Expert: Ginger M. - 11/23/2008

Question
im 15 years old and i weigh 96-97 pounds and 5 foot 7, basically i eat normally well sort of i dont like to eat main meals i just snack, im trying to eat less but then i just go on binges and i feel sick with myself and when i binge i eat sooo much im suprised i dont throw it back up again after anyway i feel fat and look it to me especially compared to those model and actresses and theres fat me eating a chocolate bar its sick. but its weird cos my friends mom whose a doctor thinks im anorexic i mean why and how i eat loads nd look soo fat oh and some teachers do as well because apperently i look thinner so now they are making me see a shrink/GP i mean why my question is do i sound anorexic? since i do eat loads

Answer
Hi There,
Thanks for your question! From what you've told me, you definitely seem to have some tendencies towards an eating disorder, so I think seeing a doctor/therapist would be a great idea, even if you don't really think you need to right now. One of the characteristics of people with anorexia is that they have a warped perception of what's a lot of food, just like their perception of their own body size ...so what seems like eating loads to you, might not be nearly enough to be healthy.

I know it's really hard not to look at magazines and on TV and compare yourself to the models and actresses, but there really isn't a comparison- they're airbrushed and Photoshopped so they don't even look human! I read an interview with Kylie Minogue once, where they were asking what she did to get such a world-famous butt. She said nothing- she said in the magazines, they edit the pictures so she doesn't even recognize herself. Cindy Crawford (supermodel) said the same thing on TV she told Oprah, "You know how people say they'd love to wake up  in the mornings looking like Cindy Crawford? Well I would like to wake up in the mornings looking like Cindy Crawford, too!" If you saw those models and actresses in real life, you'd be surprised.

Even if the doctor/therapist doesn't think you have an eating disorder, at least they'll be aware of how you're feeling, so they can help you get a handle on it now, so it doesn't turn into an eating disorder in the future.

Hope this helps!

Ginger