New to the Eating Disorders Community in January 2019? Say Hello here!
It's January 8 and we haven't yet welcomed our new members in 2019! So without further ado, please introduce yourselves if you're joining our little community this month and let us get to know you!
Can't wait to hear from you and get to know you all better!
You can click here (press) to find a list of ways to get involved in the community!
@Anomalia
Hi! I don't know if I'm doing this right -- I just joined today :) I'm J, and I've been struggling with anorexia for some time now, mostly as a coping habit for depression. I'm battling relapse thoughts, and missing the whole thing an awful lot, but I'm trying to get all the way better so I can build a future...
Good morning. Looking, here, for alternatives to the comfort I find through purging...if only through distraction. I live a very blessed and fortunate life surrounded by loved ones and cohorts who dont know that I use this horrible bulemic tool to release the inner stresses of my body. Am a seasoned yogi who practices every day so have plenty of physical release but cant seem to avoid just one daily voiding. Thank you for welcoming me 
Welcome! I hope that you do find some alternatives, whether through distraction or something else. One thing that I have found helpful as a starting point is to search for patterns in the purging - do you feel that need at certain times, after seeing certain people, when eating certain foods, etc.? Finding the themes can help find plans to work on them, too.
@WasaBePanda8675
@Anomalia thanks for your reply. Ive really put some thought to that and cant find foods nor people nor emotions that trigger it. The purge itself is comforting and what I look forward to. I eat the same foods as usual in the binge just slightly more prior to the purge (am I violating rules here? too specific? learning, sorry). Didnt purge once today so that is streak 
will shoot for two days in a row.
@WasaBePanda8675
I thought it was just me. I am not happy to hear that you also shoulder this kind of burden, but it is kind of a relief to know that its not just me. For me, the habit can provide so much comfort and relaxation. I can completely relate. Im in my forties and have had an ED since my early teens. Ive had periods of success—whether through therapy or medication or sheer will—but it is so exhausting. That being said, I am a balanced and happy person! Except for my issues with binging and purging, I am one of the healthiest and most positive people. I eat well, love lifting, HIIT, kickboxing, and hip hop dancing. I am very fit and strong. no one would ever suspect that nearly each night, after work and after family in bed, I secretly order takeout or raid the pantry and then engage in a destructive cycle of B/P while watching my favorite tv shows.This current several months-long relapse brought on by who-knows-what has been less comforting, at times, which is why I know I have to keep pushing back and fighting to reword neural pathways. Glad to have found this app and this forum. Maybe it will help me and my brain to chart a new course.
@Almond2019 - Yep, that's me, too. The "healthiest person" most of my friends know. I follow a Keto nutrition strategy and for MY personal human machine is has provided the most success to avoiding the purge. That being said, I only eat and therefore only B/P Keto foods...God forbid something "stay" in that wouldn't, at least, be Keto approved (insert eyeroll). And I, too, feel SUPER. Only drawbacks are the slightly puffy cheeks that occasionally stick around (have a rather lean face so people probably prefer this) and slightly sore throat that goes way with warm saltwater gargle. It's hard to find reason NOT to B/P. Am on day two no B/P having fallen off the wagon...wondering why that was and am mentally investigaing. But seriously I just like the comfort afterward. The benefits outweight the drawbacks. But I KNOW, like you do @Almond2019 that this is NOT normal and we should NOT be doing it. Will share healthier alternatives to B/P as I land on them if you do! 
@WasaBePanda8675
So not normal, so unhealthy! I have a few days staycation time. During this time, in addition to dedicating myself to not B/P, I hope also to come up with/recall activities and habits that can replace the loss and provide a healthy, balanced alternative. Ive got a ways to go to put this relapse to bed, but Im going to keep at it!
Hi there! Im just now coming to terms with the fact that I have a problem with eating. I used to be allergic to all veggies and most fruits but Im on allergy shots so that helped but I developed a huge fear of eating any food that could be considered healthy cause I might react to it. Im hoping to find a way to be comfortable with eating healthy food and kill this fear of food.
Hi there! I'm really glad to hear that the allergy shots have helped with your ability to have a wider range of foods, but I can definitely understand how having those allergies makes it hard not to be afraid of trying new things. What do you think might help it feel safer to try something new that would normally scare you? For instance, would it help to set a time when you know that you are in a safe place and don't have to go anywhere immediately after so that if something were to happen you would be okay? Or to have someone with you when you try something new to be extra positive? It's okay to take it slowly and only add one new food at a time, but I think that the best way to conquer the fear is to start taking small steps and showing your mind that your body will be okay.
