Week 3 : Letting Ana Go (book)

I purchased a new book called Letting Ana Go.  It's about a girl who is on a track team.  Her coach starts making the girls record their food intake.  Slowly the girl named, who's name is unknown,starts eating less and less.  Eventually becoming anorexic.  There's also similar books by the same Anonymous author.

There's :

• Letting Ana Go
• Lucy In The Sky
• Jay's Journal
• Go Ask Alice

I only know of the subject Go Ask Alice and Letting Ana Go are. Go Ask Alice is about a girl who goes to a party and tries LSD.  Later in the book she becomes addicted to the drug. Sorry that's really all I know of the book.

Anyways, the book seems pretty good so far.  Currently I'm half way through the book.  I'd recomend this book as it's pretty good.

 Signing off.

Until next time lovelies,

-Alexa

                Picture from google

Week 4 : Those Voices...

Beware this entry is only a personal one. No info for this weeks entry. 

So this week I would like to start off with I'm sorry.  I have been so out of it lately and it's been anexhausting few days...

The voices in my head still,and never will, go away; I just haven't been able to block most of them out like I'm use to.

At my therapy session today I had a scary thing happen...  I had a safety pin in the pocket of my hoodie and when a tough situation came up with my mother, therapist, and moi (me).  The thing is that when I tried to hurt myself to not show a reaction by stabbing the safety pin on my index finger...well...umm...it didn't hurt...  I didn't expect that.  I expected the safety pin to help control my feelings.  It didn't.  Although I should have seen it comming, only burning helps me control my emotions in taxing situations.

There's a headache forming now.  Gosh my stars my mother won't stop hounding me on several things.  A new thing is about how much I read.  Read!  Isn't it a good thing to read everyday?!  Is it not?  I read to enjoy literature, to live hundreds of different lives, to escape from the piece of shit I call my life.  Gosh my stars...  I should just go... Goodbye for now.

Until next time,

-Alexa

Week 2 : Orthorexia Nervosa

This week I did research on a lesser known disorder called Orthorexia Nervosa.

Alongside the research of ON (Orthorexia Nervosa), during class I learned that we would be making slides for my final product of this blog.  So, today the teacher showed us how to make different looking slides that have a theme.  As of course mine will have a ED theme of some sort.

Anyways, back to the subject.  ON is a lesser known eating disorder.  It's definition is literally means 'fixation on righteous eating.'  It's (like any disorder) an unhealthy obsession.  ON's begin as attempt at becoming healthier, yet soon take it to an extreme.  They will also punish themselves for giving in to temptation, sometimes by restricting food intake, exercising, and or fasting.

Even though ON is a lesser known disorder, it still is a disorder, one that people need help with.  People with ON need support in overcoming it.

'Recovered orthorexics will still eat healthfully, but there will be a different understanding of what healthy eating is.  They will realize that food will not make them a better person and that basing their self-esteem on the quality of their diet is irrational.  Their identity will shift from “the person who eats health food” to a broader definition of who they are – a person who loves, who works, who is fun.  They will find that while food is important, it is one small aspect of life, and that often other things  are more important!'

 (Insert from http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa )

YET!  Remember that just because you like eating healthy doesn't mean you have ON.  Only if taken into obsession can it turn to a problem.  When your diet ends up controlling your entire life, if you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet, and wish you could occasionally eat and not have to feel worried or guilty about the food quality.

I must go now,

until next time.

-Alexa

(Found on Google Images)

Week 1 : How the Media Effects ED's

Now it's a new year, and so for my teacher it means the numbering system on this will start over on  these blogs. So now these blogs have to start over starting from 1.  So I'm sorry about how these will be numbered perplexing.  ANYWAYS, on with the blog.

Well it's about time I got to this subject.  The media plays a ginormous role in ED's.  They glorify the need to be thin and pretty.  Take a look into a magazine and what do you see?  Thin, tall, beautiful women -or- tall, muscular, handsome men.  For me, by seeing a picture such as the one below all I see is how beautiful and skinny the woman is.  The urge to become thin intensifies, and it's basically my ' Thin-spo '  As bad as it is, it makes me burrow deeper into my ED.

It's most definatley not a good thing to see this or strive to become it, yet it's what has got me down to 101.46 lbs. as of today.  It's horrendous to know I use to be up to 140 lbs.  Thinking back to how I use to look, it disgusts me to no end.  I'm still very unhappy with my current weight; I want to get down to 92 lbs.  But it will take some time unfortunately because I can't workout as much as I want to, due to my low blood pressure it's very easy to pass out when doing cardio (which is the most efficient way to lose weight).

Below are some facts found on www.anad.org

• 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 5 years.3
• 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.5
• The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.3
• 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures.12
• 69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape.13
• 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner (Collins, 1991).
• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat (Mellin et al., 1991).

There is a serious problem with the media glorifying the need to be thin, pretty, handsome, muscular.  It's sickening honestly.  Just know that there IS treatment for eating disorders.  They do help, I'm not in treatment (since my parents haven't found out) I'm seeing a therapist for depression, and it does help.  It may seem silly to go and talk about your problems, but it does help to have someone to talk to in confidentiality.

Until next time,
                         Alexa

                                      

                                                          Found on Tumblr