It’s kind of contradictory that you, Jenny, are complaining about the downfall of American diets and how we need to start setting better examples for our children on how to eat healthy, when in fact, most of the PS are doing just this. You are too quick to judge that we are all viciously starving ourselves. In reality, most of us are trying to develop healthy eating habits, trying to find that middle ground where we can eat right and exercise to maintain the body we want.
PS is a wonderful, supportive place for all dieters, all shapes and sizes, all methods and plans. And the thing that differs PS from your run of the mill Pro-Ana site, is that we are smart, caring creatures who educate, inspire and support each other.
Jenny
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 06:24 PM
Dear Ophelia,
Until now I did not know apout PS, I went there yesterday but the site is large and I did not have the time to look through it.
I was shocked by some pro ana sites that glamorize anorexia, and I have always had a big problem with the notion of "health" in relation to cusine. My experience with food is that the better it is, as far as ingredients and preparation are concerned, the better one feels eating, does not need to overeat and, since for good cooking a vareity of ingredients is necessary, all vitamines and minerals will be present any ways. I tryed once or twice macrobiotic food and found it awful, perhaps it is "healthy" for somebody without a palate but I felt as if I had eaten raw hay. The traditional Chinese cuisine is very balanced, but what you find in restaurants in America is not good, filled with MSG and sugar. My dream is an environement where food is really good and is served in human portions, around one third of the amount normally served in America. That is already the case in the following countries:
Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, China, Japan, Brazil, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. (the list is long) People there eat very litlle candies and junk food, and are not obese, not even overwheighted. Why not try to concentrate on food as the wonderful thing it is and not look at it as if it were a wild beast that has to be tamed.
"Dangel – it’s naïve to think that Angelina “shoves a double cheeseburger”. Vogue once put her on their “Voluptuous” issue. And afterwards she “magically” became thinner."
Sorry SC, I assume you thought I was talking about Angelina Jolie (?). I was talking about Angela onthe Fat Girlfriends website as an example of the opposite of a woman who starves herself. If you're going to have an eating disorder, I just thought a girl who doesn't mind eating a couple of cheeseburgers and fries would be more fun to hang with.
skeeter
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 08:54 PM
I am a fairly new member of PS. I am also COE, a mother, and a grandmother. I searched out this site in support of my eating disorder. I got tired of being way over 200 lbs. I was killing myself with obesity. I was not getting the support from my family or friends around me...heck...I was the object of their fat jokes...haha...yeah right..so why should they support my efforts. These beautiful people in PS has been nothing but supportive to me in my journey to a new me. If I had a question about certain foods, tips,recipes, ect. I got an honest answer and not treated as some dummy. I was applauded for that 1 lb lost...I was comforted and encouraged not to give up when I gain that 1 lb back. So what is the difference of PS compared to say the Weight Watchers, Adkins, or EDiet websites? I learned a lot from these beautiful people in PS finding myself and learning about myself that lead me to my self destructing behavior of complusive overeating. I'll share my experiences with any youngster wanna be anorexic that a healthier way of eating is the way to go. Our Moderators see to that in the posts that I have read. PS also has given me some meaning to my life that I can contribute support as well to other COEs. Unless you have been there, done that...you haven't a leg to stand on in judging me or any other person in our situation.
Anamiame
in California
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 09:22 PM
You GO GIRL! My friend and comrade Skeeter.
If anyone is an example of being able to lose weight and lose it the RIGHT way, Skeeter is; alone with having one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching lives.
She is often my strength in the midst of my darkness.
Thanks pal, for posting! You are a dear, sweet person. Always know you are cherished; even when I don't respond as I should......
Hugs and Kisses (Yes, very uncommon for me to say or do).
Anamiame--WHO'S LITTLE GIRL IS FINALLY TEMPERATURE FREE!!!!
older ana
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 | 05:31 PM
I love ps. After years of bulimia,ana and compulsive excersise I feel understood. Yeah you all might think I'm too thin but I'm happy with my body and owe it to acceptence not shame.It seems the anger towards Ps is some kind of jelousy
The anger or disapproval towards pro ana is a mixture of things and will be different for every person.
Jealousy is probably one of those things for some people, but to try and toss away the thoughts and views of everyone who is not pro ana by dismissing them as just jealousy is a very simplistic way of looking at things. I know that I used to use that as an argument when I was about ten.
People have different compasses. Moral, ethical, mental, physical...
If people who are pro ana would like the respect and acceptance they deserve, they need to show the respect and acceptance to accept the beliefs of those who aren't.
And vice versa.
Maegan
in Tampa, FL - USA Member
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 05:58 AM
Okay, so pro-ana sites exist. They are real. Mystery solved. Seriously folks...I'm usually the first one to go off-topic, but this is a little much. Post is solved...go on about your business. I don't think anyone posted to tick anyone else off...I think they were genuinely curious about the site they found.
