Am I Anorexic?

health wellness

Asking whether you are anorexic may be a great first step toward controlling a very complicated and difficult illness. Though there can be medical causes for anorexia, a loss of appetite and resulting weight loss, like certain drug therapies or prolonged illness. However, Anorexia Nervosa is a mental disorder caused by numerous factors that are not simply of medical origin. Anorexia Nervosa is as much an illness as is very poor weight or excessive loss of weight due to illnesses like cancer.

If you think you might be anorexic, you might recognize some of these symptoms:
1) Often, the anorexic exerts control over food intake because many things in his or her life seem beyond control. You may find yourself eating tiny amounts of food, like two or three carrots a day, or only one food like rice. It is not uncommon for the anorexic to begin with a bent toward perfectionism. In fact, many anorexics are great students, great athletes, and wonderful friends. They try to be all these things, just as they try to get a perfect body.

2) Unfortunately, along with control of food, the anorexic tends to have a distorted image of his or her body. What would seem skinny or unhealthy to other people still may seem fat to the anorexic. Generally, an anorexic’s weight is significantly underweight. As well, if an anorexic visits a doctor and is told to gain weight, it becomes almost impossible to. Gaining weight would mean getting fat, even if the person is dangerously skinny.

3) In medical terms, anyone who is under 85% of his or her expected weight for height and age is a candidate for an anorexia diagnoses, though there are other factors that can lead to a reduced body size.

4)Although many anorexics may say that they are not hungry in an effort to hide their disorder, hunger persists. When an individual truly stops becoming hungry, that is often a sign that starvation has become life-threatening. Until that time, most anorexics are ravenously hungry, yet not willing to eat.

5) In girls, one of the key signs of anorexia is three missed periods or more. Although this condition, amenorrhea, can also result from girls exercising significantly, if you are not an athlete or pregnant, you should be concerned if periods stop.

6) You might also note symptoms like sunken eyes, slow heart rate, and more susceptibility to illnesses.

7) If food intake continues to be too low, the condition can become life threatening. You can have dangerous heart arrhythmias, and the other organs of the body may fail due to starvation.

8) Unfortunately, the anorexic may fail to take note of these symptoms because the goal is to continue to get thinner. This is a distorted view of the body. If other people have told you that you are too skinny, and especially if a doctor has voiced concerns about your low weight, you probably are anorexic.

If you cannot eat enough food to gain weight, and you limit yourself to very little food, this may be a good indication that you are anorexic as well. In our culture, we are told to watch our weight, and the bodies we see on movie stars are extremely skinny, below normal weight bodies. This helps to distort our image of what we should look like. However, watching one’s weight when one does not need to is a hallmark of anorexia. If a person is below weight, the goal is to get one up to an ideal weight. If ideal weight seems too fat, you may be struggling with a distorted image of what your body needs to look like.

If you think you may be anorexic, the first thing to do is talk to someone who can help you. Maybe that someone isn’t a family member or spouse. It might be a school counselor, a trusted teacher, a friend’s parents, or a doctor. These people can help you explain to family members that you need treatment and support to overcome your condition. The decision to talk to someone may be life-altering for you, as it may help lead you out of a potentially fatal disease, into a healthier and happier life.

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Posted by: anon18912
hi. i'm 13, 5'2" and weigh a whole 88 lbs. I have a very high metabolism, and if I don't eat a meal, i feel fatigue. Whenever I skip at least 1 meal for 2 days in a row, I get a high fever. The last time I got a high fever, I lost 9lbs, making me 79lbs. no matter what i do, i feel like i'm killing myself if I eat too much.
Posted by: anon18341
i dont know if im anorexic. im 13....81 pounds. I do gymnastics 20 hours a week. u can see my ribs. I dont eat sugar, dairy, meat or packaged foods. all my friends noticed but i dont eat very much just fruit and vegetables...i force myself to eat in front of my parents so they dont notice. what should i do????
Posted by: anon18295
please, I need help. I need information too. I'm 14. I just entered high school. I weigh 103 pounds and im 5'6". Is that bad? People tell me im horrifically skinny; it's scary to them. I dont notice anything, I think I look fine. I am a good student. I've gotten nothing lower than an A- since beginning of elementary school. I usually have a break down if I get something lower than an A-. Stress is a main factor in my life. I can't escape it. Except, with having to be a perfect student, i haven't been eating. I don't even think about. I don't feel hungry. Ive been like this since 7th grade. Now i skip breakfast, for lunch i have a bottle of water, and i usually have a little something to eat when i get home. Is something wrong with me?
Posted by: anon17437
I am 13, about 5ft 2 or 3 ? i weigh 98 pounds and I am not skinny what so ever ?!

its not that i am worried about my weight - because im not, I just want to look different ?

