Anorexia

[DiamondBladee]

Hey all,

In the past few months my family has accused me of not eating.  It's really beginning to concern them.  I opened up my eyes and it's partially true honestly.  I really don't eat much.  I'm not trying to eat little food, but it's just happening.  My mom wonders if it has to do with any anxiety that gender-related issues have been causing me.

If I'm not intentionally eating little, it's probably a subconscious cause as well.  It's strange because I've actually been determined to gain some weight in the past year.  I have almost no upper arms or thighs and it's always made me feel disgusting.  Yet, I'm not getting hungry, and force feeding myself really takes a toll on my overall focus for the day for some reason.

At this point I should probably find a different forum since this is so far off from gender stuff, but I've been with this site for a while and I think it's worth a shot.  But a heads up, here's the numbers:

Age:  15 years 9 months
Weight:  117.4 lbs
Height:  5'6"
Other:  MtF, pre-everything (looking forward to blockers).  Haven't had a growth spurt in a long time; I have probably stopped growing upwards.

So I really don't know what to do.  I just kind of ranted here without really asking a question or for help.  I just don't know what's best to do right now.  I'm trying to force myself to eat but it's so weird that I satisfy my stomach so quickly.  It's almost as if this wouldn't be an issue if I could graze all day or something..  Thanks all

    xoxoxo Winter (15)

[Ms Grace]

Is there any food that you do like? Maybe see if you can eat more of that. Of course there's no point in eating if you're not hungry... but if you do feel hungry and you are avoiding food then you may indeed have some dietary issue and should see a doctor about it.

[Dena]

I have included a link to a BMI chart to give you an idea what you should weigh. You should check with your doctor but you appear to be in a health weight range for your hight though on the bottom end. I was much like that as a teenager weight about 140 pounds at 6'2". If you are losing weight then you need to consider eating a bit more milk, meat and maybe an extra cookie every once in a while. Starting on the blockers may make it easer for you to gain weight.

Depression or pressure can cause you to not be hungry. When my roommate passed away, I had to force myself to eat just to keep going. Many times I sat at the table not at all hungry with food I had to force down. That has improved lately and starting treatment with progress may do the same for you. This site is the right place to talk about it and feel free to ask more questions.

http://faculty.spokanefalls.edu/inetshare/autowebs/health101/fitness/BMI.htm

[DiamondBladee]

Is there any food that you do like? Maybe see if you can eat more of that. Of course there's no point in eating if you're not hungry... but if you do feel hungry and you are avoiding food then you may indeed have some dietary issue and should see a doctor about it.

I mean, yeah, I love all sorts of food, and I eat when I'm hungry.  It's just that I'm not hungry.

I maintain my weight for the most part it seems, but I do build a lot of muscle in the summer and autumn due to marching band.  If anything, I'm very slowly gaining.  I've never weighed this much before.

My parents have no real proof that I'm loosing weight, they just say that I look thinner.  Still worries me though, quite a bit now that they literally won't leave me alone about it.  It actually makes me feel worse.  I used to have some tolerance for being a twig but in the past few days that's gone downhill.

As for depression and anxiety, it could be the reason I'm not hungry.  It's been at a peak the past few months because of my father not taking me to therapy or helping me at all; I was pretty concerned that he was rejecting the idea.  He's very slowly taking me to one finally though, though it has been half a year of begging and waiting...

(would quote you but I can't seem to get Tapatalk to do it.  I'm sorry to hear about your loss)



EDIT: My father was 5'9" and weighed less than me.  He was considered healthy.  So why am I being considered anorexic?

[KristinaM]

Anorexia is an eating disorder, and it doesn't exclusively mean that you're underweight I think.  At your age I was about 5'3" and weighed less than 100 pounds.  I graduated high school at 5'6" and weighing about 120.  I don't know what you look like, but I don't think anorexia can be diagnosed by weight/height/BMI alone.  Eating habits play a big role.  Are you active, or lethargic?  If you're extremely lethargic then you should see a doctor for that too.  Metabolism, Viatmin D, Iron, and Vitamin B-12 deficiencies could cause lethargy and if you're just not expending much energy throughout the day then you'd naturally eat less food.

On the other hand, I'm not a doctor and it could be something much worse too.  Lethargy is just one example of why you MAY be eating less.  I have no idea, but wanted to give you some ideas that you can work with your family and doctor on exploring maybe.  Good luck to you!

P.s.  Are you on adderall or anything (meds for ADD)?  They have certain side-effects too that can reduce appetite.  Staying well-fed is important though or you'll get dizzy and weak, sickly, or worse.

[DiamondBladee]

Anorexia is an eating disorder, and it doesn't exclusively mean that you're underweight I think.  At your age I was about 5'3" and weighed less than 100 pounds.  I graduated high school at 5'6" and weighing about 120.  I don't know what you look like, but I don't think anorexia can be diagnosed by weight/height/BMI alone.  Eating habits play a big role.  Are you active, or lethargic?  If you're extremely lethargic then you should see a doctor for that too.  Metabolism, Viatmin D, Iron, and Vitamin B-12 deficiencies could cause lethargy and if you're just not expending much energy throughout the day then you'd naturally eat less food.

