How can I stop thinking about food??? AM I A MALE WITH ANOREXIA?

Question

I'm male, 19, 6'2" tall, and weight about 135 lbs. I know that my BMI is on the low side, and people tell me all the time that I look skinny, and I agree with them that I look skinny, but how do I stop worrying about everything that I eat??? I constantly feel like there will be consequences to every food that I consume, but I wouldn't really mind gaining a little bit of weight anyways.

Much of the time, I actually force myself to eat enough calories in a day to get up to 2000 that I need to survive! I don't want to screw up my metabolism, and I don't want to be anorexic, but I still can't help but evaluate all the foods I eat and decide what or what not to eat. I still hesitate whether or not to eat Ben & Jerry's, which has about 300 calories per half cup, when I could just have some cottage cheese with Equal in it for 70 calories per half cup (and 14 grams protein).

Does anyone know how to live and eat worry-free, or know what I'm going through?

Answer 1

Even though I am female, I know exactly what you are going through! I am a recovering anorexic. To be honest, it sounds like you are on the borderline...you are still eating but the potential is there. Email me if you want to talk. I lived that lifestyle for years. I am here if you want to talk.

Answer 2

First of all, I would suggest talking about this with your dr. Get their opinion. What you might do is keep a journal of everything you eat for a week. When you see your dr. give him/her the journal. Your dr. can tell from there if you're getting all the proper food calories and nutrients you need. That alone will put your mind at ease and allow the dr. to keep track of your health better.

Also, Go to http://www.fitday.com/

Click on "Get your free account". It's free to use. You can track all your eating here and see how many calories you may have left for the day. Keeping track visually of what you consume should help take off some of the pressure.

There is nothing wrong with keeping track of what you eat. I wouldn't call you anorexic because you notice what you're doing and you keep up with your caloric needs. Heck, the way I see it, IF you want to eat some Ben and Jerry's, EAT some Ben and Jerrys, BUT keep in control. Keep it to the serving it says. Calculate it into your calorie content and just keep track.

What you're doing helps to keep you from getting diabetes or any health problem that comes from being overweight.

I do, however, suggest a multi-vitamin to take up the slack for any vitamin or mineral you might be missing.

I might also suggest trying meal planning. That way you can divey out the calories you need and keep things balanced.

Answer 3

Take some adivce from the French culture..... Eat whatever you want.....in moderation. If you small portions, you can be eat whatever you want and not worry too much about counting calories. Just remember the food pyramid and use some sense. If you are in college, you should take some health and diet classes.

I'm no doctor but I feel that you have some self confidence issues. A guy your age, with your build and weight shouldnt think twice about his eating habits. You should always take your health seriously but you should be more worried about sex, drugs, and your choice of music.

Eating should be a joy, not a burden.

Answer 4

dude, you are worrying too much! the reality is that most people spend a lot of time thinking about basic biological functions; if you knew how much time the averge person spends thinking about eating, sleeping, pooping, farting, and peeing, having sex, scratching, grooming, etc, you would be amazed that we get anything else done at all.
and of course thinking about food is one of the most exciting and intersting of all these topics!
but you seem to have a lot of anxieties that have attached themelves to your thoughts on food. this also is not unusual. we live in a society that can be very judgemental about peoples bodies and diet makes an easy culprit. maybe you have internalized some kind of guilt or some criticism that other people have made of you.
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but at 19, you might be an adult, and you might be more or less as tall as you are ever going to get without stilts, but your body is not done developing. Mens bodies change throughout their lives. starting in your late 20s and early 30s your muscle and bone density will start to increase. this is what makes mature men strong; the peak of physical strength for men is between the ages of 30 and 45. this is why you don't see very many successful young adult male bodybuilders (unless they're on steroids).
what I'm trying to say is that your body is going to continue to change. If you want to get bigger than you are, don't worry, it's going to happen. If you don't want to, well, there are some things you can do to affect your development like eating less and trying not to develop your musculature too much. but the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to do it in as healthy a way as you know how.
with the knowledge that we have today you can actually come very close to knowing exactly how much energy you spend in a day, AND how much caloric value you are getting from what you eat.
you know, you are absolutely right; there ARE consequences to every single thing you put in your body, and you are right to be thinking about it and to have concern. but don't worry too much, your body is a very efficient machine that can work with a lot of different materials. Don't criticise yourself for prefering cottage cheese over Ben & Jerry's. trust your body. unless you have some kind of chemical imbalance in your brain, most likely your body knows exactly what is good for it.
Anyway, there is new research out that suggests the key to longevity is eating less. I think it has something to do with not wearing out your body as fast by making it work on digesting food so much, so maybe you have 100 happy years ahead of you with the eating habits that you have.
when you are eating, enjoy it, chew your food well like your mama told you, eat slowly, and try to stick with healthy foods.
when you are not eating but thinking about food, enjoy that too. use some of your mental space to plan a nice meal for yourself or your friends and family.
good luck, and don't worry too much!

Answer 5

It does sounds like you've got some problem with your perception of your relationship with food. Obsessing so much about the quantity you take isn't very good for your psychological and physical health in the long run.
I would suggest seeking the opinion of a certified Psychologist, and see what he/ she thinks of it, and how he/ she can help you develop a more healthy relationship with food and weight.
Good luck.

Answer 6

You need to get help! I have a friend who is going through the same problem. Don't stop thinking about food. Really, get help, before your anorexia becomes worse. You could die if you don't get help. Please take my advice. Please, you have to.

Answer 7

try to eat food that you like, for example your favorite food.

Answer 8

honestly, u should start by praying to God on this very serious issue.

secondly, you need to see a doctor and seek help.

Answer 9

wow. I don't know what to say. You should eat more.

Answer 10

start smoking then try and quit you will gain some