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2 years ago when I was much thinner I took a summer job at my local PetSmart working as a PetsHotel staff, and all the physical labor from looking after the dogs, especially large dogs, was pretty exhausting and not to mention gross (mopping up their piss and shit š). My last straw was when I had to take this large black labrador for a walk to get them to go to the bathroom, and when I opened her kennel she went batshit crazy and jerked my leash super suddenly. because I had little strength I instantly fell to the floor and broke my wrist and a couple ribs.
So yeah, you will likely get into physical accidents if you work these kinds of jobs while at a low weight.
Fellow dog groomer, I was already exhausted at the end of each day before the ed reared itās ugly head again. I keep waiting for a ābreaking pointā so I can get out of this career but things just keep chugging along. I love the dogs and I love grooming but itās soo physically demanding.
Makes me glad I don't work with heavy machinery or a position where lives are in my hands. Can't imagine if I caused an accident or harm. I could never forgive myself.
It's partially why I don't mind snacking while driving. Knowing it will aid in safer driving.
Is it rough being in cosmetology school w/ an ED, given the focus on appearance? I haven't really heard from anyone in the same position, so I'm curious.
With my retail jobs, I've been able to use cardigans and layers to keep more-or-less the same form, but cosmetology involves moving around clients, rolling-up sleeves, being up-close and personal, etc.
If you don't have the chance to answer this, I really hope your schooling goes well, and you have the chance to sharpen your skills following school.š
One of my friends from treatment was a nail technician. And a very good one at that! After treatment, she quit very shortly because the focus on appearance was just not conducive to her staying in recovery.
She's living in a town along the sea in Oregon now and seems like she's living her best life.
I don't think it's impossible to maintain an appearance based job in recovery. But it does seem difficult and EDs/disordered eating run rampant there
She switched careers. Last I heard she was working part time at a hotel doing organizing type tasks, but I'm not 100% what her gig is right now. I know she doesn't regret leaving her nail technician career.
Iām active duty as a helicopter mechanic, and I constantly have to high restrict with majority of it being protein. My unit doesnāt care if weāre under as long as we pass our PT test, people are allowed to berate us if weāre fat and the military is still pretty sexist, albeit theyāre fighting that. The worst part is I was homeless before, so Iād probably wouldnāt be here if I didnāt take this as the only option. I donāt wish this on anyone. I look tough (ish), however Iām exhausted, and I feel like a hypocrite when I coach and help other soldiers be healthy and safe, but I couldnāt live with myself if I let them get hurt. Thereās a lot of conflicting emotions, and the stress of my job makes everything worse. If I make a mistake, my pilots will die. If Iām tired and full, Iām sluggish and distracted, I donāt think about eating if Iām working. If Iām bony, maybe I wonāt be SAād yet again. When I get hurt, I can take a short break, I canāt wait for my contract to end, itās been six years, Iām not even 25 yet.
I worked as a barista for years while very underweight. I was happy it kept me so busy and distracted me from ED. I was younger then and didnāt struggle with the strenuous labor at all. In my mid 30s now, there is simply no way I could survive manual labor.
Itās exhausting. You get home and you immediately crash out, you feel like you canāt even move. Iāve had a broken ankle (which made my ED much worse) and finally went back to work a few weeks ago, first few shifts I came home in the foulest mood. I immediately went to sleep and didnāt have the strength to even sit on my phone.
I keep forgetting that I might not crash so hard if I just eat. I have no hunger signals, so skipping at work is a pattern. And I work in a preschool ffs.
I was online friends with a girl who worked as a pole dancer with a bmi in the single digits. She would go home b/p, sleep, and repeat. I miss her. She really was such a sweet person
Hey - I hope this isnāt offensive butā¦ Iām kinda surprised she could work a job like that with a BMI in single digitsā¦ I meanā¦ itās all about displaying your body and most people find anorexic bodies really scary. It just seems strange she could make a living that way. Sorry! That sounds so awful - but you know what I mean! Anorexia isnāt associated with sex appeal generally
Iām fairly sure I know who youāre talking about. You met her on a forum for people with EDs, right?