I do ballet (which is not the reason I want to alter the way I look) And my legs are nicely toned but its just my bum I want to lose weight on because I am very insecure about it unless its nicely covered (:.

Reading some of the comments here I have started wondering about my eating habits because What i call having a snack, others may call Binge eating.

and sometimes I do feel guilty for what ive eaten because I know that I havent done anything that day whatsoever. And sometimes I will notice that i have only eaten one dinner and a snack or something like that - but I cant Physically bring myself to eat nothing. ( not that I want to ). I dont know ?

Although i havent started my period yet which is quite late and I was thinking maybe it was something to do with my weight but when I was eating ALOT of junk food I was 7 stone 2 pounds but since then I have lost about 2 pounds ?

Which no one has noticed because its not visible!! I think i have some sort of problem with my eating because of how i feel about myself but I wouldnt go as far to say i was anorexic because im not !

I dont look anorexic, in fact im not thin , im slightly on the plumper side. What do you think ?

Posted by: anon17026
i have recently struggled with anorexia nervosa. i was 5'5' and 100 pounds. it got to the point where i would only eat less than 500 calories a day and i was not hungry. now i am still 5'5' and 135 but i want to lose weight and become 125. i am just afraid that i will go back to anorexia again. i had all of the symptoms you listed and i lost my period for a little over a year and i just got it back. my family says im skinny but i think im fat. what should i do? im 13.
Posted by: anon16471
Hello, Im 15, 5'11 and i'm going to estimate my weight as being 117 lbs. I'm wondering if i'm becoming anorexic or not. Every day my parents tell me i'm "eating too little," "I'm nothing but skin and bone." etc.

I have started to eat less and less on purpose to try and lose weight for maybe 2 months. I skip breakfast every day, when i go to school I will give at least half of my lunch away to my friends especially chips and stuff, I try to never drink anything such as: soda, juice, and anything with caffeine. Limiting myself to water. For dinner I try to eat very small portions so I continue to lose weight.

Some things I believe may be symptoms from this are I now have very dry skin near my eyes. It basically is pinkish a little i dunno how to explain scaly. Also my basketball season has just started up and I have found myself getting tired about 20 minutes sooner then I did when i weighed 10-15 lbs above my current weight.

Also, at school I secretly compare myself to my friends. In exercise and eating habits (probably some others but i cant think of atm). Whenever i look in the mirror i can see all my rib bones but i continue to look at my stomach and think of it as fat and I feel an urge to get skinnier.

I have even had friends tell me when i take my shirt off that i must be sucking in my stomach because I cant be that skinny... (but i'm not, or not consciously doing it I don't know) I'm sorry if these things are out of order but, I'm just saying what comes to my head first. Any advice would be helpful.

p.s. I don't eat tiny things such as carrots only However, I do try to eat less such as mentioned above.

