07/09 Eating Disorders

get real!
Posted by: chocomagic
Posted on: 2002-10-31 10:10:12

Hi Dr Phil.

I think there needs to be a major reality check about your intro to the show. You were showing talking head videos of girls and women who are battling with eating disorders. It's too bad you missed the chance to show them as they really look. The make-up artist made them all look wonderful, happy and healthy.

I really think you missed the boat.
eating disorders
Posted by: karin55
Posted on: 2002-10-31 19:46:43

I think Dr Phil did a great job of showing the reality of this disorder on the videos.
anorexia
Posted by: mefriesen
Posted on: 2002-11-03 10:47:40

I watched the show on anorexia and although I am not anorexia, I felt as if I am in her shoes. I am 5ft. tall and weigh 200lbs. My life feels so trapped. I know I need to loose the weight and I do for the most part walk 2-3 miles a day. Except for the break I had while I was sick. I just had a hysterectomy where I live I feel surrounded by the thought of food. I run to it to solve all of lifes problems. I can see that it is not the answer but nevertheless, I still feel trapped. I have made food my God and I need the maddness to stop. Anyone out there feel remotely the same.
overeater's anonymous
Posted by: dcsparks
Posted on: 2002-11-04 17:01:55

mefriesen--I understand what you are talking about. April of 2001 I was suicidal because of my weight. I joined Overeater's Anonymous and it saved my life. I've lost 37 pounds and it was enough for me to feel good about myself again. I have at least 20 pounds to loose but I don't feel desperate anymore. I've stayed the same weight now for 4 months and that in itself is a miracle because I have yo-yo dieted for about 20 years. I had to learn that food is not my friend and that I needed to look to God to solve my problems not food. OA didn't tell me to look to God, just to look to a power higher than myself and I also understand that I had emotional reasons for eating. OA believes that fat is just a symptom of the problem and that we need to solve the problem by working on the physical, spiritual and emotional parts of ourselves. Good Luck!! DCSparks
Overeaters Anonymous
Posted by: mefriesen
Posted on: 2002-11-08 00:39:59

dcsparks--thanks so much for replying to my post. Just a couple of days ago, I saw an add for OA and wondered if I should give it a try. I am a Christian and do know that it is His help I need, but it is the day to day or minute by minute that I am having a hard time with. I once heard in a class I was taking that when we use food to medicate any problem we are making the food God and we then can't see God wanting to help. I will go seek out OA because I feel this is my addiction just like any other addiction. Thank you again for confirming what I already know I needed to do. MeFriesen
OA is for everyone :)
Posted by: _rosalia_
Posted on: 2002-11-08 11:34:11

I too have discovered the amazing power behind Overeaters anonymous. Although I'm not an overeater (I'm a purging anorexic), I still found help in OA. I started going to meeting after my first hospitalization and continued going when I came home from my second and third hospitalizations. In OA I have found some of the most loving, caring people!! And, I'm not the only one of "my kind" there- Although we're definitely the minority, there are about 6 other anorexics/bulimics in the group. The best thing is that everyone is there for eachother. We all understand that our problem with food is the same- we just have different symptoms for the same problem. OA welcomes every kind of ED with open arms and I would strongly recommend OA!!
So how is OA for an anorexic who purges?
Posted by: littlenibs
Posted on: 2002-11-09 18:32:54

I too am a prugung anorexic. Is OA truly helpful? I am a Christian who feels even more like a loser because "treatment centers" AND my faith have both seemed ruthless. I have been considering OA because I am faced with spending the upcoming winter months 1,000's of miles from my therapist. I wonder, do I try OA here, when I am certainly moving at the first crack of that good 'ol spring in the air? I figure not trying OA for this reason is most likely just the eating disorder talking!
To Purging Anorexic
Posted by: meshabizz
Posted on: 2004-12-03 09:26:37

what do you define as a purging anorexic..wouldn't that be bulimic?
i understand
Posted by: jb0711
Posted on: 2005-01-04 18:59:34

I can relate to you, I am also a Christian and an anorexic and am seeking help...desperately seeking help. I was just wondering if sometimes you feel like you are failing spiritually (as i do) because of your disorder. Maybe it is just my personal feeling, but i was just curious. I guess it is the whole--your body is a temple of God--thing that disturbs me about my eating disorder. I feel as though i am displeasing God in how i am living. Do you feel this also? Do you feel scared when you consider seeking rehab or serious help?
So how is OA for an anorexic who purges?
Posted by: littlenibs
Posted on: 2002-11-09 18:34:18

I too am a purging anorexic. Is OA truly helpful? I am a Christian who feels even more like a loser because "treatment centers" AND my faith have both seemed ruthless. I have been considering OA because I am faced with spending the upcoming winter months 1,000's of miles from my therapist. I wonder, do I try OA here, when I am certainly moving at the first crack of that good 'ol spring in the air? I figure not trying OA for this reason is most likely just the eating disorder talking!
Overeater's Anonymous is for Anorexics & Bulimics
Posted by: northlite
Posted on: 2002-11-12 22:56:37

Hi Littlenibs and all anorexics and bulimics.
Yes, Overeater's Anonymous (OA) can help these eating disorder's as well. OA considered changing the name to reflect this but at this point the membership decided not to. OA is based on the 12 Step program of Alcoholic's Anonymous(AA). Please keep in mind that I am speaking from my own experience. I do not represent OA as a whole. Back to your question Littlenibs. I see that the common thread of all eating disorders is that we use food or the lack of it in a very destructive way. Without speaking to you personally I can't make any suggestions for you but OA helps me take my focus off of the food and on to healing. I have been bulimic and an overeater. What I did when I really really really wanted to stuff my face was call someone from OA to help me through the moment. Some of my phone calls have been very long, but as time progressed the need to stuff my face lessened. It worked the same way for the bulimic sessions. I have also used journalling, reading books from OA and AA, volunteering in some of the activities in OA, going to meetings. OA has saved my life. I was suicidal for probably a decade. OA has helped me want to live and also shown me how to live through life's challenges and wonderful moments. I encourage you to go to an OA meeting as soon as you can. Check the OA website for more info and meetings close to you. You can start your recovery right now, why wait until spring to feel better? Will you survive until then?
Thank you for your response.
Posted by: littlenibs
Posted on: 2002-11-13 10:25:21

I hoped for a response, was happy to see see one today. I am going to search today in the OA directory online. Finding one close to attend is the goal. Going is the hardest part...as you probably can (or could have in the past) understand. I do know I am quickly backsliding, emotionally as well as with destructive behaviors. Again, I thank you for sharing yourself.
Congratulations for helping yourself
Posted by: northlite
Posted on: 2002-11-14 00:24:35

Hi Littlenibs. I am so glad you have made the decision. I totally understand that going is hard. I ran out of meetings for about a year before I was ready to sit for one whole meeting. I hope that you don't have to go through that. If there is a meeting in your area there may be a contact person listed who will help you walk in the doors. I wasted a lot of time being afraid for nothing. Good luck. Remember that every meeting is a little different. If for some reason one does not fit (example, too many people, too few people) try another meeting. I live in Canada and presume you are in the States but if I could I would help you get to your first meeting. Again, good luck, and keep believing that it can work for you. I'll be sending positive thoughts for you, wherever you are.
Just Curious
Posted by: mpenney100
Posted on: 2003-07-12 11:48:37

Hmmmmm.....I do not wish to put down OA as I am aware of its good qualities, but....while the concept sounds good, and works for some, I was under the impression that Anorexia, Bulemia when full blown, now affects the brain? This would be considered a physical symtom that would have to be regulated by medicine right? So if one is in dire stages of this disease, wouldn't medical help be more appropriate than OA?? I can understand the use of it when in the last stages of recovery when it is imperative that the person cannot fall back into the previous mode of thinking or else they'll end up back in the disease again. However, I also read in a previous message, that thier faith and going to OA didn't work either. From what I understand of the AA steps, drinking you can put down by faith, but Purgeing you can't put down in the same way, and the mark is missed if they don't seek medical help. Maybe yourself or DR.Phil could clarify??
OA does help
Posted by: ggmegz
Posted on: 2003-08-09 17:31:08

I cannot speak for others, just from my own experience, but although starvation and malnutrition do affect the brain, the best medicine is proper nutrition. Once the body starts functioning normally again the "crazy" symptoms disappear. To back this up, I was hospitalized 4 times and switched from medicine to medicine on a weekly to 2week basis (which was retarded as it didn't give me time to adjust to new meds). When I was really sick I showed symptoms of depression, disassociative disorder and OCD. However, no meds helped. I did notice, though that once my weight was restored to a healthier level and I was getting mega doses of vitamins/minerals through very healthy food all of my mental problems went away. The same thing has happened to many others I've met. If, however, depression/etc stays even after health is improved, then meds shouls be used. Other than that, anti-anxiety meds seem to help those with extreme fear when they start treatment. Also, anti-nausea meds help as well.
my OA experience
Posted by: pavaroti
Posted on: 2003-10-01 16:00:25

I have attended various 12 step programs for all types of addictions and the principles are all the same. No twelve step group says you should replace the program for medical help, as a matter of fact the founders of AA worked closely with the medical community and many AA'ers still do. It is the same way with OA. It is a SUPPORT group only. Just like Dr. Phil's weight loss challenge employs health professionals and the "team" support each other emotionally. The team does not heal the addict. The addict is repsonsible for seeking the help they need, physically, emotionally and spiritually, OA is merely a group of people who have been through similar experiences so can be supportive emotionally. So you feel you are not alone in you struggle.
I hope this brings some answers for you. Understanding the program takes a bit of time. It never claims to be the answer for everyone just for people who do find it useful.
Regards
PS I am not bulimic but my brain is very sensitive to sugar and so overeating affected me making good decisions.
Northlite, help
Posted by: janetlowri
Posted on: 2004-12-03 22:24:20

This is a subject i am passionate about, because i am a recovering anorexic/bulimic. But, i had to recover on my own, all by myself. I am very proud of myself for how far i have come, seeing as how i almost died because of what i did to my body.(I now have a second degree heart block, and i am in my 40's.)
Unfortunately, i didn't have the opportunity to go to an eating disorder clinic, and now i feel a bit misguided about my diet. I am a well-educated woman, in a health-care field, but i don't feel as though i truly know what to eat to stabilize my weight and not gain too much either. I fear that the way i am going now, i am liable to trigger a relapse in my recovery. I have found it's much easier to advise others than it is sometimes to know what's best for myself. Does anyone know how i can get aimed in the right direction?
bulimarexic
Posted by: nooced
Posted on: 2003-04-19 15:44:46

I too was a purging anorexic for 16yrs.When your doubtful about recovery its the devil trying to hold you back.An eating disorder is the devil in disguise.Recovery is Gods plan for all of us.Don't give up without a fight.There is only one of each of us in this world and we all have a purpose here.No matter what the struggle we owe it to ourselves and our Higher Power to get well.Prayers to all those suffering.
fellow sufferer
Posted by: adnawat
Posted on: 2003-06-10 12:12:45

Bulimia can be beaten. I'm in the process, and there are pits of hopelessness and eternities of doubt, but once you make the choice to live, which you have to power to make, life embraces you. Choose, use your power, and fight. I'm not out yet either, but I have choices that I never realized before and I choose to keep fighting.

Posted by: kimlib97zzzz
Posted on: 2003-06-10 18:57:18

How do you fight it? I can't and I'm so lost.