Do i have anorexia?

[Nattyboo92]

I'm 17, and am concerned as to wether i have anorexia or not. In the past few months i have lost 28 pounds, taking me down from a size 16 to a size 10. All my teenage life i have been wanting to loose weight but never lost more than a few pounds before this. I used to weigh just over 13 stone a few years back and steadily lost about a stone and a half since then, however these past few months i've been loosing weight as quickly as a pound a day. I am still 9stone and 9pounds, and wouldn't consider myself skinny at all. However i worry about loosing weight 24/7 still, I don't allow myself to snack, i count calories in everything i possibly can, i try to excersise as a way to let myself eat, and feel upset after i do eat sometimes. recently i've been feeling faint and extremely cold, plus i've been sleeping a lot more than usual. I am on anti depressants for an anxiety problem i have regarding a phobia of vommiting, which makes me scared to eat certain foods, but i've had that for years, so i know this is something different. Does any one have any advice, because i'm very confused and don't know if i should be worried.

[sara3]

I don't think you're anorexic, but I'm not a doctor. you obviously are displaying signs of being obsessive about your eating habits, and you seem to be allowing it to take over most of your waking hours, which is unhealthy.

you haven't said how tall you are, or what your BMI is, but 9st 9lbs is probably a healthy weight for you so you need to make sure you are getting all the right nutrients to keep healthy.

if you need so much control over your eating, see the nurse at your GP surgery for healthy diet advice.. which doesn't involve losing more weight.

[Lil O'lady]

Losing a pound a day is worrying and you need to insist on help for physical and emotional issues - your GP is the first stop for this. You don't mention your height, or general health, both of which are vital information to anyone trying to say if your weight is normal. If you are thinking about food and eating (or not eating) constantly, is it also possible that you need more social contact to keep you happy? These are all things that your GP should be able to advise you on and signpost you to specialist help.

[jake-the-peg]

What concerns me is your statement that you don't consider yourself
skinny and the mention of depression

It's difficult without knowing how tall you are but the thing is that anorexia
is all bound up with self image and how you think of yourself. People allow
themselves to attach their anxieties onto a single - false problem like weight.

There is a tempting illusion that weight is at the root of all your problems
and anxieties and if only you could lose that little extra weight things would
turn around in the rest of your life.

It does sound as if you may be becoming a little obsessional and now may
well be the time to look for a bit of help before you start to slide.

Have a look here:
http://www.b-eat.co.uk/Home

There's a help line in the top right hand corner - why not give them a ring

Remembering that I'm in no way qualified I would suggest that you try to
think not of weight but of fitness. Take up a sport, it'll help you keep at a
good weight and exercise is well known to be very helpful in things like
depression and anxiety.

[Nattyboo92]

Thank you for your answers everyone.