FemMecha
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- Joined
- Apr 23, 2007
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It may be worth noting also, that there can be completely different causalities for extremely reduced eating. The dictionary definition includes two very different conditions. Firstly, a medical condition in which the person cannot eat, and secondly a perceptual distortion of self that drives the individual to excessive weight loss.
The first category is incredibly broad and is not psychological in nature at all. I would think those two categories of deserving different terminology. It is confusing to define someone who cannot eat due to a stomach issue to someone who has a severe psychology condition in which they "choose" not to eat. (I use the word "choose" broadly here and there is likely a better term).
As an anecdote to describe another type of food avoidance, I'll describe some scenarios. I have experienced relatively short-term inability to eat due to stress, lasting a couple of months at a time. This experience falls somewhat between the two above definitions because the stress itself was psychological in nature, but it wasn't about a perceptual distortion. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but more just avoiding food. At a handful of the most stressful junctures of my life, my stomach and throat would get so tight that any attempt at eating food was very unpleasant. This would tend to last a couple of months and result in weightloss of 20 pounds or so. At 5'5" my lowest weight was 92lbs, so I did look boney, but my body was always functional. It happened when I first left home at 16 to live at a christian boarding school, the summer between my bachelors and master degrees and during divorce later in life. The experience of it was like swallowing any food could trigger vomiting, although there was not an ongoing feeling of nausea. After my college graduation I also combined the struggle to eat with constant, long walks and bike rides, so unfortunately I was burning calories that way too. It was all motivated by restlessness and anxiety. The worst memory was going to a pizza joint with friends because I was lonely at the time. They were all around me eating and the pizza smelled good, but that tightness in my throat and stomach made it impossible to eat. I cried for an hour when I got home. I did eat some during that time, but would force down a piece of toast or cold fruit. It was an ongoing struggle. I'm glad for these experiences because it provides understanding of other people who may face similar feelings and worse, and I hope to be of help to others now and moreso in the future.
I show that example to introduce another type of causality for the lack of eating. I would define that process more as avoidance than passion or obsession, or even just defined as persistent pain that couldn't be avoided. It's a complex issue, but remember, there are always reasons for every behavior. Nothing happens in a vacuum and in complete randomness. Most behaviors are so strongly impacted by genetics and environment that it is likely any human could fall into the same trap if subjected to those same conditions.
The first category is incredibly broad and is not psychological in nature at all. I would think those two categories of deserving different terminology. It is confusing to define someone who cannot eat due to a stomach issue to someone who has a severe psychology condition in which they "choose" not to eat. (I use the word "choose" broadly here and there is likely a better term).
As an anecdote to describe another type of food avoidance, I'll describe some scenarios. I have experienced relatively short-term inability to eat due to stress, lasting a couple of months at a time. This experience falls somewhat between the two above definitions because the stress itself was psychological in nature, but it wasn't about a perceptual distortion. I wasn't trying to lose weight, but more just avoiding food. At a handful of the most stressful junctures of my life, my stomach and throat would get so tight that any attempt at eating food was very unpleasant. This would tend to last a couple of months and result in weightloss of 20 pounds or so. At 5'5" my lowest weight was 92lbs, so I did look boney, but my body was always functional. It happened when I first left home at 16 to live at a christian boarding school, the summer between my bachelors and master degrees and during divorce later in life. The experience of it was like swallowing any food could trigger vomiting, although there was not an ongoing feeling of nausea. After my college graduation I also combined the struggle to eat with constant, long walks and bike rides, so unfortunately I was burning calories that way too. It was all motivated by restlessness and anxiety. The worst memory was going to a pizza joint with friends because I was lonely at the time. They were all around me eating and the pizza smelled good, but that tightness in my throat and stomach made it impossible to eat. I cried for an hour when I got home. I did eat some during that time, but would force down a piece of toast or cold fruit. It was an ongoing struggle. I'm glad for these experiences because it provides understanding of other people who may face similar feelings and worse, and I hope to be of help to others now and moreso in the future.
I show that example to introduce another type of causality for the lack of eating. I would define that process more as avoidance than passion or obsession, or even just defined as persistent pain that couldn't be avoided. It's a complex issue, but remember, there are always reasons for every behavior. Nothing happens in a vacuum and in complete randomness. Most behaviors are so strongly impacted by genetics and environment that it is likely any human could fall into the same trap if subjected to those same conditions.
