On May 23, 7:15 am, "kilikini" > wrote:
> Andy wrote:
> > I remember when I stopped eating, I was two years old.
>
> > I had to have eye surgery and while recuperating in the hospital I
> > had to wear eye patches.
>
> > Since I couldn't see what I was eating, I just stopped eating. Not
> > for just a few weeks but for the next 20 years.
>
> > One night in bed at the hospital I woke up and remember my Mom's hand
> > didn't reach out when I called her and I panicked. I tore off the eye
> > patches, slid out of the bed and walked down an empty hallway to a
> > giant round waiting room with chairs around the circumference. There
> > was Mom with my aunt and uncle. I couldn't hear myself crying but I
> > knew I was. I started walking towards them and they rushed up and
> > saved me. And that's the last I remember about being two years old.
>
> > It's not everyday you feel helpless and abandoned like I did. It
> > really scared the heck out of me at that time. So Mom never forgave
> > herself for not being there 24 hours a day at my side as I lay in
> > temporary darkness for those few days.
>
> > I kept to my guns and stopped eating.
>
> (snip)
>
>
>
>
>
> > I got to know the neighbors in the building and one day a couple
> > living right above my apartment invited me up for a small Sunday
> > breakfast and I accepted. They called me Sunday morning to come up.
> > So I walked in and sat down to a breakfast of homemade pumpernickel
> > bagels and cream cheese.
>
> > Well... I was trapped! I had to try it, not wanting to insult their
> > generosity. So, I took a bite and began chewing and all of a sudden
> > part of my brain sprang to life and I could taste a flavor I'd
> > remembered prior to my eye surgery. I didn't say a word, just gobbled
> > them down. The whole time thinking to myself this is a miracle!!!
>
> > It was a pretty friggin' remarkable occasion and I remember it like
> > it was yesterday.
>
> > A week later they invited me up for dinner and I again accepted. This
> > time I walked in and sat down to spaghetti in homemade marinara sauce
> > and parmesan cheese (YUCKKK!!!). I bit the bullet again and spun some
> > on a fork and ate it. When it hit my tongue, I lit up!!! There was no
> > mistake! Silently, "I've had this before and I remember loving it.
> > And wow does it taste delicious!!!" I finished it with great haste
> > and had a second serving.
>
> > Very soon after, I began trying other things. My first scrambled egg
> > was a hurdle, as was my first cheeseburger and my first tuna-fish
> > sandwich with mayo and on and on, confidently breaking down food
> > walls I installed at 2 years old. Every taste rang a "delicious" bell!
>
> > I remember visiting the family soon after and my interest in eating
> > everything for dinner came as quite a shock to everyone except me! I
> > wonder if Mom didn't secretly weep tears of joy later that night.
>
> > Nowadays, everything but lima beans is fine. There are still plenty of
> > foods I have yet to try, but I'm happy with my progress over the past
> > 27 years since a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese changed my food
> > life around.
>
> > Andy
>
> Great story, Andy, because I kind of suffer from the same problem you used
> to. I started to get anorexia back when I was about 13 because that's when
> I developed colitis. Food to me = severe stomach pain followed by a trip to
> the bathroom. I thought to myself, "Why go through that? Why eat at all,
> if food makes me sick?" I'm 5 feet 7 inches tall and at my lowest I weighed
> 114 pounds due to the affliction. I started lifting weights and my appetite
> finally kicked in, but food still made me ill. I just knew I had to eat in
> order to be a body builder and so I dealt with the frequency and
> inconvenience of the colitis pain. Eventually, 10 to 15 years later when I
> stopped lifting so regementally, I ended up being about 30 pounds
> overweight.
>
> For the past 4 years, I've been back on the food repulsion thing again. I
> eat one bite and end up at the toilet. I love talking about food, I love
> the idea of food, I love cooking food, I love collecting recipes, but when
> it's all said and done, I don't want to eat what I made or what anyone else
> makes. I'll make a meal for myself, take a bite or two and put it away. We
> go to a restaurant, I'll take a bite or two, wrap the rest up, and I
> eventually throw it out. It's such a waste. I'll easily go up to 3 to 4
> days without eating anything but a mint or something. Since I've been sick,
> it's gotten way worse, too. I feel the food in my mouth and I get nausea.
> I can be *so* hungry, too, but food in front of me turns me off.
>
> So, yes, I can appreciate your story, completely. My husband, OTOH, is an
> absolute glutton and won't stop eating until you quit putting food in front
> of him. (Not putting food in front of him doesn't work well in a
> buffet-style restaurant, though. <g>) He's got to totally monitor his
> weight and food intake in order to prevent him from becoming "The Fat Man"
> again. For me, I think my adversion to eating is partly due to anxiety and
> obviously I'm still battling the anorexia that I thought I had conquered way
> back in my mid 20's.
>
> In any case, if I *am* hungry, I don't berate myself if the only thing that
> appeals to me is a heavenly, sweet, caloric piece of baklava, because that
> might be the only thing I'll eat for the next few days. :~)
>
> kili- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I think you need to take a little toke to stimulate your appetite and
alleviate your anxiety!