The Museum of Hoaxes
Pro-Ana
Posted By:
Bill
Jun 29, 2004
 Just found this on the web today. I can't tell if this is serious or a gag, but either way it's seriously mental.

http://www.plagueangel.org/grotto/
Category: Body-Modification; Replies: 267

Comments
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WAY HOTTER THAN YOU!!
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 04:05 PM
Well said SC... I ana, by choice, i am 5'4 and i USED to way about 150, and now i am 110, i have 34C breats and a 24 inch waist, and no i do not look waif-like. And u know what? ALL I HAVE EVER GOTTEN IS "Wow u look GREAT now!!!" i have NEVER once had some say "wow u need to get fat again!". And u guys out there say that ana girls are crazy and Nazi like, or whatever BS... but yet what female would you rather date? The hot and sexy ana girl or the 200 pound fattei shoving a double cheeseburger with a milkshake down her throat? I think we know the answer!! If ana isn't in than why are people like Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie, and Mary Kate Olsen so famous, huh? SOunds like a double standard to me, make fun of anas, but yet secretly WORSHIP them. And to all the girls posting on this board, like Jenny, Whats YOUR weight??? Oh, yeah.... thats what i thought! So, i'll go munch on my bowl of lettuce, while you keeping shoving that god awful fatass fastfood down yoru throat.
dangel
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 04:18 PM
Actually, maybe a girl who shoves a double cheeseburger, milkshake and a couple of beers down her throat, like Angela is probably more fun to be with. Anyone agree? 😜
Reynard Muldrake
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 05:34 PM
I'd rather date just about anyone other than someone who chooses to make themself anorexic. The lack of self worth must be astounding. And I don't worship silly pop celebrities.

This is a sick state of mind and heart, and I'm afraid there is no getting around that.

Seek help.
SC
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 06:27 PM
Way Hotter- If you are a PS member (which I think you are
Jenny
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 07:05 PM
I can see more and more clearly that the cause of both fatness and anorexia is not so much in fashion or in the neurosis of individuals, but much more in the deplorable quality of what is offered to eat in this environement. The taste of pizzas and chesseburgers is so bland and ultumately boring that only a great amount of it will satisfy the stomach. Anorexia, or fasting seems to be an alternative. The only alternative is BLUE RIBBON cooking, caviar, great cusine instead of FOOD, which is for animals and not people.
Anamiame
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 08:52 PM
I do not consider myself to have an ED, but I am a regular member on PS. I am not 15; I am a mother to four children; a single mother and a civil servant to society. I have half a brain. Okay, so I have more than half a brain.

I'm not an idiot and no one tells me what to do with my body. I'm not a nazi, or a devil worshipper. I'm simply a woman in American Society who has struggled for years with body image and wanting to be the very best I can be.

If you REALLY check the site, you will see that they DO NOT condone unsafe weight loss habits. Instead, they believe that every person has a right to maintain a thin lifestyle, through healthy means. We often get the 13 year old saying, "Oh, I have to lose 100 pounds by friday!" We tell them respectfully that this is not possible and is not healthy. They are always discouraged from that type of behavior.

What I find interesting is that you think that the entire board is about promoting anorexic and bulimic behavior. Almost always, such behavior is met with concern and care for the individual as others care about the health and well being of the individual members. If you read further, you will find people posting who feel that they have no one else in the world to turn to; it becomes their safe haven.

For me, it is my safe haven. I have found there a plethora of older women who struggle with the same issues as I do. I don't have to pretend to be perfect and all together; I can just be. And I am always received with warmth and genuine unconditional care.

So, if you want to find this sick; then great; it isn't a place for you. However, I would suggest that you read deeper than thread names; and go for the more 'boring' threads than the ones entitled, "Oh help me, I must lose 50 pounds to be prom queen" to fully and completely understand the motive of the board as a whole.

Blessings,

Anamiame
Alice
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 09:12 PM
I struggle daily with an eating disorder, both anorexia and bulimia and am a member of the PSS board. I definately don't promote eating disorders and would not wish one on ANYBODY! You people just don't know until you are where we are at. I need some one to talk to and who will listen to my ranting and not judge. I have no control over my disese and this site just helps me get through each day. PSS is a great place. Many people come in and ask how to do this or that. One girl asked me how to purge. I told her to never start. She said she wouldn't after I explained what it has done to me and others. So don't judge.
cleo
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 11:50 PM
I am a member of PS as well. Although I like to think I am above name-calling and petty insults and generally do not succumb to the ignorance and taunts of others, there is something that I must say:

JENNY... shut your damn mouth. You, my dear, are an ignorant snob.

