Weight Exposure

I'm always really nervous when I have to see my weight. Is it too high? Too low? Will Ed like it and try to manipulate me? For the last few months its usually been the last one.

On Tuesday I had the weight exposure with the family therapist. I was so scared at first but after I saw it, I was actually surprised. My weight is actually pretty low. I've always thought that it was a little higher, but its pretty low. After I saw it, we started talking about my growth chart and what weight would be normal for me if I didn't have an eating disorder. I was surprised that my goal weight was actually pretty normal too. Like its in the healthy range and in my growth chart range or whatever.

I did meet with the doctor too, and she said I still haven't gained any weight! I was really surprised. I've actually been putting a lot of effort into eating more. But we met with the nutritionist and I said I could start adding dessert at lunch and dinner. Like yesterday I had 2 mini donuts from Starbucks and the dessert for dinner I had some splenda jelly beans. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I have to start small or else I get tooo overwhelmed and scared.

I know gaining weight is going to be scary. I've been underweight for 9 months. Thats not good at all. I almost got a message from God the other day. It was like he said, stay the same and never recover and die a little young (30-40 ish) or recover, gain, and live a long happy life. It was weird. I knew it was from God because it was almost like a lightbulb moment, and thats usually when God talks to me but I don't realize its him at first.

When I really thought about it, it made sense. Who would really want to have an eating disorder forever? And worry about all the food they've eaten everyday? Label each day as a "binge". A fail day. Then eat much less tomorrow. Thats no way to live. We need food to live, its as simple as that. From now on, I'm going to make sure to feed all of my body, not just parts of it.

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This was probably the best protein bar I've had so far. Chocolate chip cookie dough, yumm(:



I read this a few days ago. Its actually pretty good! And it actually wasn't triggering much at all. The pictures at the end of the book scared me though. But I think they were almost meant to do that. The ending was good at least, she recovered in the end(:



Dinner a few nights ago. My cravings are weird. One day I crave snacks like these, and then another day I crave a pizza and a chocolate chip cookie. Weird.



Coconut milk yogurt(: This is my favorite kind.



Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with mango and pineapple chunks(: It's really good.



My dog Baily(: I'm not sure what she was doing..




Have a great day Everyone!

Christmas

Christmas, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My normally crazy family, was actually somewhat normal this time(: My aunt is getting a divorce and she usually starts drama, but this time she was very happy! And she wasn't pretending either. And my grandma! She was soo happy:D Usually she complains a lot and talks to people about her health problems but she didn't say a word about them all night! I was so happy for her(: I missed that grandma, I feel like I haven't seen that side of her in a long time.

Eating at my uncles house, actually went okay. I did skip breakfast that day which helped relieve my anxiety a bit, and I ate pretty balanced there too. I did drink an awful lot of diet coke and powerrade zero, but I didn't feel guilty about food the whole night.

The only problem that night was, I didn't want to open my presents along with everyone else. We went in order from youngest to oldest, each person being on display and 5 different people taking pictures of that person. Everyone kept bugging me to open them, but I just ended up opening them up when everyone was playing games. It's not that I was being snotty or anything, I just didn't want to be on display for everyone. I'm not sure why I'm okay with that with my dads side of the family.. maybe because I feel more comfortable with them. On my moms side I almost don't feel as accepted. Like I have to watch what I do or say.. I feel kinda judged with them. Oh well. It was all okay in the end(: I spend most of my time there playing games & playing with the dog.

Christmas day, actually went okay too(: I spent most of the day opening presents, but my favorite part was when my dog opened her presents! She's so funny(: After that, I curled my hair & got ready to go out, and me and my mom went searching for restaurants (my dad was too lazy to get off the couch..). We ended up going to Denny's and I was so happy because they actually have a veggie burger on the menu now!:D Yayy! It was okay, but I was still happy that they had something different. After that we saw Little Fockers(: It was soo funny!

The only bad part about Christmas this year was that I wasn't very excited. I was mostly worried about food and weight and such. But I'm getting two more people added to my treatment team on Wednesday & Thursday so I will get more help(: My family will get help with finding a balance of help and control. I can't have them not caring what I eat (like today!) but I also can't have them control every thing that enters my mouth & not giving me any encouragement about eating.

It will all get better eventually. God is on my side, he will help me out of this<3(:

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This is my aunts dog that I was taking care of last Monday(: She's soo cute! She never really leaves your side which can get kind of annoying, but she's still fun.

This is me in my Express Christmas outfit(: I was kinda afraid to post pictures of myself at first because I didn't want to trigger anyone or anything like that but I want to finallyy post pictures. I'm not really afraid anymore.