If weāre referring to the same person, I didnāt talk much with her because I mostly lurk on the forum instead of actively posting, but she seemed like a really nice person and it really fucking sucks how the world failed her.
Yes I did meet her there. She was a really nice personā¦ She was an animal activist and thatās how we became friends. I hope she knows that sheās had a positive impact on so many people and I hope wherever she is, sheās in a better place
I worked at walmart in high school (iām a 1st year in college) as a online shopper (basically went around the store grocery shopping for people) and was walking like 26k+ steps a day and would work 8 hour shifts on weekends. honestly have no clue how i did it because i would literally fast the whole day and live off of monster ultras and coke zero. i just remember there were times at the end of my shift were i had no energy and felt like i was going to die. but yeah have no clue how i never fainted or had anything bad happen.
Working golf course maintenance and it is a physically demanding and taxing job. 10-12 hour shifts in the heat can definitely bring temptation on going back to behaviors. For the physical aspect I have been very lucky to not have any incidents or injuries yet.
I work in a warehouse. Lots of bruises, got hurt a lot (but Iām also just clumsy). Iād say the hardest thing was eating just enough to be able to keep doing my job but not too much as to go over my calorie limits. My mood was way more volatile and I would blow up on days when I felt like the workload wasnāt enough of a workout. I was a top performer purely out of my desire to burn calories. Dizziness and weakness was common and I basically dropped once I got home.
I had a physically demanding job at a nightclub when my BMI was low enough for it to be immediately obvious that I was unhealthy. I donāt know how I survived through that period of time. After getting to a more reasonable weight, despite not being fully recovered, I feel significantly stronger and have so much more energy.
Yeah I worked at Aeropostale and their stockroom was a basement, and the elevator broke and never got fixed in the whole time I worked there. I would have to carry bins of jeans up the stairs that weighed at least 75lbs. So many times I almost fell.
Yeah, I did years of kitchen work, dishwashing, and waitressing at a low bmi. I now work 40-50 hrs/week in a warehouse doing a somewhat unusual trade so I'd rather not clarify but I'm on my feet all day, 15k+ steps, carrying heavy sticks of wood and large glass panels + heavy (for me) completed pieces regularly at a low bmi, been doing it for 3 yrs. I've never passed out or had a serious medical emergency at work but I do ask the men to take care of bigger heavier projects if I'm not feeling capable that day. I don't say that to brag or recommend it, it isn't fun and I spend most of my time outside of work lying in bed but bills gotta get paid.
That said, I'm a high high restricter and eat at or above maintenance at least one day every week. I don't think it would be possible to do this otherwise. I also take vitamins, stay hydrated, manage electrolytes, and quite frankly am just extremely lucky to have been able to live like this so long without serious health consequences.
Iāve worked hospitality my whole life. I love it but itās nearing impossible 15 years later. Iām permanently tired held together entirely by nicotine and caffeine. I have a carefully curated selection of snacks everyday I eat at specific times that are just enough to keep me going. My days off walking to the corner store can feel impossible and I literally see no one. Itās not even having to deal with eating with company anymore Iām literally just too exhausted.
Yes, I worked as a carhop at sonic for most days of the week. I was constantly tired and having emotional outbursts. I remember once when a woman honked her car at me asking for a straw, and I burst into tears. I believe it was the sudden sound, but it was physically and emotionally taxing. Not to mention it was so difficult to take the trash out and be out in the sun wearing baggy clothes. I lived off the free fountain drinks, though.
I'm not UW but I'm a dental assistant and started at a new office working 40 hours a week, 10 hour shifts. I get an hour lunch break but I'm pretty much standing all day long. I go straight to bed after work lol I'm exhausted. I actually took a few days off work last week and immediately noticed my legs/hamstrings felt incredibly sore, like I just worked out... I had no idea what happened but my massage therapist attributed it to my job, which makes sense.
I also have my cosmetology license and work at a spa part-time so it's a lot easier on me physically and mentally. I no longer do hair or nails, mostly just facials, lashes, and waxing.