Get over yourself already. You can take your caviar and your goats and shove 'em up your ass. At least we don't try to impose our lifestyle on others. If you know about us or our forum, it is because you sought us out or were alerted to our presence by someone completely unrelated to us in any way. (I say this with confidence because I have faith in my fellow PSers that they would not consciously choose such an uncool acquaintance) We do not advertise, we do not solicit new members, and we certainly do not attempt to
Alice
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 | 11:56 PM
I like the way that last sentence was put! OUCH! Go cleo!
Reynard Muldrake
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 05:10 AM
I think reading these comments is going to make me barf, and not from an eating disorder. It's a sad world, and I feel sorry for you all.
Appoline
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 06:06 AM
I am also a member of PS... Hey there my girls... I am not skinny, but have an associated eating disorder, bulimia and COE. PS is the only place I can go and discuss my issues with people who give a shit, anddon't gasp in horror at how much/ how little i've eaten that day.
We are NOT inthe business of recruiting people to join us... Dangerous tips and unhealthy advice is NOT tolerated, and if somebody was getting into a dangerous situation, our ever- sharp moderators would be there to sort it out.
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 06:29 AM
Dear Muldrake,

After all of what I read, I realize that I am out of touch, I feel like a cangoroo in Austria.
I wish I clould eat your sperm while these other women scream like lost souls in the depth of hell.
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 06:30 AM
Actually my waist is 12" and I have four breasts.
SC
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 10:00 AM
To my ladies-WayHotter, Alice, Anamiame, Cleo, Appoline- love you all for standing up for PS!

Reynard-
DR
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 10:20 AM
Hey Jenny: If you live in Austria then i have to tell you that Gulash and Wiener Schnitzel doesnt make people skinny. Im not as thin as a feather. But i ate all those things based in Margarine and butter and oil thing and i got into my highest weight.

My Mother in law thinks that im going to the edge by trying to eat healthy. And she hates to see me having a healthy life. While she is saying all he time. I cant get to lose weight and she puts a big piece of schnitzel in her mouth. Bigger than the hole of her mouth and falling down.

I dont want to be seen the same way i see her. After every meal the served the beautifully made chocolates, and finest desserts that she makes.. and she still keeps saying abut her weight. And that im too skinny.

Is that im am wrong when i eat an apple, and she eats the piece of pig cooked in oil and then in butter for the better taste, and the oil is dropping down the plate?? Excuse me! I rather to keep my life healthy as possible by going to the Gym at lest three times a day. And she doesnt even want to move a finger to make something for her weight and she is still complaining??

Sister get real! She thinks she isnt fat. And that i am tooo skinny. When i am in my right BMI. and she is OBESE??? Or that my husband has better healthy eating habits than her. Just becuase she sees that my husband drinks water, and doesnt drink the coke is served atthe table. Or that he is too skinny and doesnt need to go to the gym?

I live in Austria. And most of the people that hates me are fat people. That are so overweight and that tell me that im too skinny. And they dont even talk to me, or visit me becuase they hate too see me eating healthy or i look skinner than when i was overweight. Its sad that i dont have female friends. Becuase all of them are so jelous of me having a tiny waist. But ive being skinny all my life. Im not as tall as they are. And thats why they hate me??? Its not fun to NOT have friends. But they hate me for being skinny...

So jenny, perhaps you are my Sister in Law that hates me soo much beucase im soo skinny?? And she is trying to death to be as skinny as i am. But cant?

My sister in Law and my mother in law have humilliated me in front of people just by my eating habits.

So its the same way you are telling us about our site in PS. You are humilliating us just becuase we have en ED and are trying to stick to what healthy is. Its true. We are sick. But we are trying to do it as healthy as possible. Everyone woman wants to be skinny right? I dont think that there is a woman with a rational mind that is happy with her body. But we try not to destroy our bodies the way we did before. But try to do the best we can for our bodies. Those are the only bodies we have.

This world is really sick. Noone is happy in any way. Dont try to judge us just becuase we want to do it in the right way.

BTW Jenny: I do live in Austria too.
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 10:32 AM
Jenny, you stated, "I feel like a cangoroo in Austria." With all do respect, it is spelled, 'Kangaroo.'

Muldrake, you stated, "I think reading these comments is going to make me barf, and not from an eating disorder. It's a sad world, and I feel sorry for you all." Sorry that you are feeling ill. However, if these are the best arguments that the two of you can come up with, then according to debating rules, PS wins. It seems that both you and Jenny have digressed into various forms of name calling and judgements that have no basis in fact. If Jenny truly is a proponent of Biblical Ethics, then she should be familiar with the scripture that says "Do Not Judge, Lest Ye Be Judged. For By The Same Measure That Ye Judge, Ye shall Be Judged."

