From Normal, to Anorexic

I finally finished the book Gaining. It was, for lack of a better word, amazing. Rather than give a review of the book, which is kind of....boring, I thought I'd discuss what I learned from the book and from the stories of others with histories of eating disorders. Before you read this post please take a look at my introductory post about the book, as well as all of your amazing comments in the comment section.


When I started reading Gaining I thought I already knew why I had become anorexic back in high school. I thought it had to do with a combination of my mom always dieting as I was growing up, my domineering and controlling personality, and my eagerness to "be someone" in high school. Simple, right? Not so much. After reading this book I still believe those all played a role, but I no longer believe those were the main reasons for my bout with anorexia. And in fact I want to make it clear to everyone that my mother was, and still is, an amazing women. Sure she talked about weight in front of me, and dieting, but never to the extreme that some of the women in this book described. In fact, I would say her weight talk was pretty typical of how many women talk, and it was interspersed with plenty of "healthy talk", which is actually what inspired me to become a dietitian. So, I wouldn't dare blame my mother for my eating disorder. She has helped build my self-confidence more than I could have ever have imagined. It's just those small comments (usually negative comments, about herself), throughout my life that probably affected me more than she (or I) realized.

Anyway, I digress......the book taught me a lot about the true reasons I developed an eating disorder. A study was discussed in the book that showed there are three distinct temperamental groups into which people with anorexia and/or bulimia tend to fall. Here is a very brief description of the three groups;

1) Overcontrolled; tend to avoid social contact; tightly control their appetites for sex and food; limit their pleasures and withdraw from excitement , sensation and risk

2) Perfectionistic; Worry about the details. Aim to please, excel, and conform.

3) Undercontrolled; intense emotions and impulsive behaviors. They tend to fly into rages rather than expressing their anger passively. They also try to find relationships to soothe themselves.


I fell (and in some ways still fall) into a little bit of each of these groups (which is what the researchers indicated as being normal), but mainly number two. Growing up I didn't really worry much about details, but I always aimed to please, freaked out whenever I'd get in trouble or do something wrong, and always worked so hard in school that my friends would often ask me, "why do you work so hard?!". I always figured it was my ADD that created the "need" to work so hard. It took me twice as long to do things because I would always space out halfway in, but in reality I was so rigidly focused that I took simple assignments and made them twice as difficult. I was never able to finish books on time because it took me twice as long to read them. I'd read one paragraph and then have to re-read it because I'd realize I had been thinking about something else as I read the words, therefore not even paying attention to what the author had written. I was always doing something else in my mind, focusing on anything other than what was in front of me, and mainly that focus was on planning. I was, and still have tendencies to be, an obsessive planner. I may not have been a perfectionist in the sense that I had to make everything look perfect or sound perfect, but when it came to planning assignments, studying for exams, even planning what clothes to wear the next day, I was....perfect.

As I continued to read this book everything was put into perspective for me, and by hearing other people's stories of anorexia and bulimia I really had a more clear understanding of my own. I have concluded that for my whole life I have had Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD).

Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.^[1]

As you can see from the definition below, this is slightly different from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions.

Source: Wikepedia

The author of the book described how she believes she has this disorder herself (OCPD), and studies have shown that many anorexic individuals possess many of the traits that accompany this disorder; mainly perfectionism, rigidity, inflexibility, caution, and need for symmetry. I think about my life as a child and that just about sums it up.

