This is for everybody at any stage of there recovery suffering with any eating disorder heck even if you don't have an ed you can join in :)
So in the Attn: Ed board thread I suggested this and it got a good response so with a new month/new week and new day here goes!
I will update the challenges every Sunday and then if they start on the Monday we have one day to prepare for them.
The aim of this thread is to challenge ourself to do something for ourselves to look after our bodies, mind or health. With so many different people on here in all stages of recovery suffering from all sorts of eating disorders the challenges will sometime's be slightly vague!!
Each challenge last's one week but if you can't manage the whole week then don't beat yourself up - you tried and maybe you will manage a whole week shortly. If you manage the whole week fantastic here is to next week. If you don't think you can manage the challenge at the moment then here is to you getting to a point in your life where you can attempt - remember some challenges will be harder and some will be easier depending on your personal situation.
SO WITHOUT RAMBLING MUCH FURTHER THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Is to take up a hobby
So often when we are in the depths of an ed we forget what we used to enjoy - concentrating only on what is going on in our immeadiate surroundings. We need to get out more and so with summer coming along we need to march out loud and proud to ensure that we enjoy ourselves learning new things.
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 9
Is to eat more fruit and veg
It's full of yummy vitamins and minerals and some are truly yummy. A balanced diet is what we should all aim for and this is one of the easiest ways to get balance in our diet. If you eat a lot of fruit and veg already then maybe you can look at trying new fruit expanding on what you eat because after all - variety is the spice of life.
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 8
Is to weigh ourselves less
Having an eating disorder so often means that are outlook on life is skewed by food. We end up obsessed with it weighing ourselves continuosly, dreaming about food, thinking about it and at some point enough is enough and we need to try and break this cycle.
So this week we are going to loose the scales and see if we can weigh ourselves less as time goes by.
With thanks to Liz - purple rain
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 7
Is to drink more water
Love it or hate it we need it! Water is vital for keeping us alive and in this day and age it is very rare that we drink enough of it. When you add an eating disorder into the mix you can end up with all sorts of random problems from dehydration onwards. This is partly because we are more inclined to take laxatives and diuretics which dont work despite our perceptions of weight loss and so on all we are loosing is water.
So here is to a week of water, squash, cordial, juice diluted with water and so on
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 6
Is to socialise more
Due to the nature of eating disorders and the fact that a lot of socialising tends to revolve around food it is not unusal for us to become antisocial and hermit like! Thus this week we are to go out more - walks become fantastically entertaining if you go with a friend, shopping is so much more fun with a friend to giggle with anything and everything to do with spending time with others. The ultimate would be to cook a meal with a trusted friend or to go out for lunch food should be social remember the ancient feasts!! If we are able to enjoy meal times without the negativity that we so often use then we are part of the way to being able to enjoy eating and that is a great bonus
With thanks to Judith for her help on this weeks challenge
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 5
Is to increase our intake of fiber
Poo that wonderous topic! So many people with eating disorders believe that laxatives will work, that they will make us teeny tiny and so on. They don't work, they screw up our insides, they make it hard for us to poo normally and yep.
So this week I want us to eat more fiber which in turn should give our bowels some exercise and hopefully we will be POOING for RYL! In addition to this we should all try and cut down the laxatives.
Yummy!
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 4
Is to challenge our self hatred
We are all fabulous - I am yet to 'read' a post from someone proclaiming how horrific they are and agree with them so this week we are going to take time out of each day to do something that requires us to care/look after/love and treat ourselves.
I know I am the worlds worst person for taking care of my appearance and so I will be aiming to apply make up and do a face mask spend time applying moisturiser. Other's may find that they never allow themselves to sit down and read a book relaxing. Some wont allow themselves to do the things they love because they deserve to be punished or they arent worthy.
This week I am telling you to love yourself *insert cliche* because your worth it
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 3
Is to challenge ourselves with Easter
With it being Easter day on Sunday alot of you will be on holidays and surrounded by chocolate and other 'negative food' So this week we are going to treat ourselves, by eating some of this food because whilst all food in excess is bad for us all food in moderation is good for us. The last two weeks have been building up to this - chocolate is calciummy and yummy and we are now fab at challenging those negative thoughts.
A lot of us have some form of food on our avoidance list and this may be for a number of reason but it is important to realise that no food is bad regardless of what the calories content is or how it is cooked it all contains yummy nutritious elements. Remember that the challenges are to be taken at your own pace and thus some of you may want to eat chocolate or another 'negative food' each day this week others may want to take it more slowly or adapt it to suit your own week and lifestyle.
