Have I got an eating disorder?

AlwaysWanderer

Hi all

I have just taken a eating diorder test only because it popped out on eatingwell.com website, and the results have shoked me. It says I most likely have an eating disorder and need to seek help immediately. I then followed onto national eating disorders website, and took a screening test, and it came out that I most probably have one and, again, need to seek help.

The thing is I never though that I could have an eating disorder.

I'm overweight, but only by few pounds, and I have been on a diet on/off for the last 5 years or so. I call it a diet because thats what it is, I never made a lifestyle change. I lose and gain the same 10-15lbs over and over.

I think about food a lot. I count every single calorie that goes past my lips, unless I'm on one of my binges, where I dont log anything for weeks, and eat everything I can see. It's not abnormal for me to eat 5000 in a day (I'm 5'1").
Then I get back on it again, but heavier, and eat very little. 800-1000 calories, not unusual to have negative net calories. And so it goes on.

I either exercise exsessively (twice a day, mainly cardio), or not at all. And when I exercise, I focus on calories, thinking what I'll be able to eat for that.

But is it really out of the oridinary? If you're on MFP, you're suppossed to count calories, you're supposed to count calories burnt and then eat them back. Have I gone beyond normal, and became obsessed?

Any insight would be appreciated.

kaseysospacey

yeah binge eating then starving yourself is an eating disorder

kaseysospacey

You should probably see a doctor though not ask us.

blueboxgeek

It sounds like you are in a cycle of overeating and then undereating, which I guess is an unhealthy attitude to food.

You can always have a chat to your doctors and see what they say.

cherrylf

Sorry to say it sounds like an eating disorder. Actually it sounds like me about 15 years ago. Binging and starving, obsessing about how many calories a workout is going to give you. I talked to a therapist and still do every so often. Not the end of the world. But you should look into talking to someone.

Good luck.

AlwaysWanderer

Darn, it has never occurred to me

Laurenloveswaffles

Bingeing and restricting is an eating disorder.

HerbertNenenger

You are one extreme to the other and know no middle ground. So yes, there is a problem there. Your life shouldn't be all or nothing. Learning to moderate your diet and exercise would be helpful.

whovian67

yeah binge eating then starving yourself is an eating disorder

A good psychologist would probably be a good idea. sooner than later.

Who cares about any of the answers on this forum... it's your health and you need to take care of yourself.

AlwaysWanderer

You are one extreme to the other and know no middle ground. So yes, there is a problem there. Your life shouldn't be all or nothing. Learning to moderate your diet and exercise would be helpful.

Any tips on how to do that? I cannot imagine anything worse that admitting to my family I may have an eating disorder...
Need to try to sort it out.

cwolfman13

Definitely some disordered thinking going on..binging and then being super restrictive and then binging again is not normal behavior...nor is excessive exercise and then no exercise whatsoever. You have zero balance...it's one extreme or the other and that is disordered...I'm not going to go so far as to say it is full on ED, but definitely some disordered thinking and a pretty unhealthy relationship with food and fitness.

dammitjanet0161

But is it really out of the oridinary? If you're on MFP, you're suppossed to count calories, you're supposed to count calories burnt and then eat them back. Have I gone beyond normal, and became obsessed?

Is it really out of the ordinary? No, in the sense that that type of relationship with food and exercise is all too common, and I bet we all know someone who has these tendencies, as it can be an easy trap to fall into.

But yes, it is a disordered relationship with food, although as wolfman says above, maybe not a full-on ED. But if you think it's started to affect other areas of your life and is all-consuming, with feelings of guilt etc, it might be worth speaking to someone to help you get some perspective.

3laine75

You are one extreme to the other and know no middle ground. So yes, there is a problem there. Your life shouldn't be all or nothing. Learning to moderate your diet and exercise would be helpful.

Any tips on how to do that? I cannot imagine anything worse that admitting to my family I may have an eating disorder...
Need to try to sort it out.

Try setting MFP to maintainence or a very small deficit (like 250 or lose 0.5 lb a week) and see if you can stick to it for a few weeks then months etc. and when I say stick to it I mean HITTING your goal not being way under it. if you can deal with very small loses and not massive ones you might not be so inclined to binge and end up back at square one.

You might not actually binge now that you have noticed a pattern.

AlwaysWanderer

This is scary stuff...
I will definitely try hard to stop obsessing, as hard as it may be...

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FindingAmy77

yeah binge eating then starving yourself is an eating disorder

i was thinking the same thing. mfp is a tool for your weight loss as a way to keep track of what you eat in an easy way. it is not something to encourage bad eating habits rather it promotes eating healthy. Read up on getting started forums and the guide to sexy pants. they are both on here. this takes consistency and trial and error. No starving or binging required. If you think you cant get out this cycle then seek help. :flowerforyou:

stephgas

if you've taken the NEDA quizzes and are concerned, i'd bring it up to your doctor. there's no reason to tell your family if you don't want to yet - unless you're under 18, some doctors may not treat you without parental consent.

