte distasteful, as if I was sharing too much intimate information..... Fat is definitely the last taboo...

[New Hope 37]

Amen, Bright! Hey, missed you, good to see you back!

[Marie3181 5]

Wow, Bright. You know, I've realised for a long time that being morbidly obese and being anorexic are two sides of the same coin. I'd started to understand that I have a disease that I can't just fix by having more willpower or exercising more or eating a strict diet.... but I never gave any thought to the "help/intervention" issue until your post. Thank you!!

You are so right. I mean, how many after school specials and health classes have been dedicated to anorexia and bulimia? It's been drilled into our heads constantly. It's always on tv, it's always in the news, it's constantly talked about and rallied against.

Where's the coverage of MO? What about an afterschool special about a girl who's so obese her joints ache and she can barely breathe and she's slowly killing herself because of her co-morbidities? I want to see that show. I want kids to learn about that in health class. It makes me so worked up just thinking about it! If my best friend was anorexic, you can bet your ass there'd be one hell of an intervention. But if she was morbidly obese it just wouldn't be the done thing to bring it up.

I can remember when I was younger (overweight but not terribly so), when I would see an extremely heavy person on a talk show or in the street, saying to my best friend, "just shoot me if I ever get that big!" Well, I may not need a crane to lift me out of the house, but pre-surgery I was big enough that my weight was keeping me from living my life. Where was the person who was supposed to keep me from that? Would I have even listened?

It's so taboo to bring up obesity; I know I wouldn't have listened had a loved one tried to tell me I was literally killing myself. But really, is it any different than the way an anorexic person would react to such concerns? I doubt that an anorexic would be particularly open to "help" from a loved one. But does that mean that you just let her waste away? HELL NO. You risk pissing her off if it means she might get healthy. You get her help, come hell or high Water. And even if she hates you for the rest of her life, if she gets healthy as a result, it's worth it.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. I just want awareness for morbid obesity. I want widespread knowlege to replace stupidity and ignorance. I want to know what I can do to start things moving in that direction.

[donali 57]

"you are both exactly the same - it is the same illness, establishing itself in different ways...."

So this is NOT just some whacky theory I made up all by myself. Whoo hooo!!!

Bright, you are always missed. How was your vacation?!?!

xxoo