Overall I believe I was an odd case. Unlike many of the people in this book I never actually looked at myself in the mirror and thought I was fat or undeserving. I actually loved myself and my body, for the most part. I was always very happy as a child and adolescent. Sure I had my down times, but doesn't everyone? Now that I know I had/have many traits that mimic OCPD I have figured out the toxic combination of traits and events that produced the perfect storm for my eating disorder. I did a lot of looking back at my life as I was reading this book (mentally looking back and also reading old journal entries) and I can specifically remember one day in high school looking at a picture of myself at my Junior prom, in my prom dress, and noticing the dress was way too tight. I was so angry that no one had told me I looked ridiculous! While I didn't dwell on it a whole lot, I think seeing that picture sparked some serious anxiety about my body that was imbedded deep within me. At the same time I was stressed about the slow decline of a very tight bond with my best friend, and meanwhile my first serious boyfriend had just cheated on me, for the second time. This was in addition to the stress of being at an all girls school where getting into a good college was absolutely critical. The perfect storm had been created. It was too much stress all at once and all of a sudden I felt I had lost control of my life and my "perfectionism". I had never planned for my life to come to this point! To deal with the stress, I literally gave up fat and became obsessed with the control I had over my ability to get smaller, and smaller, and smaller.

Source: iStock Photo

I talked to my dad a few days ago about that time of my life and he said he "remembers that I would come home from the grocery store with all sugar free and fat free foods".

The only thing I remember very clearly is my consistent, repative and controlled breakfast; Kashi cereal mixed with Fiber One, measured in a 3/4th measuring cup with 1 cup of skim milk.


This was so unlike me. I never used to measure my food! But I don't think my parents really thought anything of it at first. After all, this was the 1990's, the decade of the whole fat free craze, so perhaps they thought it was just a faze. I started eliminating fat from my diet and was so good at it that I dropped ten pounds by the time I reached my senior year (that's a lot considering I was already only 110 pounds). Every day I felt the urge to do better at controlling my food, and each time someone told me I was "too skinny" I was pushed even harder to do even better at losing weight and controlling my food intake.

Flash forward to now. I am not going to lie and say that my OCPD traits have completely vanished, because they have not. I am still compulsive about planning/controlling my life, but everyday I get a little better at just living in the moment. I read in the book that, "the ultimate experience of control is achieved, paradoxically, when we are least worried about control". Amen!

I am completely aware of my tendencies to deal with stress by becoming even more obsessed with planning and controlling things. It's crazy how even the simplest stressor will cause me to tense and be compulsive. Stress also effects my eating, just as it does for so many of us. The good thing is that stress makes me eat, and I almost always choose healthy foods to eat because I've learned that's what makes me feel better.

I truly think anyone who has had, or who has dealt with someone with an eating disorder should read this book. In the end I learned a lesson that I will keep with me forever, and that is how to prevent my own children from developing the same poor relationship with food that I did, in such a short period of time. I feel empowered knowing that I have a better understanding of how my personality, behavior, and environment came together, perfectly, to create the life-threatening situation that it did. My parents were completely caught off guard. If my own child shows signs of an eating disorder, I will be ready and eager to help.

I am currently in the middle of writing my autobiography, as I have realized that my story truly is unique. My goal is to have it finished in the next couple years and to really do some more healing throughout that time. Just reading this book has helped me deal with so many issues that I didn't even know I was still subconsciously dealing with. So far, as I write my autobiography, I have continued my journey of healing simply by looking back at my past, reading my journals, and talking to my friends and family.

I've read so many stories of anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders on blogs. One of my favorite bloggers, Sophia of Burp and Slurp, has a weekend series of stores about her own struggles with anorexia. Her stories are personal, touching, and completely candid. I encourage everyone to stop by sometime and read her weekend series (or any of her delicious posts throughout the week).

QUESTION: What are your experiences (personal or otherwise) with an eating disorder? Have you read Gaining?

An Insight on Eating Disorders

As many of you know, I used to have an eating disorder. While I have no one to blame but myself, I do know that my mom's constant weight-talk that went on (and still goes on) my entire life affected me more than I ever knew (this article talks a bit about how mother's attitudes about dieting and body image affect their children). My mom is certainly not the only women who talks about weight in front of their children, but I think among the thousands of things my mom has taught me, one of the most important thing is to never discuss weight and dieting (unless in a positive way) in front of my own children. Clearly there are many other variables that go into creating the perfect candidate for an eating disorder; for me my Type A personality played a large role. I had sort of a hard time during my junior year of high school and I felt the overwhelming need to control something, and controlling my weight was easy. I was damn good at it, but in a very unhealthy and torturous way.

