Confused- getting told i look great by some, sick by others?

[xjessx]

Heya, sorry i havnt been on here lately, after leaving IP i needed to detox, it wasnt healthy for me to be surrounded by ed stuff all the time in general.
Anyway IP was hopeless, i left their weighing less then when i went in, the unit was a general MH unit and they didnt know what to do, i saw a nurse maybe once a day other then that i was alone and just stayed in my room or talked to other patients, there was such little support.

Anyway ive been doing okay since leaving, my weight has held in general, but i wondered if anyone else had experienced people saying they look good in photos (posted some on facebook) and then having some people saying you look sick and are you okay or eating etc. Im really confused because the doctors are like your unwell etc but then im getting told i look good. I dont want to be told i look awful but at the same time i do because otherwise it feels like i dont have a problem and its all in my head, and the eds like "see i told you theres nothing wrong" and it makes me feel like i should be this weight if people think i look great. Argh im confused, i just wondered if anyone else had experienced this?

[La Tristesse Durera]

Happens to me alot. It's hard to get people to understand that being told you look 'well' is not generally seen as a compliment in the ed world, more of a euphemism for 'you've gained weight'. As you say, it's even more confusing when on the one hand you have people saying you look ill, too thin etc and another group saying you look great. I think it's more about other people's perceptions and circumstances- perhaps when that photo was taken you were hot so had a bit of colour, or the angle of the shot along with your clothes disguised your boniness?
Whilst my ed shouts at me to use the 'well' comments as evidence my doctors are lying and are just trying to make me fat, the rational part of me knows that it is the doctors who know what they're talking about. You can't really assess someone's weight and health through a photo in the same way you can't judge someone's state of mind- how often do we turn on a beaming smile for the camera whilst being in a depression battling thoughts of self-harm.
I don't think I'm really helping, just wanted you to know you're not alone with this and I completely understand.xx

[mickymouse]

ya i know what you mean.... when i was at my sickest point everyone was telling me i looked sick so it was easier for me to want to recover because i knew i looked bad.... now that im only half way through recovery im being told by people and freidns that i look great and so much healthier or whatevr but the doctors say i still needa gain a lot more wieght.... i know how u feel *hugs* sorrycant offer more advice