Do I have an eating disorder?!

Question: Do I have an eating disorder?

When I was younger, I had an obvious eating disorder but I wasn't extremely underweight so the shrinks just ignored it and told me I wad attention seeking. Meanwhile I had periods of starving myself and if I felt I ate too much I'd puke or use laxatives. About a year later I got pregnant. I was 16. I gained a lot of weight because I was put on bed rest at 6 months because I kept going into premature labor. I began overeating to cope with my bad decisions, my painful past, and my current situation. I am now about 30 lbs overweight and I eat maybe 700 to 900 calories a day. I am constantly thinking about my weight and how I need to eat less. I also flip out when I eat a little over my norm and puke or use over methods to get rid of it. Is it possible to have an eating disorder but still be overweight? I am losing weight but can I get treatment before I go too far?

Answers:

Yes, it is possible to have an eating disorder, and to be of normal weight or over-weight. People with bulimia nervosa usually show no signs of an eating disorder because they are not underweight, but that is not to say that they don't suffer serious physical and emotional consequences of the disorder.

I am not a doctor, but I have a bachelors of science in health fitness and I am months away from having my bachelors degree in nursing, and what it sounds like to me is that you are definitely struggling with some kind of eating disorder. The persistent thoughts of how much you are eating, counting your calories, throwing up and taking laxatives, panicking if you think you have eaten too much -- all signs of an eating disorder.

Don't wait to get treatment until you start becoming underweight. If you wait until then, you will soon become dangerously underweight and could be facing some SERIOUS health problems. I am really happy that you are conscious of whats going on and contemplating help. So to really answer your question, YES. Get help now. Don't wait any longer. Good luck sweetheart and I sincerely hope that you are able to get the help that you need.

It's absolutely possible to be overweight and have an eating disorder. It's probably more common than you think.

I would recommend a couple things: (1) GET COUNSELING. There is no shame in asking for help if you need it, and we all need it sometimes. (2) Get your body moving. Some strength training would do you a world of good. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat your body burns EVEN AT REST! By the way, it's impossible for you to accidentally put on too much muscle. Women don't have the hormones it takes to bulk up like a man (unless they're taking steroids, which is incredibly dangerous and stupid for women).

Take care of yourself, okay? You deserve to be healthy and happy.

The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.

Do I have an eating disorder?!

Health Categories