My cute Christmas tree:D



My backyard! Look at all the snow!



I finally curled my hair with my new no clip curling iron(:



I think this is my new favorite song, I listen to it whenever I'm sad and it always cheers me up.



Have a great night everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas!(:

It's beginning to feel a lott like Christmass(:

It's FINALLY starting to feel like Christmas. I'm so glad. And I'm so happy(: for now anyway, I really hope that it lasts. This may be a quick post but who knows, I talk a lot(;

I think I'm starting to feel happier because I'm getting out a lot more. If I just stay locked up in the house for days, of course I'm going to get depressed. I'm not talking to anyone or really doing anything.

I have been going for a few walks lately. They're so much fun(: I usually don't go for very long, and I have to bundle up a lot, but they're still fun. I usually go with my dad and my dog and have a latte afterwards. The chai tea latte from Dunn bros is my new favorite.

I also went Christmas shopping alll day today. I got my mom these yummy truffles from See's candy, and some fuzzy socks. They're soo soft!

I got my dog a tonn. I love my dog(: She makes me happy so I got her a lot. I got her a cute pink coat, 2 toys, some new chewies, and some gourmet treats that she loves. I'll post pictures of her in the coat later(:

I think it's starting to feel like Christmas again because my mom put up a cute Christmas tree in the living room and put presents under it. I already opened one, it was an outfit from express:D I love express, I already know the shoes I'm going to wear with it also. I'll post pictures of the Christmas tree & my Christmas express outfit sometime later.

So this weekend has been really fun. I saw the movie how do you know yesterday at like 9:30 pm and it kinda sucked, but I liked going out late. I also ate at this cute buffet style restaurant called Q.cumbers and it was so good! My fear of eating out no longer exists. I don't want to limit myself, so I've ate out a lot lately. And surprisingly, every time I go out my portions aren't huge, they're pretty normal sized. I'm glad that I'm able to eat out without worrying again(: I missed eating out and not restricting the day after.

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I almost forget these this week! Good thing I remembered(:

I lovee frozen yogurt(: I really like the soft serve kind, but this is the next best thing.

This tastes amazing with white chocolate chips or yogurt chips

My mom made this salad for me a few days ago(: It's soo good! It's basically just cheddar cheese, apples, and lettuce. I haven't found a dressing I like yet. I kinda like french, so maybe I'll try that next time.



This was the cutest movie ever. I know that I say that a lot, but it really is. The guy is like, totally perfect(: People called him a nerd throughout the movie, but he's soo not. Another great John Hughes movie.

This is probably my favorite naked juice. It's fruit andd vegetables. I love it.

And lastly, my favorite quote of the week(:



Have a great night everyone!

You are NOT your eating disorder

Today, I went to the clinic and met with my doctor, therapist, and dietitian for the first time. At first, it was the scariest thing ever. The dietitian explained to me that they will be using The Maudsley Approach. Basically, my parents (mainly my mom because my dad is just.. blah) would be in charge of all of my meals. They would eat with me, and they would make my food for me, until I got to stage two of the program, then the control would be handed back to me. NOT my eating disorder. If I would to lose any weight when they handed the control to me, the control would once again go back to my parents.

First, I was terrified. I wanted to throw up multiple times and become bulimic. That way, they would never know. I would still remain skinny. Was this my idea? No, now I realize this was definitely not my idea. I hate throwing up. It scares me to death. But handing the control over to my mom would be even scarier, honestly I trust my eating disorder more. Because I'm afraid of being "fat" like I was on the family cruise all those months ago. I'm afraid of being completely disgusted with myself. I would probably be like the girl I saw today.

I saw a girl at the clinic that made me very sad today. She was very thin, you could tell she had an eating disorder. My family walked into the main room on the first floor, and we saw her. She was exercising. No one except us payed any attention to her. She would jog a tiny bit, all hunched over. Her eyes looked lost and confused. She would jog all hunched over across the lobby, going around things so she could burn more calories. She made me very very sad. She made me want to cry. She made me want to go up to her and say- Are you okay? Do you want to talk? Probably not, I'm a random stranger, but I didn't do that.

When we were about to go up the elevator to our appointment, she was gone. About three hours later, we went down and she was back. I was so worried about her, because I knew how it felt. I didn't know what to do, no one seemed to notice except me and my mom. So we told the receptionist lady at the assessment area and she knew who she was. As we were leaving, we saw the lady look for the girl and I don't know what happened after that. I still worry about her now, because I know how frustrating it is. To be so consumed, to feel like a complete failure and that you have to burn calories. Tapping the foot, light jogging, anything to burn calories. I hope she gets the help she needs, I will be praying for her.