I checked this site out. Big deal. Nothing facinating. So abunch of chicks want to be skinney, WOO HOO. Personally, I like women to be a little bit chubby, just a little.
Jami
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 12:01 PM
ok pro ana sites are ok they help people and all the peopple are all about helping you recover and feeling good for you if you recover. THey arent bad
sammi kirkendall
in nebraska
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 10:13 PM
i am so over weight and i need help... i dont care what it takes i need help prom is in 70 days and i want to lose all the weight i can!!!!!!!!!!!!please help me!
fatty
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 11:32 PM
your all sick... but hey if you need to tell your self its a "lifestyle" to make your sad little bodys and minds feel better have fun i think i am going to go have some pizza
sammi kirkendall
in nebraska
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 | 12:22 PM
hey what does PS stand for.
eve
in florida
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 12:01 AM
i see nothing wrong with pro-ed/pro-ana/pro-mia whatever sites. people say they promote eating disorders. fine. your opinion. the media promotes eating disorders.you show me how plastering tv and billboards etc with pictures of girls that are 5'11 and a 110 lbs with perfect skin and hair and telling the world, "if you dont look like this your ugly" doesnt promote eating disorders. at least these people have found a way to find eachother and support eachother, even if some think that that support is a bad thing. i dont think it matters how much yahoo or who ever tries to shut down these sites. where theres a will theres a way and people will find what theyre looking for regardless.
Jenny
in Laval
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 12:44 PM
I think its disgusting, and very real. People are so blinded by media and stuff they cant see the reall picture it IS a disorder
Cristine Palazzo
in IL
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 12:47 PM
I weigh more than I should for being a 16 almost 17 yr old. How can i become anorexic???? Seeing food makes me sick, but I am physically and mentally dependent on it! PLZ help me out! thx
mizzel
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 01:09 PM
I'm writing a persausive essay on pro-ana sites for my AP english class.I need to interview someone to get more information.If there is anyone out there who owns a pro-ana site or is currently involved with one and is willing to be interviewed please let me know by email.Thanks and by the way I support pro-ana sites.[email=mikkimollie@aol.com]
Anamiame
in California
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 01:11 PM
Jenny:
You stated, "I think its disgusting, and very real. People are so blinded by media and stuff they cant see the reall picture it IS a disorder"
I had requested before an intellectual debate on the issue. I provided you with a rather lengthy dissertation regarding the topic. However, it has now crossed back into personal opinion, outside of factual information.
If that is the case, according the debate rules...We win as I provided you the factual information without digressing into personal opinion.
Now that we are to this point, I will give my opinion. I am a licensed therapist. I work in Children's Services and see teens all the time. I have girls that weigh 90 pounds and girls that weigh 320 pounds on my caseload. I see eating disorders everyday. The one at 320? Oh yeah, she was detained at 3 after finding she and her five brothers and sisters starving to death after Mom just up and left. She hoarded food for three years. Now, she has a weight problem. Go figure.
The 90 pound one? Oh yeah, she'd get beaten if her bed wasn't make perfectly. God forbid she get a B. Amazing.
See, eating disorders come from other places in the soul. That is what is missing here. I was hoping you would find that out; to understand the internal pain that goes along with an extreme eating disorder. As for the "disordered eating" which is problematic eating that does not fit the strict DSMIVR diagnosis for Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Over Eating, often times, it is a mechanism to try to make onself feel better either about themselves physically or emotionally. Where is the line between self comfort and confidence building and disorder? No one really knows because it is so individual; it is so intrinsic for each and every person.
So, when you condemn an individual regarding their particular issue; what often happens is you plunge them further into their own self-deprecating behaviors. Do you care about others? Do you care about others you don't know? It seems you must because you have such a strong opinion on this topic. What you don't realize is that someone may come on here and your words could destroy maybe the last vestage of strength they may have.
Kind words heal. Kind words encourage. Kind words build strength. It's amazing how that works.
As for my personal story; I was tortured as a child--yes tortured. Tied to my bed; locked in closets, raped by both men and women, denied food, hungry, lonely, unloved. Oh, and yes, my mother tried to kill four different times when I was just four years old. When YOU understand that, then you may understand why I eat the way I do. I'd rather work with my professional therapist than with you. However, what I can say, is that I do receive the encouragement and support that I need late at night when the pain in so unbearable and no one in my 'real' world knows what the hell is going on. You say this is sick. Why? I've finally found understanding and compassion and you say it is sick. No, what is sick is the people in the 'real' world that constantly knock down people like me who are just trying to survive day by day.
Think. Feel. Listen. Each and every person that walks by you has a story. Mine is no lie and I only tell the simple things. I doubt you can understand the depth of pain. The girls on that board? Each has a horrific story of pain...horrific for them. Thank God there are others in this ethereal world that can offer a smidgen of compassion and comfort to them.
I weigh more than I should for being a 16 almost 17 yr old. How can i become anorexic???? Seeing food makes me sick, but I am physically and mentally dependent on it! PLZ help me out! thx