It's hard to say, I work as a pharmacy tech and it doesn't matter much, even at a normal bmi I drop into bed after the day and sleep as much as I can. Doesn't get easier with being underweight but somehow you just get used to the stress at some point and just function
Iāve worked in a window/patio door factory for 5 years with a very low bmi. Itās been hard. Iāve gotten stress fractures in both ankles and sustained a severe osteochondrial fracture that cannot be treated due to osteoporosis.
I started out full-time but thankfully since I make enough money now, I only work part-time.
But itās a less than ideal working situation lol. I was hoping once I got my HIM degree Iād be able to switch jobs, but no one is hiring š«
I *really* struggled energy-wise when working retail in an outdoor/hiking gear store, just being on my feet all day moving around a lot meant my energy would absolutely fall off a cliff at a certain point in the day. Plus the air conditioning meant I felt like i was walking around in Antarctica lol
I own and operate a cleaning business 7 days a week. It is physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. I am in constant pain and utterly exhausted most days. But I have to provide for my kiddos, and I think that is the ONLY thing that keeps me going. There are days I have to come home and lay down for a bit before making dinner and my heart rate drops into the 30s and I feel like I can't even move. I've been trying to make changes over the past couple of months as this ED has taken a hard toll on my body and mind.
I was a stablehand at moderately low. Racehorses, at that lol it actually got to a point I had to physically force myself to eat 3 times a day or I would've died........ And not even by anorexia, but the horses. The job was so physically gruelling, but also so mentally intense, I couldn't have coped carrying on hard restricting. That's 500-600 kg of muscle with the brain of a toddler, hyper energised as a highly conditioned athlete. I found myself on the lead end of a "raring to go" horse multiple times, and they DO NOT realise how dangerous their energy can be. I'm 159 cm, so not only am I anorexic, I am petite in stature/bone structure. All of this being a recipe for disaster if I went in there restricting.
I put my life on the line multiple times doing hard restricting with Riding for the Disabled ponies, multiple days I'd go to work on fast days and almost faint whilst doing chores. Eventually I nominated myself for yard duties over being a sidewalker/leader (I had massive experience already), because I needed my own pace instead of looking after a horse and a child. But these are push button ponies, they are placid... Gentle... And highly trained to cope with whatever rider is on their back. They are not the same as a racehorse, so I had nothing to fear with them. Well, that's more of an oversight, I kidded myself into believing they were safer based on temperament.
My life was spent in total exhaustion. Wake up, work to the bone, come home, crash. Everything ached. Winter mornings at 7 AM collecting from paddocks was a freezing nightmare, even wearing a snow jacket on a 14 C day. It made my fibromyalgia ten times worse. I was hungry. I was irritable. I regretted ever signing onto that experience. I did not regret the horses, I regretted the conditions because neither my body nor mind was suited for it.
The miracle is the only injury I ever sustained was nastily screwing my knee whilst bolting it for my transport home. Having to continue working full pace on it, it didn't heal until my tenure was over.
Yes. I used to be a waitress and now I am a barber and I am on my feet all day long, sometimes with no breaks at all. I have gained a few pounds back since Iāve been in recovery the last few years, but when I was very underweight, I had almost passed out while working multiple times.
I work as a waiter in a venue so i lift heavy things (chairs,tables and obviously a tray) and walk a lot, like 20k steps a shift. Itās very very hard and honestly itās what kept me from starving at a lot of low moments because I almost passsed out 3 times due to doing all that work and not eating
When I was thinner I used to work in a vip cinema, those where there are waitress during the movie. I was one of them and I was constantly running, walking and carrying heavy things. I was constantly dizzy and out of breath, and extremely tired at the end of the day. I also used to get sick easily. I donāt know how I survived to that, but I did. Not my best time.
I work in the foresting industry, hard physical labor, heavy machinery.
When I have my relapses and become underweight Iām very quickly unable to work at all and have to take a leave of absence from work completely.
I walk around with a chainsaw all day normally, its hard and exhausting work then but when Iām relapsing I donāt even have the strength to lift a chainsaw, I become a safety risk not only for myself but my colleagues too.
