What people in this comment section seem to forget is that this is HER ted talk. This is HER experience. HER story. HER symptoms. She’s not speaking for anyone else but herself.
Northeast Reaper right, or if they don’t it’s being “anti” something or another 🙄 not everything is about everyone. Everyone wants to fit into a category until that category is left out. Then they become even more important in their own mind because now they’re an “activist” for whining lol
@@georgearmenian8297 don't make comments about things that you obviously don't have a clue about, you are only embarrasing yourself with your ignorance
i agree, but since she had anorexia she can mainly just talk about her own experiences (especially when shes not expert). I'm sure they have talks about those illnesses too.
@@livwhitehead1569 idk about pancake but eating disorders can prove other eating disorders like a person that doesn’t eat, might throw up when they actually eat, so they are annorxioc and bulimic, that’s my POV anyway
@@arnulfoacevedo8147 ana and bulimia might be both eds but they're different. bulimia is when you force yourself to purge what you eat, not all anorexics do that. and not everyone with bulimia restricts. sure there are some people with both eds, but one ed doesn't "prove" or lead to other eds
3:00 im not saying that she shouldnt be allowed to mention her weight, however, in the ed community its a common theme that those who are masking themselves as 'recovered' feel the need to mention and bring attention to how little they weighed... its possible to talk about the struggle and the experience without having to bring in specific numbers because bringing up specific numbers has no positive effect, and it doesnt contribute to a positive conversation
She didn’t even mention that you don’t have to be thin to have an eating disorder. I got diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa 2 weeks ago and I have never been close to underweight in my life.
It's a mental illness! Not being underweight does not make your eating disorder less valid, I know people who aren't underweight but still very ill. Recovery is hard but worth it, if you need anyone to talk to I am in recovery myself. Stay strong and good luck!
I hate the fact that in every ted talk about eating disorders they present their experience as "Oh, I just happened to have anorexia" "I didn't know it until they mention some sintoms in some random class so I went n told my mom". Like it's that simple? And what about bulimia? I've been struggling with eating disorders for pretty much my whole life and I can't relate to any of the talks
same! "went and told my mom I think I have an eating disorder" ? like I think most people with an ed do know they have one, they might not just have admitted it to themselves
localblurryface actually no, many don’t. It’s called anosognosia and it is extremely common in mental illnesses. Your brain changes and you become completely unable to see that you are unwell- it is one of the reasons that anorexia is so difficult to treat.
Ulo Hun for sure :) My experience has been similar to this woman’s in that I had to fight for insight into what was happening. I lived in some kind of auto pilot state and was completely unaware of my behaviours. But for sure, I agree with you- once I’d received help to gain awareness I struggled big time; 1st to accept a diagnosis and 2nd to try and let go it.
It’s not just about anorexia either. We “normal weight range” girls/women are suffering as well. I am a normal healthy weight but I have anorexia, binge eating disorder and bulimia.
You have balimia. anorexia is characterized by being severely under weight while bulimia is average weight and even over weight. Binging is a symptom of bulimia. So you just have bulimia
yeah my weight is constantly changing, I decided to eat, then I relapse then I eat again, then i relapse. I’ve never been underweight I’ve just gone in and out of starving jdkskso
I think she said that mainly to make people think, how bad the state is. Since she made clear that not only one certain type of people can be affected by anorexia.
Exactly. She spent the whole talk discussing breaking stigmas and all she really focused on were certain stigmas associated with anorexia which is only one of several ED's.
it's also incredibly triggering to others with eds and anyone "actively working" on their recovery should know this...I wish she would have been more sensitive to this
I don’t like how she talks about this. I have an eating disorder and im in recovery now. She is saying so much things that are a stigma with eating disorders. My god it’s not like this for most people. Its not about weight at all, its a lot deeper. Please know that its not how much you weight, its mental not fysical, it doesn’t come from anxiety for most people.