So, I throw down the gauntlet of challenge. Shall we give this debate to PS or continue with intellectual, factual and non-judgemental arguments that may provide all of us with new insight into this issue? I challenge you to provide accurate and factual information to back up your position (Google and Ask Mr. Jeeves are excellent search engines) as we too will respond with factual, reliable information. If the challenge is not accepted, then PS takes the win.

So PS members, can someone post a response as to why support is needed when someone is seeking recovery from an ED and why support is needed when they are still active in an ED? Can someone else do a search on Weight Loss and why support is helpful in losing weight? And, can someone do a search on the problems of body image in our society?

I look forward to an informative and educational debate on this issue....unless that is, you are not up to the challenge. Sigh...in that case, we win.

Anamiame
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 11:42 AM
Dear Anamiame

Kangoroo is with k, all right, but I think it is "with all DUE respect", not "all do respect".
What is PS, Political Science?

What makes me utterly confused is the status of anorexia: is it a life style? Is it a desease? Is it the triumph of the will? Is it a form of diet? Is it something one should be proud of?
I believe in civilization, not in tribal divisionism, nor I believe that you are going to hell, but I do believe that narcissism and obssession with SOMA is already hell.
What do you think?
Again, I do not know what PS is, and I think this is a very interesting site where I am learning quite a lot.
SC
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 12:04 PM
Jenny
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 12:11 PM
Times two. I posted the first time over 4000 characters. It erased my entire post and I can't get it back. I posted an apology Jenny; and it erased THAT because the box wasn't exactly right. I'm really sorry. I just spent 45 minutes replying to your post and now my daughter is awake and she was up all night sick. I have to go and take care of her.

I posted answers to each of your questions answering both for anorexia and pro-ana. Then, I explained the difference between Eating Disorder and Disordered Eating. I'm so frustrated because it was an excellent post; of which I would have kept for future reference.

I will reply later when my wrists no longer ache and when my daughter is resting again.

Again, I'm so sorry for losing the post!

Anamiame (Name means, ana? mia? no, just me)
Lina
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 06:31 PM
Half (50 %) of all people in the western world die from fat-derived illnesses. Only under 1/20 000 (that is under 0,02 %) die from anorexia. A little different numbers to me.
Over 30 % of western people smoke tobacco. Over half (50%) of them die from a tobacco-deriven illness. That calculates to a rough 15 % all the western people dying slowly from tobacco.
Then again, only under 0,02 % of western people die from anorexia. Tiny winy 1/20 000 (Which of course is not as good as none, but still... I'd like to see some perspective to the whole picture). Almost none die from bulimia. Bulimia even prevents osteoporosis.

All the best researches about what is good to eat claim, that less calories mean more and healthier years to your life. And it means a lot less calories than average intake of a western person.

Advertising anorexia would be confronted, I guess. But why is promoting tobacco or fattening foods so allowed and even wanted?!?

I'm a member of PS, and I don't think that this is a disease which should be cured "no matter what it takes". No, instead I think this is what we are, and nobody has a right to force us change from what we are. From who we are. We are real persons, you know! Many of us really want to be anorexics or bulimics even in the future. Many of us don't ever want to "get cured". It would be similar than "getting cured" in the film Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick.
Everyone breathes uniquely. Everyone eats uniquely. If my body tells me I feel good when breathing in my own rhythm, I'm gonna listen to my body more eagerly than to some "experts". And I'll listen to my body about eating, too.

I also eagerly choose a good feeling about myself being thin rather than hating myself for being fatty.
You know, we really feel good with ourselves, too. Ed-haters maybe would like to think that we are some people that need pity or sadness. But no, we really don't need your condolescences. Most of us are happy! At least I'm proud of who I am, and I feel good for the weight losses I've successed.
Actually I feel pity and sadness for those people who spend a lot of useless time of their prescious life in trying to "cure" us who don't have any need or want to be any other than ourselves.

