Peer pressure and undereating

Lose_It_Leo

I have never been able to eat alone in front of people who are not. When I am alone there is no problem, and when people are eating alongside with me, that is okay too. But to sit there and eat when they are doing nothing really makes me self-conscious. And now I seem to be having another problem: I am finding it difficult to eat when the people I live with have not eaten.

Now, my flatmates do not exactly have the best eating habits. It is not uncommon for them to snack throughout the day and eat a large meal at night. I am the complete opposite: I like to eat at least 5 relatively small meals each day. It helps keep my appetite down and my blood sugar levels stable. But because of this issue, I find myself mimicking their habits. It really annoys me that I am doiing this!

In reality I am still pretty much followinig my own usual routine but it is getting harder and harder. I am having to hide in my room and avoid being around them because I can only eat alone. There have been days when I have barely even eaten 500 calories because I cannot stand to eat when they are not!

I know this is unusual and is really beginning to affect my day-to-day activities. Any suggestions as to what I can do?

(In case you are wondering, I don't actually have any problem with the food itself. I don't think.)