Did I have anorexia?

Question

I think I had anorexia... but I'm over it now, did I used to be anorexic or just borderline.

First, I was 150 ibs and just realized I was fat so I exercised and cut my calories (ate on smaller plates, didnt eat pop or chips, ate less calories)... did that for about a year. I also counted my calories with a computer program (called dietPower). I ate less than 1,000 calories for about a year. Then, I weighed 100 pounds. I am 20 years old and 5'5''. I realized I was getting thinner but still believed I was fat, I had "fat rolls" etc... even at 100 ibs. I was very weak and slept most of the day and felt faint while walking. After months I just accepted that I would always have "rolls"... months later I gained 10 pounds and intend to stay at 110 pounds. I will not go any lower or any higher. I do eat normally now... 1,500 calories a day.
I did not loose my period or ever become "diagnosed" with anorexia, or ask my doctors about it... but I have been wondering... was I anorexic?

I have been diagnosed with depression.
My lowest BMI was 15.8 (when i weighed 95 for a bit)
Underweight starts at 18.5... so I was well below underweight

No, I was not bulimic, I never Binged ate, and I never threw up food. I was on a strict calorie diet

actually, the correct definition of anorexia is loss of apetite. Sometimes I could not tell if I was hungry or not. I would live life by "food is energy, I only need to eat enough to survive"

I did say I had fatigue, feeling fainting, excessive sleeping- I said I slept most of the day because I felt week

Answer 1

NO, IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE YOU WERE/ARE ANORECTIC !!!

BUT YOU DID PUT YOURSELF THRU A "TOO STRICT DIET PLAN" THAT MAY HAVE DEPRIVED YOU FROM MANY NECESSARY NUTRIENTS !!!

BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE NOW WHERE YOU WANT TO BE !!!

GOOD FOR YOU !!!

P.S.~ AND DON'T FORGET TO MAINTAIN !!! IT'S A LIFE LONG COMMITMENT !!!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU !!!

Answer 2

The decision to diagnose belongs to a professional who deals with eating disorders. I did some training working with them as a graduate, working with substance abuse. Technically you do not fit the parameters to diagnose anorexia, no. It develops usually in early adolescence, and is characterized by a weight of 15% below optimum for height. You also did not miss any menstrual cycles, and missing three consecutive periods is the marker for that. The other factors would be refusing to eat in public or in the presence of others, along with the other physical problems you did note- fatigue, fainting, excessive sleeping. If you truly had anorexia, it's not likely you would have been able to turn off the feelings as quickly or completely as it sounds like you have done. While it does sound as if you have body image issues, and perhaps other underlying issues, you would likely not be considered anorexic by history, but you would be considered at risk for it. I think you really ought to consult a professional for assistance, if you wish to avoid problems in future. You are a young woman, and I assume pregnancy is a possible option at a later date. A healthy pregnancy would mean a weight gain of 25-35 pounds, and would leave you with permanent body changes afterwards. You need to assess your feelings about that, now, rather than have it become a problem or challenge at the time. I would certainly consider you to be a risk, were you to come to me with this history. While you don't require hospitalization or intervention to save your life, it would be worth it to explore your issues and deal with them in a more healthy manner than you describe having done. I am not a professional for eating disorders, though, and that is really who you need to speak with.

Answer 3

the techincal deffinition of anorexia is not eating as often as you should like not eating breakfast and lunch and having a light dinner so really i dont think you where you were defenitly at a point of a very low self esteem and probley depressed but i dont believe it was anorexia i use to be anorexic and eat once a day some times once every other day and it's really really unhealthy but i have gained weight and started eating regularly again you defenitly werent eating ENOUGH but i dont believe you were anorexic but that is my belief you could get a better answer from a doctor or a nutrtion

Answer 4

I have been in a VERY similar situation where I never had a severe eating disorder. . . but it was definitely a problem. I was in college so I tried going to a counselor about it, and when she referred me to a therapist I got scared and quit going. I never felt like I was "that bad." I managed to get better on my own and accept my body the way it was, and I am glad to say I'm still at a healthy weight and not too paranoid about my body.

If you were to be diagnosed with something, it would probably be bullemia. It is a misconception that anorexia means "not eating" and bullemia means "throwing food up." Anorexia in a nutshell means that you have caused yourself to be severely, dangerously underweight, while bullemia basically means that you were underweight but not ridiculously so.

Answer 5

I think you had disordered eating, although not anorexia. The guidelines for "true" anorexia tend to be strict - BMI-wise, amenorrhea, etc, and you do need to be diagnosed by a professional. You were most likely ED-NOS (Eating Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified)

Answer 6

You can only be diagnosed by a professional. This isn't a good place to get an answer for that question.

Answer 7

"anorexia blues" by way of narrow jim mcgraw "bleeding blues" by way of hank "wristy" slitwrists "i am too rattling fats" by way of jemima hazelwaters "god rattling the ones chips" by way of ricky martin "reduce myself to end up you mistaken" by way of harold p. jellington