Posted by: anon16391
I am 14 years old. I'm 5'3". About a 7 months ago was the last time i was weighed, I was 96lbs. I'm sure i'm about 104 or something like that now. I don't know. But in this past month i've become obsessed with calories and eating less than 1000 a day. I don't eat breakfast. And if possible no lunch. And little dinner. I have no idea if i've lost any weight, i can't tell and i don't own a scale. I don't want to become anorexic, but i really want to lose like 10 lbs. Im fat!! and I know it!!
Posted by: anon16182
hi this is the 20 yr. old from the other comment. ok I weigh 102 pounds and my height is I think 5'3 or 5'4 I dont know how to gain weight. how do you gain weight without getting fat? oh and I also hate food ok well maybe hate is a bad word I um I just dont like it to me it just looks terrible. I dont know anymore I'm tired of being tired can you help me?
Posted by: anon16171
i'm 20 yrs old and I dont feel hungry half the time I've been skinny all my life and if I lose two pounds people would say I look skinner or that I look anorexic and I need to eat and get fat I know that I am skinny and I know I need to eat but I just dont want to I just dont feel hungry. am I anorexic?
Posted by: anon15560
hey im 13 and im about 5 ft 2 and i weigh 100 lbs :3 and my doc has been telling me to eat more just every time i try and eat i cant.
Posted by: alyssa
hi im 15 years old and im 120 pounds. when i was 14 i was 95 pounds and my therapist told me to eat since i was so skinny. i dont want to be 120 pounds anymore why cant i be at least 98 pounds and not be anorexic. Many people tell me im still skinny but i dont believe them. Do you believe i should be 98 pounds and not be anorexic?
Posted by: anon15418
Hi. I'm 15 and I'm about 5'1 and I weigh 94 to 95 pounds. My whole life I've been chubby and weighed around 125 but I'm short. Well I hated it because every girl would be skinny but me. Now I lost weight by reduced calories and excessive exercise but am too skinny and borderline anorexic. I'm seeing a therapist now and she wants my ideal weight to be 105 to 110, which is okay to me, but I am worried about gaining the wrong fat, meaning the flabby fat. I still want to have a flat belly and look good but with more healthy weight on me. I lately have been eating more than enough but not gaining any weight. What can I do?
Posted by: anon14966
Hey, ok i'm a guy about 6'2' and 175 i'm pretty built even though i have a six pack and you can see like all my veins in my entire body and you can see my ribs. all my friends say that need to gain weight but i dont want to get fat i play sports all the time their my life but, i have to lose a lot of weight some times to keep playing an winning cause that's my main drive to lose weight an also because i want to have the perfect body i workout like 8 hours everyday for it and whenever i go in to a room or anywhere i look around and rate everyone there fat ugly sexy etc. and some people say i'm a egocentric cuz i look in every mirror or anything with a reflection just to look at myself so yeah maybe a little bit but whatever is there something wrong with that i'm not the only one that does all this right?
Posted by: anon13749
I'm 15 about 5'7" and when I weighed myself today I weighed 104 lbs, but over the weekend I was down to 101.5 at one point. My BMI says I'm underweight but, I have always been. I LOVE food, which sucks, because I tend to overeat...This just started about 3-4 months ago when I began to eat less and less, normally i'll have a special k bar or english muffin for breakfast, carrots and ranch, soup, or a turkey sandwich for lunch, then eating a lot for dinner and have a few low cal snacks in between with activia yogurt at night. I do have thin hair and it sheds, I also stopped my period, does it sound anorexic? or not...? thank you!
Posted by: anon13329
You're supposed to have fat on you; it's there to keep you warm, to cushion your organs, etc. You couldn't have babies without it... your brain wouldn't work as well... it's not just "extra fat"; it's a valuable part of your body, not to mention the part of you that makes you look feminine. When anorexia gets bad, women start to look more like boys than women.

Lots of women have these subclinical eating disorders... basically something that would be an eating disorder if it were more severe. You don't have to have a diagnosis to get counseling, though you could go to a nutritionist instead.