-Lina
WAY HOTTER THAN YOU
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:10 PM
Wow... this has progresed a lot. The pro ana movement is about support not recruitment of other women. I ENVY the women you don't give a crap about what they look like, because i know what HELL it is to be the way and stay the way i am. However i also ENVY the successful ana who maintains a beautiful body and a modeling/acting career. And i also imagine the depth of hell for gluttons (one of the 7 deadly sins) as described in Dante's Inferno, (thanks SC for the reminder there), i picture this painful level of hell everytime a piece of pizza calls my name, and everytime i walk into a crowded Mcdonalds and see people grossly consuming quanities of food that could satisfy a small African village for a week. Yes.... i am already in a state of hell, but i prefer my level of imaginary hell anyday over the level described for gluttons.
And i take a strange amount of pride in my hell because it has allowed be to become the way i am, way healthier and hotter than i was before i became ana. Ana has MADE me how i am, and i can't change that, but i also wouldn't want to change that. Because of ana my dance career has taken off, but i would still never wish it on anyone. However at the same time i have no respect for the women who complain all the time about their weight while they inhale chocolate and icecream and cheeseburgers.

ANA is a VERY complicated thing, and many people who are ana or pro ana have very different opinions. But most of all, don't generalize us, because you don't know us.

But to all of you who want to hate on anas, its because who just wish u hade our bodies, and now i still feel the same, that you guys can all go chow down on a Big Mac while i go to the gym.
WAY HOTTER THAN YOU
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:19 PM
Oh... and to DANGEL .... that FAT GIRLFRIENDS website is SICK ... trying get pretty people to completly let themselves go, eewww... that's some goal in life! Hope it goes nicely for you, maybe the heartattack will be a quick one.

oh, and i dont drink beer but i can down about a fifth of liquor before i go to the club, and i think the guys have always had a great time watching that... (but they ONLY get to WATCH.. no touchy touchy!)

So REYNARD.... if you don't like skinny girls, what kind of girls do u date? Or maybe you don't.. The amount of self worth is astounding once you maintain a killer body! Life is pretty good when u reach that point. Oh well, too bad for you, hope you have fun at the FAT GIRLFRIENDS site!
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:33 PM
My point is not against people and what they do to themselves, or against this and that. I do not live in Austria, I live here in America where I'm confronted with the most horrendous food in the planet, inferior even to Ireland and northern Germany. To cook here means throwing some burgers on a hot plate or opening cans or turning on the microwave. The taste of the things is disgusting. I had to learn how to cook simple stuff because I still have the memory of my childhood and the wonderful things I ate. My mother is Italian (from Italy, not NYC) and to eat was something done in group at noon. Nobody was obese, we ate many different things but nobody was stuffed or it ever crossed my mind to eat a pint of Haagen Daas. This country is itself an immense mouth eating away more than half of the world's minerals, oil etc. and for what? In order to produce people who are very unhappy and alienated, who eat too much or too little, and OUT OF FEAR develop all sorts of narcissistic and hipocondriac synmptoms, including a propensity to introduce metal parts in their bodies, scratch themselves, implant silicone bags inside their breasts, get tatooed and martirized in all forms as to make an australian aboriginal who slices his own penis seem civilized and reasonable in comparison. For the ones who say they do not understand what I am talking about, I am talking about the respomsibility we have towards the young ones to GIVE OUR EXAMPLE and certainly NOT
be "the best you can be" because THAT is a swindle, an evil illusion who will take one away from love towards the love of a comercial image of women and man.
It is true that obesity is a national problem, and anorexia is not (yet), but both are, to say the least, a very bad example, mostly as far as values are concerned. When I speak of good cusine I am probably speaking to people who never had the opportunity of paying 200$ for a meal at Tour d'Argent in Paris, where the experience o eating whisks you to another dimension of gustative experience, having nothing whatsoever to do with schnitzels dripping with oil, margarine (?!) and butter. Who eats well will never eat too much, because eating more than enough is not eating well, but eating much, which is a totally different story.
Civilization is based on two factors: eating and the women. When eating is taken over by industry and women by publicity, we begin to live in barbarous state, and this is were we live now, in a barbarian country who treats its own people like ungulates and other countries like slaves.
I may seem crazy but take me seriously, the system wants us to be slaves, it is sucessful at
getting there, we should not do its dirty job, we must resist.
Dear, you have 4 children, may God bless you and
your children!
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:37 PM
Jenny:

Thank you for your questions. This will have to be a couple of posts, as there is just too much information to disseminate in one post. So, here is the beginning. I am going to answer them four-fold because there are really four facets to the answer. Let me explain:
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:39 PM
2.Bulimia: Psychological craving for food which results in uncontrollable eating often times followed by purging.
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:42 PM
way hotter, your mentality is deplorable. I'm hot because I like it, and man know it. I make myself diffcult but they know that in the end they will have what they want, it has very little to do with more or less wheight. I am not fat, but I'm not so thin, but no one ever mentioned my wheight to me, I would'nt pursue the conversation. Hot means to be hot not to create a hot image, which is actually "cool" not hot.
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:49 PM
What makes me utterly confused is the status of anorexia: is it a life style?
Anorexia is not a lifestyle. Pro-Ana supporters believe it is and adhere to that. Those with disordered eating (which could include most of the US population) wouldn
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:50 PM
Dear Anamiame,

