An Eating Disorder Specialist Explains How Trauma Creates Food Disorders 

For more information and resources about eating disorders including ARFID, please visit www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/ Watch our full video on what it's like to live with an eating disorder: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v1TWvXwgKr0.html

Not eating always made me feel in control when life felt the most out of control.

"The more we restrict, the more likely we are to overeat. And the more we divide foods into good and bad, right and wrong, the more anxiety we're likely to have and the more distress and preoccupations we're likely to have with food and eating." PREACH.

It's ironic how much eating disorders are not actually about food.

I had an eating disorder since high school till I was about 25. I'm 36 now and let me tell you, the BEST thing for EDs is to not be around people who cause you stress, or be in stressful situations. Another thing is my son's dad taught me the real value of food - I saw him grow edible gardens everywhere we lived with love and care, and he taught me to basically respect my body more and to give it what it needs to thrive. SO a loving nurturing environment is NEEDED to facilitate healing. There are a lot of healing holistic centers everywhere that teach that health is love and vice versa. And get away from physical and emotional toxicity, no amount of therapy will work if you stay in toxic environments and relationships.

Would’ve been nice if she mentioned that not all ppl with ED are super thin

I feel like I can’t say that I ever had an eating disorder because I was never diagnosed and was never underweight :/ I lost my period, was extremely obsessed with food and restriction, built up so much anxiety around what I ate, etc. still haven’t gotten over some of these things :(

When she mentioned about the sensing for belonging and a place to fit in, that hit so deep. Since I could remember I’ve always been bigger, both taller and heavier, than my contemporaries and I always felt out of place.

She has such soothing voice and presence.

I'm so glad she mentioned ARFID. I'm one of those males she mentions; the kind who used to hide in shame, not knowing I was struggling with a diagnosable and treatable eating disorder. It's a little frustrating when I read a pamphlet or a poster about eating disorders and ARFID isn't mentioned. I only learned about ARFID (called Selective Eating Disorder at the time) at least a decade of struggle. A specialist noticed my behavior in a public setting and informed me in private. I'm still struggling but there is a noticeable improvement; progress I might not have had if it wasn't for that coincidence. Without awareness and treatment, I might have avoided more trips and social events just because of the food. If you suspect someone you know is struggling with ARFID please let them know about it. It was a huge relief for me to learn about this disorder; that I wasn't just "picky", that my anxiety in front of food was real and that there are other people like me. You'll be a hero to anyone by bringing this to light for them.

This the same lady that is treating the mac n cheese addict!

Please please do an update of the Mac n cheese guy in the future! I would love to know how he is doing! Best of luck to you young sir!! 😊

for me, the hunger pains feel familiar, they feel grounding, they feel like something to hold onto, when everything else is completely out of my own control. They make me feel strong, somehow..

If someone needs hope, my big sister's friend had really bad anorexia and bulimia that even the doctors said that she probably won't ever be healthy or recover. Nowadays she is healthy and happy, saw a post of her where she has strong legs and is smiling after just running a marathon. Never give up hope, that is the most important fight with mental ilnesses.

I have ARFID and it honestly feels like it runs my whole life. I’m so thankful for these videos bringing awareness to a disorder that isn’t taken seriously enough, in my opinion.

She mentioned ARFID!! I've had it since I was a little child and never knew what it was until last year, because no food therapist I ever talked to even knew what it was. They thought I was anorexic because I only ate certain things, but I never wanted to be thin (rather the opposite, I was always uncomfortable in my very thin/petite body). Then it was binge eating, because I would only certain foods but because I could 'only eat' certain foods, I would eat large amounts of them. Now I finally know what it is and I can do a lot of self-imposed food therapy to help myself like more foods.

I recently found out I have ARFID and it’s honestly comforting? Like this is something I struggled with a lot and it’s nice to know there’s a word for it and I can get help for it :(

It's cool that this popped up today! I have a friend who recently enrolled in getting treatment and this helps me understand my boundaries when speaking about her eating disorder. Also gave me a lot more empathy. Thanks for making this, Vice!

I spent nearly 4 years in therapy for bulimia and I’ve never fully recovered but can manage it. Don’t think my relationship with food will ever be normal.

