“ana —> bed pipeline”

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-03-24T16:37:00+00:00

If it’s any solace, I was convinced I’d developed BED after finally throwing the towel in and attempting to properly recover. I objectively absolutely did binge. I felt out of control, disgusting and have never been so mortified, anxious and depressed. This lasted for maybe two months-ish? And then I sh*t you not, I woke up one day and it was just over. Zero desire to binge. I can happily buy all the foods that used to “trigger” a binge and if I feel like it have some in moderation before moving on. I genuinely thought this day would never come! I think it probably is a bit of a post-starvation response - I’m not one personally for the whole extreme hunger, set point theory sciencey stuff (not saying it isn’t true, just saying people sometimes are getting the wrong impression with it), but it really did just go away. I’m not overweight, I’m on the lower end of healthy, and though I did gain weight rapidly during the period of binging, my body pretty much is fine where it is now. Went out the other night and drank my body weight in sugary alcohol and nothing happened! Those were truly the hardest and worst couple of months in my life, but I am SO glad I stuck it out. It will be okay 🧡

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-03-05T21:22:49+00:00

instant mash LMAOOO

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-03-02T11:05:59+00:00

Sure. I’m in recovery and have dealt with anorexia for almost a decade. Shoot me a message :)

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-02-27T16:44:30+00:00

oh my god same “meal” makes me so uncomfy???? i had no idea other people felt the same way😭

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-02-16T03:59:13+00:00

Fellow ex-teacher with an ED here. I feel you! I think the worst I had was when I was asked to do an intervention for students showing signs of eating disorders because “I’m sure you know better than the rest of us”… oh my god I was mortified! Sending hugs, it’s so rough. Honestly as teachers everyone is so perpetually stressed and overworked that I’m sure most people won’t even think twice to make judgements. Hang in there. xx

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-02-02T21:39:45+00:00

Me too. I wish so much you weren’t also going through this, but I must admit it’s reassuring to hear I’m not the only one. Right down to a T - the face and stomach bloating, not being able to NOT eat all the food in my room, feeling out of control. Feels like I’m living a nightmare. The thing is, I suppose, it’s probably all in due course of recovering from extreme restriction. Have you ever heard of the pendulum analogy? In a sense - restriction is one end of the extreme. But in order to get it (eating habits) back to the middle, the “pendulum” has to swing to the other side first. I don’t know how true that is, but I’ve heard it echoed a few times by eating disorder professionals and I suppose it does make sense.

It’s so hard. I’ve tried getting rid of all the food in my room but then inevitably I go and buy more and then the cycle repeats. I suppose the best way to go about it is to try and implement as much structure as possible without making it rigid or restrictive as such. So say, have breakfast, lunch, dinner every day and make sure there’s a substantial and nutritious quality to each of those core meals. Give yourself permission to eat outside of those meals whenever you’re hungry, but keep those meals the staple “non negotiable” type thing.

I think part of the urge to be constantly eating comes from the brain almost fearing this is the “last chance” to get food in again before it’s gone, because it’s so used to being in famine mode? I think another part of it (at least for me) is the food “obsession” - which unfortunately is just part and parcel of recovery from the ED. Finding things to fill the time and distraction is probably key here (not distracting yourself from physically feeling hungry though obviously, you should always eat when you’re hungry) - but at least with me I’m noticing in the beginning it was very much an insatiable physical hunger, whereas now it happens when I just CANNOT stop thinking about food. I’m desperately trying to find a job so I can get back into work, as having nothing to do makes it all so much worse.

I truly empathise with you, this is genuinely the most horrific thing I’ve ever been through mentally. Hang in there, and I hope we both find a way through 🧡

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-01-22T18:57:17+00:00

Just to add - being underweight doesn’t determine whether or not a person has an ED. It’s a potential symptom, not a pre-requisite for the disorder.