Ok anyway, the appointment went overall okay. I was happy with my "team" because everyone was so nice, yet so forceful and it seemed like they knew the eating disorder very well. It may be hard to hand the control over to my mom, but I'm willing to do it if it will cure me so I can run again. So I can live.To be free.

What we're going to do is, my mom will go grocery shopping for me. She will eat with me at every meal. Except lunch, that's where we're stumped. I have a webcam, and she's thinking about getting one so we can skype. And eat lunch together. I really like that idea, eating lunch over skype(: I like the idea of recovering, being fit and healthy instead of miserable, hungry, and super skinny. I want people to look at me and say- Wow, she's beautiful. Or, she's really fit and healthy or something. Vs: -She's skinny and beautiful. I wonder if she's anorexic. I bet she is.

That reminds me, yesterday I got asked another question on my formspring about myself. It went something like this:

Anonymous person: are you anorexic or naturally skinny

me: Why does it matter?

Anonymous person: oh and you don't have to answer you're just really pretty and skinny

me: Well thanks(: But someone doesn't have to be skinny to be pretty.

After that I think they said something like: I know, I just mean you have the whole package.

That made me also very sad/: Skinny is not beautiful. I have a disease. A disease that makes me depressed, unable to go out to eat, sometimes even not hang out with friends, a disease that makes me unable to go to sleep at a normal time at night. A disease that has controlled me for almost 2 years. A disease that I want to overcome.

I can't tell everyone now that I have an eating disorder. No. I will write a book later in life, when I'm recovered. I'll tell all the aspects of recovery and how you can get help. I'll raise awareness about the disease and hopefully bring hope to people's lives. Hopefully one day I can reduce the number of people in the world that have eating disorders. Because one day, I will be one more person that has completely recovered. One day, I will be one more person that is free.

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Omg, this post is so long. I'll get to the pictures now(: Thanks so much if you read every word, you're amazing!

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I made this on Sunday. Let me just say, this is one of the best things I've ever made. No guilt cheesecake! I love it(:

Chik'n nuggets(: These are the best thing to real chicken nuggets. I love this brand. They have amazing "chik'n" stuff.



I LOVED this idea(: One serving broccoli and cheese! They also have corn. I really liked this because I didn't have to measure it out.



This is a really good book. If you haven't read any of her other books, you should! They're all pretty good. I had to fight to put it down. I would have been reading for hours and been done with it if I hadn't of put it down(:




^^^^^YES(:

Then just a feel good video(: I love this song.

Have a great night everyone! <3

A New Start

Today, I went to the clinic for the first time. I was actually kind of scared at first, but the closer I got to going there, I didn't really feel scared at all. What's there to be scared about? I'm not going into inpatient and someone isn't going to shove food down my throat.

The assessment actually went really well! I had my blood work done in another building and then went to the eating disorder building. It's so nice in there! Everything is so clean. There's four levels of care, so I may not even see the inpatient people.

After we got there, me and my mom just did some paperwork, and then I answered a huge survey and had blood pressure, height, weight, and all that done. Then I talked to the doctor or assessment person, and told her what I wanted, what I need help with, and what I'm scared of.

At the end, my mom came in and we all talked and the doctor changed the diagnosis. She says I have EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified) because I now get my period every other month and I'm doing so much better than when I first went in to the other clinic. But, that diagnosis somehow makes me mad. But why does it matter? Why do I want anorexia? I don't. I used to see EDNOS as people who couldn't starve themselves good enough (this was very much Ed's idea as I write it. It sounds stupid and insane.)

So when I left the place, I almost didn't feel good enough for anorexia. But now that I think about it, who cares what I have! I still have an eating disorder and I need help for it. It doesn't matter which one it is, I just need help to recover from it.

But all in all, I like the new clinic. Sure, it's an hour away and I'm probably going to be there for 3 hours a week but I really like it. And the best part is, they don't just randomly throw a therapist, dietitian, and physician at me. They see who works best with me.

After the assessment was over, I went to eat lunch at the cafeteria and saw that my mom, was on her phone. Again. Every time we're at some kind of important eating disorder appointment or modeling thing, she's always on her phone. It really makes me mad because it seems like I'm not important. Like she cares about talking to other people and work more than me.

I also got really mad because I needed her at that moment. I was so worried about calories at the Cafeteria and I had no idea what to get because I didn't know the amount, so I usually have her there for support. I was so tempted to just not get anything because she was making me so mad. But in the end, I got a chocolate pudding parfait (which I ate half of) and a snack meal thingy. (hard boiled egg, grapes, fruit dip, and a lemon poppy seed muffin which I ate half of because it was really hard and gross).