at the beginning she said "it's not just about being thin, it's a lot more than that" so.... also this is her experience, she doesn't have to represent you and what you do, she's talking about HER experience, "the I learned my anorexia was attached to my anxiety" she doesn't mention that's how YOU feel. I really relate to her experience, and it actually does come from anxiety most times. Anorexia is oftentimes considered to be a manifestation of OCD, and OCD is basically ALLLLL anxiety. Listen from 7min to the end
you don't have to be deathly skinny in order to have anorexia or any eating disorder. It's the symptoms, tendencies, and thoughts you have that determine whether you have one or not. I'm 5'4" and 120 lbs, which is a healthy weight for someone of my height. But I constantly compare myself, I always fast, and I always try to cut as many calories as I can. I try to work out as much as possible and I'm constantly feeling light-headed and dizzy. I'm a healthy weight and I look healthy. But I still have anorexia.
Gabriella, thank you so much for your bravery in coming out and hitting so many important points regarding this topic. I am a therapist that treats Eating Disorders, and it is very scary to see the misinformation that is pumped into our society as well as the lack of education about the reality of Eating Disorders. I have been going out to local schools and libraries and presenting on this very topic, confronting the myths and stereotypes of Eating Disorders and the culture that perpetuates it. You message is so important and so much appreciated. Congratulations on how far you’ve come and good luck continuing in your recovery!
I’ve been in recovery for 11yrs, now I speak to young women abs girls about eating disorders and body image. I think it is very important that they don’t focus just on skinny, so many don’t go to treatment because they feel like they aren’t the stereotypical anorexic, thus don’t need treatment. It’s not about the weight, and we have to stop making it the focus. Yes, weight stabilization is important, but you have to deal with why you starve, purge, or binge. I’ve been force fed in the hospital with a tube, it didn’t fix me, they had to get my nutrition stable so I could think straight. There’s still not enough being done for eating disorders, treatment is still very difficult to get insurance coverage. I admire her talk, I just wish she addressed eating disorders as a whole and not focusing on anorexia and thinness
Yeah we need more of the older veterans to come on here and help the younger girls become aware of the aftermaths. I am 33 now and deal with Gastroparesis due to an ongoing eating disorder I’ve had since I was 10.
Do you have an instagram? I have an online friend and I don’t know how to help them. She’s thinking of suicide, but I don’t have the experience to know how to talk about this topic to her. I’m desperate for help, if you have an instagram i’d like to give you hers so she can get some kind of help from someone who knows what they’re doing..
this is just her personal experience, it doesn't account for everyone and I don't think she ever claimed that it is the same way for every single person
I never knew i had an eating disorder until I was in my 40s, it started in high school. It had nothing to do with weight for me. It was anxiety about food. It never goes away, it's always in my mind. Now I am 48 and im gaining weight from age and menopause, and it terrifies me.
I've been binging for 3 hours and after watched this and readed comments, I will not purge and I'll study & do some excercises to make me feel better for my bloated stomach. Thanx to everyone ^-^
Thank you Gabriella. I'm a guy and I was 15 when I was diagnosed with an eating dissorder after trying to take my own life. Thank you for being so open and not saying the same thing everybody else says.
@@nataliefindley7071 I'm 18 now and doing a lot better. Still on the road to recovery and still have to get weighed every week. But lifes a lot better than it was!
I just came across this video, and Gabriella Gurney is amazing. For me, at 31 years old, it's been hard to navigate my personal journey and disorder, as it has been an up and down for many years. Finding this video is extremely helpful, and brings a lot to light, even to someone who experiences this on the daily.
A lot of the time it’s deepest cause is anxieties from the pressures of society and culture around people. As someone who has dealt with an eating disorder for about 7 years now, I can definitely say that stress/anxiety makes my recovery harder, and in times of stress I do find myself slipping back into my old ways.
