Separating From Ed

     Many people attempt to be helpful by giving encouragement to those in recovery or those with an eating disorder. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, the well meaning person has no idea what the sufferer is sensitive to, and ultimately, may cause more damage than good. Here are some things that I wish people would stop saying to me: You look so good! You are doing so well You haven't ate much You've ate a lot You're still hungry? Haven't you had enough? That is really healthy That is really unhealthy Don't you think... [insert comment about nutrients (or lack thereof) in food] What do you think of [diet]? Doesn't so and so look great after they lost weight? So and so should lose weight I can't believe they lost weight Have you lost weight? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you sick? How much do you weigh? I lost/gained _ pounds! I weigh ___ pounds My BMI is __ I ate [insert fear food] So and so looks so big You don't even exerc

     Recovery is hard. In fact, it is downright difficult. I wanted to share some things that recovery has entailed for me, and if you have others that you want to add, please feel free to share as long as triggers are left out. Here we go: Recovery has meant giving up Ed's ways and rules Recovery has meant a loss of the former habits and former "normal" Recovery is day-to-day  Recovery is not easy and can involve regressions Recovery has a goal of learning to trust your body, but this does not happen right away Recovery involves creating a team who can support you It likely involves crying at some point There are moments of joy You hopefully feel empowered Challenges can be scary, or they may be tackled simply Recovery means getting back up from a challenge (or just everyday life) when Ed knocks you down Recovery sometimes means eating when you don't want to Recovery means eating despite your Ed voice You need help from others Sometimes, you have to s

     Welcome to the new "Separating From Ed" blog.      Honestly, I never thought this day would come. The day where I change my blog name to "Separating From Ed." The day where I'd be the girl to be vulnerable and open about my struggles in recovery. To actually be someone who has an eating disorder.      Ed and recovery from Ed have become a more prevalent part of my life recently, and I want to help others avoid Ed's harmful tactics, recover for themselves, empathize and learn for the sake of their loved one, become educated in eating disorder facts, have the knowledge necessary to gain help, seek out resources and professional treatment, and to know that you are not alone .      You see, Ed is really good at making his sufferers believe that they aren't "that bad," that they don't need help or can't get help. Ed is a deceiver, a liar, a cheater, a fun-stealer, pain-maker, people-separator, an accuser, and so many other nast