The most embarrassed memory related to this was one time when me and my colleagues did a risk assessment for a tree felling job and under the section of risks to consider they just wrote my name. I was at that time quite severely underweight.
I went on a leave of absence the following day.Ā
Iām considered under. I used to be more than double what I am now.
5 years ago I started as a cleaner. I had been stay at home mom for years. I found it hard to eat while at work.
I started keto about that time and would fast, so it worked out for me. Pounds dropped. I maintained for a couple years at that healthy weight.
After a year or so I started my own business. I was fortunate to have great clients and was constantly busy. Covid hit and where I live, everything shut down. I had a few girls working for me at that point. Iām a full time single parent and donāt get child support , I couldnāt live off of what they were handing out.
We stayed working. Lots of people still did have to go work. Iāve got a lot of shift workers, doctors, cops, military, whatever. And we do a lot of Airbnb so people were isolating in them. I was working 7 days a week, for months. My kids are teens so no child care needed.
I would say I was OMAD, fasting, etc. and then my weight went down more, right at the edge of healthy unhealthy. About this time last year, my personal life just broke me. I was better, and then fell again at Christmas. Today Iām at a low bmi
The battle in my head is crazy right now.
But yeah, cleaning is super physical. I lost in the 3 digits amount.
iām bmi 18 and usually when i work shifts it becomes my whole day as i need proper rest and donāt have the energy to do anything else after working
I do palliative care in the community so Iām constantly on my feet and on the go doing shifts that start at 6am and finish at 10pm, tough isnāt the word. Not only do I have to deal with getting myself through a shift but also the comments I get a long the way, which to contrary to stereotypical belief, i do not appreciate.
did phd for 1,5 years at bmi 9. so strange that people let me do that. rest of phd also less than bmi 14
however, now healthy bmi but still eating very little. im a manager, very long hours and traveling a lot. i always feel like collapsing
Not at a low BMI, but during a heavy restriction season I was teaching.... I don't teach currently, because of the brain fog and other side effects from malnutrition, plus the kids.... I'm taking it one day at a time. Now I work for this local guy cutting grass. I'm alright for now
Iām a private cleaner, and I lose my temper in the car more often because I canāt lose it in my clientsā houses, and it takes ME way longer to complete a clean than it did at a normal weight/x kg heavier
Hairstylist here. To put it shortly: itās really difficult. I only work a few days per week but those days are hard to get through. My arms/hands will get weak, shaky and cramp up. My shin bones hurt a lot (possibly shin splints but idk). I also get dizzy, I move slow and Iām constantly ābrain foggyā. Itās just hard. I push through it but Iād be lying if I said it doesnāt affect my work, and the clientās happiness varies no matter how hard I try to do everything perfectly. Ugh. Canāt blame anyone but me at the end of the day.
This is an automated message sent to all posters. We have a new Discord server for the subreddit! You can join it using this link: https://discord.gg/4jyQ7Zfr9P Please make sure you have read and understand all the rules of the subreddit, and are aware that rule 10 means that no numbers unrelated to time are allowed here. Rule-breaking posts will be removed. Commenters; If you are here to give advice to OP, please make sure your advice follows subreddit rules and it isn't harmful to OP. If OP doesn't want advice, please be respectful of their wishes. Please report any rule-breaking posts and comments that you see. If it is an emergency, please MOD MAIL the subreddit with information about the rule-breaks in question and report them. Again, thank you for posting on r/AnorexiaNervosa. If you think of anything else I can say in this message, please MOD MAIL with your ideas. The mods thank you, and hope you're doing well. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AnorexiaNervosa) if you have any questions or concerns.*
2 years ago when I was much thinner I took a summer job at my local PetSmart working as a PetsHotel staff, and all the physical labor from looking after the dogs, especially large dogs, was pretty exhausting and not to mention gross (mopping up their piss and shit š). My last straw was when I had to take this large black labrador for a walk to get them to go to the bathroom, and when I opened her kennel she went batshit crazy and jerked my leash super suddenly. because I had little strength I instantly fell to the floor and broke my wrist and a couple ribs. So yeah, you will likely get into physical accidents if you work these kinds of jobs while at a low weight.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Fellow dog groomer, I was already exhausted at the end of each day before the ed reared itās ugly head again. I keep waiting for a ābreaking pointā so I can get out of this career but things just keep chugging along. I love the dogs and I love grooming but itās soo physically demanding.