She's interchanging "eating disorder" and "anorexia" as if they're the same and they're not. There's nothing wrong with doing a whole Ted talk on anorexia, but it's important that you don't use anorexia symptoms and signs as blanket statements for ALL eating disorders. That's dangerously misinformed, can perpetuate stigmas that people with other ED face, and damage someone's understanding an eating disorder. I think consulting should have gone into this, I hope people who see this or saw it continue to further education elsewhere (or at least understand she is speaking for strictly anorexia nervosa)
(Gonna be a long comment I bet no one will read this but whatever) I’ve always been the child who could eat the most. A whole pizza, 3 burgers, bunches of French Fries but I was happy with it until I was like 11 years old. I started working out but still eating normal. In may-April 18 it started getting worse... since 3 years I’ve been the girl who eats healthier, the one who worked out, the girl who diets at such a young age. Now it’s November 2018 and I KNOW that I have an eating disorder but idk what to do! I don’t want to gain ik it ruins me I have anxiety and I’m crying so much! The thing is just no one else notices it! No one says I look skinny, no one says „hey u should eat more“ everyone is just like „wow she eats so healthy how does she do this“ Idk what to do
Literally just described me. But trust me you will find it in you. For me, though I still struggle, there was a point where I realized that nourishment is more important than size.
Seeing a therapist is the best way to help you. It may even be the only way. It seems to me like you've lost control. A therapist would teach you how to regain control, how to use it, and how to keep it.
Thank you for presenting this talk- your strength and courage is sincerely life changing for so many. Best wishes for you and all that are enduring this horrible and challenging condition.
Ella you are beautiful and such an inspiration, i love this talk, it is helping me so much. I am recovering but I'm very depressed and it is putting a lot of stress on my family right now. Thank you for giving me a pep talk without needing to worry my family
0:55 My dad’s a doctor and he had an elderly patient that was only around 80 lbs! She didn’t put on weight over time but she was unhealthily thin. My dad said that _if she was a teenage girl_ she would’ve definitely be hospitalized and treated already. But her family had overlooked it all because of her age So yea, unhealthy eating behaviors & EDs really can develop at any age. Most people just don’t know to look
I have seen a lot of Ted talks, and a lot of media on eating disorders. I didn't particularly care for her talk. It was a little too "speech at a middle school" for me to enjoy and most of what she covered wasn't incredibly unique to her talk. With the understanding that public speaking is challenging and not for everyone, had she presented her talk with more skill it would have been a more effective presentation.
Had been battling anorexia for 7 years. Got healthy for 1 year and now in a total relapse. I hope that you can find healing and keep it because it feels worse if you relapse and people leave you easier.
I had an eating disorder and I’m 12 I almost died,I couldn’t run because i didn’t have energy I lost about 17 kilograms and I became 72 or 75 pounds 32 kilograms I am recovers now and am 42 kilograms please don’t develop eating disorders
how can she say that eating disorders aren't ever about one's body image? for some it IS that whether it is at first or later down the road. she shouldn't have overgeneralized like that. edit: at 7:24 she says "real people" so let me get this straight, us who have EDs aren't valid if they string from body image issues? awesome.
I'm not a fan of this talk. First of all, anorexia does NOT always stem from anxiety. She seemed to equivocate the two, and it just doesn't work that way. Also, you don't have to be thin to have an eating disorder. She seemed uneducated on a lot of what she was presenting, solely using examples of her own experience.
I got wheel chaired to the nurse in 8th grade and that's what made me realize I had a problem. 7 years later and I still struggle but at least I know there is something wrong.
I’m 51 and have struggled since I was 9 years old .. NEVER a body issue problem, I choked really bad on steak when I was little and stopped eating ... hospitalized hit better and struggling everyday with the mental stuff ...
