Eating Disorders

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I just got home from school about a week and a half ago. My mom now thinks that I have an eating disorder because "I'm seriously restricting my calories". How do I convince her that I do not have an eating disorder?

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  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    Prove her otherwise. If you are not restricting calories, show her your food diary. If you are, then move up to a healthy level, and then show her your food diary.
  • Sunshine_Girlie
    Sunshine_Girlie Posts: 618 Member
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    Tell her you realize how important your body and health is to you and that you'd rather limit what you eat so you don't mess it up. Just be open and honest. Don't let her intimidate you. Once she realizes what you're doing and that you're doing it in a healthy manner, she should let it rest.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Show her your diary! Explain that extreme restriction is 600 kcal or so and what you're doing, and the way you're aiming for a net goal, mean you are restricting in a reasonable, controlled way. My parents seem to think I must be restricting if I'm recording, but I'm not anymore. I'm 35, but still it bothers them...
  • audreyyrose
    audreyyrose Posts: 85
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    I can't see your diary, so I can't tell you if you're eating like an eating-disordered person or not.
    If you're eating your 1200 calories a day, then show her your food diary.
    If you aren't, you need to be eating at least that much.
    If you aren't, and you're afraid of eating more, then that is a sign of an eating disorder. Being afraid of food is not normal. Do you have "safe" and "bad" foods? Are you always thinking about your weight and calories? Are there foods that will "make you gain weight' if you eat them? These are all things that eating-disordered people do and feel.
    But remember that an eating disorder isn't just characterized by the amount of food being eaten. It is first and foremost a mental disorder.
    If you do think you have a problem, please message me and I would love to talk with you and help you out.
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
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    Make your food diary so we can see it. I'm sure people here could tell you if you're restricting too much. You have to gain her trust by showing her that you aren't restricting too much. Are you NETTING at least 1200 calories a day? You have to eat your exercise calories back...it is very important. Netting under 1200 calories a day is restrictive.
  • scubacat
    scubacat Posts: 346 Member
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    I would review your MFP profile/food diary with her to show that your are staying within the values of a healthy diet.

    When I was in my 20s, all of my family accused me of being bulimic. Whenever we went to restaurants, I would drink a tall glass of water before the meal arrived to avoid overeating. Sometime during the meal, obviously I would have to go to the restroom and they just assumed I was throwing it up. With most of them being morbidly obese, they never understood this and I was never able to convince them otherwise so it caused some friction. I'm now in my 30's and heading towards my pre-pregnancy weight, they still accuse me of it

    A lot of people don't realiize how many calories are sufficient for a healthy diet. To use my family as an example, they would view 1300 calories a day as incredibly anorexic just because they are not informed. As long as she knows your intake is within healthy parameters it should be fine.
  • julia23
    julia23 Posts: 87
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    Having an ED is a lot lot more than calories and food it's a mental state of mind. I know loads of people who don't eat much but don't have disorders. I'm not sure how you could prove to your mom but if she thinks EDs are about the calories ( not to sound mean my mom and most people think the same) then then the diary thing will help!