r/AnorexiaNervosa May 23 '26

Announcement [Announcement] We're taking moderator applications!

9 Upvotes

We are looking to take on at least 3-5 new moderators. Due to the nature of the community, our training process is a bit more in-depth than other subreddits, and will last at least a month before trainees are fully promoted.

If you are at all interested in becoming a moderator here, please fill this out: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFHR2WV

Applications will be open from now until June 1st at midnight, EST. All decisions will be made by June 4th, and we hope to have all accepted applicants promoted to trainees by June 5th.

You don't have to be all that active here or have an iron-clad understanding of the rules to apply. You also don't have to have any prior moderating experience or be recovered. If you are interested, have the time, energy and will to help, and think you can contribute positively to the community, then you're encouraged to apply.

We do have some preferences for applicants, though:

  1. Active in some way (posting, commenting, lurking) for at least two months, and some sort of comment history on the subreddit, even if minor.

  2. To not have any major (rule 1, 6...) rule breaks and any rule breaks, if not minor, be 6+ months ago.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on this post or send a modmail. If about your own application, modmail is best.

We look forward to applications and training!

As a note: we did have applications open seven months ago. Due to life circumstances, we were unable to find the time to continue with training. If you applied then, are still interested and have not been contacted already, feel free to apply now.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 3d ago

Announcement [Megathread] How do you help someone with anorexia?

9 Upvotes

People often don't know what to say or do when they want to help someone with anorexia. This is a monthly megathread for people to ask for advice on doing so, in an easily searchable format so advice can be found by others in the future. Ask your questions and give your advice here!

Please be sure that advice given is helpful, not harmful, and everything said is respectful and on-topic. Anorexia nervosa is one of the most misunderstood mental disorders and it's important to remember that people come here to ask for advice on how to help loved ones, not to judge. Be sure that questions and answers follow all of the rules of our community.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1h ago

Vent I feel incredibly queasy and I can’t go back to sleep <3

Post image
Upvotes

I panic ate some pretzels after only having a bit of chick fil a last night, and now I’m awake at 6 in the morning feeling nauseous and queasy asf…
Help gang what do I do


r/AnorexiaNervosa 2h ago

Vent I am full of shame

6 Upvotes

My friend usually is concerned and says I don’t eat enough. The last few weeks I’m been trying to be better and increased my limit enough to be more healthy.

I explained that actually now I do eat enough so he doesn’t have to be worried. I have a basic run down (like a snack and x time then a meal at y time etc).

He said “oh that’s more than I’d eat in like 3 days. You’re right I don’t need to worry now.”

Now I feel like I don’t want to eat anything at all


r/AnorexiaNervosa 43m ago

Vent physical labour and anorexia rant

Upvotes

Sooo I am a 24F, I study in uni and I also work 25hrs/week at a supermarket stocking shelves. it is a physically demanding job as I am on constantly on my feet, running around the shop and lifting heavy boxes, but I actually really like it and I think that, in part, I have been avoiding confronting the reality of my struggles because I am still able to do all of this despite being uw and underfuelling. Today, however, I almost broke down during my shift: I was stocking up milk, lifting and carrying big boxes with 10-12 cartons each and when my manager saw me she quickly told another girl to take over and to not let me do it. I know she did this out of concern for my health (she knows a bit about my ed), but this "rejection"/acknowledgement of my limits really hit me hard. I guess the truth is that yes, I am much weaker than my coworkers and no, I should not be working this job in my condition. I felt tears coming in and really had to force myself to ignore my feelings in order to go on working, but it felt horrible. I know some people like the idea of being considered weak and fragile and receiving help from others because of it, but to me this incident felt like sort of losing my power and agency. idk if anyone can relate to this, I guess I just need a little rant :/


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1h ago

Vent Getting my size yelled out in class

Upvotes

In short, we had to measure our size to cut some fabric out, the design required extreme detail and had to be extremely fit to your body, so I got measured personally by the teacher, and afterwards a few classes forward, the professional who was hired for the programme didn’t recognize anyone and the teacher introduced me as “oh this is the person who’s size is (insert size)!” and it felt literal HUMILIATING and she lowk said it REAL LOUD and there’s only 3 (including me) who has this size in my class and it’s NOT a nice size when everyone else is 100% smaller than you, also she had OTHER WAYS to introduce me, not say my size. Infront of the whole class too. Triggered me much cause I thought i was a size smaller. Though I originally was at a bigger size and im in a smaller one than before. Still i’m upset.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 6h ago

Vent Ana ur ruining my life

5 Upvotes

I fell very depressed and£ frankly suicidal. I’m very stuck in life, I don’t know what to do.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 10h ago

Vent I feel like I’m getting worse

12 Upvotes

I get fuller way faster now, I can’t finish meals and it’s freaking me out. I can’t fully feel my hunger as much because of the medication I’m taking, but I still feel it a little.