Thanks for your dissertation. It clarifies a lot of things to me.
all my best
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 08:56 PM
Soma is the body, as in "somatic".
soak a rag in vinegar and wrap around your child's feet, it should bring the fever down.
Jenny
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 09:16 PM
way hotter,

mac donalds would not satisfy an African village, they would not eat it, they would not touch such garbage and would laugh at it. I know Africa and they know how to cook.
Anamiame
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 10:07 PM
Jenny;

I'll try the vinegar. In an hour, her temp went from 101.5 to 103. If it isn't down in an hour, we're going to the ER.

TTFN....glad the info helped.

Anamiame
Kylie
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 11:02 PM
Ha. I'm pretty disgusted by what I've read on page 1, that I didn't bother to read any further.

To half of you girls who claim to be anorexic - you're anorexic and can't even spell the word? Anorexia is NOT a freaking lifestyle - it is a MENTAL DISORDER as classified in the DSM-IV psychiatric manual. If you were really anorexic, you wouldn't want to be, you'd hate it as much as the rest of us.

Project Shapeshift USED to be a collective group of educated individuals who actually DID have real eating disorders....in the past year, its degenerated into 'just another pro-ana messageboard'. I'm sorry you all had to see it at its low.
Lemming Meringue
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 | 11:57 PM
It's surprising to me that "pro-ana" is such a farfetched idea to so many people.

I personally view it as a more personalized and self governed version of Weight Watchers. Some people are overweight, some are average weight, and some are underweight. Yet all are treated with the same respect, since each member shares the same goal of attaining a body they can feel proud of. Validation is something every human craves.

An often overlooked fact is that Overeaters Anonymous is also open to anorectics (correct plural of anorexic) and bulimics.

I don't see many pro-ana sites as being much different than O.A. They help those who want to help themselves and support those losing control.

Pro-Anorexia may be a name too shocking and harsh in comparison to what actually occurs in these groups. But it's what lets us find each other and learn from each other's mistakes. There's safety in numbers. Many of us at PS can attest to this.

While I could potentially die from my disorder, my life is prolonged by the wisdom and caring advice gleaned from people in similar situations. (End sob story.)

As for other pro-ana groups, I've wittnessed some absurd behavior and advice, which is why I will have nothing to do with those particular groups.

Explore the groups and see the difference for yourself if you still find yourselves disturbed.
WAY HOTTER THAN YOU
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 01:23 AM
To the PS members: No, i am not a PS member, however i visit the GROTTO often, and have read quite a bit on the PS site

To Jenny: I meant that the AMOUNT of food that AMERICANS eat is enough to feed a African village; However since you KNOW so much about AFRICA and it's cooking, why don't you fly over there and teach the POOR ETHOPIANS how to cook.... i think that might be difficult in a country with no food, i am sure the majority there would eat your fucking arm roasted on an open fire if given the oppurtunity.

MAYBE YOU should try a meditive fast, it's great to bring u back down a little and feel that hunger in your belly to remind u of all the things you have that some people do not
J4N
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 02:25 AM
I love that this post has turned into a (mostly) intelligent forum on the subject. I am a member of PS (xoxoxo guys) and believe that the support it offers is vital to those with ED's. Not to nitpick, but one of my closest friends is an ATSI (Australian Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander), he's a clinical pathologist and i assure you that NOTHING down there is sliced!!! kisses to all.

PS note to PS members- Someone send Jenny some of those thin plastic jelly sex bracelets, pretty please??? I suggest silver as a good colour..... 😊
Jenny
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 04:56 AM
I'm very touched by WAY HOTTER interest in the hunger in Africa and in the way she recreates it in her own rumbling stomach sadly diggesting two micrograms of lettuce and a tea spoon of tofu.
If they, who have nothing to eat, saw that surrounded by riches some choose not to eat, would be either angry or would think that those are saints, self inflicting pennance. Is it offered to GOD this sacrifice? or to the other, the god of vanity?
I do not wear plastic bracelets, but gold.
tart with a <3
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 09:33 AM
It's only natural for people to condemn that which they don't understand. People make judgements, assumptions and whatnot simply because they think things are one way. Being educated on what they're talking about isn't necessary - hell, if they heard it on TV it MUST be true!