Posted by: anon11595
Theres a lot of talk of girls being anorexic... but what about guys like myself... im 19... im 6 foot ish... maybe 6 foot 1... and weight around 136lbs usually... it varies obviously a lot... but i think im fat and people keep asking why i'm soo skinny... but its almost like i dont want to lose my figure... when men put on weight they get a big old stomach... and i like my flat skinny waist line... its about 27inches and my hips are like 30 inches... and my chest is 34 so i am skinny enough but i do have some flabbyness on my legs and stomach... its like what meat there is on me... is basically fat... and i havent developed like most guys... i havent gotten hairy thank god and havent got much facial hair... Id hate to end up like a typical hairy foul man.. i duno what to do though.. am i not eating to stop this happening?
Posted by: cutiebear666
Hi, I started a low fat, low calorie diet about a month ago now, and for the last two weeks i seem totally obsessed with counting calories and have been eating under 500 calories a day, only eating fruit and veg and maybe as a treat either a bit of chicken or an egg. The thing is I can stop now, I cant make myself eat and stop thinking about calories. I wouldnt even have a drink of tea because of the milk in it and i dont find myself hungry anymore, i just eat fruit for lunch and a salad at night because i know i have to. I cant stop it and i think i need help but whenever i talk to my boyfriend who is away in the Raf at the moment he just gets angry at me and tells me to go cook a pizza or he wont speak to me. so i lie to him and say i have, but i cant.
Posted by: anon11045
I was wondering if anyone knows how long it takes for anorexia to really develop? I am 20 years old. I started throwing up when i was about 12 and did that till about 17 but got control and stopped for about eight months, and in that time i went from about 130lbs to about 210lbs. Then, in a year i went from 210lbs to about 108lbs. I constantly think about how much I eat. I feel anxious when I have a couple of bites of bread, or even if i drink something with calories, like skim milk (which is ridiculous i know). I wear a size zero but still feel extremely fat and want to lose more weight. I refuse to talk to anyone about it, so if anyone has advice other than talk to someone, it would be appreciated.
Posted by: anon10392
im probly the perfect weight but i don't know im 5'6 and im 127 i only gained 2 pounds since i last weighed my self last year. u can see my ribs and i do not eat lunch any more only my carrots and i will not eat dinner and i only have half a bagel for breakfast and im 12 so i feel kinda fat and people at my school are skinner than me.
Posted by: anon10272
If you need help with anorexia, you can call the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free hotline, for yourself or about someone else, at 1-800-931-2237 or you can visit their website (edap.org) for information, advice, or referrals.
Posted by: anon10271
For those of you who don't know what to say, so you don't say anything, I've written what you can say below. It doesn't matter if you are young or old, male or female, white or black, rich or poor, overweight or underweight... you can say what I've written below. You can write it, read it, IM it, say it, email it, whatever it takes. Here's what to say:

Hey Dad, (or Doctor, Coach, Aunt Janine, etc), I have something important to tell you that's been on my mind, but I haven't said anything because I'm not sure about it all and I'm a little worried about your response (or "about my parents' response"). Can you just listen to me until I'm done? (If the person interrupts you to argue a point, like if you ought to lose weight or if you should be worried about this, say, "Would you please listen to everything I have to say before responding? This is hard for me to talk about and I want to be sure to get it all out.")

I've been trying to lose weight lately and I've noticed that I'm thinking about it a lot now. I've started [say your symptoms and concerns here, like...] not eating even when I'm hungry, and constantly comparing how skinny I am to my friends. Even though I know in my head that this thinking isn't healthy, I can't seem to control it and (sometimes) I really don't want to control it. It's starting to affect my life (or "to concern me," or "to get out of hand") and I'm wondering if I might have anorexia (or, "and my friends are saying that I might have anorexia" or "some people on the internet said I might have anorexia.") I've thought about talking to a (school) counselor or doctor about it, but I'm scared. (You could also mention specific fears, like "I'm scared of being told to gain weight or to stop working out or that I won't be taken seriously or that my Mom will blow it all out of proportion or that it will be true." And/or, you could say whatever other feelings you have like, "I'm embarrassed to be dealing with this at my age, or to be a guy going through this, to be relapsing after going so long, for people to know, to be overweight and maybe anorexic" or maybe you feel conflicted, confused, justified, or another emotion, and you would say that here.) Will you help me? (You could also mention specific ways to help, like "help me to get to the doctor, to tell my Dad, by staying in the doctor's office with me, to understand what's going on, etc?")

That's it! Be honest, be straightforward, and deal with whatever is going on. By saying all of it at once (what's going on, what you've done about it, what you think and feel about it, ask for assistance) you're going to be able to take control of the circumstances and to stop feeling powerless and controlled by these forces pulling you from outside and inside. Choose a mature, trusted adult in your life and tell him/her/them everything here and they'll help you to empower yourself. You might tell the doctor everything to find out your weight and eating are fine and the person who suggested it needlessly made you worry, that you really have a different problem--maybe one easily treated with some medication, or you might find out that your body is starving itself and eating its own fat and organs to live because you aren't giving it enough food and if you keep it up much longer then you'll soon die a painful death. Whatever it is that is going on, following what I said above will get you to where you need to be. So now that you know what to say and how to say it, go say it!