Question 1: What are some similarities between various types of eating disorders? 0:24 Q2: What are some misconceptions about eating disorders? 0:59 Q3: What is ARFID? 1:14 Q4: How does ARFID compare other eating disorders? 1:53 Q5: What role does trauma play in developing an eating disorder? 2:15 Q6: How can eating disorders be treating effectively? 2:49 Q7: What issues exist with access to treatment? 3:27 Q8: What role does society and culture play in perpetuating eating disorders? 4:00 Q9: How can I help a friend or family living with an eating disorder? 4:27 Q10: ???!!! (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ 5:13

The first 60 seconds of this video described how I use to feel when I dealt with binge eating disorder 🥺 thank God for healing 🤲🏽🤍

It's crazy how easily you can develop one. I'm 21 now and I lost my mom when I was young, immediately after I started restricted my food which then developed into bingeing, my body suffered through alot It's breaks my heart how I wasted my teenage years to this and being obsessed with my weight

I have ARFID. My mom said I didn't transition well to solid food when I was a kid, and I've had a preference for liquids my entire life. For me, eating (as well as obtaining food, cooking, dishes, etc) take a lot of energy (I also have fibromyalgia), I have sensory issues, and I don't have a strong appetite. 10 years ago I was severely underweight, and I was eating all high calorie foods like peanut butter m&ms and whole chocolate milk to get as many calories as I could. I've gotten a lot better; I reached and have maintained a healthy weight for the past 6 years by taking a med to increase my appetite, using disposable cutlery to minimize energy required for dishes, eating on a schedule, and always keeping some easy to consume food within arm's reach. I also got away from my toxic family. I had tried for a few years to force myself to eat, but that often resulted in gagging so I eventually realized that that wasn't a helpful tactic for me. 90% of my diet is still meal replacement drinks, but I'm doing pretty well and I'm slowly introducing more solid food into my diet.

My eating disorder is a side affect on of my PTSD and anxiety and adhd. It's not about weight at all

I am one of those who binges food and gains 50 lbs to then starving myself losing 50 lbs. I've been this way all my life and it has taught me to just accept how I am. It is what it is.

I developed an eating disorder when I moved to a new country at the age of 15. I never realized it was an eating disorder and now, at the age of 26, I realize it all stemmed from "wanting control over one aspect of my life", It was never about food, tbh. Now I'm at a healthy weight, I exercise but I'm still fighting the urge to "just not eat" when I'm very stressed. It's a journey

I'm very glad that she mentioned men having eating disorders. As a male with one it's nice to hear people talking about it because guys having eating disorders isn't discussed often

After recovering from polydrug addiction, I can now see the similarities between drug addiction and eating disorders.. I've never had any issues with food until after I changed my brain with substance abuse, there are major similarities.. Plain old sugar can target the same receptors as cocaine, amphetamine, even opiates.. I crave it, binge on it and then feel the comedown. It's uncanny. Recovering addicts need to watch out.

For me my ed was about control bc my religious family was super controlling about everything in my life. From the way i dressed to who i was allowed to talk to. I developed it at the age of 12 and im 25 now. When i moved out i started to eat normally without me even thinking about it. Sometimes i find myself restricting again but its way better now. I hope one day im 100% better. Remember to treat your body kindly is something i tell myself when im struggling. I hope everyone who struggles with an ed is able to be free of it.💕

This video hit me like a wrecking ball!! I developed ptsd in 2016 but also developed Arfid along side it! It's hard finding detailed videos about arfid so I truly thank you!! This is the first time Iv heard someone link trauma to eating disorders in this way and you've hit the bull's-eye! The way you've described the feelings we experience is soo accurate! You are a blessing to soo many

SO HAPPY to finally see a credited specialist talk about ARFID on RU-vid!

Person with ARFID here, wanted to chime in that ARFID is common with Autism (I am autistic). I have poor interoception which means I often can't tell that I'm hungry or thirsty, and so I chronically undereat. I don't like it when I lose weight from this and I try really hard to eat enough but I just don't feel hunger. I have to use fatigue to identify hunger or thirst ("Why do I feel tired? Hm, maybe eat or drink something."). Some researchers think up to 1 in 4 people with certain eating disorders have comorbid Autism as well, that is diagnosed or not diagnosed. I also struggle because my autism results in texture hypersensitivity, so sometimes I can't eat something because the thought of it gives me deep nausea and anxiety where I don't want the food to touch me. This leads to eating a lot of the same foods over and over, which also led to weight loss because I was eating but my calories weren't nutrient dense since I was just having smoothies 2-3 times a day and then maybe one standard meal. Wanted to share this because sometimes people have an ED because they have autism (or ADHD! Where this is common as well) and so my body will literally not want a lot of foods and I have to work hard to vary my diet and keep my thirst and hunger levels normal. I have been trying to add more color to my plate and do meal planning to help. If you have ARFID and are not diagnosed with Autism or ADHD you might be interested in looking into it!

