Hi there,
This is my first time ever posting on this board. I don't exactly have an ED... I don't think... but I do have weird eating habits. At times I don't care what I eat, although I often feel guilty afterwards, but at other times (like now) I eat next to nothing. Like today, It's now almost 5pm, I got up this morning and went and rode one of my horses, then i went to the gym for a couple of hours. So far today I've eaten a little pot of yoghurt and that's it. Everytime I feel hungry I either distract myself or drink something so that I feel full. I go through stages like this a few times a year... I tell my friends i'm just "not hungry" but I try to put off eating as much as I possibly can.
I'm one of those people who constantly looks in mirrors thinking "i wish i was just a little bit thinner" - then i lose a bit of weight and do the "just a little bit more" thing... this usually lasts until my friends freak out and force feed me. (I don't eat meals with my parents so it's easy to disguise from them).
At the moment I'm 5"5' and I weigh a bit under 120lb. But I just want to lose a little bit more weight! I spend a lot of time reading the labels on foods before I eat them and then feel guilty when i do - regardless of what the label's say!
I'm a teenager so I guess a lot of this is just normal behaviour... I'll stop myself eating and watch the weight drop off but if I'm forced to I can change my behaviour and eat more normally again. That's my justification that all I do is ok :) So I don't know if I have a problem or not!!! I'm a tad confused about it all. But i've looked into eating disorders before on the net and I'm not anorexic or bulemic or anything I can find info on... but my eating habits still probably aren't the healthiest in the world...
Sorry to rant on so much - I got a bit carried away!

Hi there,
This is my first time ever posting on this board. I don't exactly have an ED... I don't think... but I do have weird eating habits. At times I don't care what I eat, although I often feel guilty afterwards, but at other times (like now) I eat next to nothing. Like today, It's now almost 5pm, I got up this morning and went and rode one of my horses, then i went to the gym for a couple of hours. So far today I've eaten a little pot of yoghurt and that's it. Everytime I feel hungry I either distract myself or drink something so that I feel full. I go through stages like this a few times a year... I tell my friends i'm just "not hungry" but I try to put off eating as much as I possibly can.
I'm one of those people who constantly looks in mirrors thinking "i wish i was just a little bit thinner" - then i lose a bit of weight and do the "just a little bit more" thing... this usually lasts until my friends freak out and force feed me. (I don't eat meals with my parents so it's easy to disguise from them).
At the moment I'm 5"5' and I weigh a bit under 120lb. But I just want to lose a little bit more weight! I spend a lot of time reading the labels on foods before I eat them and then feel guilty when i do - regardless of what the label's say!
I'm a teenager so I guess a lot of this is just normal behaviour... I'll stop myself eating and watch the weight drop off but if I'm forced to I can change my behaviour and eat more normally again. That's my justification that all I do is ok :) So I don't know if I have a problem or not!!! I'm a tad confused about it all. But i've looked into eating disorders before on the net and I'm not anorexic or bulemic or anything I can find info on... but my eating habits still probably aren't the healthiest in the world...
Sorry to rant on so much - I got a bit carried away!


Hi Lil tiger!

And first, a hearty welcome to this board. There are many caring people here so you've come to the right place to share your concerns.

Well, as I see it, you don't have a full blown eating disorder...yet, anyway. But it seems to me you are getting precariously close. Just based on your height/weight ratio, I would say that you are a perfect weight, maybe a bit on the thin side...but, there's nothing wrong with being a bit too thin. Many people are and don't have any type of eating disorder. However, I think you are in the early stages of the disordered thinking that can lead to anorexia. One pot of yogurt is nowhere near enough to eat all day, especially with all the exercise you get. Trying to distract yourself from eating when you are hungry is another warning sign. When you feel hunger, your body is telling you it requires nourishment. We need food to live! You should be eating lots of fruits and veggies, proteins, and some whole grains. One yogurt is really just a snack, or, part of a meal. But it's not meant to sustain you all day. The other problem is the image you see when you look in the mirror. I'm quite certain you're slim, yet you continue to want to lose weight, and KEEP losing weight. This is also the beginning of anorexia...that thin, and MORE thin, is never enough. Checking labels, counting calories...these can also be the start....as after a while it can become more and more of an obsession. Can you talk to someone? A friend, your mom, anyone? Because the very fact that you're here and asking shows me that you know things might be getting a little out of hand. And it's MUCH better to maybe have therapy for a bit before these things get any worse. Ask anyone here with a full-blown eating disorder and I think they will agree that the sooner you get help, the better. Post again, OK? Because we care!

