Struggling with Anorexia, Bulimia and starting a new relationship.

Former Member

Hi, my names Star

I've been struggling with anorexia and bulimia for two years. I am struggling having put this weight back on.
I started dating someone new in the past couple of weeks and I am finding it hard to eat in front of him. I also find it hard to want to be close to him or take compliments/ jokes about my body seriously.
I've started this chat hoping that someone here could have some useful advice or perhaps even be struggling with something similar.

Love,
Star. x

Former Member

@Stargazer Hey Star, that is a tough thing you are going through and trust me I know, I was previously diagnosed with anorexia but during recovery I gained really unhealthy habits and have bulimia. I know what you are going through and understand how hard recovery is but you can do this, seriously. My advice is to take it in small steps and don't fret the small things. I'm sorry you are finding it hard to eat in front of him-perhaps build up to it so start eating with your friends and then him? If you are struggling with joking around your body then ask him to stop and explain the situation to him but if it is compliments then you have to understand that like you have preconceived notions regarding your body, so does he and it is okay for them to not overlap. I really hope this helps and good luck, you will do amazing!

Former Member

Hi Star. Welcome to the boards

Thank you for sharing this with us. It's not always easy to share things openly and honestly so this is a great step - I'm proud of you

I would love to echo Maryam's advice. One step at a time. I'm wondering, are you receiving any support at the moment?

With any relationships, you should only ever do what you feel comfortable with. So if there are certain things you don't feel comfortable with right now, such as the jokes, let him know. You don't have to explain everything if you don't want to - simply explaining that you're not quite comfortable with these things is absolutely okay. Perhaps you could say it over a text message so that you have time to review what it is you'd like to say - can make it a little less daunting.

Best of luck with everything - we're right here for you

Aoife

Welcome to the community @Stargazer, you've taken a brave step posting here and I hope we can help support you here

I've edited your post slightly in line with our community guidelines and removed the details you mentioned about your current weight. We have a few community guidelines we ask everyone to follow so we can keep the community safe. I know you've just joined so might not be aware of them just yet which is completely okay If you have any questions at all, do let us know. We're keen to help you get the best support here

I also moved your topic over to the Health and Wellbeing section of the forum so it will hopefully be seen by a few more people here and help you get a bit more support from our community members

@maryam852 and @coc0mac have given some lovely advice. Do let us know how you're getting on and keep posting here whenever you need to