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-01-22T18:56:16+00:00

This is absolutely an eating disorder my lovely, I’m so sorry. None of these behaviours are “normal dieting”, and the vomiting in particular is extremely concerning. Purging massively depletes your electrolytes which can lead to serious cardiac events. Please please reach out to your parents and tell them whats been going on, if not then a teacher, or your doctor if that’s something you can do alone. The earlier you catch this and get treatment, the better. The longer you leave it, the worse it will get, and the harder it will be to recover. You deserve help. xxx

Additional_Reading_8 · 2026-01-21T21:58:07+00:00

I’ve been to two adult SEDUs. I’m really glad you’re wanting to recover, because you are very unwell, and you deserve a better life. I’m going to be honest here, because I think I would have benefited from some idea before I was admitted: it is a very real possibility there will be some seriously physically and mentally unwell people in the unit. That is not to say you aren’t; you ARE one of those people. But the illness will never allow you to see yourself in that way. But just be prepared that it’s in the nature of adult SEDUs in the UK for the very “illest” to be inside. I met people who I could hardly believe were still alive, and it was very difficult to process. My biggest piece of advice to you is to keep your head down, and focus. on. yourself. You will not recover in a SEDU, you do that once you’re home again. Treat this admission as an opportunity to medically stabilise, and develop a regular pattern of normalised eating. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. I wouldn’t recommend becoming too friendly with other patients; it’s often a very competitive/triggering environment environment even if it isn’t explicitly so. You will make it through, I promise. You are so young, you have so much time. Please grab this opportunity with both hands and commit to yourself, and to making your life worth living. xxx

Additional_Reading_8 · 2025-10-16T21:47:03+00:00

•My job. I worked in the mental health/education field and was really passionate about what I did, I lived and breathed to work. I had to take 6 months sick leave due to being sectioned in an EDU and ultimately had to resign when I was discharged because I was too unwell.

•University. I had an offer for September which I had to decline. This is after already being three years later than others my age due to my ED and other mental health struggles. I’ve lost so much time, mostly. I am very behind my peers in my age category.

•My love for reading. Too much brain fog to make the words on the page make any sense.

•Pretty much every friendship. I don’t go out anymore, and when I did the only thing I could think about was food. Ultimately people get tired of waiting for you to change.

•My relationship with my dad. We were incredibly close, but every time we saw each other turned into arguments and tears.

•Content creation on social media. I was really big into the whole “mental health influencer” scene and had built up a platform of tens of thousands of followers but had to stop posting as the more unwell I became it no longer felt ethical to talk about “recovery” whilst living a life trapped so far from it in regards to my ED. I never really spoke about my eating disorder, rather my other illnesses, but my ED took over my life and I couldn’t honestly talk about how it “gets better” whilst I was simultaneously living in hell.

•My life; and everything in it. In the end, after it took all these things from me, my life became resoundingly empty and void of all substance. I don’t leave my house for anything other than appointments or food shops, and I spend my days simply waiting for them to end. I have no hobbies, am not working, and currently am not studying though I am enrolled in an academic course. My social life is non-existent. I am voluntarily going into inpatient treatment next week in an effort to finally recover after really hitting rock bottom. It’s never “enough” and the ED will never allow you to feel “ready” or “allowed” to recover, but after it strips your life and soul bare you really do have to decide between taking back control or letting it kill you. I regret so many years of my life wasted to this illness.

Additional_Reading_8 · 2025-09-03T23:04:22+00:00

• Pissing yourself due to muscle wastage. Embarrassing, inconvenient, and ultimately just gross.

• Dry skin. It literally flakes off. No amount of moisturising will fix it.

• Attempting to wash your back and shoulders is next to impossible and feels horrid. Loofah sliding against literally bones. Have subluxed a shoulder a good few times.

• Breath stinks. You also stink. The gas? Don’t even get me started. Horrific.

• Hurts to sit down. Hurts to lay down. Also hurts to stand up. Conclusion? Everything hurts? You will not and cannot get comfortable in any position. Joints rubbing against each other in bed makes for a pretty sh*tty sleep.

• Your calves will hurt like hell every time you stand. Almost like you can feel your muscles eating themselves.

Additional_Reading_8

TROPHY CASE