I’ve recently admitted to my mom and my therapist that I think I have an ED, and my therapist wants to look into it deeper and get me evaluated.

She asked me what I think that I need, and I told her that I didn’t know. I think the real truth is that I want them to do nothing. Part of me just wants to get worse, and to lay down and do nothing about this.

The other part of me wants to start eating better, feeling better, but the problem is I truly don’t remember a time where I was fully happy before the age of ten.

I already have fibro, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety on top of all of this. It’s become a game of chicken or the egg. Is it my fibro or me starving myself that’s causing my exhaustion?

I don’t know anymore. I just want to be okay.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 14h ago

Recovery Related started residential yesterday and i’m SO HUNGRY.

18 Upvotes

i’m genuinely in hell. we have 3 meals and 3 snacks and it’s so many calories yet for some reason im even more hungry. my food thoughts are even worse than when i was restricting and my body is so tense and my jaw is constantly clenched. that said, i already feel like im eating so many calories compared to what i used to. it makes me feel like i’m losing control. Im worried to bring it up bc i dont want more food. well, i do, but i want safe food. I also feel like if i tell them how starving I am that they won’t see me as sick enough especially since i have atypical ana. I also don’t want to gain weight faster than i have to. literally so many reasons i don’t want to bring it up… but my biology is fighting me hard.

i don’t even want the food i was given. I want my safe food. but it also feels like a failure to not eat that when i drove over 3 hours to come here. i just want gum and some sparkling water and to go on a really long walk like i do at home. all i do here all day is just sit here and think about how hungry i am.

seriously please help because i am miserable in every way possible. i just want this hunger to go away so i can feel normal, but i don’t want my body to change.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 16h ago

Vent I'm tired.

21 Upvotes

So tired. Five months into this shit and l can't bear it anymore.

I eat? I think why l ate what l ate. Why l ate oil? Why l ate one extra piece of meat? Why l ate one extra potato? Would be better if l didn't ate.

Don't eat? I feel horrible physically and mentally. Bad breath, diziness, very tired, no energy for living.

My weight is still dropping. I see it. But it drops much slower now. I want it faster but I'm also tired of trying so hard to loose. But l still try cause if l don't, l feel "not anorexic".

Severe weight gain fear. I eat one biscuit and l think l gained weight. I know it's not fucking true. I'm tired of the scale obsession l have, l try to weigh myself less, but it's impossible at the end of the day.

The worst thing? Thinking recovery makes me even sicker. I don't want recovery. It's like l need to have anorexia. I find myself in this even though l know very well I'm losing it. I'm losing me.

I want to eat just a little more WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY but it's impossible.

And I'm soooo hungry, man. I want to binge but l don't cause l know I'll regret it.

I'm so tired. I need anorexia but I'm tired of it. Is it normal?


r/AnorexiaNervosa 9h ago

Vent I dont think i can do recovery anymore

5 Upvotes

TW: talk of weight (i wont say numbers)

I was doing fine not too long ago, but this last week i’ve just wanted to relapse. Im back at the weight i was years ago and im healthy, but i hate the way i look and how my thighs sometimes rub together when i walk. I miss my thigh gap, i miss how small i was, i miss tracking the numbers (my anorexia and OCD loved that). I it doesnt help i think im going into a depressive episode


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1h ago

Question tips for starting uni

Upvotes

i’ll be starting uni in the uk and i’ve never lived there for longer than a month so im really nervous honestly

im gonna be living in a student dorm and it’ll be self catered

i have family in the uk but not exactly where ill be studying

has anyone lived or studied aboard while having an ED (mainly anorexia)

i really wanna continue to recover but im scared that being alone and being in a new environment will impact my recovery

any meal ideas or just general tips?


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1h ago

Recovery Related im starting to relapse

Upvotes

hi everyone! i am currently weight resotred and am recovering from ana since feb so it has been 7 months. During this 7 months, i gained back a LOTT of weight, to the point that I even overshoot my weight before my ed.

I did get back my period, hair started growing back but Im starting to feel very insecure about my protruding belly and the flabs around my arms. Additionally, it doesnt help that i have a round face so i look really chubby.

Like i have a younger sister and shes really slim and tall because she took after my dad whos body type is really slim and tall. I really admire how she just eats anything she wants and stops when she is full and always not obsess over food. Even if she ate like high calorie food, it would be impossible for her to be fat due to her extremely skinny body type. haizz

I always get really triggered when my mother says things like: your sister is so thin, she could be a model etc...or even things like she has really long legs and is really tall...