The truth is, sites like PS don't perpetuate anorexia. Airbrushed magazines, obsessions with celebrity, 90 lb movie stars... THAT'S what perpetuates eating disorders. Maybe if coked out stick figures weren't what was considered the ideal of beauty, the situation would be different. But this is the society we've created for ourselves.

I've long been a member of PS and I honestly don't know what I'd do without it. It's a haven of unconditional support and information. Unless any of you have ever had an ED or battled with depression, cutting, COE, etc then you really have no basis for your opinions. The site is full of people who understand what they are all going through. I couldn't exactly go up to my friend and tell her about how I freaked out the other day because I thought my shadow looked fat. Neurotic? Yes. But aren't we all neurotic about silly things now and then?
dert
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 11:09 AM
Hello,
My name is Dert and I am one of two moderators at Project Shapeshift. I'd like to just give my own two cents if I may.

First of all, there are two of us moderators at PS. We are both adult, educated women. I have a master's degree, and the other moderator has a master's degree and a law degree. We DO NOT encourage unhealthy behaviors, such as starving, puking, cutting, laxative abuse, drug abuse, or any other destructive means.

I strongly believe that if you are working this damn hard to have a thin body, you better be healthy and strong so you can enjoy it. Consequently, both of us moderators promote exercise, a balanced diet, vitamins, etc.

That being said, we get members at our site from all walks of life. While we DO get some 13 year old girls looking to drop 10 pounds "fast!" we also have members who are students, wives and husbands, mothers, etc. Some of them are just looking to lose weight. Others are recovering from an eating disorder, such as compulsive overating, anorexia, bulemia, and many others. Others are just there to learn, make friends, and to UNDERSTAND. We get people from every dimension of the human psyche.

WE ACCEPT EVERYONE.

Look, I don't really care who the members are, where they are from, or what they look like. There's no weight limitation to be a PS member. But I WILL say that we try to educate all our members that it's possible to be thin *AND* healthy....with an emphasis on the HEALTH.

We have had a few members in the past who I would say qualify as being in the "dangerously anorexic" category. Those members I have REPEATEDLY urged to seek professional help and treatment. A few members I have actually gone out of my way to call for more information and referrals because I really felt that their health was in jeapordy.

I know it's hard when you are just browsing the web and listening to news stories, but I really don't think that you should judge a group of people without really looking into what their motivation, thoughts, and beliefs are. It may help bring you to a greater understanding of who they are and likewise help to teach you to empathise with people who are, after all, your neighbors, friends, and family.
anonymous
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 12:31 PM
There are strong differences between anorexia nervosa and "ana" or "pro-ana." The former is a disorder, the latter according to most is a lifestyle. I tend to think that ana gives people with anorexic tendencies the tools to maintain a weight where they feel comfortable, without dying from their eating disorder. Some people choose it (lifestyle), some people are chosen by it (disorder), and some people fall somewhere in between. The bottom line is that if someone can choose to be overweight and that is so acceptable in our society, why can't someone choose to be underweight? I believe we should be able to choose what our bodies look like. Even if it is detrimental to your health, so is smoking, drinking, etc., and no one is trying to ban those...
Cris
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 01:54 PM
I hesitated at first about commenting. But, I decided that I should voice my opinion, my point of view.

I am an active member of Project Shapeshift, but do not support the idea of Pro-ana. When I came to PS I was caught in the grasp of an eating disorder that was sucking the life out of. Although, part of me knew that I there was healthier ways to be thin, I just couldn't accept it. I did not join PS to get "tips and tricks," but I joined because I found myself suffering, utterly alone. PS gave me a place where not only could I say what I feel, it gave me so much support in striving towards a healthier lifestyle.
As stated before, there are little girls who come around thinking that having an eating disorder, or disordered eating is cool. They are not only discouraged from such dangerous behaviors, but are given facts as to why these things should not be done. The people at Shapeshit are civilized human beings. I cannot compare PS to any other Pro-ana sites, which tell girls that not eating is the answer. I do not think that Anyone at PS would want someone to go through the things that many of us have managed to live through.
Anorexia is a disease. And, while there are many that to support the idea of Pro-ana, something about the word does rub me in the wrong way. There are sites that are Pro-Ana that tell people how to purge, what laxatives work best, how to skip meals, and trick doctors. Project shapeshift is not like that. I simply feel that the mission of project shapeshift is not only persuing weight loss in a healthy manner, but also has to do with acceptance. Yes, there are people that purge, starve, and binge. But, there is always someone there to let them know that they are not alone, there are other ways to deal with things. and not to give up hope.
So, whether someone believes it is a lifestyle or a disorder. Whether they are over-weight, underweight, or just trying to be a bit healthier. I, personally, feel that Project Shapeshift is about accepting one another as we are, forming bonds with others who understand our thoughts and feelings, and having a place to go where being yourself is okay.
Ophelia
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 06:59 PM
It
Jenny
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 07:24 PM
Dear Ophelia,

