Jenni Schaefer, author of "Life without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How you Can Too" will share her personal story on Monday night, Febryary 13th, 7:00 p.m., Clark Lounge.
In dance class, at the age of only four years old, Jenni Schaefer thought she was fat. Share in Jenni's personal Journey and learn how to help someone you care about who may be struggling from an eating disorder.
An excerpt from "Life Without Ed" (Eating Disorders)
I stepped on the elevator with three other people. That made a total of five of
us on that elevator. Yes, I did say five. Ed was also along for the ride. As soon as
the elevator doors shut and we headed up, Ed whispered in my ear.
“Congratulations, Jenni. You are thinnest person on this elevator. You are really
special today.” The elevator stopped at floor three, and a very petite woman
stepped inside.
Ed immediately said, “Jenni, that woman is thinner than you. You are so large.
You have really let yourself go.” From the ground floor to level three, I felt as if
I had gained twenty or thirty pounds. Have you ever gained weight while riding an elevator? If you have, then you must be familiar with one of Ed’s favorite rules: “You must always be the thinnest person in any given place at any given time.”
Ed has rules for everything. There are the wardrobe rules: “Your ‘skinny’ jeans must always fit your body loosely,” and, “on the days that you binge, you must wear your baggy clothes.” Then, there is the dining rule: “You must always eat less than the people you are dining with on any occasion.” Your Ed may have slightly different rules for you, but one thing is for sure. He has rules, and he expects you to follow them.
What happens if you do not follow Ed’s rules? When I don’t obey Ed, he tells me that I am a worthless individual. He says, “If you don’t do what I am saying, you will never be successful. People will just look down on you for your whole life. You will never realize your full potential.”
On the other hand, if I listen to Ed and do what he says, he tells me, “You are so special. You are doing what ‘normal’ people can’t do. You are a success. If you keep listening to me, your life will be wonderful. You will always be in control.” In reality, you must remember who is really in control –Ed.