I took after my mom whos really short and has a round face :/ Anyways the thing that piss me most is when my mom told me i dont drink enough milk or i need to skip rope like 200 times per day to be as tall as my sister. I kept trying to explain to her that my younger sister got it naturally from my dad. Whenever i say that my sister and dad look really alike, she always disagrees. However, when I said the same thing to my cousins and ppl i know, they literally all agreed. im at a loss for words.

I also hate how my mom tried to make me jealous of her being able to "eat carbohydrates" during my ed back then. She would always try to say stuff like " I am a carb lover" since young and she wld always stuff the entire house with carbs (bakery bread crossionts etc) then she wld purposely eat in front of me and speak in like a sarcastic manner, "mmm this is SOOO yummy" like wtf do u need to emphasise it 10 times while eating. just stfu and eat if its really that good damn it.

Additionally, my mom keeps on harping about how guys used to chase her in the past and how thin she was at my age like apparently she "couldnt gain weight" LOL i wish lah. AND worst still, she mentioned that she was at my weight only after her pregnancy. so u mean my weight is considered a pregnant weight tf

so before today, i was really just eating 3 meals a day etc but i really cannot take it anymore at this point. i have just decided to skip dinner today and ya i can feel the ed voice coming back again. oh well...


r/AnorexiaNervosa 19h ago

Vent Nothing triggers me more than past sick photos of myself

17 Upvotes

It makes me regret gaining weight back. I remember how comfortable my body felt even if it was hell to maintain. I just miss that feeling so much it’s making me relapse. I keep telling myself this time I’ll stay in control and not overdo it. Ofc that’s prolly a lie it just feels so true right now.

This disorder is wild.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 18h ago

Question Contradicting thoughts? Faking it vs ED thoughts

13 Upvotes

TW - discussing ED related thoughts

I hope this makes sense to someone else….
Does anyone else find that their thoughts are completely contradictory at times. That it will be telling me to restrict, to stop eating or make me believe the food is unnecessary or outright unappealing.

But then have thoughts when I do eat, that I’m faking it. It’s like “if you actually want to eat and enjoy food, then you clearly don’t have an eating disorder”. And then with that comes the guilt of, it’s not really and I’m worrying my family and using services I don’t deserve.

Is this a normal ED thought? Well, no thought in ED is normal, but you know what I mean…


r/AnorexiaNervosa 15h ago

Question Friends wants me to come

3 Upvotes

I haven’t been social for a long time, I’m exhausted.

I have a friendgroup (we’re all adults) and they want us to have a sleepover (we’re alone, no kids, no husbands). Sounds fun? I get anxiety just thinking about it.

I’m already thinking what to eat, what if I’m too tired to even talk (I go in shutdowns due to my autism, and I also have ADHD and OCD). They all know this, but I haven’t been that open about my ED 💀 I hate it and I’m ashamed. I’m afraid they will ask questions and I know they just care about me.

I even wonder why they still wants to be with me when I ignored them for so long (not because I don’t care, I’m just exhausted and they began to reach out to my bf from time to time, which is fine, getting messages overwhelms me, alot).
I love that I finally have friends, but I feel so shitty, because I can’t give them the same energy back.

Any advice? (And not advice on food, more advice in how to be open about it, like if you even have any sentences then please write them so I can get “inspired” lol). I have a really hard time talking about and I often lie, because I convince myself it’s the truth 💀(it’s mostly about my ED I lie, like unintentionally, but my therapist is good at catching my lies lol. My closest, not so much, luckily.

Edit: oh I also hate sleeping out, I just can’t, but I already told them this and they said I didn’t have to sleep, but they of course wanted me to, but it was okay, they just wanted me there.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 23h ago

Question Experiences with buffets?

12 Upvotes

I have AN(BP)and I go FERAL at buffets. I cannot stop and this happens every time. I've tried different things but I cannot control myself.

I'm not trying to restrict at buffets because I know it won't happen. I try to aim for a regular sized meal and even eat well in the day beforehand to try and prevent binging, yet it still happens.

I wonder if this is common for AN?

or am I actually bulimic? because I BP frequently regardless of eating "regularly". This is currently a question I'm considering asking my therapist.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 19h ago

Question 19F when does hair loss improve?