Thank you for this.. There is a HUGE PROBLEM with access to treatment. HUGE. I spent a lot of time researching eating disorder centers and grants or sponsorships and i can tell you there is nothing. Treatment can cost from 800 to 1000's of $$ a day which no one can afford. Its insane.

Hi! To be honest I was on the verge of succumbing to my inner voice but here's my story, I was very much aware of the fact that there are eating disorders and I might experience it, I didn't really care much or I'm sure I wouldn't have an eating disorder. But then one day my auntie commented "You seem to be putting on weight" and that is where it went down I started restricting then feeling good but then I'd overeat on the weekends, I never wanted that, I was just on an endless cycle of restricting and binging, I know that the weight that I put on can possibly be just water retention but I would always think "I still put on weight" that's just a toxic mindset, gaining weight is inevitable, I never wanted to think like that I never wanted to have that toxic mentality, I just wanted to look good. Before it even gets worse I pushed myself to get out of that cycle. I know that I might've gain weight but I know that it's only water retention and It will go away I pushed myself to have a better mentality and If I were to want to lose weight I'd do it with positive thoughts and do it the healthy way. Please always be considerate to what you say to others, Just a few words can shatter someone's life and progress. Love your body for what it does not on how it looks like 💛

I had an eating disorder after I was beat up by my ex and left him because it shocked me and my self esteem was so low. I was losing 1-2 pounds a day and I remember my aunt cooked me this really good meal and I had one bite and felt so sick. I started working on my eating disorder and haven’t been back. 5/6 years ago.

Narcissistic abuse makes me depressed & overeat, & then as a result, the abusive narcs condemn me & call me "greedy", which makes me even more depressed, & then eating even MORE!

Because of the ol virus, I haven’t been able to see my nutritionist or therapist (you need licenses or permits or something to have online sessions) and as someone with a mild eating disorder, it has been really difficult to cope without support. My god this video is exactly what I needed. Thank you vice.

I’ve been suffering from ARFID for awhile now. I never realised there was a term for this type of eating disorder. I always thought “I don’t starve myself. I don’t binge regularly so that’s not an eating disorder” But I seriously do have an issue with eating, it’s turning into OCD or starving myself when I indulge in sweet or carbs (even if it’s just one cookie) or I overeat then spew up☹️

I have BPD,C-PTSD, and eating disorder.and when i was suffering with bulimia,my mother and a certain psychiatrist often said to me,"i'm ashamed of you!!"and then she always screamed at me. now, i cannot eat with someone . i hide, and eat all alone. the words they said to me still echo me.....forever.

It sure would be nice to have a 3 person treatment team like she describes. I’m sure the average person can’t afford that. I had to overcome bulimia by myself :(

I'm late to the game on this but three years later and I'm saying thank you. Thank you for this.

Wow she really is a professional I have eating disorder and she did mentioned every single problem that I have including specially the part when she said there is a lot of hiding when someone has an eating disorder

The Low FODMAP diet causes me eating anxiety. Damn IBS!

I had anorexia as a teen ages 14-16 and what caused it was domestic violence at home. I used to skip all the food I could and only drank coke as I had a weird belief that calories in drink didn’t count. At the time I didn’t know why I was doing it, now, I think it was both a form of self harm and also a distraction. My life was so horrific not eating and feeling hungry, obsessing over my body and hurting it felt more pleasant than home. I realised suicidal thoughts I’ve had are the same but for PTSD from said violence. It was extreme violence too as in blood, broken teeth, fear of death. I read that it’s common for teen girls in DV homes to end up annorexic. So, yeah. I also now OVEREAT to avoid PTSD. I’m always running away from the trauma. And I can’t stop myself.

I had an ED that resulted from the trauma of an abusive relationship. I was losing one pound a day and disappointed if I didn’t. But then my aunt made my favourite meal and I couldn’t even eat it without feel the sickest I have. After that I tried to work on it and haven’t gone back.

