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boxspelunker
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
This is not really the exact point of the article, but many female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals use disordered eating as a way to control their bodies - no periods, unable to have PIV sex, fewer curves, etc. The drop-off in libido isn't always bad, because it gives an excuse to avoid awkward sexual contact.

Of course, not all FTMs feel this way, not all of them control their eating like this, but I have known quite a few in my time.
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WhineAndCheese
05/13/09

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I may not be as thin as I was in high school. But I can go out and eat and drink and have a good time, which is why boyrfriend loves me.

And we have great sex.

Eating wins!
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colormeroutine
05/13/09

@WhineAndCheese: I have recently accepted that I will never be as thin as I was in high school. I am a grown-up and I have a grown-up body with definately grown-up hips. But you know what else comes with that? Boobs! And nothing improves sex like boobs! Everything's a trade-off, you've got to look at the positive
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PersonalBest
05/13/09

@WhineAndCheese: I'm glad that you have such a healthy relationship with your boyfriend and to food and drink. That is awesome. But I have to point out that the article deals with EDs, and it's not really a matter of "should I eat or not?". Sometimes, the psychological factors propelling the ED win over everything else in your life.
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colormeroutine
05/13/09

@PersonalBest: Yes, of course. But once you're out of it realizing and learning to focus on the other things in your life (like great sex) can make not sliding back in a little bit easier. I think that was her point
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jemandtheholograms
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
There are a lot of factors that probably contribute to this. In general, if you're unhappy, you probably aren't going to be in the mood. If you've lost your period, your body thinks that you can't have a child, so it's not going to make you want to procreate. And most of all, if food is your all consuming thought and priority, sex probably just isn't going to rank up there.
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colormeroutine
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
NOTHING can kill my sex drive. It is pretty epically resilient. There have however been long periods where I wanted sex but couldn't enjoy it while I was doing it because OH MY GOD IF I BEND THAT WAY IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE I HAVE A FAT ROLL AND THEN OBVIOUSLY BOY WILL BE SO GROSSED OUT HE WILL GET UP AND LEAVE AND OH MY GOD.

So I wonder if this is a bit chicken-or-egg, because I could totally see that killing someone's sex drive eventually
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elitza owns the last Enzo shirt
05/13/09

@colormeroutine: It does. Trust me. I eat well, am at a reasonably healthy weight, and BF LOVES how I look. But I don't enjoy sex, in large part because I'm too damn worried about the squish factor or even just being seen naked.

It sucks for both of us.
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merv
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
I think it would be interesting to examine the sex life of dieters. Like, is it possible that the enjoyment of sex is related to how thin a person feels? And how does that interact with the physical side effects of crash dieting? Just wonderin'.
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sciencerules
05/13/09

@merv: And especially, if a person correlates "thin" with "sexy" versus another person who does not--how does that play into their enjoyment? Is it really about how thin you are? Or how happy with your body? Or how happy you perceive your partner is with your body?

There are a lot of fascinating studies that could be done here.
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sciencerules
05/13/09

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To me, the original article reads like the articles about the cosmetic effects of smoking. A "you already know x,y,z, but did you know about thing 1?" take on it, to attempt to catch the attention of people who just don't care about x,y,z.

And just because it's "duh" science doesn't mean it's not valuable. Science that challenges our assumptions is incredibly valid, because what if our common sense is wrong? What if there's a better way to help people?
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
I'd say this extends to disordered eating in general. All that time spent on losing weight and 'looking good' for... well, who cares? You'll never get to the ideal, so you'll never feel confident enough, like someone might actually be attracted to you at a whopping 5 lbs from your goal. And if a woman doesn't feel sexy... not good for the sex life.

It's a bit like hormonal birth control. Most women take it so they can be free to have sex with less worry, but many end up not wanting sex at all (or much, much less).
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Rare Affinity
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
I knew very underweight women could suffer from menstruation problems but I did not realise they could also suffer a loss of personal lubrication. Makes sense. Post menopuasal women whose periods have also stopped, can suffer the same side effect.
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valkyrei
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
I lost my period and was unable to sex without lube. Since then, my libido has gone through the roof. Glad the impact [on me] wasn't permanent.
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BellaTricks
05/13/09

@valkyrei: You're lucky. I don't know whether it's a function of prolonged body-consciousness or the fact that I came down with my ED during adolescence, but I never got my sex drive back- despite having gotten my period back five years ago. It's good to hear that this isn't the case with everyone, though.
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hortense
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
Sadly, they failed to note that for many women, a decreased sex drive is not an undesirable side effect, but rather the entire point of starving one's self, especially if the ED is in response to a rape/sexual assault. I knew many women in treatment who developed their ED as a means to "de-sexualize" themselves by losing their breasts, hips, and menstrual cycles.

I lost my period for a year. Not only do you have no sex drive, but I also have osteopenia in my spine as a result. Not good.
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BellaTricks
05/13/09

@hortense: I lost my period as well, never got my sex drive back, and osteoporosis is one of my biggest fears- especially since there's a history of it in my family.

Didn't Fiona Apple come forward and talk about how her anorexia was a response to her rape?
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Majrhoulihan
05/13/09

@hortense: Thanks for sharing that Hortense. I didn't know about that correlation.
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sableized (mawrterdom)
05/13/09

@hortense: I don't really have a response to this specific comment, but I do want to say how incredibly brave and awesome you are, Hortense, to have come to a point in your life where you can talk about your experiences with ED so openly and matter-of-factly. I really admire that.
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Rare Affinity
05/13/09

@hortense: The same theory is sometimes used to explain why some women allow themselves to become morbidly obese. Namely a desire to erect a physical barrier in the form of mounds of flesh so they will appear, in their own eyes, less desirable.
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hortense
05/13/09

@Rare Affinity: Yes, this is true as well.
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Merkin
05/13/09

In reply to Side Effects May Include...
Well, well, well, Captain Obvious (Science Department) strikes again. Duh.
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inabook
05/13/09

@Merkin: Just because things may seem obvious to you based on your anecdotal evidence doesn't mean they are not worth studying. Isn't it good to actually KNOW things, rather than just assume? And aren't there many areas in which there are duelling interpretations of common sense? Things like this may seem obvious in hindsight, but there is value to studying them, and to sharing information.
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