NEDA's website has links to professionals in your area. if you call your health insurance company or go on their website, you can get a list of psychologists/therapists who accept your insurance. call and ask them if they work with disordered eating.

it took me years, decades really, to discover i had disordered eating, and am finally addressing it with a clinical psychologist who is helping me restructure how i interact with food and calories. so far, so good.

good luck - take care.

saiger14

Hi there!

I'm a long term eating disorder veteran and the only thing I can tell you is go talk to your doctor or to a nutritionist about it. As speaking from experience, if you're questioning your behaviors you need to talk to someone who knows more than we do and can safely and reasonably help you. Good luck!

oedipa_maas

This is scary stuff...
I will definitely try hard to stop obsessing, as hard as it may be...

I'm going to be very frank here. I had an eating disorder (bulimia, which involves binging and various ways to severely restrict) for decades. I tried hard to stop on my own. I couldn't. I'm sure there are those who could, but mostly, using your "will" won't help much, it will just lead to more cycling. Try this web site: anad.org.

I got free group treatment from them and found a cheap ED specialist too. Good luck.

Missfit35

Balance is the key. You should allow yourself one cheat day a week this way you eat what you're craving and after that day you get back on the horse and ride the diet train. There are many diets that allow one to eat the things they like and still lose weight. Portioning your food is also a prime key in this journey. Seeking professional help is probably a good idea your health is very important. Good Luck!

dmpizza

It really depends on how often you do all the things you describe and how accurately you see your body.

When people travel or during holidays, it's not hard to have a 3,000 to 5,000 calorie day.
Often during a work week, many smaller women eat very little.
It's not a bad idea to ask a professional.

MaryJane_8810002

That about sums it up but you may need to talk to your doctor.

cadaver0usb0nes

I would talk to a counselor or your regular doctor about this. It sounds like you do have disordered eating. If you binge and then stave, over exercise, and obsess about calories thats definitely a warning sign. (I've had disordered eating/eating disorder for 10 years)

I would recommend to talk to someone before it gets much worse hun.

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sparklefrogz

I cannot imagine anything worse that admitting to my family I may have an eating disorder...
Need to try to sort it out.

And the way to sort it out is with a qualified professional. If you talk to your doctor, the doctor can't even tell your husband without your permission. If you're worried about how to explain it when you have appointments with the counsellor, I would look deep and hard at WHY you are worried about this. If your husband loves you, he would undoubtedly be relieved to see you get help, and want to assist you in any way he can.

The rest of your family? Doesn't need to know at all.

thingofstuff

Never be afraid to get help because of the stigma around mental illness. After getting out of an abusive relationship that left me with PTSD, I was afraid to tell anyone because I am studying Psychology in hopes of becoming a therapist and didn't want to appear weak or unqualified (should have seen it coming-type situation) to help others, but if anything: getting help makes you understand yourself and other people better to avoid this pattern in the future. The bottom line is if your behaviour and thoughts are causing you emotional discomfort, disrupting your daily functioning, and even causing distress to those around you, then you need to get help to make life easier.

I also have struggled with an anorexia since I was 14 and had never talked to anyone about it until dealing with my self esteem issues during a counselling session with the BWSS, which offers free counselling for women dealing with domestic violence and abuse. Although time and maturity had helped a lot with my ED, it made a huge difference to talk to someone about it and I probably wouldn't have such a good handle it today if not for the professional help.

Losingthedamnweight

yeah binge eating then starving yourself is an eating disorder

???? I totally had this for the past decade. Can't believe I lived so long doing what I did. Wonder how common this is among men

melaniefave41

You should be discussing this with your doctor.

Jeneba

AS one of the other posts says, ED is very often linked with trauma.... I agree with all of those who have mentioned seeking professional help. You might want to look at the website of Mary Anne Cohen emotionaleating.org She has written a book about what it is like to experience ED therapy. Be gentle and kind to yourself. There is plenty of hope.

WalkingAlong

As for 'isn't this normal for MFP?' I think it is fairly common for calorie counting to turn into calorie obsessing. A lot of people have trouble transitioning from counting to not counting. And the 'all or nothing' mentality with diet and exercise, and yoyo dieting, are all also very common. I would try to quit or seek help but I don't know if you need to brand yourself "ED" to all your family.

You look very thin. That would scare me more, if that's you-- thinking you're "a little overweight". Are you overweight by BMI?

melimomTARDIS

I did not realize I had a weird relationship with food until I started paying attention/logging what I eat. I definitely binge under times of stress. I cut calories for a while afterword while my stomach settles from eating ALL THE THINGS.

An estranged family member is visiting me this week, and the stress (we are estranged for a REASON) has caused some yukky food behavior for me.

I have had a 3,000 calorie day somewhere this week, and a 1,200 calorie day somewhere this week.

The visit is over after today. I know I will be able to eat normally in the coming days. For the most part I am conscious of my decisions, and able to craft balanced food days.

This is a coping mechanism, and I wont need it for much longer.

However, I dont consider myself "disordered" because I have an accurate picture of my body, I have a healthy BMI, and I dont over-exercise in response to intake.

I do log my binge, brush my teeth afterwords, try to focus on WHY I did that, and do my best to dust myself off and try better tommorrow.