Anorexic or not?

Magsi

Magsi

New member
Regarding Anorexia, I have a question.

I always heard people say 'oh she must be anorexic' when they saw a really small thin person. It bothered me because in my mind being anorexic doesn't mean to be really small, but to limit food in extreme quantity.

I always thought I was anorexic when I ate 500-600 kcal a day for more than three months. At that time I went from weighing 240lbs to 169. I figured, anorexic doesn't mean too skinny, it means 'willingly starving'. Now, I read that anorexia is being mentally confused about one's body, thinking 90lbs is too much... I guess maybe I wasn't anorexic, since I really was too fat. Right?
Someone who knows more about the topic, please explain.

How does one know if they have an eating disorder anyway? I either eat too much or too little, I simply can't seem to find a good in-between. Should I seek professional help? I do eat quite a bit, a lots of sweets!

Thanks!
 
is one of the best websites I've seen on the subject of eating disorders... they have a list of signs:
Anorexia/Bulimia

Anorexia/Bulimia
  1. Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time.
  2. Wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape and/or weight loss.
  3. Obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems (even if "average" weight or thin).
  4. Obsession with calories and fat content of foods.
  5. Obsession with continuous exercise.
  6. Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately following meals (sometimes accompanied with water running in the bathroom for a long period of time to hide the sound of vomiting).
  7. Visible food restriction and self-starvation.
  8. Visible bingeing and/or purging.
  9. Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup (can cause immediate death!) or enemas.
  10. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others.
  11. Unusual Food rituals such as shifting the food around on the plate to look eaten; cutting food into tiny pieces; making sure the fork avoids contact with the lips (using teeth to scrap food off the fork or spoon); chewing food and spitting it out, but not swallowing; dropping food into napkin on lap to later throw away.
  12. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to avoid eating (Anorexia) or to eat at a later time (Bulimia).
  13. Flushing uneaten food down the toilet (can cause sewage problems).
  14. Vague or secretive eating patterns.
  15. Keeping a "food diary" or lists that consists of food and/or behaviors (ie., purging, restricting, calories consumed, exercise, etc.)
  16. Pre-occupied thoughts of food, weight and cooking.
  17. Visiting websites that promote unhealthy ways to lose weight.
  18. Reading books about weight loss and eating disorders.
  19. Self-defeating statements after food consumption.
  20. Hair loss. Pale or "grey" appearance to the skin.
  21. Dizziness and headaches.
  22. Frequent soar throats and/or swollen glands.
  23. Low self-esteem. Feeling worthless. Often putting themself down and complaining of being "too stupid" or "too fat" and saying they don't matter. Need for acceptance and approval from others.
  24. Complaints of often feeling cold.
  25. Low blood pressure.
  26. Loss of menstrual cycle.
  27. Constipation or incontinence.
  28. Bruised or calluses knuckles; bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes; light bruising under the eyes and on the cheeks.
  29. Perfectionistic personality.
  30. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations.
  31. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue.
  32. Insomnia. Poor sleeping habits

Compulsive Overeating/Binge Eating Disorder


  1. Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop.
  2. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others.
  3. Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans.
  4. Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight.
  5. hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time.
  6. Vague or secretive eating patterns.
  7. Self-defeating statements after food consumption.
  8. Blames failure in social and professional community on weight.
  9. Holding the belief that food is their only friend.
  10. Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities.
  11. Excessive sweating and shortness of breath.
  12. High blood pressure and/or cholesterol.
  13. Leg and joint pain.
  14. Weight gain.
  15. Decreased mobility due to weight gain.
  16. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations.
  17. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue.
  18. Insomnia. Poor Sleeping Habits.
 
maleficent said:
is one of the best websites I've seen on the subject of eating disorders... they have a list of signs:

Compulsive Overeating/Binge Eating Disorder

  1. Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop.
  2. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others.
  3. Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans.
  4. Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight.
  5. hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time.
  6. Vague or secretive eating patterns.
  7. Self-defeating statements after food consumption.
  8. Blames failure in social and professional community on weight.
  9. Holding the belief that food is their only friend.
  10. Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities.
  11. Excessive sweating and shortness of breath.
  12. High blood pressure and/or cholesterol.
  13. Leg and joint pain.
  14. Weight gain.
  15. Decreased mobility due to weight gain.
  16. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations.
  17. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue.
  18. Insomnia. Poor Sleeping Habits.
Click to expand...