Posted by: anon10269
I've seen a lot of people posting they aren't saying anything about their concerns they might have anorexia because, they say, "I'm not even sure if I have it." Well, people who have symptoms of cancer don't know if they have it, so they talk about their symptoms and get a diagnosis. It might be something different, but it isn't your job to figure that out. Of course you don't know if you have it! That's why you need to talk to someone who can help you figure out what is going on, whatever it is. Go talk to a doctor or other adult today!
Posted by: AlliGirl
please help me! Im 13 and I've lost about 7lbs. really, really recently. I dont know if I have anorexia or not..... I skip breakfast, pretend to eat in front of my friends, and eat as little as possible for dinner. I am 5'0 and down to about 89lbs. Is this normal? I've been down to 76lbs. at my lowest, and really want to get back down to it. Where do I draw the line?
Posted by: anon9310
why do i feel fat even though everyone tells me i'm skinny? no matter what that is how i feel. i don't want people to know because i am a girl no one would ever expect to be anorexic. what do i do?
Posted by: anon8521
my mum is constantly nagging me because apparently i dont eat enough. but usually i eat most of my meals. she bugs me and says i look like i skeleton.. which i dont think i do. i weighed myself today and it said 8 stone 8, im about 5ft 8, which i dont think is anorexic weight. i lost a lot of weight since i was ill and i was 8 stone when i was about 9 and a bit before. i dont wanna be that skinny but i dont wanna be fat either. i look at myself and see the tummy that i want to be flatter. im usually cold, i have dry skin and tired which i read are symptoms. i just want answers to shut her up and leave me alone cos she threatens to take me to the doctors.

this is all complete honesty here.. cos i just want answers now. im so fed up.

Posted by: AlliGirl
hi, im Alexa and 13 years old. Im 5'0 and weigh 96 whole lbs!Ive been trying to lose weight since last year, and at my lowest have made it down to 76 lbs. I try to skip breakfast without my mom knowing and I eat as little of my lunch as possible to get it past my friends. They think im anorexic but I dont know... and Im scared! All I see when I look into the mirror is fat and hated. I am always thirsty and feel very weak almost all the time. My friends are basically force-feeding me and trying to help me "gain weight to be healthy". My best friend almost told my mom... but she didnt, because we're not sure if I have anorexia or not. Im really scared because I know that people can die from this and I just don't know what to do! please help me!!!
Posted by: anon7885
Im 12 years old and have a difficult time with my weight. All of my friends say that they are fat. one person in my class is so skinny i love it!! she is a size 0 in jeans. But although she's skinny she show it off to everyone in class. She stands up and glides her hand down her stomach and laughs. And it's not like we like it. me and my friend always talk like "You're so skinny. Ya right. well you are. no i'm not" stuff like that. I might be a size 1 and she is a size 7 but as i always say jeans can't hide everything. no guys like me. i don't know. im going on a diet but i don't think it's working. i weigh 105 lbs. please tell me what should be my goal or i'm i at a good weight??

Posted by: anon7463
i'm 13 am weigh 28kg. this word anorexia is always in my head i'm always running and exercising, never eating. people at school be like sarcastic calling me fat and stuff and it really gets to me. i think i need help, am i anorexic ?
Posted by: anon6833
I'm not sure if I'm classed as anorexic or not. I'm 23 and approx 7 1/2 stone, I'm not trying to lose weight, I know that I don't need to and if anything I could benefit from putting some on. But I can't seem to eat a regular meal, I don't eat breakfast, never have, I usually skip lunch and in the evening can only manage about half of what would be considered a normal sized meal then I'm full. I eat when I'm hungry which isn't very often, my parents have asked me about this but the honest answer really is that I'm just not hungry. I have the odd binge where I can eat full meal upon meal but it's rare. Does all this make me anorexic???
Posted by: anon6595
hi im danielle and im 12 i have got anorexia and it's hard living with it and the worst thing is my doctor said if i don't put on a few pounds i will die in a week so don't become anorexic please
Posted by: anon6457
I Feel if i am fat which i am i have no reason to live i starve myself and don't lose weight i exercise i don't lose weight my friends say i am skinny but i am fat compared to them i need help
Posted by: olittlewood
to anonymous, if you are concerned that you may be anorexic, then you may have a problem. if you know that you are at an unhealthy weight, and feel like you want to lose more weight, then you may be anorexic. at 13, you cannot handle this on your own--if you have a hard time going to your parents, or family, then you should go to your school nurse, your teacher, or your friend's mom. there are so many adults who would be willing to help you talk to your parents. you don't want to risk your health now, and your future health by waiting to address this. find the strength within--you can do it! good luck and best wishes!
Posted by: anon6411
i posted the last question

how could i tell anyone no one would understand can you please tell me how i could tell someone because i haven't got a clue how.

also i may not actually be anorexic i might just want to lose weight.

