Practical Beauty

Eating Disorders

Refusing to eat

My weight drives me insane.

I wish I knew

How to stop the gain.

Doctor’s say

My mind is to blame

But what do they know

They are all the same.

I’m losing my hair

My periods stopped

In the end it will be

My life that is lost.

*

I’ll eat as much as I want

Its okay

I don’t weigh a thing

Nobody knows

How my figure stays so sweet

Frequent visits

To the bathroom during class

It’s how I maintain

My figure this way.

Sometimes

I won’t eat for days

It’s okay

Your words made me this way.

*

I can’t control my weight

I get so sad

It’s the only way

I start to feel glad

Frequent meals

All through the day

No wonder

The sudden weight gain

I get so sad

And that’s when I eat

Something about the food

Makes me complete.

*

I’m a diabetic

I really shouldn’t do

What I do

I mess with my insulin

To control my gain

Often overdosing

It’s got to be this way

I’ve given up on eating

Even if I do

I can blame it on my sugar

It’s what I always do.

*

I only eat at night

When I’m half asleep

In the morning

I have it in my teeth

I get so sick

I can’t stop myself

One simple trick

My fat will melt.

*

A pure diet

I’m obsessed

Nothing but liquids

Touch these lips

Vegetables

Maybe one day

Once I burn

All this fat away

*

Different girls

Their stories remain true

If only they knew

What this will do

To you.

Your beautiful

The way you were made

When will you realize

God makes no mistakes.

Author's Note

Anorexia nervosa (AN), characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an obsessive fear of gaining weight, and an unrealistic perception of current body weight. Anorexia can cause menstruation to stop, and often leads to bone loss, loss of skin integrity, etc. It greatly stresses the heart, increasing the risk of heart attacks and related heart problems. The risk of death is greatly increased in individuals with this disease.[13] Bulimia nervosa (BN), characterized by recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives/diuretics, or excessive exercise) Bulimics may also fast for a certain amount of time following a binge. Binge eating disorder (BED) or compulsive overeating, characterized by binge eating, without compensatory behavior.[14] Purging disorder, characterized by recurrent purging to control weight or shape in the absence of binge eating episodes. Rumination, characterized by involving the repeated painless regurgitation of food following a meal which is then either re-chewed and re-swallowed, or discarded. Diabulimia, characterized by the deliberate manipulation of insulin levels by diabetics in an effort to control their weight. Pica, characterized by a compulsive craving for eating, chewing or licking non-food items or foods containing no nutrition. These can include such things as chalk, paper, plaster, paint chips, baking soda, starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, and cigarette ashes. These individuals cannot distinguish a difference between food and non food items. Night Eating Syndrome, characterized by morning anorexia, evening polyphagia (abnormally increased appetite for consumption of food (frequently associated with insomnia, and injury to the hypothalamus). Orthorexia nervosa, a term used by Steven Bratman to characterize an obsession with a "pure" diet, where it interferes with a person's life

Reviews

[light and ashes]

Wow. Your poem it hit me straight through the heart. As being someone who suffers with her weight, and has felt completely ridiculed for it many times. Even my grandmother told me I had huge thighs!-thanks grandma I love you too. I've always been shapped differently, I am not going to lie and say that it isn't a struggle alot of the time, but your right God doesn't make any mistakes, and he makes us all beautiful.
I relate to the overeating thing, its true that food can give you a little bit of a high and it is so easy to over eat when your emotional or stressed out. I also relate to the under eating thing. I used to eat only one meal a day and then go to soccer practice twice a day. I dont' know how I didn't get sick and throw up.great poem

[WynterPhoenix]

I like!

[Steve]

This is both informative about a very serious societal issue and very encouraging as well. Good for you! You sound very wise and caring.