Expert: Nafeesah - 6/16/2008

Question
I am 5'5 I weigh 109 lbs and am a 14 year old female. I know this is a pretty healthy weight, but I weigh myself every day and exercise every day, I thin I am chunky. I eat a lot of food and then regret it. (I am not bulimic) I am always checking my bmi online and I am afraid that this may one day turn to anorexia, how can I prevent this?

Answer
You're not anorexic, but you are obsessing over food and weight which are traits of someone who's anorexic. You need to eat because you're still a developing girl and you need the nutrients to help your body to grow. You can prevent anorexia and other eating disorders by not obsessing about food and weight. You're fine you're a healthy normal teenage girl and you're not chunky for 109 pounds you're actually slim for that weight. What you should consider is what is your ideal weight for your height and stick to that. You should not exercise no more than 35-45 minutes a day. The idea of not obsessing about food is unhealthy and you should focus on your friends and having a life.