I totally relate to all of this. I’ve had disorder eating since I was in eighth grade. I am 37 now and still continue to struggle with this. Except I feel like I don’t meet any criteria, I’m not underweight, I’m very healthy looking and I lift weights so people automatically assume that I’m very healthy and I never restrict my food in the form of calories necessarily, but I’m OCD about restricting certain foods and then I end up binging on them 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ I feel such a relief when I go out to eat with a friend and just eat nourishing food and don’t focus on the negativity, it’s such a releif. But as soon as the next meal approaches, I’m back to my normal self. I suppose that being able to go out to eat with a friend on occasion and not let my food rules interfere is a step in the right direction.

she makes me feel so understood.

She seems like someone filled with compassion and love for others. Wish I know a person like her in my life

I have anorexia but not because I think I'm fat. It's my form of control when my life is stressful (stressful relationship, dad dying etc). I don't want to do it anymore because I look ghastly, but I've done it for so long that I now don't have an appetite anymore and I don't know how to make it come back.

*trigger warning* I need assistance. I am almost 30 years old. I grew up in a home with domestic violence then as an adult got trapped into another domestic violence situation. I went through a lot (I don’t feel comfortable giving details but I essentially went through it all). Now I’ve been out of these situations since 2017 and have been going in and out of therapy (financial problems keep pushing me out). Over the YEARS I’ve noticed that I have severe self-hate and will starve myself as a way for self-harm. I can’t cut myself because I don’t like blood and food restriction (about 500 or less calories/day) has been a very easy method that doesn’t get attention until it’s too late (I’ve weighted 84lbs as a full adult before). I’m trying to find resources to help me get back on a healthy track with food but Google hasn’t been much help. I’ve done this for so long it’s hard to eat. The smells and texture make me gag now. If anyone can point me in the direction of some helpful resources I would appreciate it. Also I’m having a hard time deciding if what I’m going through is technically considered an eating disorder. I usually only eat at night (usually white rice or noodles with an egg) but I have a shake in the morning. I’m NOT scared to gain weight. I DO want to gain weight and tend to bully myself if I don’t eat enough (which is everyday). Eating is hard like I said I now gag from the smells and textures. So do I have an eating disorder or is it something else?

I agree with the association of trauma and eating disorders. My mom suffered a ruptured aneurysm and this completely broke our family. Especially me and my daughter. In discussion of why this occurred we found she had high blood pressure. I obsessively stopped eating salt and anything unhealthy. I dropped so much weight in a matter of weeks by 10 lbs. I do also suffer from gad and health anxiety and have for years.

I haven't really eaten properly for years, eating makes me anxious and in order to eat a meal fully I have to be up and walking and even then I always leave a little bit on the plate so I don't feel bad. Eating feels gross to me, I havr no desire to lose weight, I just don't like feeling vunerable.

I remember leading up to my sister wedding I wanted to loose weight and during that time, there was family drama that heavily affected me cause me to restrict my food intake. I went from 151-123 within 4 months and I stayed in the pattern over a year. One time I ran into an old high school old and she made a comment how did I get so skinny and I replied I don’t eat as a joke but deep down it was the actual case. For many years I have cried for help and no one took me seriously and ironically when I’m asked my brain goes to “now you wanna help? Where were you when I screaming for help?” I’m ok now but I catch myself from time to time.

I’m happy she talks about ARFID because I’ve suffered for the past 2 years and I stopped seeing a therapist, I gave up because it wasn’t helping. It’s a shitty place to be in, society thinks an eating disorder is just teen girls who want to be skinny but it’s SO much deeper than that!!

I remember that first thought that made my ED start :(

I notice mine started just after Covid. I was struggling with my final paper and I have depression and start using food as coping mechanism.

I just got diagnosed with ARFID over a month ago, been suffering with it for a couple of years now though. Finally getting therapy for it. I’m so glad it was mentioned in this video since people never talk about it when they talk about eating disorders!

One factor that I think may contribute to eating disorders is gluten sensitivity which has similar symptoms to celiac but without the intestinal damage - gluten seems to be problematic for some people and I fear that many of those people may fall into the eating disorder category. It would be ideal if it were purely psychosomatic because that would at least empower the individual; the difficulty with this is that those experiencing actual negative symptoms would find it difficult to accept that those symptoms are produced more by their relationship to the food than the actual food itself, however, this is somewhat speculative on my part.