Posted by: anon6384
i am 13

i have been worrying about my weight for a few months now i am 5 stone when i see myself i feel soo fat i am always freezing and my hands are blue my friends are starting to notice but i don't care all i want to do is be thin.

what can i do?

Editor's reply: It may help to understand why girls become anorexic. Our article, What are Causes of Anorexia Nervosa? may shed some light on this. If you think that you may be anorexic, please tell an adult who can help.
Posted by: anon6348
hi. i've had anorexia. im 97 pounds.

you need to stop. it gets addicting. no one knows that i'm anorexic. no one knows how i feel. i have all those problems that you do too...

anorexia is a sign of depression. if you start eating you won't be depressed. i tried it and it worked but i gained weight. so i stopped eating and here i am. addicted to not eating. everytime i see food i feel like i'm gonna puke.

stop. you NEED to eat. PLEASE!

Posted by: anon6030
i always feel as if eating is not something i must or want to do and that i'm overweight but i recently got asked if i was anorexic. but it didn't change my view. no one but that one person has mentioned my weight so i'm not sure if he was kidding or not ...
Posted by: anon5997
Hello.

i've struggled with anorexia before.

i'm now 15.

i'm 5'9 and im weighing 120 pounds still losing

you can see my ribs badly when i'm standing OR sitting for that matter.

i get sick WAY too much..

and i'm not eating at all.

i have no appetite what so ever.

i play sports all the time.

i'm an athlete.

but i also have ALOT of stress in my life..

i don't even know where to begin with that.

my parents and everyone around me says i'll be in the hospital soon.

am i too skinny?

how far is too far?!

help

signed;

desperate

Editor's reply: It is good that you are researching your condition. the next step is to talk to your doctor, a trusted teacher or counselor, friend or family member to get help.
Posted by: anon5112
it is known that most pre-teens and teens get anorexia because they want to be skinner. they watch models on TV and compare themself to others. if you or someone you know has done this or YOU even has done this do something about it or it will get worse.

as an anorexic i know it's hard to tell someone when you need to. but its something you just need to. i may be only 12 but i know when it gets bad or starts to improve. i'm still anorexic but i still know what to do. if no one believes you tell me i check this site daily.

I WILL GET YOU A ANSWER IF YOU SPEAK UP

THANK YOU

Posted by: anon5110
its what to say. i'm afraid to tell my teacher because i don't know when to. i don't even know if i'm anorexic yet. because my story should be above this. CAN YOU TELL ME?
Posted by: lamaestra
Please tell your teacher, and if your teacher doesn't listen, tell a different teacher or a friend's mom. Keep talking to adults until someone helps you!
Posted by: anon5086
I am confused if i have anorexia. meet me i'm the 12 year old. im 98 lbs and this is my story

as you no i am currently 98 lbs and i was 110 lbs before my goal on losing weight. in my concern i have been trying to lose weight for about 2 years. i got to 75 lbs at 4 grade, then i started to gain during 5th and 6th grade. in didn't like that. it meant that i was getting fatter and fatter every year. i started to cut myself for eating. i still have the scars. one said my name, another said BNR for Big & Rich, and a lightning bolt. also i non-visible one which said poison. my friends said that i was crazy. my cousin in which has known this for a while said that i NEED to stop hurting myself for this.

Well there is more on the way. i have cracked my wrist for eating fries, bent my finger for EATING. I COULD GO ON! i went to a smoothie diet once. helped a little, but not enough. i didn't know what to do but it's getting worse i can tell.

i read up on anorexia that it can lead to severe dehydration, kidney failure, hair lose, a lot of things. i KNOW i have the severe dehydration because i passed out over it. my hair is falling out a little.

but who can i tell. my mother wouldn't listen when i tried to tell her. should i tell my teacher. and if i should, what could i say.

im scared and i don't know what to to

i don't know who to tell.