This entire list is pretty much what I can put my name next to! The only thing is the mood swings. I am pretty stable mood wise, maybe because I hide my emotions. Wow, I think I really might need to look at this from a different perspective. :( Can I overcome this?
 
i think a person can overcome almost anything if they want to... :D

I'm not a doctor, therapist, nutritionist or anything - i just read a lot.. so take any advice offered with a grain of salt...

I think that the majority of the people here, could probably answer affirmatively to all those questions.. I know I could absolutely..

One thing i've read... is that when you're eating - add to your food journal your current emotion and why you are eating what you are eating.. hungry? bored? lonely? stressed? frustrated? happy? etc.. and try to put a pattern behind your eating behavior.

Addictions can be conquered - the biggest problem iwth food addictions is you need food to live.. no one would tell an alcoholic to well jsut have one glass of wine.. they aren't wired like that- an alcoholic will finish the bottle... a foodaholic.. or a binge eater.. HAS to learn how to overcome that urge and eat sensibly...
 
I have suffered with anorexia and am currently in recovery. I have suffered for 2 1/2 years but never hit a dangerously low weight. At my lowest i was about 100lbs maybe less.

I know i've always had it but with my parents etc i have always been in denial. I suffer with depression, BDD and OCD so i have alot of psyhological problems but they are getting better.

Throughout everything i went through cycles. I would go a few days eating up to 800 calories then i would go on a massive binge and try to purge but never managed to because i hate being sick so i suppose i tried to stop myself although trying to.

I always hid food or put it in the bin where she couldn't find it. I also lied about what i'd eaten in a day.

Calorie counting became an obsession and when i was eating, all i could think about was the calories and could always imagine them turning into fat. I would feel down if i'd eaten too much and try to make up for it later by exercising or not eating.

If i could feel any fat then i would get really depressed and loved the fact when more bones started to show. I would always buy clothes 3 sizes too big and would never show off body.

All these things are still with me but i'm trying to control them. I think deep down you will know for sure whether you have an ED but are in denial with your family and friends.

If you want to talk about it just PM me or something
 
The diet I've put myself on allows me 510 calories a day. When I get to my goal weight, I'll be eating 100 - 1200 calories a day, to maintain. So far, I've lost ten lbs! I know the initial weight is water weight, but hopefully I'll be able to keep up the rapid weight loss. I don't really think it's considered "anorexic". I mean, anorexia is more of a mental disease, except for when someone has some sort of physical disease that prevents them from absorbing nutrients. I do have "disordered" views about body image and food, but I don't think I would consider myself to be, or be on my way to being anorexic.
 
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I know what you mean about not being able to find a balance. I either eat everything I want or nothing. I'm a very "all or nothing" person and I need to take drastic measures, to see drastic results in order to stay motivated.

I don't know much about eating disorders, but my plan is to eat very little. I'm a heavy person (255 at the moment) so those BMI calculator thingys online say I need around 3000 calories/day to lose weight (that's with my fitness regeme - 50 minutes of cardio per day)... as it stands now, I'm taking in around 500/day.

If I'm eating something, I don't consider that starvation.
 
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Magsi said:
How does one know if they have an eating disorder anyway? I either eat too much or too little, I simply can't seem to find a good in-between. Should I seek professional help?
Click to expand...

Apparently you are officially classed as anorexic if your BMI falls below 17.5. I was also told that if your BMI falls below 70% of what it should be, that is the point at which you are hospitalised and force fed through a tube. But that's just medical opinion.

But there are lots of different types of eating disorders apart from just anorexia and bullemia, and all sorts of them can be damaging long-term, not just starving yourself or being too thin.

If you can't control your eating habits you may have one. If you feel that it's an extreme problem that you've got, then yes I'd advise you consult a professional, even if only to confirm that you ARE eating ok.
 
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I agree with Sprite. Anorexia is when someone has a BMI of 17.5 or less... but they also have alot of the signs that were posted above. (Fasting, Low Caloric Intake, etc.)

There are many different eating disorders, and just because you fast, or eat very little, doesn't mean you are anorexic... it may just mean you have an eating disorder...or as we used to call them EDNOS. (eating disorder not otherwise specified.) There are many different types of eating disorders, and if you suffer from one (and trust me... it is SUFFERING) then you know you have one.
 
I've had many problems that made me feel that I was just trying to be another skinny girl...low calorie intake. Obsessing about what I can or cannot eat because of the fat. I lost a lot of weight, but I have my goal. And, after my goal...I'll feel less pressured...and less obsessed about what I eat. I just want people to look at me and say "hey, she's skinny" I don't want people to say "hey she's skinny, but she's too skinny. she looks sickly."
 
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