How to be Ana

I know most people say you can't choose to develop an eating disorder, but to some extent, you can learn the habits and tendencies of an eating disordered person. Go ahead and hate me all you want, I don't give a flying fladoodale. "Ana" is not anorexia. "Ana" is starving yourself to lose weight.

1) Keep a food diary. This is actually a 100% normal habit for people who are trying to lose weight. Record every last calorie which enters your mouth. It helps to keep it on your phone or iPod because you can add things right away if you are forgetful. Fitday and MyFitnessPal work perfectly fine.

2) Limit your calories slowly. Everyone gets hungry when they start eating less. Your body doesn't want to lose weight, you do. The less hungry you get, the less likely you are to binge. If your average intake before you began losing weight was more than 2000, begin by restricting to 1500. If it was between 1500 and 2000, start with 1200. Every week, lower it by 100 calories if you kept within target. If you messed up, keep going at that level for another week until you don't mess up. Don't go below intake 500. It's alright, in fact, encouraged to have a net calories of below 300, but you still have to put something in otherwise you will become too tempted to binge.

3) Don't tell people about your weight loss. They will get suspicious.

4) Pick a goal and stick to it. BMI of 16.5 is usually simple to maintain for long periods of time.

5) Don't take breaks unless you are ill or injured.
6) If you want binge, take one bite of the food you want and throw the rest out.

7) Fasting. It is actually very helpful to your body if done correctly. Don't over use diet sodas because that's basically wrecking your kidneys worse than food is. Fast for 48-72 hours. Don't go for longer goals, fasting isn't a sport. Exercise while fasting should be low impact, non sport types. Calisthenics are okay. Walking is good. No running, swimming, exercise equipment involved, or sports.

8) Don't do the ABC diet. Just don't even try. It's full of B.S. and only works for experienced restrictors. Just leave fad diets alone. They are just pretty decorations on restricting.

9) Calorie jumping (2468 diet), high calorie days, and starvation mode only apply if you have less than 12% body fat.

10) Find at least twenty other things to do than eat. Pick up a book or two from the library. Practice/learn to play an instrument. Don't use sports. Play cards. Download phone games and play them. Write practice essays for school/college if you are not in school right now. Do all of your school work. Keep your room clean. These things should be activities not related to eating/eating disorders and you should be able to do them without other people.

11) Ana buddies suck. They never stick around. Ever. There is no such thing as an Ana trainer. Yeah,  Starving in Suburbia was total b.s., pro-ana websites are very supportive places and if you are treated harshly, it's mainly because they don't want you to develop an eating disorder. Ha ha. Too late.

These suggestions will not make you develop an eating disorder. They may trigger someone who was trying to recover, but anyone who read them all the way through was looking to be triggered and was not forced to read them. Do not try and blame me or any website for your eating issues or bad body image. It's not me, I'm just a dying anorexic with no other pleasure than hurting other people.