If you have been following my blog you will know that I said I would post every Thursday and Sunday on topics focusing on HEALTH and HAPPINESS and my FAMILY. You will also know that I have not been following that timeline and usually I am horrendously (maybe that's a strong word) LATE. Or... as I've just realized with my latest "Eat Me" post... a day early? I blame it on jet lag even though the last time I traveled was over three weeks ago.
So boys and girls, you get a bonus post. Today, Thursday, February 7th I am going to talk about MY HEALTH. I am going to do a Q and A with myself.
Why? Well it's only fair... don't you think? Cousin Kristian and Cousin Chelsea had the guts to tell Bloggerland what drives them. I look fairly healthy. I have always been skinny and fit. I write a Health and wellness blog. What could possibly be wrong?
This past summer I became anorexic.
BUT FIRST... my disclaimer. I am not a doctor. I am not a nurse. I am not a psychologist. Though, I SHOULD PROBABLY GO SEE ONE. I actually have two really good friends who have suggested it. But enough about that... I am not affiliated with any sort of health industry. You are reading this blog with the full knowledge that Pilialoha K. Nathaniel is not authorized by any school, institution or government to give health and medical advise. If you follow any advise in this blog it is at your own discretion and at your own risk. Okay? Nod if you agree. If you read anything past this paragraph that means you have nodded and you agree.
Let Me introduce you to Me.
Pili Nathaniel: (PN) "I was anorexic."
PN: "Now? I am a Healthy and Happy thirty-two year old Hawaiian-ish, my many ethnicities would fill this page, woman currently living with her parents in Mililani, Hawaii. That sounds depressing but it is what I needed. Their love guided me though some pretty tough times."
CP: "How did you find out that you had an eating disorder?"
PN: "Once I got back to Mililani, that's where my parents live, I finally went to a Doctor. She did a complete check up and blood work up. She knew I was underweight by just looking at me. At that moment I was 116 lbs. I am 5'8". According to the Center of Disease and Control anywhere between 122-164 lbs would be considered healthy. I then explained my problems during the spring and summer and how I was trying to overcome them."
CP: "You said, 'At that MOMENT...' How much did you weigh before?"
PN: "I started losing weight at a very rapid rate from about June into September. I had nothing really to lose in the first place. I lost about twenty pounds. The lowest that I checked was 108 lbs."
CP: "Shit."
PN: "Yeah. I used to weigh myself ALL THE TIME. I got kinda obsessed about it. I knew something was wrong at the time but I didn't know what and I was too scared to see a doctor. I'm pretty sure that's the lowest."
CP: "Didn't anyone say anything?"
PN: "Yeah. All the time. One of my friends mothers even asked me point blank, "Pili, are you anorexic? You don't look healthy. I know you have always been skinny... but right now you look sick." That's pretty close to her exact words. I told her that I was fine and that I was eating. She didn't say anything more. My good friends behind the bar would ask me if I was okay and I'd basically just brush them off. They kept me functioning, though. I'd find snickers bars and snacks at my register. My manager even started to order my food for me... or at least he'd make sure I wasn't just eating a salad. So yeah... people said things. I just chose not to hear."
CP: "Why do you think you got this way?"
PN: "My doctor said the anorexia was brought on by depression."
CP: "Depression? You want to elaborate?"
PN: "No."
CP: "Have you seen a therapist or any specialists?"
PN: "No. I probably should. But by my next appointment with her two weeks later, I'd been in LA and SF for about a week, I had gained five pounds and was at 121 lbs and holding. She saw that I was already taking care of myself and on the road to recovery. She told me then that she thought I'd been anorexic due to the depression. She also told that she had not seen such amazing charts in a long time. She said everything was clean and healthy except for the extreme weight loss and that I was hypoglycemic. It probably triggered by the anorexia, she said."
CP: "What?"
PN: "It basically means I have a tendency towards having low blood sugar. Normal blood sugar is anywhere between 70 - 100. I was at 40. (Go HERE for more info on blood sugar levels) She said that she would normally refer me to specialists and a therapist but that she thought MY FAMILY and SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS were doing the job. I will seek help if I start losing weight again."
CP: "How did you begin to CHANGE YOUR LIFE and EAT HEALTHY again?"
PN: "That is exactly what I did. I chose to be HAPPY. I moved back in with my parents and my little brother. I began EATING again... and eating as MUCH as I wanted. My doctor friend in New York told me that my calorie intake ... just to keep my body functioning at 5'8", 108 lbs ... was 1300 calories. He said that I was probably only taking in on average 1000 calories. I put myself on a app called Calorie Counter and made sure my intake was at least 1800-2000 a day. Calorie Counter is still trying to get me to be 144 lbs... but I don't think that's going to happen. I stepped up my exercise routine. I worked with a personal trainer for about two weeks. Instead of just yoga I added cardio and strength training."
CP: "How much do you weigh?"
PN: "This morning I weighed 126 lbs. I could stand to gain a few more but this is my NORMAL HEALTHY weight."
...
OKAAAY... enough of that. I gotta stop talking to myself. You're all gonna start thinking I'm crazy or something. And... in all seriousness if you think that you or someone you know may have an eating disorder. Talk with them. Show your support and love for them. Urge them to SEE A DOCTOR. Get a physical. Get a check up. Even if they do not have an eating disorder there may be something else wrong.
For continued reading here's some information on Eating Disorders:
Anorexia (Mayo ClinicStaff): "Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia nervosa attempt to maintain a weight that's far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively.
Anorexia (an-oh-REK-see-uh) nervosa isn't really about food. It's an unhealthy way to try to cope with emotional problems. When you have anorexia nervosa, you often equate thinness with self-worth.
Anorexia nervosa can be difficult to overcome. But with treatment, you can gain a better sense of who you are, return to healthier eating habits and reverse some of anorexia's serious complications."
Go HERE for the Mayo Clinic's entire article on Anorexia.
Also for further reading my good friends at the Huffington Post just posted an article about this very subject HERE.
Also... for those that still think I need professional help... and I'm still not ruling that out... look at this WEBSITE for a study done on self-help and eating disorders.
EAT MERRILY, EAT HEALTHILY, EAT.
Your Cousin,
Pili
My family.
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