As you may have noticed, we have a new poll here at Breaking the Mirror. I’m using it to gauge the age of this audience. Please participate!The last poll, as you may recall, asked visitors why they wanted to get rid of their eating disorders. And the breakdown of their answers was surprising:
Out of 225 respondents:
- 22 said they were tired of giving 100% to their EDs;
- 11 said they were trying to get better because of their friends/family;
- 19 said they were afraid of getting sick(er) or of dying;
- 29 said that most of the above answers applied;
- 87 …read more

I may paint a seemingly-bleak picture of my eating disordered teen years, but as I look back, all was not terrible.  In fact, there were some reasonable times when I abandoned my anorexic ways for a few weeks… but I would always return to them.
Eighth grade, the first year of my “official” ana status (in my opinion), was exciting but always somewhat overwhelming.  I was quickly losing weight, but confidence in my appearance wasn’t occurring simultaneously.  That school year was definitely spent experimenting with different ways to starve, hide food, avoid eating, and the like.
The next year, ninth grade, was …read more

This week, I discussed how bulimics (and some anorexics and those with EDNOS who purge) are likely introducing all sorts of bacteria, germs and goodness knows what else into their throats every time they induce vomiting using objects such as their fingers, toothbrushes or spoon handles.
Sarah, a commenter, had this to say.  It really impressed me… especially the last bit about commodes:
I was just thinking about this. I have had quite the history with bulimia and while I have mostly overcome it, last week I had gastroenteritis. While sick I made myself throw up multiple times because it made me …read more

After my last post on why parents ignore eating disorders in their children, I started to wonder about something similar — why do spouses or significant others do the same dance of “avoid the gorilla hiding under the carpet”? 
Again, I’ve given it some thought and here are my theories:
1.  They really don’t know that their partner is anorexic or bulimic.  Eating disordered individuals are very adept at covering up their illnesses, even from their most intimate friends and lovers.  And let’s face it — if a guy started dating a girl who was severely underweight, he might just assume that …read more

This is a post I’ve considered writing for a while now.  It has to do with parents ignoring the warning signs and symptoms of eating disorders in their children.
I always ask myself, “Why didn’t the mom/dad know?  Why didn’t she/he do anything?”  See, I’ve witnessed a lot of parents turning a blind eye to anorexia, bulimia and binge eating in their kids. 
I have some personal theories on the subject that I’d like to share.  They aren’t definitive by any means, of course, but are only thoughts.  Feel free to share yours, too.
1.  They don’t understand what an eating disorder is.  This …read more

If I told you that many professional gymnasts struggled with eating disorders, you wouldn’t be surprised, would you?  But what if I told you that plenty of their coaches, instead of showing concern, actually promote disorders like anorexia and bulimia?
According to the book “Chalked Up” by Jennifer Sey, a former American gymnast, both coaches and parents can be complicit when it comes to encouraging eating disorders in young athletes.  In an article at International, the author notes:
“…Most damaging was the constant pressure to lose weight put on the girls, many of whom were barely in their teens and often younger. Sey describes eating …read more