I was diagnosed with reflux disease at the age of 12 or 13. It has progressed onto other problems including an eating disorder. For years I was in denial about my problem and even loved the fact I was starving myself because it was the only thing I had control over in my strict religious household. As an adult, it came to a point where I felt angry needing to put food in my body all the time like a chore so I starved myself more so. Eventually, I forgot food is an essential need for the body to survive and I would constantly forget to feed myself. My appetite has never been completely gone like this before. I never feel hungry and I never feel the need to eat. Food hurts touching my stomach even when there is nothing physically hurting because of all my painful years dealing with GERDS and stomach ulcers from stress. The moment food touches my lips I would gag and my stomach would want me to puke it up. I am currently trying to get back on the road to recovery so I can handle my anxiety better. A malnourished mind comes with sick thinking and I’ve only begun to see that..

Does anyone or has anyone ever felt like they need to be stoned in order to eat? Like you cant eat unless you're high??? I feel like I have a real problem & nobody has the answers.

My friend has an eating disorder and it all she talks about glad she’s getting real help in June

Yes, my brother is overweight but he has severe eating disorder where he won't eat for hour and hours and told us he ate but we just let it slide. He has developed very bad acidity issues now ...I'm so ashamed and i want to help him more..

im in an edu at the moment and it kinda shocked me to find out that pretty much everyone here (and me) has had some sort of very significant trauma that caused most of their issues. people don’t often realise how complex it really is

I live alone and struggled with eating disorder for years and when I went back to live with my family and I felt connected it disappeared and stopped I was surprised

Something else about ARFID, as someone who has a mild case of it, is that is extremely common in people who are also Neurodivergent (Autism, ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, most commonly) A lot of neurodivergent folks struggle with sensory processing. Certain noises, textures, lights, colors, overwhelm their brains. Sometimes to the point of a breakdown. It presents a little differently in OCD. Though I don’t have OCD, what I’ve read says that people who struggle with ARFID and OCD struggle more with the control of the food and fear. Some believe that if they eat certain foods, something bad will happen, and it creates a fear and obsession surrounding food in general. It’s different for everyone, and usually depends on what other conditions they have in tandem with it. I myself have Anxiety and ADHD. And a massive part of it for me is the sensory aspect. It’s something I’ve struggled with a long time. Something that has caused me stress and lack of proper nutrition at times. This might be where it gets a little triggering for people, so feel free to not read the rest, as this is my personal experience and I don’t want to hurt anyone. So (TW) But it has gotten to the point various times where if I do not have my safe foods (foods that I can always fall on because they don’t cause distress) I will simply not eat. I know this is unhealthy, I know it is making me weak from lack of nutrition, but I can’t stop. Some foods are just too much for me to handle, even if they are good for my body. And that fact makes me feel less than sometimes. But what has really helped me is my mom. She has struggled with food her whole life and she gets it. We don’t have the exact same issues with food, but she understands the hopelessness that come with any eating disorder. She’s helped me find healthy alternatives to certain foods that don’t trigger me, and has been overall very supportive. It makes a huge difference when there’s a supportive person in your life.

I had some sort of restrictive eating disorder as a control mechanism before I was diagnosed with PTSD. It was a coping mechanism to regain some control in my life. There was no drive to being thin, even though I lost weight. I made sure I had the right amount of vitamins and minerals per day, with the minimal amount of calorie intake. It was a way I could have absolute control over something at a time when I felt I’d lost all control over everything else in my life. My minimum was 500kcal/day, because I knew I needed at least that much to function, and to take in all the nutrients I needed. My maximum allowed was 1000kcal/day. When I got treatment for my PTSD, my ED symptoms slowly melted away. Because it felt normal to me, I never told my psychologist or psychiatrist about my ED symptoms. I feel very lucky they mostly went away despite that. From time to time, when I get stressed out, I find myself obsessing over food and restricting kcal, but the instances are now few and far between. Therapy works. Treatment works. You just have to find the right one for you. Sadly, there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment.

when I was in hs I went into treatment for anorexia nervosa but they rushed me into food exposure without trauma therapy (they didn't know I went through a trauma, but they did no psycho-analysis in order to determine the source of my disorder) so I just stopped going to treatment. Eventually I decided to try and help myself and I thought I had created an equilibrium over the past 7 years between food and exercise, but I believe I have AFRID and don't know how to unlearn my obsessive behaviours. I'm really good at hiding it and I always eat infront of other people but then I always go for extra long runs to work it off and restrict in private. I'm slightly underweight but people assume I am naturally thin. I don't know how to tell the people in my life about this, including my boyfriend of a year, because a huge part of me doesn't want to get better and I enjoy the control that I have.