@Smileyysarah
Hi Im P. Im 13 and I have anorexia. Its been going on for about a year now and I thought talking to someone might make it a little bit easier to bear.
Hey, Im new here! I am 20 years old and I have struggled with my body image for the past 10 years and anorexia for the past 5 for those. I have partly recovered in the past but I always end up getting off track and having to start again.
Welcome! Relapse can definitely be a tough part of the journey, but something that has helped me is remembering that even when getting off track, you still remember all those tricks you learned about recovery so you're not starting from zero again, just from a little step backwards. How have things been going lately? Where are you at right now with things?
@mysteriousPeace17
Hi there. In all honesty I don't feel like I belong here. I'm not diagnosed with an eating disorder. My name is Ally and I'm a 21 year old college student. I used to be a ballet dancer and all throughout high school I had issues with food and my body image. I used to obsess over food and my weight and my body. For a while I felt pretty okay, but recently the obsession has come back -- it's even gotten worse and I've started acting on it. I feel like I can't even focus on my school work or my job because of it.
I was just looking for a community that could understand and this seemed like a pretty good place.
Welcome! You absolutely belong here. Whether you are formally diagnosed or not, if you are struggling with food related things and could use some extra support and understanding, then this is a place for you. I struggled with my eating disorder for 10 years and was never officially diagnosed, despite it being a serious issue, simply because I never saw a professional who could diagnose me. The diagnosis is not what defines the struggles, and you deserve support and a chance to live happily, healthily, and free from those obsessions!
@pluckyMaple2937
Hello there.
I don't exactly remember when I joined this subcommunity, but I'm glad to be here. I've been struggling from an eating disorder for as long as I can remember, and I'm finally ready to say no for the illness that took over my life. Anorexia consumed my mind and filled me with anxiety, hate and it made me lose out on many things that I care about such as my mental and physical health. It made me push away people who cared because I believed that they all were wrong, that I wasn't seriously suffering and that everything was under control.
I didn't realise that until I had to get help for the first stages of liver failure that I was putting my health at serious risk, for trying to fit my body into a mould of what's considered beautiful and attractive. I was becoming invisisble, literally and figuratively. I missed my friends, family and the food I used to like, which I unfortunately can't enjoy due to my body not being able to tolerate much fat.
However, after allowing anorexia to deceive and embrace me for years, I'm finally ready to fight back and I'm happy to be on here with people who understand. I'm classified as offically recovered after a long time of struggling with intrusive thoughts and obsession. Recovery isn't linear which is why we need each other's support.
I really love what you wrote - I can relate so much to it - both what an eating disorder can steal from your life and getting to that point where you're ready to fight back and not let it take any more. I'm really happy to hear that you are officially recovered, and I hope that being here and continuing to seek support and give it to others helps you maintain recovery and gives you back all those things the ED took before!
@strawberrywillow
Hello and welcome to any newbies here!
I've been part of this community for a while but I'm not overly active. I have EDNOS and sometimes it's just too complicated for even me to understand what's going on!!
It can definitely be complicated! I think one of my favorite things about having a community of other people who have been there (or are there) is just having people that you don't have to try to explain it to constantly - because I didn't have 7 Cups when I was recovering, for me it was my support group, but having a little bit of time in the week when I was with people who understood made such a difference. I'm glad you're here! <3
@LittleLotte
Hi - I am Joyful and I'm a Shell. I joined 7Cups on 16th Jan and just made it to beginner level. I had a eating disorder and now I'm free from it thanks to my illness. However, I would like to help people not fall prey to what I got and live a wonderful life ahead forever. :)
@Anomalia
I'm new to this community. I recently developed an eating disorder stemming from anxiety about how my body reacts to food. After a bad case of the flu, my relationship with food changed and now I have to force myself to eat most of the time and I only eat really bland foods instead of the rich, exciting diet I used to eat. I don't want to feel this way and I want to recover but it's hard when my anxiety is so bad.
@TheGlassOwl13
Hello and welcome to the ED community! If you ever need any support, feel free to PM me
@piercetheaiden
hey, by any chance is your username inspired by the band Pierce the veil?
Sorry if its not lol.