On the other hand, I'm not a doctor and it could be something much worse too.  Lethargy is just one example of why you MAY be eating less.  I have no idea, but wanted to give you some ideas that you can work with your family and doctor on exploring maybe.  Good luck to you!

P.s.  Are you on adderall or anything (meds for ADD)?  They have certain side-effects too that can reduce appetite.  Staying well-fed is important though or you'll get dizzy and weak, sickly, or worse.

Not on medication for anything, and hopefully I won't have to be for much.

Ah, I do have a B12 deficiency that runs on my mother's side of the family.  Maybe I should take some more often and see if it does anything.

I'm a fairly active person.  I used to have unusual sleeping patterns in the past, but they went away almost immediately after coming out to my parents.  I used to suddenly get very tired in the early morning and early afternoon, regardless of how much I slept the night before.  Now I just wake at night quite a bit, usually after dreams and/or nightmares.  I go back to sleep shortly afterwards.  Other than that, I'm generally up to something most hours of the day.

I have been skipping lunch at school for a month now, but even before then I hardly ate anything (I mean, school lunch really isn't very appetizing either).  Lunch comes around at 10:40am, which is pretty early for almost everyone..  I usually come home at 3:30 and eat something pretty solid, then eat dinner a few hours later.  Breakfast rolls between 5:45 and 6:45 depending on the day.  I typically make sure I eat a really good amount of that.

Thoughts?  I still think it's anxiety combined with the awkward lunchtime.  I eat more than fine on the weekends after all.

[Dena]

My eating habits include a good breakfast and dinner but a light lunch. If I have a heavy lunch I get sleepy in the afternoon. You might consider something light for lunch like a sandwich, snack for finger food instead of a heavy lunch. Mostly it's important that you eat a balanced diet and maintain your weight. If you are going to have blood work, mention it to your doctor before the test. I got a copy of my lab results from my last visit and there are several test that will tell you if you have diet issues.

[DiamondBladee]

My eating habits include a good breakfast and dinner but a light lunch. If I have a heavy lunch I get sleepy in the afternoon. You might consider something light for lunch like a sandwich, snack for finger food instead of a heavy lunch. Mostly it's important that you eat a balanced diet and maintain your weight. If you are going to have blood work, mention it to your doctor before the test. I got a copy of my lab results from my last visit and there are several test that will tell you if you have diet issues.

Although I dont eat a massive amount, I'd say its pretty well balanced.  Again, I dont loose weight.  Though, my parents are noticing I'm a bit thinner.  Could it be an illusion?  Perhaps I haven't changed other than some body composition (ie gained muscle)?  I'm starting to eat at least a scrap at "lunch" so I can at least say I'm eating at that time, then have my lunch part 2 in the later afternoon.  It might make the concern disappear altogether.  I wouldnt have been concerned about eating disorders at all if my parents or peers hadn't said anything.

[Dena]

One other possibly. At some point in our teens, we lose the baby fat we once had and it moves into muscles and elsewhere on the body. It's much like what happens when somebody goes on a diet but instead of losing weight, your weight will remain the same. I had this happen when I went off estrogen but in my case, the feminine fat moved to my belly where it didn't do any good. It also possible the bones in your face are still developing giving your face a longer appearance without adding hight.

Anorexia is forcing yourself not to eat. In your case you appear to be eating when you want and are eating a healthy diet so I suspect it's just part of normal growth for you.

[DiamondBladee]

One other possibly. At some point in our teens, we lose the baby fat we once had and it moves into muscles and elsewhere on the body. It's much like what happens when somebody goes on a diet but instead of losing weight, your weight will remain the same. I had this happen when I went off estrogen but in my case, the feminine fat moved to my belly where it didn't do any good. It also possible the bones in your face are still developing giving your face a longer appearance without adding hight.

Anorexia is forcing yourself not to eat. In your case you appear to be eating when you want and are eating a healthy diet so I suspect it's just part of normal growth for you.

And as much as I want puberty to stop, while I have a neutral face not eating will throw me under the bus for endo.  Again, I dont have an eating problem, it's just a different pattern than my parents went through I guess.  Is it okay for me to want to find a way to get them off my back?  I mean, the constant reminding and stuff is actually making me feel really uncomfortable with my body (I already was too, so now its even worse).

[stephaniec]

I was anorexic when I was 19 . It wasn't totally intentional, I had put myself on a vegetarian diet , but I really didn't know what I was doing. I'm 5'4 and went below 100 lbs if not more. I wasn't consciously trying to starve to death. I was never hungry I just didn't want to eat. I was going to a University at the time and the professors had conspired to get me into therapy because they saw I was going to be dead soon as were my fellow students tried to trll me I was about to die.  I couldn't see it. All I did was drink coffee. The weird thing was that I was starving to death , but I wasn't hungry. The school got me into therapy at the University and tried to help me. I finally started to eat again. The easiest way to gain weight is to drink those nutritional supplement drinks you get in stores. Ensure or the generic versions., they taste good and you can mix with ice  cream to make milk shakes. They taste good and have mega vitamins . I highly recommend  them. Anorexia is not something to play with.