I can really understand the critics about this Ted talk and I agree to the most points in the comment here too. I have been suffering from eating disorders and my experiences are different to hers too. But I just wanted to point out that I am proud of her for telling her story. Everyone has different experiences and her talk is only her point of view, which is valid and okay. She only had 10 minutes, so she is not able to cover everything about this huge topic, it is not possible to adress every single stigma, point of view and all of the variety included in this topic so I just wanted to say that even if this talk wasn't perfect or professional - complete - whatever, I am proud of her and thankful that she stood up and made this talk♥️
The amount of time people tell me to “eat more” is ridiculous. Yes I’m skinny and yes I’m fit but I don’t have an eating disorder. They think that because you’re skinny you have an eating disorder. People shouldn’t be judging me or other because there’re skinny. I do eat a lot and sometimes an excessive amount which isn’t exactly great for me but I stay skinny. And since I’m skinny I get made fun of because “I’m weak” or “I’m anorexic” which isn’t fair. I just think that people should be excepted for who they are, skinny or overweight and that these stereotypes made about skinny people aren’t what people think is true because it’s not. I’m sorry for the rant but this stuff just makes me really mad sometimes
I used to be like that! I was a 'late developer' so in high school I grew like I boy going through puberty and turned into a stick figure. I remember when I was 15 and getting help for depression, one time spending a whole hour trying to convince the school psychologist that I did NOT have an eating disorder and that I was just naturally thin! Ironically, at the age of 17 I developed anorexia. Even more strange was the fact that (thanks to recovery stints after hospital admissions) I was STILL GROWING and gained 2cm at some point from the age of 18-20! A more accurate indication of whether I'm underweight or not is how my face looked. At the age of 29 I can no longer weigh the same I did at the age of 17 and look healthy, whereas back then I still did. Basically, even though I'm still anorexic I COMPLETELY understand your struggles and feel your pain, because I went through the same mis-judgements by so many people!
In October 2017 I went skiing with my dad and siblings for the weekend. My dad noticed that I was eating next to nothing and had to stop every run for a break. When we got home my dad told my mum and she watched me for a day. Se noticed the same things as my dad. I was diagnosed later that month my heart rate was dangerously low but somehow managed to stay out of hospital. I denied that I had any problem wth food. I got an emergency appointment and my local camhs they said my parents needed to start me on family based therapy immediately. By now I was only drinking water and eating ice. I had so many struggles at meals and I refused and refused and refused. My parents realised that this wasn’t working and I continued to down the rabbit hole. This is when they took my to a private therapist. I hated her so much but knowing that my parents were paying good money I forced myself to sit through the appointments. The next year I was going to a new high school and I didn’t know anyone. By now I was weight restored, I asked my mum and therapist if I could eat lunches at school on my own instead of having to meet my mum do that she could supervise me. They agreed as long as I maintained my weight. I have had anxiety my whole life but being at a new school that was so much bigger than my old school. My anxiety got so much worse. The voices in my head got stronger again. I negotiated all my meals and when I took my lunch to school I would give it away to my friends. My parents and therapist started noticing that I was loosing weight. I eventually came clean about giving away my lunch and “eating” my breakfast before my mum got up. I started fasting again. When my mum finally got me to eat something my body couldn’t take it and I threw it up “not induced” my parents decided to take me to the hospital they decided that I needed to be admitted and tube fed. I was in the hospital for weeks. Going home was a struggle I refused many meals. I managed to get back on track. Since I had been in the hospital they move me to the regional eating disorder services where I got a new therapist. And made progress and got weight restored again. I had another lapse and got put into hospital for a 24 hour feed. I am currently in another relapse u have lost a massive amount of weight and been threatened with being admitted.
It’s so sad how judgmental many of these comments are, she was very brave to get out there and tell HER story. ...And by the way, that is the point it is HER story. I am sure that she has helped many by telling it. Negative people are the reason why MANY people keep silent about their serious issues.
I'm very glad she is talking about this and that she feels recovered. Recovery is hard and sharing in detail accounts is even harder. I am immensely proud, but I could not watch this. I am so sorry but as soon as she mentioned her height and weight I felt my instincts kick in to compare it to mine. Then I broke down crying. I wouldn't consider myself recovered, but I do think I've made improvements. Watching this made me want to quit. I'm not trying to put her down. I know that its hard to share stories and she had good intentions. Most likely someone in that audience is dealing with a similar struggle and could benefit from this, but I really wish when going in depth that speakers do not say their height or weight. It is extremely triggering and toxic for individuals who have previously suffered or are suffering. Also this completely ignores non-specified eating disorders and bulimia as a whole. This video can be helpful, just it only paints half of the picture.
Thank you for this video i think it is very important to create awareness on this topic. i wish I had realized earlier that I had an Eating Disorder (cause I was showing signs for a long time before I realized) but I didn't have the means to know :/
Great talk. Thank you for having the confidence to speak about these important topics to try to get more help and awareness for people all over the world with eating disorders.
