impact on family

Has anyone else's behavior impacted your whole family? I have been eating healthy for about 2 years and it has stressed my whole family out. My lowest weight has been 92 at 5 foot one so I'm just slightly underweight but it still has a tremendous impact on others around me.My mom tries to get me to eat different things and it makes me so mad because she just doesn't understand what I'm going through. I have gained about 3 pounds in the last few weeks and I have been changing little by little. However, I still want to eat as healthy as possible and maintain an active lifestyle. I don't know how to explain that to her. I think she wants me to not ever exercise and eat crappy food all the time. I don't know....she contradicts herself a lot of the time anyway...but I know she loves me. I guess she just can't understand all of the stuff that goes on inside my head and the inner struggle of it all. Any advice, thoughts, and opinions are welcome.

Well, first of all this is a disease that is very hard to understand for anyone whose never had it.  Its just hard to understand why its so complicated.  Eat more, exercise less, gain weight-get better!  Haha...not quite that easy.  My family couldnt understand at first, but with time, they became more understanding.  It is an addiction and is more mental than physical.  An eating disorder affects everyone around you, and it just takes time for everyone to understand.  Maybe you could go to a doctor and bring your mom, and maybe explain to her how you want to eat more, and eat healthy at the same time.  Its very difficullt, I know, but hopefully it will get better as you recover. I know my ed has been very hard on my family, but I am trying very hard to recover.  If you cant talk to your mom, perhaps you could write her a letter, explaining that you are trying really hard and let her know how hard your working to get better.There are lots of great books out there on eds for sufferers and family members.  Also maybe a therapist can help.  I hope everything works out well, good luck with recovery, keep moving forward!

i know how you feel. My parents constantly push the fact that 'if i was to eat what they eat - i'd be fine and normal'. Thing is, they consume a hell of a lot of saturated animal fats etc and arent in great shape physically. I was overweight as a kid and ate everything and anything in sight so i guess this switch around has scared them. I just want to adopt a healthy eating attitude afor life - with ofcourse the occasional treat! They dont see this, however, and are convinced fat is the way to go. I know it is jst concern though - thats why i must get better to show them healthy and wholesome is the way to go!!!

Ughhh I know exactlyyyy what you're going through. My parents are the exact same way and will never be on the same page as me in terms of understanding what I'm going through. Everyone, even outside my family, thinks recovering and gaining a few pounds is as easy as 1, 2, 3. "Just eat a bowl of ice cream!" 

It's especially hard for my dad to understand. My mom has become more assertive by trying to control what I eat and how little I exercise (she barely lets me go to pilates). But every so often my dad will crack and just go on a rampage about how the two of them are going to send me away to a hospital and I'll never get to finish my senior year.  Just the other day my mom was saying how she doesn't like to cook anymore because of my difficult eating habits (im strictly healthy) and she gets so frustrated with my stubbornness. 

I, too, have managed to gain a few pounds and have been trying my absolute best. Nothing is enough in their eyes though. Every so often though I fluctuate and they flip. What I've learned is that you just have to go with the flow and actually, as awful as it sounds, just conform to what your family wants for you for a little while. Even if it doesn't sound like the right thing to do for you, it shows them that you're willing to listen to their ideas and that you trulllllyy want to recover to their standards. Even though I'm still waiting, parents come around and loosen up eventually. I definitely know how you feel about the restriction of exercise and I've been thinking about it this way: if I can't exercise now, I'll gain that weight that they want and then I can comfortably exercise when I want and tone up again. That's my main concern because I don't just want to be gaining fat, but rather toning up and making the weight gain in muscle. 

You really just have to make a compromise with your mom so you can create a balance between the two of you. I hope everything works out. Good luck!