Here are some eating disorder (anorexia and bulimia) statistics from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health

• It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men
• One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
• Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
• Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)
• An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

And what about disordered eating? The Journal of the American Dietetic Association recently published a study that concluded "disordered eating behaviors are not just an adolescent problem, but continue to be prevalent among young adults. Findings suggest that early use is likely to set the stage for ongoing use, and there is a serious need for early intervention"

So even those who don't have full blown eating disorders may still be living a life overly focused on food, fat, calories, etc. After I had anorexia I developed disordered eating, where I ate plenty of calories, but was still constantly preoccupied with food and how it would effect my body. I thought about food constantly, whether in a positive or negative way (when I say positive, I mean that I was still depriving myself to the point where I would get overly excited when I allowed myself a bowl of ice cream). This was not normal, this was disordered eating.



Sometimes I get scared to have children of my own because I really believe that these statistics are only going to get worse as our children plant themselves in front of the TV more often and view weight-related commercials or segments on TV. Or even when they are in school checking their Yahoo mail, and this pops up;



I think I'd rather my child watch porn on TV than view this type of add, with unrealistic cartoon images of someone going from obese, to Barbie thin, making them think this is something they should do in order to be accepted. And these ads are just the tip of the iceberg. Go ahead and pick up any type of health or fitness magazine and you'll quickly notice that every single picture is of a skinny and fit girl or guy, because, after all, you can't be 30 pounds overweight and healthy. Nope, you must be thin, thin, thin. And gorgeous, of course. The only overweight pictures in magazines these days are ones of the person "before" their diet, always followed by their new skinny and "healthy" picture.


While my eating disorder has been behind me for several years now, I was absolutely elated to receive a package in the mail at work, which contained a book titled; Gaining.

A friend from my high school, who I saw for the first time in several years at our reunion this year, sent it to me. I was so touched. She told me she reads my blog and had recently read this book and thought I might enjoy it.

I found this review from Publishers Weekly on Amazon.com;

Thirty years after Liu penned Solitaire documenting her teenage experience with anorexia nervosa, she recounts her midlife relapse and recovery. Liu exposes many myths surrounding eating disorders, with a combination of research and in-depth interviews with other former anorexics and bulimics. She interviews men and women of various cultural and economic backgrounds to refute the notion that anorexia and bulimia affect only "modern rich white girls." Liu's interviewees range from Rob, a 50-year-old physician, to Jessica, an Australian 25-year-old aspiring actress. Liu devotes many chapters to the impact of family on the anorexic or bulimic, contradicting the accepted belief that the victim is "the sick one"; rather, she locates the starting point of the disease in genetics, family life, shame and personality. Like other victims, Liu finds a history of mental disorders in her family, ranging from alcoholism to obsessive-compulsive disorder. According to Liu, a manifestation of an eating disorder is a call for help and should be treated as early as possible, and she fleshes out facts and statistics with her personal interviews, making this book poignant even for those who have not suffered from an eating disorder. (Feb. 22)


I plan on writing my own review of this book once I am finished.

Here are some good reads on eating disorders that I have recently found online or in magazines. The last one is a blog post I wrote last year.

When Eating Disorders Strike in Midlife


Insights From Eating Disorder Counseling
(Great tips for any clinician working with people who have eating disorders)


Pro-Anorexia Websites; Kate and Pippa as "Thinspiration"
(This is truly disturbing)

More Young Children Are Alarmingly Thin

(This was in our local paper yesterday. The stats are startling)

Do You Weigh Yourself?

Question: Do you have any personal or non-personal experiences with eating disorders?

Let's not forget, while most information focuses more on anorexia and bulimia, binge eating disorder and orthorexia (the newest "eating disorder") are also serious eating disorders that can destroy lives. If you or a loved one have signs of an eating disorder, I encourage you to seek help before the problem grows deeper.