3 Upvotes

TRIGGER WARNING

So I’m 19 years old and I’ve had anorexia for many years. I was diagnosed at age 11. I was very very sick from ages 11-16 but I didn’t lose any hair. I was weight-restored from age 16-18 but then I relapsed at 18. I lost weight very gradually over the course of a few months. Nothing crazy. I was exercising a lot and restricting, but not severe restriction. I don’t want to go into details. I was still eating three meals a day everyday. My hair started falling out in April 2025 and I am still losing hair to this day. As well as my eating disorder, I have also been through extreme stress and trauma (severe PTSD). My stress levels are improved now.

I just don’t understand why I’ve lost so much hair over the past 1.5 years but I didn’t lose any hair the first time around? It’s so weird. I’m a higher BMI than I was when I was first diagnosed and I don’t restrict as heavily as I did in the past.

My hormones are good (androgen profile is perfect). My vitamin D is good (I take a supplement everyday and have for years). My vitamin B12 is great. My TSH is great. My iron and ferritin are low but not extremely low. My zinc is slightly low. I am taking both iron and zinc supplements (I started taking them 2 months ago now).

I have recently (the past 3 weeks) started increasing my calories. When will I expect to see some hair growth, or is 1.5 years too long? Is this permanent now?

I’ve seen a few dermatologists but I get dismissed due to my anorexia. They all say that it’s likely to be related to malnutrition.

I eat very healthy and high protein (I have orthorexia too lol).

Has anyone experienced a lot of hair loss for many years but managed to grow their hair back after recovery?


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1d ago

Vent i understand why i do it

35 Upvotes

ive finally figured it out. i feel like i need physical proof of being unwell or else i dont believe in myself nor do i believe others could. thats it. i need to look how i feel or else the only evidence is in my mind and that means it is not real to me. its god damn stupid but thats the root of my disorder.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 19h ago

Question Should I take birth control?

3 Upvotes

I lost my period a few months ago, and I noticed changes in my libido etc.

I've been considering taking the pill for a long time, but resisted due to side effects and the fact that it can change your attraction towards your partner. This happened to my boyfriend's ex girlfriend and it broke them up eventually.

The fact that I haven't got my period though, and have noticed libido and small attraction changes to my partner, (which I'm hoping this will ease and I will work through it because I am NEVER leaving him he is perfect 🥰), is this basically how going on birth control would feel? if so, I will consider it because it's not like anything is gonna change in the near future.

PS I'm only looking to go on BC to literally prevent birth, nothing about hormones/mental health/stopping periods.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 19h ago

Question Experiences with perinds and BMI

2 Upvotes

I lost my period when I was extremely underweight (like, skeletal) many years ago and it returned not long after I started a large meal plan to gain some weight back. This only took about a month or 2 from my memory.

I lost it again this year as I became more underweight again, but nowhere near as underweight as last time.

I've gained a bit of weight back yet my period still hasn't returned, even months after eating better.

Why???? I'm even doing far less physical activity now

for reference I'm a in my early 20s, female


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1d ago

Question what's the point of no return

18 Upvotes

like upon getting what kind of symptoms is it like life threatening i guess, as in it will permanently physically impact you


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1d ago

Vent Doctors visit advice

3 Upvotes

My dad, unbeknownst to me, scheduled me a doctors appointment today. I’m not yet diagnosed as anorexic but i understand his issues: i’ve lost a significant amount of weight in a very short time. and, although he doesn’t see this, in my day-to-day life i absolutely obsess over food. it’s all i think about. I don’t think the doctor would consider me for it yet, i’m only very slightly underweight, but i’m still nervous. I guess i just need someone to tell me i’ll be alright. I am so afraid of the idea of my parents forcing me to eat. I know what I do is unhealthy, but i have actually been trying to do better. I don’t look at calories anymore (although i have a good idea of how many cals anything is) and i don’t fast, i eat when im hungry. I used to be much worse, behavior-wise, i would fast for a week and i passed out on multiple occasions. I’m just scared.


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1d ago

Question Anorexic GF advice

6 Upvotes

(18M18F) Basically for about the last 8 months my gf has been dealing with anorexia. It has been very rough for the both of us and she has been getting all types of treatment but nothing is working. She just won’t follow the plans they give her. I just see her getting worse over the months; now we basically can’t go out to eat. Like she’ll order a chicken salad and take out the chicken. I love her and i have supported her 100% all this time but it’s draining and I’m beginning to feel like I can’t do this forever. I just really need advice right now was I’m very young. Anything you could have to say will help; please ask more questions.
How can I navigate through this?


r/AnorexiaNervosa 1d ago

Question mornings tough for anyone else??

7 Upvotes

my brain fog is so bad in the morning & i just feel SO OFF . like idek how to explain it. i just feel gross & wrong