Eating Disorders / Question
Published: October 15, 2003
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am worried that I might have Anorexia. Right now I stick to having basically one meal a day which I eat in mid-afternoon. I am 17 years old and weigh 113. I used to weigh 123. Sometimes I see myself and feel I am too skinny and other times I look in the mirror and wish I could lose a few more pounds in the stomach area. That is my big obsession is my stomach. I hate when it sticks out in my clothes so that's why I cut my meals. Also I feel better in my clothes when my stomach is flat. And after eating, when I put on clothes I feel really uncomfortable because my stomach is bloated which leads to me watch my food intake more. If any of this makes sense, please help me anyway you can. Thanks
Signed: Worried About Anorexia
Dear Worried About Anorexia,
TeenHealthFX is concerned about you - your intense desire to lose weight and your obsession with your body combined with eating once a day is not healthy for a 17 year old (or anyone else for that matter). Check out our answers to nutritional guidelines and eating disorders for information about eating and staying healthy.
We cannot tell how much you should weigh over the internet, but you can check out the body mass index calculator (BMI) as a general guideline. A BMI of 19-24 is normal. Anything below 19 or above 24 requires medical advice from either your doctor or a nutritionist. Nevertheless, eating 1 meal a day is not healthy whether your BMI is normal or not. We strongly discourage this habit and would suggest that you start to eat smaller but more frequent meals. Also try to eat foods from all the basic food groups.
Regarding how you view your body, it seems that you are overly concerned with the shape of your stomach in particular and this has influenced you to want to alter your eating habits. Although this may be normal to some extent, the fact that you describe it as your obsession is cause for worry. The way you feel about your stomach should not overwhelm you should not affect the way you feel about yourself overall.
TeenHealthFX urges you to talk to your parents about how you have been feeling and ask them for their support and help with this. If you are having trouble starting the conversation, you might try showing them this question. We also recommend that you see your doctor for an evaluation. Be honest with him or her about how you feel about your weight and your eating habits. Your doctor might recommend that you see a therapist who is trained to deal with eating issues. If you live in northern
You can also look at these links for more information and resources:
Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention
The American Anorexia Bulimia Association
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
Signed: TeenHealthFX
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