Well no. I think anyone in any part if recovery should be able to talk. It's something they have gone through and are recovering from it's not okay to say what time in recovery your allowed to talk about it
That's not true. Part of recovery is being able to talk about it and being able to be open about it, so I think it's perfectly good for her to be doing this talk so early on in recovery
i cut unhealthy foods from my diet and i think everyone should do it ! there are a lot of calorific foods that are also healthy and tasty and can be part of a well balanced diet like whole grains, nut and seed butters, olive oil, meet , cheese, eggs, fish, legumes, etc etc Nothing good can come from ultra processed foods (even 0 cal diet cola, as it is not about calories, it is about health). The point is to eat healthy most of the time, if you happen to eat something bad no big deal, no reason for guilt or anything, just get back on track !
What’s so weird is that when I was around 15 and looking for treatment, it was so difficult to find someone who would actually treat adolescent eating disorders. Especially in Houston, where our medical district is so world renowned- it seems odd that an age group that is most stereotypically affected with eating disorder was so difficult to find people who would treat my age group.
Its often a family issue and not really about food. My mother has major eating issues but that’s just part of the problem. Thankfully I am an exercise addict sometimes, but I love food and eating healthy vegetarian foods. I don’t count calories. That’s just stressful!
I became a vegetarian but not because of ethical reasons, I did it to cut more foods from my diet." This hits hard. I became a vegan for that very reason.
I’ve struggled with anorexia since I was 15 also there was some bulimia in there too I’m 28 now and it’s still an everyday battle this was a great ted talk I also did cross country and track too !
I literally have almost her same story. I am 20 and had anorexia since 15. The lowest weight was 105. It sucks to to have one! You want to get better but its scary. It took awhile for me to be honest about mine! So cool her story!
I'm 13 and Gabriella had the same habits as I do right now, and I'm shocked. I count calories, became vegetarian, restricted myself from specific foods especially the junk food, my family members keep telling me I look super skinny, I wake up every morning happy to have an excuse to eat again, but hate going to bed hungry, I haven't had my period for two months now, excercsie makes me feel comfortable, I've lost 15 pounds in two months, I have specific eating rules, I'm obsessed with measurements, asking my mom "how much salt did you add in that?" "How much oil?" Is a huge habit, I feel guilty when I have a "free day" of no excercise, yet I'm not starving myself. I just want to know if this is related to anorexia or not, so is it?
Honestly I've had my eating disorder for... Idk about a year now... And I have Anorexia but I'm really really overweight like 70-90 pounds overweight...
am i the only person who doesn't associate "having control" with my eating disorder? like I'm physically scared of the food incase it makes me sick, and I relate more to the "who am i without my eating disorder" sorta thing.... idk just a thought i wonder if there's other people who don't do it for the control. if anything, i feel OUT of control with my eating disorder cause u cant control mental illness
Is anyone else sick of people assuming you have an eating disorder? I eat normal but people assume I don't eat... I'm so freaking tired of it. Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with this?
Eat in front of people more and talk about food with them around. Obviously not obsessively, just occasional comments - "I love x food so much" "I had this really great x earlier" "I'm going to make x for dinner. It's a new recipe." Also you could ask them out for lunch or dinner or whatever
I have an eating disorder .and i also have a mental disorder and i am really afraid to open up to people om my country (Lebanon) where everything comcerning mental health is a taboo
I have known many people who obsess over what they eat. I believe food is taking the place of religion in society. We need control and safety and will listen to any quack on facebook, or youtube telling us what, how and when we should eat. I was taught to cook from scratch as often as possible, balance my diet and moderation. Simple. I feel deeply for those who suffer with eating disorders and hope they have the strength to recover and find self love.
It's also the first time in the history of mankind that food of all kinds is available anywhere and anytime. People will automatically try to control that and manipulate themselves.
There is no goal body except for the body you happened to be born with being nourished and healthy with a healthy and happy mind inside. That is the goal.
Hey, if you think you may have an eating disorder don't be embarrassed or afraid to talk to someone who can help you. I may have never met you but I love you and you deserve to eat, and live a happy healthy life so please, please! Talk to someone
