My mum thinks I have an eating disorder?

Question

Yesterday my mum came up to me and asked if we could have a talk. She sat me down and said that she was really worried about me, because apparently I have been looking skinnier than usual lately. Then she kept asking me all these questions about my eating habits, such as do you skip meals? And do you ever make yourself throw up after you eat?

Well I didn't know what to say. It was hardly like I was going to say yes, but I do skip lunch, but that's only because I am so busy with school stuff that I don't ever have time to eat lunch and if I do I don't feel like it anyway. And sometimes after I eat junk food I make myself throw up, but I don't do it very regularly so it's hardly bulimia. I don't have an eating disorder!

Anyway, now she is always watching me when I'm around food and it's making me uncomfortable. Every time I eat she is always staring, which just puts me off my food more than anything else. I don't get what her problem is. She is always nagging me about food.

I'm 15, 5'9" and 118lbs which trust me is hardly a stick. I'm not really happy with my figure and would like to lose some weight a healthy way (without having an eating disorder), but my mum is always watching me, which makes it impossible.

How can I get my mum off my case and convince her I don't have an eating disorder?

Answer 1

Just tell her that your fine but the fact she is watching you makes you uncomfortable and it makes you not wanna eat. She hopefully will back off.

Answer 2

Hey Suvi :]

It sounds like you are beginning to form 2 eating disorders: Anorexia & Bulimia. You said you skip lunch and after eating junk food, you make your self throw up sometimes...

I know how you feel. In the last 3 months of school, I hardly ate.. No breakfast, lunch and hardly and dinner. I was becoming Anorexic slowly... Finally after weeks of starving every day, delaying my period from coming and losing my hair [it lost it's lustre, shine...] I knew I had to stop...  

Your BMI is extremely important. It's BODY MASS INDEX... On this site you can calculate it:

http://www.toneteen.com/tools/bmi.htm

After I typed in your height & weight.. It says your BMI is 17 which is underweight...

Even if you do not want to eat, you have to.. Eat fruit like grapefruit or apples...

If you want to talk more.. Feel free to e-mail me..

Peace :]

Here are some really good sites that helped me get better:

http://www.toneteen.com/health/eatingdis...

Answer 3

Firstly, it sounds like you and your Mum have a great relationship, and you are lucky to have such a caring mother - it was the perfect thing for her to do to sit down with you and have a chat if she was worried, and she asked all the right questions if you HAD had a problem.

It also sounds as though you are a very responsible and mature girl, so she's also very lucky to have someone like you, who could answer her honestly without getting all stroppy and who can think about the best way to move forward.

I expect she's just worried, which is why she seems to be starting when you eat! Maybe you could make a point of eating when you are around her, obviously if it's fruit or salad it'll be healthy and you won't mind staying around for an hour or so afterwards so that she knows you're not going to the toilet to be sick or anything.

I don't want to nag, but I'll just say that being sick after you've eaten junk food really isn't the best thing to do, much better to admit to yourself that you've pigged out and move on - your body needs a little bit of not-so-healthy food from time to time, and it's not the best idea to make yourself throw up. Also, if you must skip meals, at least have something small and healthy to keep yourself going, like a piece of fruit or a few crackers, so that your body has the energy to carry on and won't go into starvation mode and make it harder for you!

You could also talk to her about wanting to stay healthy and in shape - don't say that you want to be thinner and would like to lose weight, but say you want to stay as fit as possible, and find out about a healthy way to do that, for example yoga or going to the gym.

I'd keep the lines of communication open, keep talking to you Mum, tell her that you appreciate her coming to you, and talk to her about healthy ways to eat and how you don't want tohave junk food and gain weight! She'll appreciate your honesty, and it will make her feel more relaxed about it.

Answer 4

It's not full blown disorder...for right now,  -but-  the throwing up after you eat junk food is not healthy and is not normal to do.  While you may think it's not at all an eating disorder, it's the path to one.  She is nagging you because she cares about you and is worried about you and what could potentially happen.  You should never skip meals, in fact five smaller ones spaced through out the day is actually more healthy then three big ones.  If you were an adult above 25, you would be below the average for your height, so I can only assume that you are below the average for your age group as well.

Please do not try and loose any more weight, a bad body image is also sign of an eating disorder.  Throwing up "sometimes" doesn't make it okay.  Please take your mother's words to heart.

Answer 5

You're BMI is 17.4 meaning you are underweight. You need to gain some weight. Making yourself vomit after any meal isn't normal. My lil cousin has anorexia/ bullemia and it was ruining her life, she almost died. I'd go see the doctor and plan out a diet that's healthy, like lots of whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Then I'd recommend working out, not only do you look better from working out, you feel better. You should really work on gaining muscle since you are underweight, that way you will be more healthy.

Answer 6

Go to a buffet style restaurant and pig out. That will show her! 118 is perfect for someone your height and age! Don't loose any more weight.