Anorexia, starvation and behavior

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I apologize, Francesca for having acted like a sales rep for the

" brother " list.

The below just came through on the brother list and is from message

crsociety/message/20874. It is a strong

warning and support for those with anorexia nervosa leanings.

Others have noticed such behavioral changes in themselves. I include

myself among them.

Cheers, Al.

For more on this:

http://river-centre.org/StarvSympt.html

I agree, people trying to restrict to a very low calorie level should

beware the symptoms found in the starvation study. I guess one

question is, is there some distinct point where calorie restriction

causes a distinct change into starvation, or is it an incremental

shift?

[Guest guest]

Al: no apology needed. As a matter of fact our welcoming message to newbies

lists the " brother " group ( I like that term, thanks) as a valuable

resource! Both groups have their strengths and weaknesses.

Al is an expert on anorexia. And an expert on lots of other CR-related

subjects too.

on 6/6/2002 1:10 PM, old542000 at apater@... wrote:

> Hi All,

>

> I apologize, Francesca for having acted like a sales rep for the

> " brother " list.

>

> The below just came through on the brother list and is from message

> crsociety/message/20874. It is a strong

> warning and support for those with anorexia nervosa leanings.

>

> Others have noticed such behavioral changes in themselves. I include

> myself among them.

>

> Cheers, Al.

[Guest guest]

> Others have noticed such behavioral changes in themselves. I

include

> myself among them.

>

The only symptom I have so far is increased preoccupation with food

(that and liking increasingly bizarre things such as non-fat cheese -

ok that's a running joke of mine ). Mild hunger is always there -

like sex, like a fly around my head, but I notice if for a second and

I can move on until a hour or so later the thought returns. Loss of

pleasure in life? Food has never tasted better. Taste has never

been so rich, so explosive. Hedonist couldn't be more wrong if it

was pleasure they were seeking. Pleasure is denial and surrender

(and we all *have* to eat), denial and surrender. It's unwinnable.

*Contentment* however is another matter. I sometimes think I'd like

some peace from this - to go back to when I actually couldn't think

of anything I wanted to for dinner etc. because all food seemed blah

to me.

---

" I think about food more often than the average man thinks about

sex. Every 6 seconds. "

[Guest guest]

Here's my two cents for what it's worth,

This article is very interesting because it is used to explain why

some people compulsively overeat. Overeaters Anonymous frequently

sites this study, helping those who have continually yo-yo dieted to

understand why they may be having issues with binge eating and a loss

of control when is comes to food. I don't think it mentioned it in

the article, but of those men who participated in the study, some

developed binge eating disorder, where they once had a healthy

relationship with food. From the study I read in the past, this semi-

starvation diet consisted of 1600 calories, which I know many on the

list are taking in much less.

From my experience of knowing people who have had eating disorders,

whether it be anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating, the

underlying issue is almost always an inability to deal with one's

emotions and using, or not using, food to hide from one's problems.

I think the " empty " feeling that comes from practicing CR can be a

healthy one, depending on the person. It is when a person begins to

associate their self-worth by that feeling, or focuses so much on

obtaining that feeling that they ignore the other feelings that are

going on within them, that I feel people practicing CR could get into

trouble.

Beyond the emotional aspects of this, and along the same question as

Al had about when " starvation " takes place, I wonder if there is a

physiological explanation. For example, some people who drink become

alcoholics, either because they are predisposed from an inherited

gene or through his or her lifestyle. My question is, does this

family gene and/or excessive drinking over time change the brain's

chemistry and then result in an individual becoming an alcoholic?

And if this is the case, then does excessive calorie restriction

cause a change in brain chemistry that would result in an individual

becoming obsessed with food or developing some sort of an eating

disorder? And like Al's question, what level of calorie restriction

or starvation would cause this " switch " in the brain.

OK, maybe I am reading a little too much into it!

> Hi All,

>

> I apologize, Francesca for having acted like a sales rep for the

> " brother " list.

>

> The below just came through on the brother list and is from message

> crsociety/message/20874. It is a

strong

> warning and support for those with anorexia nervosa leanings.

>

> Others have noticed such behavioral changes in themselves. I

include

> myself among them.

>

> Cheers, Al.

>

>

> For more on this:

>

> http://river-centre.org/StarvSympt.html

>

> I agree, people trying to restrict to a very low calorie level

should

> beware the symptoms found in the starvation study. I guess one

> question is, is there some distinct point where calorie restriction

> causes a distinct change into starvation, or is it an incremental

> shift?

[Guest guest]

Your response sounds perfectly logical to me! - r.

From: " ap4bwc " <ap4bwc@...>

Reply-

Date: Fri, 07 Jun 2002 15:41:09 -0000

Subject: [ ] Re: Anorexia, starvation and behavior

Here's my two cents for what it's worth,

This article is very interesting because it is used to explain why

some people compulsively overeat. Overeaters Anonymous frequently

sites this study, helping those who have continually yo-yo dieted to

understand why they may be having issues with binge eating and a loss

of control when is comes to food. I don't think it mentioned it in

the article, but of those men who participated in the study, some

developed binge eating disorder, where they once had a healthy

relationship with food. From the study I read in the past, this semi-

starvation diet consisted of 1600 calories, which I know many on the

list are taking in much less.

From my experience of knowing people who have had eating disorders,

whether it be anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating, the

underlying issue is almost always an inability to deal with one's

emotions and using, or not using, food to hide from one's problems.

I think the " empty " feeling that comes from practicing CR can be a

healthy one, depending on the person. It is when a person begins to

associate their self-worth by that feeling, or focuses so much on

obtaining that feeling that they ignore the other feelings that are

going on within them, that I feel people practicing CR could get into

trouble.

Beyond the emotional aspects of this, and along the same question as

Al had about when " starvation " takes place, I wonder if there is a

physiological explanation. For example, some people who drink become

alcoholics, either because they are predisposed from an inherited

gene or through his or her lifestyle. My question is, does this

family gene and/or excessive drinking over time change the brain's

chemistry and then result in an individual becoming an alcoholic?

And if this is the case, then does excessive calorie restriction

cause a change in brain chemistry that would result in an individual

becoming obsessed with food or developing some sort of an eating

disorder? And like Al's question, what level of calorie restriction

or starvation would cause this " switch " in the brain.

OK, maybe I am reading a little too much into it!

> Hi All,

>

> I apologize, Francesca for having acted like a sales rep for the

> " brother " list.

>

> The below just came through on the brother list and is from message

> crsociety/message/20874. It is a

strong

> warning and support for those with anorexia nervosa leanings.

>

> Others have noticed such behavioral changes in themselves. I

include

> myself among them.

>

> Cheers, Al.

>

>

> For more on this:

>

> http://river-centre.org/StarvSympt.html

>

> I agree, people trying to restrict to a very low calorie level

should

> beware the symptoms found in the starvation study. I guess one

> question is, is there some distinct point where calorie restriction

> causes a distinct change into starvation, or is it an incremental

> shift?