115 replies to this topic

[anorexicduty]

Being a functional anorexic isn't a simple task.  That takes a will power so strong that it can make you conquer impossible feats every day. I think mothers would be the most likely candidates. 

I'm not functional b/d I restrict 24/7 which leaves me with no motivation or energy.  So I do everything slowly, very slowly.   I can't work b/c I can't stand up that long.  I having anxiety attacks already from the zone I'm in. I'm gonna break into the 16's soon.  Yay   

 

All you can do is try.  I could work if my employer didn't mind me bringing things to work with me.

Like my own food water and the like.

 

It's possible to function with anorexia but how long is the question.

 

Karen Carpenter had her singing career but the Eating Disorder started in 1976 and it killed her by February 1983.  She appeared to be fully functional but she had to nap between shows and all the time she wasn't on stage. Everyone knew she was in deep trouble but they couldn't help her or stop her.

[Iso]

I remain ‘functional’ due to my career and children. I find it very hard to maintain at times especially school holidays when the kids are off.

I don’t touch breakfast, which isn’t unusual for me because I have never had breakfast in over 20yrs.

I make sure I eat with the family, it may be the same as what I’ve cooked for them but slightly different, eg. Instead of pasta and rice I have tons of salad, instead of lots of meat and potatoes I have tons of other veggies. So I can keep my cals down low without too many questions asked.

I generally bounce between 95-105lbs, and can maintain on 900-1100 cals even with doing average 20-25k steps a day.

It’s not easy but I have had to find my own balance so I don’t loose my kids or career. Without those two things then I would not have a reason to try and control it.

Find something worth fighting for, it will make it easier x

Do you have fear of triggering your kids with how small you are?

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[nonetheless98]

Yeah, definitely possible. I'm high functioning. I can maintain my life outside my ED pretty well, although when I'm really deep into it I think about it almost all the time. Nobody ever knows that though, I keep it hidden pretty well. I know exactly how much I have to eat to not worry anyone and keep myself looking generally healthy while still losing weight. I still have good relationships with everyone in my life, maintain my social life, I graduated with a degree, keep up with my hobbies etc. I think I'm doing a pretty good job at balancing it all. 

You just have to know your body and your thought patterns well.

[trailrunner2212]

As an adult? It can be done, but you have to be disciplined enough to not slip deeply into bad an old habits. I managed to maintain a functional life in the high 16’s for a few years. When I went below that, that is a relapse, I began to have problems. I was able to pull out of that because my career was slipping, my relationship was slipping, and everything around me was falling apart. I had to choose between everything else and the disorder.

When the disordered part of me figured out that I could continue on with some semblance of “control “and live a somewhat normal life, the stress began to fade away.

Have a relapse sense? Absolutely. I’m on falling end of a relapse, now. But I’ve managed to stay healthy, stay out of the hospital, and salvage Wotless life of my family relationships and love life.

[Pontormo]

As long as I keep myself in check, I am actually probably more functional than when I am not engaging in ED behaviors. I think it’s because of the fact that it occupies so much of my brain and therefore doesn’t give me room to get upset over absolutely everything. It kind of works as a coping mechanism for me and overrides all my other mental illnesses.

[shannie]

Sure, as long as you work hard to not go to far. I work a full time job, take care of my elderly parents, I’m a mom, I workout and run a household.

There have been times in the past at extremely low weights that I’ve been barely functional...like I could still do chores around the house and go shopping but I was mentally very, very unstable. I can never let myself get that low again no matter how much I want it.

Right now my weight’s not very low, so I can still manage life.
xo

[rcanina]

semi-functional

[EarlGray]

my lowest bmi was around 14.8/15 and i was still functional. i'm still a student so i kinda have to be. i've always kept good grades, did all my homework, cleaned and cooked for my family. i keep up a social life, to keep at my extra curriculars, to exercise, to study etc. people who've found out about my ed and other mental health issues are always really surprised because i live my life as it don't usually. the lowest bmi that i could maintain really without sacrificing my routines would prolly be 15.5, at my lowest it was a bit much to walk to and from school as well as everything else. it's a bit stressful and i'm always tired but my anxiety keeps me working all the time so i manage (w only a couple of breakdowns a month ahahah)

I am driven in a similar manner, and as long as I can do what I want at the activity level that is necessary, I really don't care how thin I do or don't get

[daniellebutera]

I remain ‘functional’ due to my career and children. I find it very hard to maintain at times especially school holidays when the kids are off.
I don’t touch breakfast, which isn’t unusual for me because I have never had breakfast in over 20yrs.
I make sure I eat with the family, it may be the same as what I’ve cooked for them but slightly different, eg. Instead of pasta and rice I have tons of salad, instead of lots of meat and potatoes I have tons of other veggies. So I can keep my cals down low without too many questions asked.
I generally bounce between 95-105lbs, and can maintain on 900-1100 cals even with doing average 20-25k steps a day.
It’s not easy but I have had to find my own balance so I don’t loose my kids or career. Without those two things then I would not have a reason to try and control it.
Find something worth fighting for, it will make it easier x

Wow, I never thought about it this way.

[wrenoct]

it's possible. I hovered around 95-105lbs for years in the past. didn't feel the need to get thinner.

but I think it depends on the person.

[arroway]

Right now I'm takign a harm-reduction approach to myself. I'll never not be obsessed, but I can also keep myself away from imminent disaster. Find something that your body is only capable of if it is adequately* fed (for me rn it is iyengar yoga and I want to learn chair acro -- realizing i am physically capable of new things is very motivating to me). It will take some trial and error to figure out where your can find a body that can coexist with your obsession, but I like to think it can be done...I'm a few years in and still alive and nearly finished with grad school so I haven't proved myself wrong yet...

[atoastyghost]

These days with the rise of fitness/wellness culture and how close it intersects with ED culture it's so easy to restrict semi-publicly!

[skinniestbitchalive]

atm my bmi is like 16.5, but I'm starting my second year of med school soon so plan to start maintaining / maybe gain to 17 and then maintain. for me the 'routine' of anorexia keeps my mental state sane. eating the same foods, similar times, sticking to a general daily routine revolving around studying / food/ walking etc. -- it helps me feel in control and like life is okay. 

 

not long ago I was in an insane binge - purge cycle (AN-BP I was losing weight and restricting) but I realised I cannot function whilst binge eating / purging. had to commit to stopping purging and binge eating to be functional. 

[2BeThinEnough]

Stay in treatment but find someplace else.

I agree you shouldn't have been discharged ...of course you can't engage your bmi is very low and your brain is starved making engaging impossible...that's when my team would be like hospital...like right now...except minor problem of noone else to care for my kid atm. So quite frankly I am in an umengaged idgaf mentality too..
But I didn't get kicked out of therapy if anything they're trying to check in more...
So totally BS find someone not ignorant you deserve better!

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[HangryConnieHormoneMonster]

Deleted

[beast_of_burden]

Do you believe it's possible?

 

My treatment team discharged me for being unable to engage in treatment, they talked a lot about 'functional' anorexia -- learning to control your ED instead of letting it control you so that you can balance it with a normal life.

 

I feel like this is my only option right now. Can anyone share their experiences? How did you go about it? What do you think is the lowest maintainable BMI? Mine is 14.7 (which isn't that low), I don't want to gain but I'm tired of feeling this shitty.

 

Can anyone share their experiences? How did you go about it?

i mean, 14.7 is absolutely very low.... I'm ~17  generally keep it together, but the consequences of long term restriction really catch up as you age, which scares me. Also, I know I am only a few bad days away from diving right back into a full blown relapse