[Soliloquy]

Hello everyone...

Like a lot of other people, I am making a New Year's resolution to be healthier and lose the excess weight. However, I've had an eating disorder for the past four years in which I binged then starved, binged, starved, and so on. I never really lost or gained any significant weight with it, but it's been wreaking havoc on my mental state for years and I've decided that it's time to stop. I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I'll put all the willpower I would normally put into starvation into this new endeavor, as well as discussing the issue with my therapist.

I'm 20 years old, a sophomore in college, and tonight was the first night that it really clicked, wow I need to stop the madness. I was playing a game with some friends, laughing and everyone was standing in the kitchen eating pizza and I just thought, hmm, so that is normalcy. How can I get there? I hope being here will be one of the first steps.

[Libby1972]

Welcome. The first thing I would suggest is that you see your general practitioner and let him/her know what your goals are and that health is your main objective. You should have a full blood panel run to know where you truly stand health-wise. Find out what your normal weight range should be for your height and get your body fat measured. That gives you a better perspective. I have dieted for the better part of 20 years, none of it worked. What finally got me healthy and changed my life was the food pyramid, portion control, whole foods and fitness. Support systems are great and this community offers great help and advice. Your doctor should be in agreement with any diet &exercise plan you embark upon.

Best of luck. Good to have you here!

[Jasmine419]

Welcome and congrats on making such a positive decision. I'm new here too, just a bit older than you, and I've also dealt with an eating disorder. You're still in college, so take advantage of the health resources that your student fees have probably already paid for. Set up appointments with both a general practitioner and a counselor (most campuses have counseling/psychological services) if you're not already regularly seeing a therapist. I can say from personal experience that you have to take care of what's going on in your brain before you address what's going on with your body.

It also really helps to be honest with the people who love you (family, close friends) and don't be shy about asking them for support. Disordered eating can be such an intensely isolating thing, and having someone there for you--even if it gets irritating at times--to make sure you're healthily on track is priceless.