ed_tell_me_more - Profile (original) (raw)

A little schpeel from big_momma_b:

I am a separated mother of two young kids. I've been struggling with, shall we say, food issues for a while now. I’m fairly new to the Live Journal communities, but while involved in discussions, I have found much support and information among it’s members. When a group project was assigned in my Women's Studies course with the goal to raise consciousness or awareness on an issue affecting women in our society, I immediately thought of the issue of eating disorders which has become so prevalent in our society. I felt a Live Journal was an excellent place to discuss the how's and why's of eating disorders...and who better to discuss these issues with then those dealing with them on a daily basis? Thus, Ed_Tell_Me_More was born.

It is my intention for this to be an eating disorder awareness community geared toward young females, mostly between the ages of 12-25, although if you do not fit in this range, please feel free to offer your input as well. It is a place to discuss issues such as how your eating disorder began, how long you have been dealing with your eating disorder, are you seeking treatment, or not interested in recovery at the moment, etc. It’s also a place to encourage the other members to prompt thought provoking questions, as well as links to media articles, statistics, or other relevant information.

The community will be run in this manner: I, or another group member, will post new prompts or surveys to take every few days asking a variety of questions and bringing up topics, encouraging you to discuss and share personal information, anonymously of course, regarding your eating disorder. Some of these topics of discussion may include how society, the media, and your family background may have influenced your eating disorder. Those who choose to participate (by the way, that is REALLY appreciated!) are encouraged to give us any input they want and we will comment and post back and forth. The information we receive from this community will become part of our group project for the Women’s Studies course but, rest assured, no names will be given in the results.

The rules are as follows:

1. This is not a place to post pictures, ‘thinspiration‘, or tips & tricks.

2. Only serious members who have personal information they would like to share for the purpose of education and to form a support network please.

3. Your first introductory post should include the following:

Age:
How long have you suffered from an eating disorder?:
What is your eating disorder?:
Self-diagnosed or have you been medically diagnosed?:
Have you sought treatment?:
If no, do you intend to seek treatment in the future?:
What do you believe led to your eating disorder?:

Big_momma_b’s mission:

I have two missions. One, is obviously, to collect enough relevant information to produce and excellent final project in my course! I won’t lie to you, my grade is important so I will conduct this with much persistence and vigor. And my second mission is to provide a place in which members can express their true feelings about their eating disorder, the way society portrays those individuals with eating disorders, the way they feel about the media’s influence about body image, and the like. I want to use personal insight from those with eating disorders to help others understand what we deal with everyday.

looking_inon_me's mission:

When I used to look in the mirror two years ago I would say to myself, “I’m
disgusting. Who in the world would want a fat sow like me?” Whenever I
would begin to eat a meal an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat
overwhelmed me and I would push my food away, even though I was starving!
The reason why I had decided to do my final project on this topic is
because I had suffered through the eating disorder called anorexia nervosa.
I find it very important to relay my experiences and offer information, as
well as a helping hand in the road to recovery. So far by just setting up
the project and researching on the topic, I have come across great group
members, information, and opportunities, which I feel, will make our
project a success. To end this brief introduction I would like to quote the
words that have helped through my times of sickness, “ The road to recovery
takes one step at a time.

JaimeeK7's mission:
When I was in grade school and into junior high the only thought that went through my head everyday was "why am I so fat?" I wanted to be thin and beautiful more than anything. Everytime I went to eat lunch at school the thoughts of me getting fatter ran through my head and I wondered if other people were talking about me, saying "look at her eat, she's so fat!" Therefore, I just didn't eat. I didn't care about anything else in the world, the only thing that mattered was if I was thin or not.
I decided to choose eating disorders for my final project because I had an eating disorder when I was younger and I know what it is to go through the process of it. My best friend also had an eating disorder and she almost died because of it. I want to be able to help others through my own experiences. I would like to share and talk openly about my disorder as a way to hopefully help others get through their own disorder.