Do I have an eating Disorder?

Question

I asked this a few days ago and the answers were pretty varied so I'm going to give some more details.

I am a sophomore in high school.

I restrict myself to a 500 calory a week diet, at most. I go months at a time starving myself and/or throwing up everything I eat.

I have a horrible fear about weight gain and that I'm terribly fat. People, lots of people have had suspicions about my eating habits, some even joking that I'm anorexic.

I've had nightmare about people yelling at me that I'm ugly and fat.

I tried diet pills for a while. For the past month or so I've been really dizzy every time I stand up or move quickly.

I'm an athlete and ballet dancer. I'm not happy doing anything anymore because I constantly worry about how I look and don't have the self-confidance to enjoy dancing anymore, among other things.

I don't think I have and eating disorder myself, but others do.

I realized the possibility this past week. I read an article that made me realize all of these things.

Answer 1

Sweetie you do have a eating disorder. If I understood everything I just read, then YES and you need to seek help for it.

It is nothing to be ashamed of, nor should you worry what ppl will think about you.

Please go talk to your parents, a counsler, your pastor (or what ever your faith someone that you can confide in), call your doctor.

But please do something and do it soon!!

I don't know you, but i'm worried about you already!!

Answer 2

I know that I am not a doctor but I have dealt with this many times. Several of my friends have had eating disorders in the past so I am familiar with this. First off, this is a situation that people should not be joking about. This is very serious. It is obviously that you are not comfortable with your body and a lot of girls are not, but you need to eat and stay healthy. If I was you I would try to see a doctor about but sometimes doctors cannot understand the problem. Another thing you can do is slow start eating more than 500 calories a week. They say that you should take your weight and place a zero at the end of it and that is how many calories you should eat a day if you want to stay the same weight. I would suggest that you eat more than that. You body needs food to survive and if you do not give you body enough food it will eventually shut down for good. In conclusion, I would say that you do have an eating disorder, and if you have any questions I am willing to help you with this.
p.s. sorry i wrote a book :)

Answer 3

You don't think you have an eating disorder? Do you think it's normal to starve yourself, throw up what you've eaten and feel dizzy when you move quickly or stand up? WRONG! Are you aware that anything less than 1200 calories per day for a woman is starvation and screws up your metabolism? Even dieters are to stay at 1200 calories or more per day.

Everything you've said indicates a serious eating disorder or combination of disorders. Please take it seriously as every part of your body is affected and starved. When you're not getting proper nourishment your body breaks down it's own muscles for nourishment and that includes your heart, the reason many anorexics die of heart attacks.

Please, please, please seek immediate attention from your family physician who will send you to the appropriate psychiatrist or possibly even in-patient care if you are that weak.

You can get help and make your disorder manageable if you want it bad enough and are willing to do the work. The alternative would be an early death as you waste away and cause damage to major organs.

I'm not saying all this to scare you but if it takes that to get you in for help it will have been worth it. Too many people think that anorexia and eating disorders are all about weight and being too thin. They are more about major organs being broken down by the body for fuel since there is nothing else.

You can have a full happy life if you get help soon enough. Please talk to your parents or school counselor.

Answer 4

Eating Disorder or Disordered Eating???

Answer 5

Yeah you do and you need to be very careful. I use to be just like you I was on the dance team in high school I would never eat I went from 117 to 92 lbs. in 2 months. I use to get dizzy all the time everything you feel I went through. One thing that most people don't know is that if you starve yourself then you start eating reg. and get at a regular weight then your body is going to store extra fat cells thus making you start the cycle over again. I still have problems with my image, but it is more important to be healthy and live your life that to worry about what other people think of you. You are causing more damage to your body by starving yourself and it will effect you in the long run. Look in the mirror and find one thing about yourself that you like and find beautiful.

Answer 6

Oh, hon I'm afraid you do have an eating disorder. You are making yourself throwup and are on a very low-calorie diet, which is too low and actually starving yourself. None of this is good for you body. Sweetie, I really recommend that you get some professional help, because that's is the only way you will become healthy again.

It will be a hard road to travel, but you can do it. I know because I've been there. Don't give up on yourself and believe in yourself and believe that you can do it.