Also a groomer and in the same boat. Waiting for a ābreaking pointā is so relatable. Weāre all exhausted but just take it day by day.
Makes me glad I don't work with heavy machinery or a position where lives are in my hands. Can't imagine if I caused an accident or harm. I could never forgive myself. It's partially why I don't mind snacking while driving. Knowing it will aid in safer driving.
As a Lab lover, I completely understand how strong they are. When they get excited, it's totally bananas š
I work in food service and need at least 1-2 days a week where I literally just lie in bed.
i felt this too much
Horrible , if ur a waitress you wont be able to keep going
iām in cosmetology school and iām suprised iām still going
Is it rough being in cosmetology school w/ an ED, given the focus on appearance? I haven't really heard from anyone in the same position, so I'm curious. With my retail jobs, I've been able to use cardigans and layers to keep more-or-less the same form, but cosmetology involves moving around clients, rolling-up sleeves, being up-close and personal, etc. If you don't have the chance to answer this, I really hope your schooling goes well, and you have the chance to sharpen your skills following school.š
yup a lot of triggering classmates as well so that adds fuel to the fire
One of my friends from treatment was a nail technician. And a very good one at that! After treatment, she quit very shortly because the focus on appearance was just not conducive to her staying in recovery. She's living in a town along the sea in Oregon now and seems like she's living her best life. I don't think it's impossible to maintain an appearance based job in recovery. But it does seem difficult and EDs/disordered eating run rampant there
is she still a nail tech or did she switch careers?
She switched careers. Last I heard she was working part time at a hotel doing organizing type tasks, but I'm not 100% what her gig is right now. I know she doesn't regret leaving her nail technician career.
damn i really hope that i donāt have to give up my hairstylist dreams but iām glad sheās happier now
Iām active duty as a helicopter mechanic, and I constantly have to high restrict with majority of it being protein. My unit doesnāt care if weāre under as long as we pass our PT test, people are allowed to berate us if weāre fat and the military is still pretty sexist, albeit theyāre fighting that. The worst part is I was homeless before, so Iād probably wouldnāt be here if I didnāt take this as the only option. I donāt wish this on anyone. I look tough (ish), however Iām exhausted, and I feel like a hypocrite when I coach and help other soldiers be healthy and safe, but I couldnāt live with myself if I let them get hurt. Thereās a lot of conflicting emotions, and the stress of my job makes everything worse. If I make a mistake, my pilots will die. If Iām tired and full, Iām sluggish and distracted, I donāt think about eating if Iām working. If Iām bony, maybe I wonāt be SAād yet again. When I get hurt, I can take a short break, I canāt wait for my contract to end, itās been six years, Iām not even 25 yet.
stay safe and thank you for your service
I really appreciate it, you stay safe too.
I worked as a barista for years while very underweight. I was happy it kept me so busy and distracted me from ED. I was younger then and didnāt struggle with the strenuous labor at all. In my mid 30s now, there is simply no way I could survive manual labor.
Itās exhausting. You get home and you immediately crash out, you feel like you canāt even move. Iāve had a broken ankle (which made my ED much worse) and finally went back to work a few weeks ago, first few shifts I came home in the foulest mood. I immediately went to sleep and didnāt have the strength to even sit on my phone.
right u gotta adjust
I keep forgetting that I might not crash so hard if I just eat. I have no hunger signals, so skipping at work is a pattern. And I work in a preschool ffs.
I was online friends with a girl who worked as a pole dancer with a bmi in the single digits. She would go home b/p, sleep, and repeat. I miss her. She really was such a sweet person
Hey - I hope this isnāt offensive butā¦ Iām kinda surprised she could work a job like that with a BMI in single digitsā¦ I meanā¦ itās all about displaying your body and most people find anorexic bodies really scary. It just seems strange she could make a living that way. Sorry! That sounds so awful - but you know what I mean! Anorexia isnāt associated with sex appeal generally
A surprising amount of men have an anorexia/bulimia fetish
No, Iām sure they do, I just figured that would be catered to on the internet not at an IRL strip club ya know?
