Why I hate Eating Disorders? Because Eating Disorders are lethal and they kill. It’s not even an easy death but a slow painful one. Don’t forget that all forms of eating disorders are dangerous. So Please Seek Help and Go for Recovery, Before you know, you will be spinning in this vicious cycle of Eating Disorder with no way out.

 

Dear Visitors,

 

Please find below a personal journey of undertaking  a task to challenge myself, will I do it again, No, because it has its own side effects. I embark on a three day challenge to raise funds for a very sweet person who is suffering from Anorexia in Indonesia. I know this small sum of money will help her to take a first step towards recovery from her Eating Disorder.  My sponsors are myself and some of my idle friends, who really have nothing better to do. For them this is an ideal scenario, my ED demon facing its last challenge of eating foods that it’s not familiar with.  Eating Disorders are not just about food, they are more complex, but food is a major part of recovery, without food there is no recovery.

 

 

My Three Day Challenge to really Defeat the Demon of Eating Disorder

 

 

 

 

My Challenge

 

 

I will be spending three days in Brighton with my ex-Boss following a vegan diet with one to one mentoring.  Dottie is one person who has witnessed my spiral into the world of Eating disorder first hand.  When I joined her organization, my aim was to build my resume in order to meet all the criteria on UN’s application form.  Sniff Sniff, the end result was I ended up ticking all the boxes on ED’s criteria list. Well if it wasn’t for Dottie and her team, I think I would still be stuck in the limbo of ED. I love this woman from bottom of my heart. She’s 75 and has an amazing energy. I want to be like her when I’m 75, full of life, vitality and kindness. She gave up everything to set up her organization and never turns anyone away. She helps people who suffer from Cancer and she has helped hundreds of sufferers and their families.

 All the meals will be prepared by a nutritionist and my challenge is to simply accept the food that will be put in front of me, don’t ask any questions and finish everything on my plate and absolutely no ED behaviors. In these three days I will be consuming 9 well-balanced meals and 9 healthy snacks that include carbohydrate, vegetables, protein and fat. I have no idea what the menu will be like.  I know for snacks I will be consuming some power smoothies. I will be doing gentle yoga on the beach Brrr and I will also be taking short walks. I really dislike winters and I dislike walking. I always hibernate in winters, but this winter is different. It’s all about facing fears and embracing life.

A common anorexia myth is that people with the illness hate food and don’t eat at all, don’t want anything to do with it- but that is not true.

Why this is a challenge?

I am controlling when it comes to what I eat, where I eat and how much I eat? I don’t eat out very often. Maybe once or twice a year. My excuse? All restaurants fail to meet my expectations. For years I believed and I still believe that food at these places can never live up to my standards. I don’t dine out often and when I do eat out, it’s with friends who’ve been on this journey with me and who cook meals to my liking.

Why I want to do this?

Fundraising but also to mock the demon of ED and maybe take a  little revenge for keeping me imprisoned in the world of ED for years. I will be doing everything that is opposite to the demands of the demon of Eating Disorder. I want to see my demon of ED squirm and perish forever.

 

A Man was not created to develop unhealthy obsessions with food, weight and body. “Know, O beloved, that man was not created in jest or at random, but marvellously made and for some great end. Although he is not form everlasting, yet he lives for ever; and though his body is mean and earthly, yet his spirit is lofty and divine” ― Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

 

Why Vegan?

My boss is vegan. I am not a vegan and I can never be a vegan, simply because my family will have a heart attack if I tell them what vegan lifestyle is all about.

 

I am ready Brighton Here I come. Challenge starts on the evening of 11^th December and ends on the morning of 15^th December 2013.

 

 

People who suffer from Eating Disorder often lose hope- We can’t lose hope. We are people of hope, because our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) never lost hope despite everything he faced. Help people who suffer from this illness and remind them that there is hope for them as well. Hope in all situations and circumstances. Hope in Allah.  When there is hope in Allah, nothing is lost but everything is gained.

 

Love and Blessings

Maha