I tried to get my energy from the sun but I get hungry still - so I have to eat food .

i always had a hard time eating, especially textures. growing up in the south ive literally tried everything. i didn't know this was a real disorder

Though anorexia might be over body image, it can also be control, need for attention / love, to change your body after being assaulted, and even for self harm and as the specialist said in this video, to numb certain feelings. It's super complex and is a MENTAL disorder.

I know this just too well. My mom and sister where extremely thin almost anorexic and very proud of that. I was always on the outside. I never had a good relationship with her because I was „normal“.

If I don't eat correctly I get LPR acid reflux and then it burns my voice. I've been in hospital regarding this and had to adapt my dient to alkaline and be very selective. I don't feel bad. I feel good that I can do something to manage my symptoms and help my body heal. Even if it is limited eating, I still enjoy the food I eat by just sitting down and focussing on every bite as I have to chew my food a lot. Before I ate more at any time of day or night as I thought because I am thin I do not need to worry about he amount of food, but stil had a limited diet eating vegan for 35 years due to uncomfortable digestive issues including severe pain and nausea. I do not see myself as having an eating disorder, but rather proud of my ability to apply discipline and awareness to manage the condition in my body, and by managing it I have less pain and discomfort and more ability to have positive experiences in life. I think it's all about the reasoning behind the action. I don't want to leave my health is a doctor's hands only and just live on pills feeling sorry for myself. If there is something I can do by being a responsible human being I do it, because I'm just so grateful for my health and my life. On the other hand I have little sympathy for people who do not take control of their eating habits. I understand it it very hard, like to quit smoking, but having awareness (not insecurity) and a plan that one can feel excited about every day helps a lot. I don't think I'm missing out on good food because I just tell myself that that is 'no-good' food. My sister tells me I have an eating disorder and dont eat enough (which i cant as the get sick), but she weights 165kg and cannot resist chocolates, cake, and comforting foods even though it is damaging her body. I can't accept that people can disrespect themselves so much to just pop things in their mouth for comfort. But I can understand as it has been a life long struggle to offer her support and help. So much that I read 100s of books about food and got obsessed to find the solution. But the problem is not in the food as much as it is in our minds. We either eat to live or we live to eat. If emotion controls you above discipline, you're not going to get very far. Each person must learn to understand themselves and find the right help on their road to recovery. Just don't blame yourself for not getting it right over and over again. You can start again doing your best. Food is a very difficult discipline to master. It's so delicious, and completely affects our health, physically, mentally and emotionally.

I recommend a book called brain over binge. Reading it healed me after over 15 years of binge eating. It’s good for people with binge eating with or without purging

I'm trying to recover right now, it's the hardest thing I've ever done

Wish I could send this to the aunt and uncle who traumatized us at dinner for two straight years since they genuinely think they did nothing wrong

A lot of people thought that I was just a selective eater when I told them that I don't take garlic and I don't like garlic....what they didn't know is that I didn't choose to be like this. When I was a kid, I was forced to eat raw garlic everyday because someone told my parents that garlic can cure morning sinus, which by the way is total bullshit. Before each meal, I would be given a plate of garlic that I'm supposed to finish, before I am allowed to have my lunch or dinner. If I was unable to finish it, I was not allowed to have any meal. I remember screaming and crying and going to bed hungry at times.... I don't remember how long that went on for but I remember throwing up across the dining table one day before the forcing stop. However, after that incident, whenever I taste and smell garlic in my food, or anywhere near me, I would immediately have that gag reflex and that feeling of something is coming back up. I've tried eating it or even hiding some in my food but it really doesn't work. The moment the smell reached my sensory organ, everything just comes right back up. It's really not something I choose to have... Sigh...

I suffered emotional abuse from my parents. The one good thing was the food in my home and the fact that I had control over it and it made mw feel better. It made me happy.

