I dont have an ED, but recently I started to avoid eating. I dont eat breakfast of lunch and I snack a little in the evening and then eat dinner. I don't know what my problem is. What am I doing to my body? I know that i'll lose weight if I dont eat, and my metabolism will slow down, but I cant help it. I feel fat if my stomach isnt perfectly flat! I'm not over weight by any means, nor am I chubby, Im an athlete in great heatlh with alot of muscle, 5'10" 145lbs, but I have a horrible obsession with eating right. According to a caloric calculator, I should have about 2200 calories a day, but I rarely go over 1000. I have an obsession with fats and sugars. I never have more than 15 grams of fat per day and 25 grams of sugar per day. Everywhere I go I eat low-fat and low-cal. I've even purchased lysine pills to help burn the fat and chromium pills to supress my appetite. I don't know whats wrong with me. Its a never ending cycle, I'm miserable because im hungry and when I do eat, Im miserable because I feel fat. What am I doing to myself? I'll take ANY advice.

Sarah,

I will post more to you later on (I've got homework to finish right now), but for starters, having taken and/or read about tons of pills in hopes of finding the "skinny pill", I have read in many places that taking chromium (piccolinate) for extended periods of time has been correlated to higher rates of...get this...CANCER! It's scary because I took chromium piccolinate for a while. They say normal amounts are OK, but our bodies don't need supplemental amounts.

As for being in great health and having a lot of muscle, if you don't have much body fat, and you're eating so few calories, your body will actually start to use muscle to provide it with energy! You don't want to lose your muscle, do you?

It's OK to eat low-cal, low-fat, etc., but the main focus should not be your weight or your appearance. It should be doing what is best for your health and well-being.

-LilBear

sarah,
What makes you say you don't have an ED? I can't by any means diagnose you, but the symptoms and feelings you are describing are those of an eating disorder. It is a myth that you have to be under 100lbs or passing out in order to have an ED. I was anorexic/bulimic for years and many people didn't know b/c I didn't always look "sick".

My advice to you is do not forget your concerns. Speak with a therapist, a friend, a family member, anyone you trust who can support you. Obsessing over food is definitely a symptom of an ED. Most of us (myself included) need help to keep those feelings under control.