Your methods of coping with stress reveal themselves and change for the better as you move on your recovery path.

What happens to anorexic teenagers when they become anorexic young women?

You are really searching for information now. You are checking out self help manuals, exploring affirmations, reading the symptoms of eating disorders, scaring yourself with medical information on the consequences of obesity, starvation and purging, lurking on eating disorder discussion lists, writing notes and information requests to online authors and psychotherapists.

I generalized the question that is usually asked, "I'm fat. I want to lose weight. But I love food and eat too much. Why can't I stop overeating and stick to a diet?"

Occasional overeating to soothe and comfort

If you cannot tolerate your feelings or let yourself be aware of unpleasant reality or believe you must present yourself to others in a way that does not match your genuine self, you can reach for food to soothe or numb yourself or help to present a false face to others.

On a particular occasion when you are frightened, angry, sad or lonely you may reach for ice cream, pop corn, chips or cookies to get through a few bad hours.

Overeating as a way of life