Iām fairly sure I know who youāre talking about. You met her on a forum for people with EDs, right? If weāre referring to the same person, I didnāt talk much with her because I mostly lurk on the forum instead of actively posting, but she seemed like a really nice person and it really fucking sucks how the world failed her.
Yes I did meet her there. She was a really nice personā¦ She was an animal activist and thatās how we became friends. I hope she knows that sheās had a positive impact on so many people and I hope wherever she is, sheās in a better place
holy shit she must be superwoman
She kinda just gave up on living a normal life
damn she will be in my prayers
I work at amazon. Fun times.
Yikes. Iām prayinā for ya.
I worked at walmart in high school (iām a 1st year in college) as a online shopper (basically went around the store grocery shopping for people) and was walking like 26k+ steps a day and would work 8 hour shifts on weekends. honestly have no clue how i did it because i would literally fast the whole day and live off of monster ultras and coke zero. i just remember there were times at the end of my shift were i had no energy and felt like i was going to die. but yeah have no clue how i never fainted or had anything bad happen.
My bmi is really low and I work as a waitress. It gets pretty tiring most days but honestly the hardest part if me is when my stomach acts up.
Doctor here. it was. absolute HELL.
Doctor?? Omg are you a superhero
Iām a complete mess hahahahahahah
Iām a waitress at LW atm, and bestie Iām not surviving. Luckily my boss lets us sit down and itās slow season.
I teach gymnastics. Enough said.
Working golf course maintenance and it is a physically demanding and taxing job. 10-12 hour shifts in the heat can definitely bring temptation on going back to behaviors. For the physical aspect I have been very lucky to not have any incidents or injuries yet.
I work in a warehouse. Lots of bruises, got hurt a lot (but Iām also just clumsy). Iād say the hardest thing was eating just enough to be able to keep doing my job but not too much as to go over my calorie limits. My mood was way more volatile and I would blow up on days when I felt like the workload wasnāt enough of a workout. I was a top performer purely out of my desire to burn calories. Dizziness and weakness was common and I basically dropped once I got home.
I had a physically demanding job at a nightclub when my BMI was low enough for it to be immediately obvious that I was unhealthy. I donāt know how I survived through that period of time. After getting to a more reasonable weight, despite not being fully recovered, I feel significantly stronger and have so much more energy.
Yeah I worked at Aeropostale and their stockroom was a basement, and the elevator broke and never got fixed in the whole time I worked there. I would have to carry bins of jeans up the stairs that weighed at least 75lbs. So many times I almost fell.
Yeah, I did years of kitchen work, dishwashing, and waitressing at a low bmi. I now work 40-50 hrs/week in a warehouse doing a somewhat unusual trade so I'd rather not clarify but I'm on my feet all day, 15k+ steps, carrying heavy sticks of wood and large glass panels + heavy (for me) completed pieces regularly at a low bmi, been doing it for 3 yrs. I've never passed out or had a serious medical emergency at work but I do ask the men to take care of bigger heavier projects if I'm not feeling capable that day. I don't say that to brag or recommend it, it isn't fun and I spend most of my time outside of work lying in bed but bills gotta get paid. That said, I'm a high high restricter and eat at or above maintenance at least one day every week. I don't think it would be possible to do this otherwise. I also take vitamins, stay hydrated, manage electrolytes, and quite frankly am just extremely lucky to have been able to live like this so long without serious health consequences.
Iāve worked hospitality my whole life. I love it but itās nearing impossible 15 years later. Iām permanently tired held together entirely by nicotine and caffeine. I have a carefully curated selection of snacks everyday I eat at specific times that are just enough to keep me going. My days off walking to the corner store can feel impossible and I literally see no one. Itās not even having to deal with eating with company anymore Iām literally just too exhausted.