But, my mom had to make me mad again, and said that the lunch I was eating was not good enough (she didn't say that exactly, but it sounded very similar) and that I should get pizza. We argued, I was tempted to work out and not eat because I lost my appetite but I ate it. And you know what? I was actually full! I was so proud of myself. It wasn't a uncomfortable fullness or a half fullness, I was full and I didn't drink any water with my meal either.

So despite what happened, I still felt pride from feeling full. And I think that's something I need to do every day.

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These are my new boots/slippers. They're so comfy! This isn't the best picture but oh well. I really like them.


Cake Batter Ice cream, yummy. I had this yesterday for lunch because I was feeling sick. I forgot how good it was, it tastes so good! Almost better than real cake batter.


Has anyone ever tried these before? They're pretty amazing. I haven't had them in a while (still haven't opened them, salt is not good on a sore throat) but I can't wait to have them again! This is probably the only microwavable thing I really like. It tastes almost like restaurant fries.


This was the cutest movie ever! I'm so glad I watched it. It's so funny too. And Jimmy Fallon is in it!


Have a great night everyone!

Stopping the lies

I've recently been reading Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer and I can't seem to stop reading it! She made me realize the ED voice even more. I realized it was with me when I looked in the mirror, ate out, and really just thought about food overall. After thinking about it, these are some of the conversations I realized I do not have with myself, but with the ED.

To eating out:

Ed: Remember, look at the calorie amount BEFORE you go out. Or else only get vegetables

Me: But the fried rice looks really good!

Ed: Oh my.. xxx calories for one serving! No. You are getting the vegetables.

Me: .. Fine.

To eating at home:

Ed:You should find that diet journal that you used to have

Me: The one that counted all the calories, fat grams, everything?

Ed: Yeah, that way I can control what you eat more.. I mean, you can control what you eat

Me: I honestly would rather eat xxxx calories a day. Not your amount.

Ed: Welll, if you do that you have to work out. Finding the diet journal would be a good idea

Me: ...Fine.

To looking in the mirror after a "binge":

Ed: Whoa, look who's gotten fat! You shouldn't eat tomorrow.

Me: But I just got all my favorite foods! I want to eat them..

Ed: If you eat a small amount and work out it should be fine

Me: But i don't want to do that either

Ed: You're going out to eat on Thursday. You have to prepare for that so you don't swell up like a big balloon. Drink lots of water so you don't get full. Do sit ups and squats too. Your legs & stomach are really fat.

Me: I think that you're just telling me that. What if I'm actually really skinny and listening to you will make me look like a walking skeleton?

Ed: It won't. Just listen to me, just this once.....

Me: .....Fine.

Wow, that is NOT me saying those things. Yeah, it seems really crazy at first to have a conversation going on inside your head but if that was a real person talking to us, would it seem as crazy? No. It wouldn't.

If we see Ed as an actual person, maybe we really can stop the lies. Sometimes, you really think that it's you saying these things, but it's not. It's the eating disorder. The eating disorder is making me think every time I eat out I have to look up the calories before. If the calories are not on the website, I can not eat there. Or, if the calories on the entree I want are too high, I can't get that. If I go to a restaurant, I have to get a small salad. Without dressing, cheese, and the things that actually make the salad taste good!

But you know what? I want to eat out without looking at the menu beforehand! I want to go shopping without the ED whispering fat in my ear, or saying good job if I'm thin that week. I want to be able to eat whatever I want and not look at the calories at all. I want to go to a restaurant without trying to scope out the lowest calorie thing on the menu, because my mom usually gets something really good and I'm sitting there with a small cold salad.

These are things that I am going to tell the new clinic when I see them after thanksgiving. The new clinic will hopefully help me eat more because I've been eating even less lately, maybe they can even eat with me sometimes? I hope so.

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A new thing I've wanted to start doing is Favorites of the Week. Whether it's a favorite video, food, books, I'll be sharing the favorites of the week every week(:

I'm really loving Breakfast Cookies lately. They're really good! A little more expensive than other cookies, but they're organic and they're reallyy good.

Amy's brown rice, tofu, and vegetable bowl. I've been eating this for a long time and it's really good! I think my favorite part is the tofu.


Chobani Greek yogurt! This is the fruit on the bottom kind. This is also really good(: I love it because it has 14 grams of protein in it and it's different from regular yogurt.



Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer. If anyone hasn't read this yet, you have to read it! It's a great book and it really opened my eyes to a lot of unsolved issues.


And lastly, the movie Billy Madison. Adam Sandler is in this one and he's hilarious! He makes the whole movie. I watch this whenever I'm sad and it always cheers me up.



Hope everyone has a good day!(: