NO SHIT. The first one is kind of like a no brainer to me. As a former anorexic/ bulimic, and someone who has gone to treatment, I can honestly say that 95% of people with anorexia and/ or bulimia lie about their true hunger. Because hunger is their sense of control and if they lie to people about their hunger, then maybe their meal plans will become lessened. So, most anorexic and/ or bulimics LIE. Yes, they LIE.
Sidney, I agree with you, many many people with eating disorders are unable to give anything like a true picture of their appetite. I wouldn't class it as the patient lying though. It's more that the disease lies to the patient. Even the formerly healthy volunteers in the Minnesota Starvation Study became totally confused during starvation and re-feeding as to how much they needed to eat. The body AND BRAIN are damaged by starvation and someone who is sick is not going to be able to "tell the truth" as in perceive it, let alone admit it to someone else.
There are really two aspects to a craving- the first is identifying that you're having a craving and the second is admitting it, whether to yourself or others. When I was deep in the AN, I didn't really have cravings because I was so out of touch with my own internal cues that I had no idea what was going on. I was always thinking about food, even if it was the very banal "OMG rice cakes!!" So how was a craving going to be different? I was far too frightened of eating to actually crave anything.
I still struggle greatly with admitting my cravings, whether to myself or anyone else. It feels like betraying myself, somehow, to admit that I'm hungry for something. It's irrational and bizarre. I, too, have lied about my hunger (or lack thereof) to avoid the dreaded meal plan increase. I wasn't stupid or manipulative or immoral, just scared out of my mind.
NO SHIT. The first one is kind of like a no brainer to me. As a former anorexic/ bulimic, and someone who has gone to treatment, I can honestly say that 95% of people with anorexia and/ or bulimia lie about their true hunger. Because hunger is their sense of control and if they lie to people about their hunger, then maybe their meal plans will become lessened. So, most anorexic and/ or bulimics LIE. Yes, they LIE.
ReplyDeleteSidney, I agree with you, many many people with eating disorders are unable to give anything like a true picture of their appetite. I wouldn't class it as the patient lying though. It's more that the disease lies to the patient. Even the formerly healthy volunteers in the Minnesota Starvation Study became totally confused during starvation and re-feeding as to how much they needed to eat. The body AND BRAIN are damaged by starvation and someone who is sick is not going to be able to "tell the truth" as in perceive it, let alone admit it to someone else.
ReplyDeleteThere are really two aspects to a craving- the first is identifying that you're having a craving and the second is admitting it, whether to yourself or others. When I was deep in the AN, I didn't really have cravings because I was so out of touch with my own internal cues that I had no idea what was going on. I was always thinking about food, even if it was the very banal "OMG rice cakes!!" So how was a craving going to be different? I was far too frightened of eating to actually crave anything.
ReplyDeleteI still struggle greatly with admitting my cravings, whether to myself or anyone else. It feels like betraying myself, somehow, to admit that I'm hungry for something. It's irrational and bizarre. I, too, have lied about my hunger (or lack thereof) to avoid the dreaded meal plan increase. I wasn't stupid or manipulative or immoral, just scared out of my mind.