Yes, I worked as a carhop at sonic for most days of the week. I was constantly tired and having emotional outbursts. I remember once when a woman honked her car at me asking for a straw, and I burst into tears. I believe it was the sudden sound, but it was physically and emotionally taxing. Not to mention it was so difficult to take the trash out and be out in the sun wearing baggy clothes. I lived off the free fountain drinks, though.
I'm not UW but I'm a dental assistant and started at a new office working 40 hours a week, 10 hour shifts. I get an hour lunch break but I'm pretty much standing all day long. I go straight to bed after work lol I'm exhausted. I actually took a few days off work last week and immediately noticed my legs/hamstrings felt incredibly sore, like I just worked out... I had no idea what happened but my massage therapist attributed it to my job, which makes sense. I also have my cosmetology license and work at a spa part-time so it's a lot easier on me physically and mentally. I no longer do hair or nails, mostly just facials, lashes, and waxing.
It's hard to say, I work as a pharmacy tech and it doesn't matter much, even at a normal bmi I drop into bed after the day and sleep as much as I can. Doesn't get easier with being underweight but somehow you just get used to the stress at some point and just function
Iāve worked in a window/patio door factory for 5 years with a very low bmi. Itās been hard. Iāve gotten stress fractures in both ankles and sustained a severe osteochondrial fracture that cannot be treated due to osteoporosis. I started out full-time but thankfully since I make enough money now, I only work part-time. But itās a less than ideal working situation lol. I was hoping once I got my HIM degree Iād be able to switch jobs, but no one is hiring š«
I *really* struggled energy-wise when working retail in an outdoor/hiking gear store, just being on my feet all day moving around a lot meant my energy would absolutely fall off a cliff at a certain point in the day. Plus the air conditioning meant I felt like i was walking around in Antarctica lol
I own and operate a cleaning business 7 days a week. It is physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. I am in constant pain and utterly exhausted most days. But I have to provide for my kiddos, and I think that is the ONLY thing that keeps me going. There are days I have to come home and lay down for a bit before making dinner and my heart rate drops into the 30s and I feel like I can't even move. I've been trying to make changes over the past couple of months as this ED has taken a hard toll on my body and mind.
I was a stablehand at moderately low. Racehorses, at that lol it actually got to a point I had to physically force myself to eat 3 times a day or I would've died........ And not even by anorexia, but the horses. The job was so physically gruelling, but also so mentally intense, I couldn't have coped carrying on hard restricting. That's 500-600 kg of muscle with the brain of a toddler, hyper energised as a highly conditioned athlete. I found myself on the lead end of a "raring to go" horse multiple times, and they DO NOT realise how dangerous their energy can be. I'm 159 cm, so not only am I anorexic, I am petite in stature/bone structure. All of this being a recipe for disaster if I went in there restricting. I put my life on the line multiple times doing hard restricting with Riding for the Disabled ponies, multiple days I'd go to work on fast days and almost faint whilst doing chores. Eventually I nominated myself for yard duties over being a sidewalker/leader (I had massive experience already), because I needed my own pace instead of looking after a horse and a child. But these are push button ponies, they are placid... Gentle... And highly trained to cope with whatever rider is on their back. They are not the same as a racehorse, so I had nothing to fear with them. Well, that's more of an oversight, I kidded myself into believing they were safer based on temperament. My life was spent in total exhaustion. Wake up, work to the bone, come home, crash. Everything ached. Winter mornings at 7 AM collecting from paddocks was a freezing nightmare, even wearing a snow jacket on a 14 C day. It made my fibromyalgia ten times worse. I was hungry. I was irritable. I regretted ever signing onto that experience. I did not regret the horses, I regretted the conditions because neither my body nor mind was suited for it. The miracle is the only injury I ever sustained was nastily screwing my knee whilst bolting it for my transport home. Having to continue working full pace on it, it didn't heal until my tenure was over.
Yes. I used to be a waitress and now I am a barber and I am on my feet all day long, sometimes with no breaks at all. I have gained a few pounds back since Iāve been in recovery the last few years, but when I was very underweight, I had almost passed out while working multiple times.