Until now I did not know apout PS, I went there yesterday but the site is large and I did not have the time to look through it.
I was shocked by some pro ana sites that glamorize anorexia, and I have always had a big problem with the notion of "health" in relation to cusine. My experience with food is that the better it is, as far as ingredients and preparation are concerned, the better one feels eating, does not need to overeat and, since for good cooking a vareity of ingredients is necessary, all vitamines and minerals will be present any ways. I tryed once or twice macrobiotic food and found it awful, perhaps it is "healthy" for somebody without a palate but I felt as if I had eaten raw hay. The traditional Chinese cuisine is very balanced, but what you find in restaurants in America is not good, filled with MSG and sugar. My dream is an environement where food is really good and is served in human portions, around one third of the amount normally served in America. That is already the case in the following countries:
Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, China, Japan, Brazil, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. (the list is long) People there eat very litlle candies and junk food, and are not obese, not even overwheighted. Why not try to concentrate on food as the wonderful thing it is and not look at it as if it were a wild beast that has to be tamed.
Jenny
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 07:27 PM
by the way,

HAPPY VALENTINE
to you all!
dangel
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 09:03 PM
"Dangel
skeeter
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 09:54 PM
I am a fairly new member of PS. I am also COE, a mother, and a grandmother. I searched out this site in support of my eating disorder. I got tired of being way over 200 lbs. I was killing myself with obesity. I was not getting the support from my family or friends around me...heck...I was the object of their fat jokes...haha...yeah right..so why should they support my efforts. These beautiful people in PS has been nothing but supportive to me in my journey to a new me. If I had a question about certain foods, tips,recipes, ect. I got an honest answer and not treated as some dummy. I was applauded for that 1 lb lost...I was comforted and encouraged not to give up when I gain that 1 lb back. So what is the difference of PS compared to say the Weight Watchers, Adkins, or EDiet websites? I learned a lot from these beautiful people in PS finding myself and learning about myself that lead me to my self destructing behavior of complusive overeating. I'll share my experiences with any youngster wanna be anorexic that a healthier way of eating is the way to go. Our Moderators see to that in the posts that I have read. PS also has given me some meaning to my life that I can contribute support as well to other COEs. Unless you have been there, done that...you haven't a leg to stand on in judging me or any other person in our situation.
Anamiame
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 | 10:22 PM
You GO GIRL! My friend and comrade Skeeter.

If anyone is an example of being able to lose weight and lose it the RIGHT way, Skeeter is; alone with having one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching lives.

She is often my strength in the midst of my darkness.

Thanks pal, for posting! You are a dear, sweet person. Always know you are cherished; even when I don't respond as I should......

Hugs and Kisses (Yes, very uncommon for me to say or do).

