Mental Illness Recovery
Restricting your food and/or calories can cause a lot of issues, including but not listed to:
​
*Malnutrition
*Vitamin deficiencies- iron, calcium, vitamin D
*Dizziness
*Fainting
*Fatigue
*Brain fog
*Forgetfulness
*Hair loss
*Yellow bed nails
*Grey/blue skin
*Grey/blue nails
*Brittle nails
*Infertility
*Loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)
*Organ damage
*Osteoporosis/weak, brittle bones
*Constantly being cold
*Bad circulation
*Bruising
*A weak immune system
*Re-feed syndrome
*Gastrointestinal issues
*Kidney failure and issues (like polyuria and nocturia)
*Muscle loss
*Dehydration
*Low blood pressure
*Heart attacks
*Seizures
*Low blood sugar
*Bradycardia
*Binging
*Lack of energy
*Depressed mood
*Tooth decay
*Dry skin
*Acne
*Slowing down mentally
*Messed up metabolism
*Bad breath
*Lack of motivation
*Lanugo
*Atrophy
*Insomnia
*Moodiness/irritability
*Heart enlargement
*Weight gain
*Bloating
*Retaining fluids
*Death
*Constipation
​
From people with eating disorders (anonymous):
​
"If I restricted too much, I would feel tired and dizzy and eventually binge. Also I did not have the energy to exercise.
If I eat 1000 calories I feel okay."
"Atrophy and brittle bones, I think. Hair falling out and the growth of tiny, thin hairs all over your body. Malnutrition, bad breath, tooth decay. Emotional blah. I'm pretty sure that there is more, but I can't think of them right now."
"Short term:
Insomnia, hair falling out, low energy, coldness, moody, always on the verge to cry
mid term (in addition):
hair loss, lanugo, bad breath from aceton, malnutrition and organ failure, depression
long term (in addition):
infertility, brittle bones, depression, undernourishment, underweight, death."
​
"Complete lack of energy
Brain fog and just not being able to think
Bad breath
Lack of motivation, your world just turns tunnel vision on food and restriction."
​
"Also tooth decay, dry skin, acne, brittle nails, mentally slowing down (the brain needs energy) and a messed up metabolism."
"Heart enlargement. Damaging your organs can make you gain weight and retain fluid like crazy in some cases. If you don't have hospital cover or access to services and you need to be operated on you're screwed. Your digestive processes stall, your metabolism can be erratic, GI problems, gut and bowel issues, wounds out of nowhere because of immune system and nervous system damage. My stomach makes weird noises like a cat meowing, from GI distress. It gets mistaken for the cat, or a phone noise."
"I. Get. So. Irritable."
​
​
​
​