I've been at a loss as to how to support some of my dearest friends with this for a while and this video was extremely useful in understanding eating disorders, thank you!

I don't have an eating disorder but with my depression I only have 2 methods of eating. I either restrict and eat too little or eat so much I feel sick. It differs based on how mild or severe my depression is.

I have tried everything to lose weight and manage food including rx diet pills and rny. Now after 5 straight years of therapy dealing with trauma I’m finding the teeniest bit of self esteem and I’m starting to get it under control. Removing the bad and good food and staying accountable to everything I eat whether it’s a good day or bad and weekly weigh ins help me.

I suffered from abuse and have kept some weight in to protect my self. It I makes me miserable. Because I hate being thick. This was very helpful thank you. I going to hire a CBT therapists do a nutritionist.

just an fyi to anyone - not all people eating disorders are THIN !! i’m rlly tired of people saying “you don’t look like you have an eating disorder” when it’s about your mental struggle with food and not all about weight.

I always thought that people who overeat or have binge eating disorders were effected by emotional neglect in particular. We’re in pain emotionally and get called lazy stupid ugly and fat for feeling unworthy and it’s a cycle man. So hard to break, because everyone around us reaffirms our idea that we are not worthy.

She’s so right. I have an eatting disorder and it’s so hard. It’s not about food.

I had jaw surgery almost 3 months ago and my jaw was wired shut for a whole month. I lost weight ive been trying to lose for years, now I’m terrified of gaining it back. Ive been eating one meal a day, i have to drink at least four cups of water with it so i get full, if i don’t then i won’t stop eating. if i ever have a second meal i purge immediately. I weight myself throughout the whole day and decide if i could eat/drink depending on how much i weight at that moment. I’ve never felt happy about my weight until now, but my mental health is still as bad as it was before but now its because i cant eat, not because i cant stop eating.

Binging on sugar as a kid. Alcoholic dad. Mum not providing the love, nourishment and acceptance I needed as a child. I tried living on air (basically starving), fruitarian for several years when my dad died. Wrecked my health. But my whole life I have been malnourished, and my health and growth has never been optimal. At least now I know what's healthy and sustains me.

purging makes me feel like im forcing all of my demons and oppressive thoughts out of my body. the fever i get after makes me feel cleaner than i was before purging

I know someone that was sexually abused as a child and his abuser told him that he was too skinny and that he “liked boys with more meat in their bones“ so he stopped eating to feel safer, years later and he stills has trouble with eating to this day, I try to help him but its hard, even with therapy the trauma doesn’t just go away

Hi. Im korean We barely have support systems in korea society for ED, ocd patients. Unlike americans do, I have never seen a single group that treats anorexia, ed, ocd etc Americans are lucky to have various voices and helps from doctor to individual groups in society

When trying to recover from an eating disorder you really need a suportive system around whether its parents, family or friends. U just want to be heard and feel understood. Bc still one year into my BED, my parents cant comprehend my situation

Spot on with everything she said. Sadly, eating disorders are still something that is not really talked about.

As someone who suffers from comstent hunger and is kind of expected to somehow control my weight its good to hear from an expert because I have to be aware I could develop an eating disorder if I'm not careful.

After hitting my goal weight back in May I relapsed back into my bulimic side of my ed and since then have been binge purging my safe foods of fruit and veg everyday since, like today b/p around 6 times. I’m addicted to purging and the feeling of emptiness. I wish I could just get on with life. * sigh *

I and several friends did very restrictive dieting in the 80s and 90s. We all gained a lot of weight over the years and tend to binge. It’s hard to address.

I'm glad she addressed men having eating disorders as well. SO many young men deal with "bigorexia", for example-- seeking acceptance and belonging for looking "manly" and hoping to be desired by a mate. It is awful

I truly wish I could afford therapy. I binge eat and have PTSD. I try my best to do what I can without outside help.

Did Vice meet her through Mac & Cheese Austin Davis? Or did Mac & Cheese Austin Davis meet her through Vice??? 🤷‍♂️

I'm getting through trauma and just shut down a lot of the time when it comes to eating.

Thank you for this video I understand my self more. My family scapegoats me and they give me anxiety I feel lonley and the eating disorder is to cope.

Had one a few times, then it changed to meth addiction, then i got clean and it changed to a different ED 😢 trying to self medicate my anxiety and stress..