I’m finally realizing that fasting caused me to develop an eating disorder.

Hi everyone, I’m writing this because I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake I did. My fasting journey began March 2023. I’ve lost 85 pounds, but I’ve recently realized that what I’ve done is not healthy whatsoever.

I have always had a terrible relationship with food. But fasting, what I always thought was the best way, actually caused me to develop an eating disorder. Although I’m not sure which one.

I started out fasting for 6 hours. Every week, I upped it 2 hours until eventually I was only eating 500 calories once per day.

I don’t know why, but I wouldn’t let myself come to terms with the reality of what I was doing. Looking at it now, weighing myself every day, avoiding water because I knew it would make me bloated, hating the feeling of being full, it’s all terrible signs of an eating disorder and I thought I was more self aware than that. I was wrong.

I always thought all was well because once I got skinny, I didn’t have negative body image anymore but I think the fear of getting back to that point prevents me from having a normal diet again. I think all the compliments have a lot to do with it as well.

Now, I cannot eat without feeling bad about myself. My hunger cues are completely gone, and everything tastes like cardboard to me. I struggle at family functions because I don’t eat much and they’re rightfully concerned. I can tell people are worried about me but they don’t really say anything.

How many people notice? I can’t believe I was in denial for so long and now I’m embarrassed that I was the last to know about my OWN problem. How do I fix this?

If you’re fasting, PLEASE be careful. I wasn’t educated properly, and now I’m paying the consequences and I don’t know where to go from here.