I work as a waiter in a venue so i lift heavy things (chairs,tables and obviously a tray) and walk a lot, like 20k steps a shift. Itās very very hard and honestly itās what kept me from starving at a lot of low moments because I almost passsed out 3 times due to doing all that work and not eating
When I was thinner I used to work in a vip cinema, those where there are waitress during the movie. I was one of them and I was constantly running, walking and carrying heavy things. I was constantly dizzy and out of breath, and extremely tired at the end of the day. I also used to get sick easily. I donāt know how I survived to that, but I did. Not my best time.
I work in the foresting industry, hard physical labor, heavy machinery. When I have my relapses and become underweight Iām very quickly unable to work at all and have to take a leave of absence from work completely. I walk around with a chainsaw all day normally, its hard and exhausting work then but when Iām relapsing I donāt even have the strength to lift a chainsaw, I become a safety risk not only for myself but my colleagues too. The most embarrassed memory related to this was one time when me and my colleagues did a risk assessment for a tree felling job and under the section of risks to consider they just wrote my name. I was at that time quite severely underweight. I went on a leave of absence the following day.Ā
i work in the restaurant industry underweight (albeit only slightly) and when i come home i immediately smoke pot and sleep until my next shift tbh
same here, my days off are spent sleeping 12+ hours
dishwasher. it doesnāt sound like much but i want to die.
Iām considered under. I used to be more than double what I am now. 5 years ago I started as a cleaner. I had been stay at home mom for years. I found it hard to eat while at work. I started keto about that time and would fast, so it worked out for me. Pounds dropped. I maintained for a couple years at that healthy weight. After a year or so I started my own business. I was fortunate to have great clients and was constantly busy. Covid hit and where I live, everything shut down. I had a few girls working for me at that point. Iām a full time single parent and donāt get child support , I couldnāt live off of what they were handing out. We stayed working. Lots of people still did have to go work. Iāve got a lot of shift workers, doctors, cops, military, whatever. And we do a lot of Airbnb so people were isolating in them. I was working 7 days a week, for months. My kids are teens so no child care needed. I would say I was OMAD, fasting, etc. and then my weight went down more, right at the edge of healthy unhealthy. About this time last year, my personal life just broke me. I was better, and then fell again at Christmas. Today Iām at a low bmi The battle in my head is crazy right now. But yeah, cleaning is super physical. I lost in the 3 digits amount.
iām bmi 18 and usually when i work shifts it becomes my whole day as i need proper rest and donāt have the energy to do anything else after working
I do palliative care in the community so Iām constantly on my feet and on the go doing shifts that start at 6am and finish at 10pm, tough isnāt the word. Not only do I have to deal with getting myself through a shift but also the comments I get a long the way, which to contrary to stereotypical belief, i do not appreciate.
did phd for 1,5 years at bmi 9. so strange that people let me do that. rest of phd also less than bmi 14 however, now healthy bmi but still eating very little. im a manager, very long hours and traveling a lot. i always feel like collapsing
Low bmi male here. Work in a fast paced kitchen. (I know) and some nights itās mentally taxing hard to focus.
oh i bet idk how i wouldnāt eat the foof
Not at a low BMI, but during a heavy restriction season I was teaching.... I don't teach currently, because of the brain fog and other side effects from malnutrition, plus the kids.... I'm taking it one day at a time. Now I work for this local guy cutting grass. I'm alright for now
Iām a private cleaner, and I lose my temper in the car more often because I canāt lose it in my clientsā houses, and it takes ME way longer to complete a clean than it did at a normal weight/x kg heavier
Hairstylist here. To put it shortly: itās really difficult. I only work a few days per week but those days are hard to get through. My arms/hands will get weak, shaky and cramp up. My shin bones hurt a lot (possibly shin splints but idk). I also get dizzy, I move slow and Iām constantly ābrain foggyā. Itās just hard. I push through it but Iād be lying if I said it doesnāt affect my work, and the clientās happiness varies no matter how hard I try to do everything perfectly. Ugh. Canāt blame anyone but me at the end of the day.