I NEED SOME ADVICE FAST

Posted by: anon5075
i'm only 12 and i'm VERY confused if i have anorexia of not. I was 100 pounds when wanted to lose weight. i would and still say that my friends are skinner than me (and they are). Most of my friends are taller so they LOOK skinner than me. Now i'm 98 pounds and i can't stop losing weight. i don't know if i need help or not i am told that i have similar side-affects to it. DO I NEED HELP OR NOT?! i am also getting dehydrated more often, losing some of my hair some how. i don't know!! the dehydrating part is the hardest to deal with. i didn't know i was dehydrated and i road my bike about 1 mile and i ended up passing out on a chair for 3 minutes until i drank something. its serious i know, but i don't know how to tell my mom or get help if i need it. SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!!!! PLEASE.
Posted by: anon4857
I'm 14 years old and think I may have anorexia. It started out really mild. I would eat, but more in the morning and less in the evening (you burn your breakfast calories off by the end of the day). I actually did go from 96 lbs to 87 lbs (I am currently 5'2.5") . Then is sort of became a game...what was the lowest weight I could reach? Then, I went to camp, it's not hard to loose weight there, and when I came home I was only 83 lbs. Then I didn't want to gain weight. Very recently I was sick, and my weight went down to 81 lbs. I don't want to gain weight yet I know I need too! I throw most of my lunch away and say I've eaten think which I haven't really. It's like out of control! I know it's horrible for me, but I can't help it!
Posted by: anon4769
I may only be 12, but I have a hard time dealing with anorexia. I'm not like the other people in my class. While they are drinking dr. pepper and that kind of pop I'm drinking diet stuff. My parents now that i am dieting but what they don't know is that i'm 10 pounds under weight
Posted by: anon4219
It sounds like you may be displaying the symptoms of anorexia, although you really should get a diagnosis and help from a doctor! Please talk to someone - a teacher, your parents, or one of your friend's parents and get help!
Posted by: anon4216
I'm trying to figure out whether I'm anorexic or not. I'm 14 years old and i only weigh 91 pounds. I recently lost 3 pounds this week. I do starve myself most of the time. My friends all ask me why i never eat anything at lunch with them or breakfast. I'm running out of excuses. i don't gag myself and i don't exercise daily, or take diet pills. My friends are worried but my family has no idea. how can I find out if I'm really anorexic or not, without my parents knowing. Can someone tell me at least?
Posted by: anon3000
To the author of the first comment:

Yes, eating too little will put your body into famine mode, where your basal metabolic rate will be reduced to protect your weight. Eating fewer than 1200 calories per day will be counter productive for weight loss. In fact, depending on your height and activity levels, you probably need to eat approximately 1500 calories per day to lose weight consistently.

And yes, you can indeed become actively anorexic again. Many women who have recovered from Anorexia Nervosa will experience relapses of this nature, even years after recovery. Your fixation on what and how much you're eating is a very bad sign, and eating so little is a good way to push yourself over the edge. I strongly urge you to take action now, to avoid falling back into the trap. A good registered dietitian, with experience with treating eating disorders, would be your best bet.

Good luck to you.

Posted by: anon2069
I may only be 13, but i have had an awful time with anorexia. ( i have posted my story and my name is Lottie if u wanna read it) If you worry about it at all, speak to yor doctor. DONT RISK IT, please! You have a small child!! they need a mummy!

Lottie

Posted by: anon870
I have a history of being anorexic when I was a teen. I got this under control, and am now a 47 yr old mom of 1. I have MS, and the limitations of mobility from this combined with gaining almost 100 lbs with the pregnancy, has gotten me to the point of being overweight.

About a month or two ago I decided to try one of the Hoodia products on the market. It is working remarkably well for me. I have lost about 20 lbs so far.

I am also using a computer program where I chart everything that I consume, and it breaks it down to show nutritionally what my percentages are. This way I know what things I need to work on.

With this said, I actually have a couple of questions.

First-The program I'm using also shows me a report that shows my averages over a period of time. Well so far(I've only been using the program a week), my average caloric intake is under 1000 calories per day. Am I being unrealistic in thinking that I should be losing weight quicker? Is there such a thing as your body going into a starvation mode if your intake is too low? I actually have about 80 more lbs to lose. But I am very aware of what I am eating, but I am worried that I could possibly become anorexic again. Is it silly to think that someone of my age could become anorexic?

Thanks for any info you can share.


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