B-eat support groups

[applespice]

I'm contemplating going to a B-eat support group in my city.. but am very very nervous/anxious about what to expect.
Has anyone any experience with these?
I'm scared that everyone there will be very very emaciated... and I will look out of place.

[annaliese]

I've never been to one, but I bet they won't be all be emaciated, I promise. Every time I've feared this I've always been surprised because it never happens! Maybe there will be, but if you're opening up, it's harder to feel envy, you just feel sad.

[HiLz]

I went to one near my old house in London. That was in 2011 or 2012 can't even remember properly. I was too afraid to go on my own so my friends boyfriend went with me and said some very nice things to me to convince me to go in through the door then he left. We didn't know that he would have been allowed to stay inside with me as it was my first time.

You are allowed to bring someone to support you if you so desire, but I think it's best to check with the group facilitator first.

I had exactly the same worries and fears that everyone would be more ED than me. I thought they would all be stick thin and I would be the fat one. I thought my Anorexia is going to look like a joke compared to everyone else.

Well, there were people of all different shapes and sizes just like you see in your everyday life. There were overweight people, normal weight people, thin people and very thin people. There was a person who was awaiting approval for bariatric surgery and she shared her anxieties about it with us. The group facilitator was a healthy weight and quite nice.

We went round and said our names & ages. We did an activity for an hour in groups where we had to discuss something that I don't remember anymore.

We all had to contribute £5 each though. Some groups require a contribution, but some don't. I wanted to keep going but I never did again for a number of reasons & one of them was I actually couldn't afford to pay the £5.

I have been considering going to one at University College London since 2011, but I have never been able to actually bring myself to go. I'm afraid of not being the thinnest. I emailed the group facilitator on multiple occasions informing her about how I was feeling and she was very positive and reassured me it would be ok and I should come. She even offered to come and meet me outside the uni and walk with me into the room so I don't feel so afraid and paranoid.

You can contact the facilitator but be very careful to call only at the between the times and days they have stated and never before or after. I made this mistake once and I was met with a rather irate woman on the other end who very sternly told me off for calling on the wrong day and told me to call back at the appointed time and date and cut me off.