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 2
Is to challenge the negative thoughts
We are all experts at putting ourselves down, declaring ourselves as incompetent, bad, fat, hopeless and so on.... but 99.99999 percent of the time we are far superior than we give ourselves credit for.
It is bloomin hard to change how we feel and think so what I want us to do this week is each day pick one negative thought and change it so we have a positive viewpoint and thought processes associated with it.
Common negative thought - I am fat
Challenge the thought - I may feel fat but realistically I know that my BMI places me in xyz category and so I am not fat.
The only criteria is that you believe what you say each day post your thoughts in here (if triggery hide them) and go for it :)
The following content has been hidden - Reason : Challenge 1
Challenge 1 - Increase our calcium intake
One of the biggest risks for sufferers of eating disorders is the increased liklihood of Osteoperosis. By deliberatly increasing our intake of calcium we can try and protect ourselves from this devestating illness. Calcium comes in all shapes and sizes from Cheese to Chocolate to Ice Cream to Milk to Yoghurt and so on. This week lets have something yummy and calciummy each day to help our bonios!
Last edited by random.swirls : 04-05-2008 at 02:16 PM.
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
I was just thinking about what you had said about challenges!
Must have been a bit of telepathy going on there...
Anyway, this is one of the best ideas ever!
I will try my best
That's such a good idea! Count me in. I'm going to make more of an effort to take my vitamin & mineral supplement every day, and to have something rich in calcium every day as well.
Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath,
Balm of hurt minds...
Yay. I was wondering about this actually, nice to see it set up so quickly :)
I'm definitley taking part, especially since I found out our school has some really tasty yoghurts on sale :)
This looks like something I could really try and do, the only down side is that I'm Lactose Intolerant, so none of those things sit well with my stomach. I am a cheese lover though, so I'll see what I can do, fantastic idea! I look forward to the next challenges!
Swing
Like a tree I stand, reaching for the light, gaining strength from the darkness at my roots. I am mangled from the torments of life, but in my uniqueness I am beautiful.
Bulimia has purged my soul. This can't be control.
" my precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trials and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you" you were carried out of are lifes into the next and when its my time to leave this life I know i will be carried into the next life with you.
I wish i had my world complete again.
'Can we protend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, i could really use a wish right now' BoB
If you want to take part at any time during the week put your name down and go for it :)
I am going to have a yoghurt for pudding tonight :)
And remember just trying your best is enough
xox
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
I have been having milk with my cereal for once :)
It's going ok so far.
I love this idea, it makes me feel proud after i have milk, as opposed to horrid.
Hope everyone else is doing well
I bought myself some yoghurts and small milk bottles so I can have a 'milkshake'
Anyhow it was good and I have managed to have cheese on both my lunches as well :)
I am not a fan of dairy products and thus struggle eating them but so far so good :)
Yay for Cheese on pasta - I like my sig to :P!!
Yay for having milk and feeling good that is fabby :)
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
I make a chocolate milkshake to make the milk bearable - otherwise milk is rank - scooby Doo vitamins sound fab :)
Yay for milk and yoghurt drinks as well :)
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
Okay so I was silly enough to read the cartons of yoghurt at my school canteen and got scared off them but I have been having milk in my tea for once. And extra milky tea before I go to bed.
So I'm still trying :)
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
i've been having milk instead of diet coke for at least one meal in the dining hall for the past few days. and seeing as how i dont like milk that much to begin with/i'd much rather be having something with no nutritional value but no cals.. shocking
*throws party and dumps milk on everyone just cause* (my excuse... its 3 in the morning :P)
“The good things don’t always soften the bad, but vice-versa, the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant.”
“Nobody important? Blimey, that’s amazing. Do you know, in nine hundred years of time and space I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important before.”
“If it’s time to go, remember what you’re leaving. Remember the best. My friends have always been the best of me.”
ive been having loads of milk in my coffee the last couple of days.
" my precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trials and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you" you were carried out of are lifes into the next and when its my time to leave this life I know i will be carried into the next life with you.
I wish i had my world complete again.
'Can we protend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, i could really use a wish right now' BoB
Like a tree I stand, reaching for the light, gaining strength from the darkness at my roots. I am mangled from the torments of life, but in my uniqueness I am beautiful. 
