My friend thinks he's extreamly fat and is trying to develope an eating disorder. He is refusing to eat. He's tried to do this a lot and im usualy able to convince him it's bad but he isnt listening to me anymore. What do i do? Please help.
2007-01-06 18:47:31 · 11 answers · asked by OneRadTaco 2 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
this is very scary to hear.
this is what i would do, but it's just me. consider the fact, though, that i was anorexic myself for quite a number of years.
if he is under 18, tell his parents or another adult. he needs help.
tell him he is scarying you. tell him why you are worried.
give him printouts of what anorexia does to the body. just use google and it will bring up plenty of websites like webmd, etc.
offer to help him do it the healthy way - joining the gym together, reading nutrition books, etc
but really, sit down and talk to him. he isn't only doing this because of the weight. eating disorders aren't usually about weight at all. there is something else in his life going on and you need to help him find out what. he needs help - medical and psychological. this isn't a good road to go down.
ultimately, you aren't going to like this, but if he has his heart set on this, there really isn't anything you can do. it's like trying to help an alcoholic before he's ready to admit he has a problem.
i wish you luck and send a hug to your friend. he must be in alot of pain to be feeling like anorexia is a way out. write me again if i can help with anything. you are a great friend - don't forget that!
2007-01-06 18:53:46 · answer #1 · answered by Carla S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Refusing to eat should never be something anyone falls on to lose weight. Number 1 since he has done this more than once he will probably not eat for a day or two then be starving soon enough and eat too much. Next, he is putting his health at serious risk if he does develop an eating disorder... he is going to push himself to that limit where even when he reaches his current goal, but then it won't be good enough and he will keep wanting to be thinner and thinner and the eating disorder will have taken over his mind and he will not be the one in control anymore. He also won't be in good health to even enjoy the weight loss. I've been there and it's not worth it.
2007-01-06 18:52:23 · answer #2 · answered by 2007 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your friend is a moron and you should tell him so. Eating disorders are not something you can just "try to develop", you generally are either predisposed to that kind of behavior or you're not. If he says he's not eating, he's probably eating in secret. That's what a lot of people who say they're not eating anymore do. Anyway, his behavior will probably only last a few days.
Try to encourage him to exercise (go to the gym together) and try to help with his obvious self esteem problem. And if you see him drinking a soda or eating a hamburger, slap it out of his hand. He needs your support, even if it seems mean at times.
2007-01-06 20:33:42 · answer #3 · answered by Sabby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your friend thinks he is fat, maybe he should speak to a psychologist.
Course maybe you could both work out a healthy and sensible eating plan, with an exercise program involved.
If you stick to it with your friend perhaps he will feel better about himself.
Alternatively you could tell him that if he starves himself the fatter he will get, cause his body will know it will not be fed so it will store what fat it has.
Maybe if you did not want to do a healthy eating plan with your friend, you could reccomend him to a personal trainer.
2007-01-06 18:54:13 · answer #4 · answered by Spikey and Scruffy's Mummy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1st i do agree with carla, i believe that there are other factors involved here besides the weight. 2nd your body goes into a starvation mode within 6-8 hours of not eating, which in turns does store the fat and reduce metabolism, which in turns starts you on a bad rollercoaster ride of really getting fat or even fatter.
besides all of that i'd go back to #1 and really talk it out and if you can't- find someone who can.
2007-01-06 19:03:34 · answer #5 · answered by cher 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to get him some help before he does develop a disorder. Tell who ever you have to, and don't worry if he gets mad, you are doing this because you care.
good luck and
best wishes
2007-01-06 18:50:42 · answer #6 · answered by jelly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He just wants attention, so you should tell a guidance counselor/the police/a teacher PREFERABLY HIS PARENTS .. he'll stop doing it when he realizes it won't be YOU that trys to help him.
You need to get him to get over himself before you can help him. There are people who really have eating disorders, you can't just make yourself develop one.
2007-01-06 18:50:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
if he has tried to do this a lot..why hasn't he done it?! sounds like he's just looking for attention. maybe it's more important to him to think people want to stop him from "developing an eating disorder" than it to feel like people actually think he's fat!?
2007-01-06 18:52:10 · answer #8 · answered by jehorko29 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Talk to his parents. Tell them your concerns. Maybe suggest he see a doctor or a nutritionalist if he's all bent out about his weight. A good friend doesn't let their friend do stuff that is potentally dangerous. Take care.
2007-01-06 18:51:25 · answer #9 · answered by fourbearsandacat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
once somebody is like that the only way they will help themselves is when they hit rock bottom becuase no matter how much you tell her nothing will help. but don't give up on her. tell her that she looks nice in her clothes, or that if she looked thinner she would look weird. something that could boost her confidence like "if you just knew how many guys look at you!!" she would love that.
2007-01-06 18:58:54 · answer #10 · answered by spiderweb1016 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