Have you or someone you love ever had an eating disorder?

I read another post that suggested our mothers have a lot to do with how we perceive our bodies, and I totally agree with that. My mother was bulimic for a very long time before anyone besides my dad found out, but she gets really weird if anyone brings it up, so we don't. She has always been funny about my weight, and recently that's been really hard for me to deal with because I've gained a bit over 40 (healthy!) pounds during my pregnancy. It sucks to be 34 wks pregnant and have to defend your weight gain to your mom! I think she is doing better in recent years... She still eats only a salad every day and low-fat or fat-free snacks at her office (we're talkin' rice cakes), and no breakfast except for once a week, but she always eats a regular dinner and has a full-fat snack or sometimes ice cream before bed. I think she's settled into a routine that makes her less anxious and controlling, and if this keeps her from 'the toothbrush' I'm all for not disrupting the peace. Thanks for your thoughts!

Wow... 75 pounds... Here in America I don't think I've ever personally known an adult who was that small! I weighed that much in I think the 7th or 8th grade!

Thank god you snapped out of it eventually! I'm 5'6'', and I once got a stomach parasite in Mexico and came home at around 110 pounds. I was absolutely skeletal, I can't even imagine what you must have looked like at 95 pounds! The disturbing partt of that is that although all I saw was bones, hipbones, ribs, collarbones... everyone else kept telling me how great I looked! I'm very much an 'emotional eater'. I will either eat for comfort, or deprive myself of food, depending on what's upsetting me. I gained a good bit of weight in high school when I was going through depression and feelings of 'unwantedness', and then lost a bunch when I was in an abusive relationship. I think I internalize my feelings.... almost like I metaphorically 'eat' the feeling and become it. I feel unloved, I make myself unlovable (fat), I feel beaten and small, I make myself physically small. I'm very interested in the psychology behind women's relationships with food. Food is such a central 'idea' to women, as it represents nourishment, having, wanting, craving... metaphorically as well as literally.