Anamiame--WHO'S LITTLE GIRL IS FINALLY TEMPERATURE FREE!!!!
older ana
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 | 06:31 PM
I love ps. After years of bulimia,ana and compulsive excersise I feel understood. Yeah you all might think I'm too thin but I'm happy with my body and owe it to acceptence not shame.It seems the anger towards Ps is some kind of jelousy
Boo
in The Land of the Haggii...
 Member
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 | 09:18 AM
The anger or disapproval towards pro ana is a mixture of things and will be different for every person.
Jealousy is probably one of those things for some people, but to try and toss away the thoughts and views of everyone who is not pro ana by dismissing them as just jealousy is a very simplistic way of looking at things. I know that I used to use that as an argument when I was about ten.
People have different compasses. Moral, ethical, mental, physical...
If people who are pro ana would like the respect and acceptance they deserve, they need to show the respect and acceptance to accept the beliefs of those who aren't.
And vice versa.
😕
Maegan
in Tampa, FL - USA
 Member
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 06:58 AM
Okay, so pro-ana sites exist. They are real. Mystery solved. Seriously folks...I'm usually the first one to go off-topic, but this is a little much. Post is solved...go on about your business. I don't think anyone posted to tick anyone else off...I think they were genuinely curious about the site they found.
X
in McKinney, TX
 Member
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 07:26 AM
I checked this site out. Big deal. Nothing facinating. So abunch of chicks want to be skinney, WOO HOO. Personally, I like women to be a little bit chubby, just a little.
Jami
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 01:01 PM
ok pro ana sites are ok they help people and all the peopple are all about helping you recover and feeling good for you if you recover. THey arent bad
sammi kirkendall
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 | 11:13 PM
i am so over weight and i need help... i dont care what it takes i need help prom is in 70 days and i want to lose all the weight i can!!!!!!!!!!!!please help me!
fatty
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 | 12:32 AM
your all sick... but hey if you need to tell your self its a "lifestyle" to make your sad little bodys and minds feel better have fun i think i am going to go have some pizza
sammi kirkendall
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 | 01:22 PM
hey what does PS stand for.
eve
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 01:01 AM
i see nothing wrong with pro-ed/pro-ana/pro-mia whatever sites. people say they promote eating disorders. fine. your opinion. the media promotes eating disorders.you show me how plastering tv and billboards etc with pictures of girls that are 5'11 and a 110 lbs with perfect skin and hair and telling the world, "if you dont look like this your ugly" doesnt promote eating disorders. at least these people have found a way to find eachother and support eachother, even if some think that that support is a bad thing. i dont think it matters how much yahoo or who ever tries to shut down these sites. where theres a will theres a way and people will find what theyre looking for regardless.
Jenny
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 01:44 PM
I think its disgusting, and very real. People are so blinded by media and stuff they cant see the reall picture it IS a disorder
Cristine Palazzo
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 01:47 PM
:sick: I weigh more than I should for being a 16 almost 17 yr old. How can i become anorexic???? Seeing food makes me sick, but I am physically and mentally dependent on it! PLZ help me out! thx
mizzel
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 02:09 PM
I'm writing a persausive essay on pro-ana sites for my AP english class.I need to interview someone to get more information.If there is anyone out there who owns a pro-ana site or is currently involved with one and is willing to be interviewed please let me know by email.Thanks and by the way I support pro-ana sites.[[email protected]]
Anamiame
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 02:11 PM
Jenny:

You stated, "I think its disgusting, and very real. People are so blinded by media and stuff they cant see the reall picture it IS a disorder"

I had requested before an intellectual debate on the issue. I provided you with a rather lengthy dissertation regarding the topic. However, it has now crossed back into personal opinion, outside of factual information.

If that is the case, according the debate rules...We win as I provided you the factual information without digressing into personal opinion.

Now that we are to this point, I will give my opinion. I am a licensed therapist. I work in Children's Services and see teens all the time. I have girls that weigh 90 pounds and girls that weigh 320 pounds on my caseload. I see eating disorders everyday. The one at 320? Oh yeah, she was detained at 3 after finding she and her five brothers and sisters starving to death after Mom just up and left. She hoarded food for three years. Now, she has a weight problem. Go figure.

The 90 pound one? Oh yeah, she'd get beaten if her bed wasn't make perfectly. God forbid she get a B. Amazing.

See, eating disorders come from other places in the soul. That is what is missing here. I was hoping you would find that out; to understand the internal pain that goes along with an extreme eating disorder. As for the "disordered eating" which is problematic eating that does not fit the strict DSMIVR diagnosis for Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Over Eating, often times, it is a mechanism to try to make onself feel better either about themselves physically or emotionally. Where is the line between self comfort and confidence building and disorder? No one really knows because it is so individual; it is so intrinsic for each and every person.

So, when you condemn an individual regarding their particular issue; what often happens is you plunge them further into their own self-deprecating behaviors. Do you care about others? Do you care about others you don't know? It seems you must because you have such a strong opinion on this topic. What you don't realize is that someone may come on here and your words could destroy maybe the last vestage of strength they may have.

Kind words heal. Kind words encourage. Kind words build strength. It's amazing how that works.

As for my personal story; I was tortured as a child--yes tortured. Tied to my bed; locked in closets, raped by both men and women, denied food, hungry, lonely, unloved. Oh, and yes, my mother tried to kill four different times when I was just four years old. When YOU understand that, then you may understand why I eat the way I do. I'd rather work with my professional therapist than with you. However, what I can say, is that I do receive the encouragement and support that I need late at night when the pain in so unbearable and no one in my 'real' world knows what the hell is going on. You say this is sick. Why? I've finally found understanding and compassion and you say it is sick. No, what is sick is the people in the 'real' world that constantly knock down people like me who are just trying to survive day by day.

Think. Feel. Listen. Each and every person that walks by you has a story. Mine is no lie and I only tell the simple things. I doubt you can understand the depth of pain. The girls on that board? Each has a horrific story of pain...horrific for them. Thank God there are others in this ethereal world that can offer a smidgen of compassion and comfort to them.

I'm for real.
Myst
Member
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 | 10:19 PM
Anamiame,

I hear your pain, and the others' as well. From one survivor to another...May peace find you on your path.
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