Hugs!
Char :wave:

Hi Char! Thanks for replying!
I did speak to one of my friends a little last night on the phone (not exactly but the topic just sort of came up a bit). But i pretty much got the response "oh well you'll realise what it does to you and you'll stop". This came from a guy who, until recently, would not eat to try and lose weight. Talking to my mum is a big no go, she wouldn't understand and is good at comments that in my head equate to "i think you're overweight". I know i'm not overweight, but I'm still not happy with the weight I am. This whole trying not to eat thing at the moment has come from being not entirely happy emotionally. Watching weight drop off is about the only thing I'm feeling good about at the moment but at the same time, I'm getting even more emotional and keep bursting into tears at the most stupid things (never when anyone's around of course - don't want other people to see me cry!). So at the moment, I don't know. I don't think I would develop a full blown eating disorder... at least for the moment... because the logic in my mind always kicks in at some point and says "stop being stupid and eat a little bit". But everytime I do this I lose more weight than the last time...
When I went to the gym yesterday the first thing my friend said to me was "you've lost so much weight" - which surprised me because I didn't really think I had :confused: Maybe a little... but not enough people would really notice.
I really don't want to end up with a full blown eating disorder, from reading all the posts on this board I've seen what it can do to people's lives. But all the support you guys have for each other is amazing and I want to come back here as much as I can. No-one around me seems to understand what's going on in my head! So thank you :) so so much!

Hi Char! Thanks for replying!
I did speak to one of my friends a little last night on the phone (not exactly but the topic just sort of came up a bit). But i pretty much got the response "oh well you'll realise what it does to you and you'll stop". This came from a guy who, until recently, would not eat to try and lose weight. Talking to my mum is a big no go, she wouldn't understand and is good at comments that in my head equate to "i think you're overweight". I know i'm not overweight, but I'm still not happy with the weight I am. This whole trying not to eat thing at the moment has come from being not entirely happy emotionally. Watching weight drop off is about the only thing I'm feeling good about at the moment but at the same time, I'm getting even more emotional and keep bursting into tears at the most stupid things (never when anyone's around of course - don't want other people to see me cry!). So at the moment, I don't know. I don't think I would develop a full blown eating disorder... at least for the moment... because the logic in my mind always kicks in at some point and says "stop being stupid and eat a little bit". But everytime I do this I lose more weight than the last time...
When I went to the gym yesterday the first thing my friend said to me was "you've lost so much weight" - which surprised me because I didn't really think I had :confused: Maybe a little... but not enough people would really notice.
I really don't want to end up with a full blown eating disorder, from reading all the posts on this board I've seen what it can do to people's lives. But all the support you guys have for each other is amazing and I want to come back here as much as I can. No-one around me seems to understand what's going on in my head! So thank you :) so so much!


Hi Lil tiger -

Absolutely no thanks are necessary!! Glad to stick my nose in and offer up my 2 cents. ;) You are sooooo right that you don't want to have a raging ed. The suffering on this Board...you've read, so you know...is definitely not something you want to experience. I feel confident you are a good weight, and maybe too thin, according to your friend. So you see, you are getting dangerously close to thin ice. Look in the mirror and be HAPPY with who is looking back at you - that is the first step to avoiding an eating disorder. And above all, don't let your emotions decide for you whether to eat or not, as that is another danger signal. Let your tummy decide - it knows more than your emotions!!! :) We do understand - our stories are different, are reasons for our eds are different, our sizes are different...but we are all here because we have some sort of an eating disorder and we are all pretty much unhappy about it. So, as someone who has suffered fo a LONG time, please don't become us. Nip it while you still can. And please come back and talk to us, OK? Take care!

HUGS
Char :wave: