Expert: Sally - 2/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hey Sally,
     I'm not really sure where I should be asking this but I hope you can help either way. So
I'm 15, 6'2", and 129 pounds and it's not like I'm always thinking 'I'm fat' or whatever, I
honestly think I'm WAY too thin but it's just like, I'm constantly doing things: school, I have
a full time job after school, then I have homework and cleaning and then cooking. Then I'll
realize I haven't eaten all day and when I go to the fridge I feel like I have the flu or
something. Like nothing looks good but I feel really hungry but I just don't feel like eating.
Then my brother will convince me to have like pasta or something and I'll eat like half of it
and feel really uncomfortable. Like a bit bloated and my sister had a really bad eating
disorder and everytime I take of my shirt for whatever reason, she says that she can see my
ribs and I look worse then she did and one time my brother said I needed to gain weight
cause I'm turning into a bag of bones. I just don't really know what's happening or why I
am the way I am. Do I have some kind of eating disorder?

ANSWER: Hi Adam,

Your loss of appetite could be for a number of reasons including the beginning of an ED  My best advice would be to go and see your local doctor and maybe see if they can do some tests.  Can you explain in a bit more detail what goes through your mind when you do go to have semething to eat and after you eat?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Oh yeah, sorry. It's like when I go to the fridge, the cabinet, whatever. I'll look at all the
food and kinda just feel like, 'eh, I'm not in the mood for that, that looks too old, I don't
really feel like that right now' just nothing looks appetizing. Also sometimes I'll feel like I'm
really in the mood for the taste of like potato chips or something and I'll get a bag and take
a bite and the texture isn't right, I'm immediately full, or my 'craving' will just go away, or
sometimes all of the above. It's really weird, it's like I'm hungry but after I prepare
something or look in the fridge I'll just feel like, maybe later or like I want something else.
Then after I actually eat something I feel like really bloated, even if I only ate a few bites of
something that's not like, filling or whatever. I feel uncomfortably full and really just, blah.
Like when I'm in the process of eating I think, 'Man, I'm stuffed. Oh come on, you barley ate
anything, you need to eat more then that.' Then I'll take a few mouthfuls more and then it
just won't go down anymore, like it feels like I physically cannot eat anymore but it's like my
mind is going: I'm starving, but my body's going: Oh my god I'm so full. I don't really know
how else to explain it. Also I have talked to the doctor but she said that it was just
hormones but I've kinda been like this for like 4 years or something. So I don't know what's
going on at all, it's just I've read on like WebMD that eating disorders are genetic and our
mom actually died from a very serious eating disorder, my sister had it, and now I'm really
freaked out that I have it too.

Answer
Hi Adam,

If you are really concerned with where things are at and your doctor was unable to help... my next suggestion would be to see a counsellor &/or dietician/nutritionist who has a good understanding of ED's and would be able to advise you further