Answer 7

Hey there. Sorry to say but you paint a classic picture of an eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa. Basically Anorexia is when you intentionally and severely limit what you eat (or what stays in your body) in order to lose or not gain weight.

There are two parts to it - one is long term, severe dieting behaviour and the other is the preoccupation with being overweight. What makes Anorexia different to dieting etc is the length of time, the severity of these symptoms (dieting and preoccupation), usually a low body weight (though Anorexia may be diagnosed before this point) and the way and amount your self-perception and dieting behaviour interferes with your life.

Making yourself sick, getting dizzy, having bad dreams, being overwhelmed by worries about how you look and not enjoying doing the things you usually do are all signs that this has become a very serious problem. This can happen surprisingly easily and it is very common for people who suffer with Anorexia to not realise they have a problem for a long time, if at all.

This could be due to the amount of positive feedback people, especially women, get when they diet, exercise and strive to look thin. It's such a sad sign of the society we live in. Anorexia Nervosa is basically non-existent in countries that don't pressure people to be (often ridiculously and unhealthily) thin.

It is also because of they way your own internal perception of yourself and how you look, changes - almost all people with eating disorders have an extremely altered view of themselves. Most Anorexia sufferers see themselves as being (much) bigger than they really are.

It is always hard for us to see ourselves objectively, but this is especially difficult around things we feel self-concious about, such as how we look. This is especially so in High School where we're surrounded by so much ridiculous pressure to be thin, popular, have boyfriends or girlfriends, fit in etc. In this sort of (often toxic) environment, especially for a ballet dancer and athlete, it is too difficult to see yourself for how you really are. Ballet dancers in particular have one of the highest incidences of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia and are far more likely to be severely underweight.

From what you've said, you have two main objective truths about what's going on. Firstly, while I don't normally advocate listening to what other people say, especially in High School, it looks as though a lot of people around you are genuinely concerned that you may have an eating disorder.

The second is indisputable - a diet of 500 calories a week is extremely low. This is far less than you should have in a day. This is a serious problem and you need to get professional help as soon as you can.

I recommend seeing a doctor and/or psychologist and looking out for a support group. This is a really big problem to deal with and has taken a long time to develop. As much as you are obviously a very strong and smart person it's a lot to deal with by yourself so start finding people who can help you. While Anorexia is serious it can be overcome with help :) Three of my friends have been through this. All are wonderfully confident women these days! You are not alone!

That you have come to this point and are asking people is fantastic. The next step is to let people help. Remember you are totally worth it! You are obviously intelligent, likeable and talented at what you do to keep up athletics and dancing into High School. Don't let issues about weight or how you look be all that you are or the only way you define yourself. Investing in your self-confidence is the best way to prepare yourself for a happy and fulfilling life.

Good luck and take care of yourself :)

Answer 8

i remeber your question from before, now that you've added details and specified your question i would reccommend talking to a health care professional immediately, this behavior is really unhealthy and will take a toll on your physical and mental well being, get your family involved and let them know you need them, they can help you work through this. the sooner you address the problem the sooner you can start to heal, to bluntly answer your question yes you have a serious problem, most likely it is an eating disorder, but your doctor will tell you specifically what is going on, also if your doctor for some strange reason doesnt recomment this to you i will, not only should you seek medical attention for physical ailments you should also visit a councilor for the emotional ones, oh and talk to your shool's guidance councelor too and they can give you informational resources on who to call and what to do, and what to expect in the near future etc. etc. not to mention they can help give you emotional support. if you need to talk about anything in more depth or just need some moral support feel free to e-mail me

Answer 9

Yes you do have an eating disorder. If you are feeling weak then you need to see a doctor. It could be a sign of serious medical problem. You should be more worried about your health and living a long and happy life than what you weigh and what other ppl think of you. Go talk to someone and tell them what you have been doing before its too late. Good Luck.

Answer 10

do you want the TRUTH?

then, yes you have eating disorder. you are eating too less. you are punking. you have low self-esteem. you are dizzy all the time, because you did not eat and thus do not have energy. NOT good. and you exercise a lot w/o food!!!

suggestion: get some help. or start developing a normal eating habit. I sure you look awesome! you need to stop worrying