Expert: Ryan Hale - 3/7/2010

Question
I've hated my body for some time now like 4 years and over that time have counted calories, starved, and overall scrutinized every aspect of my body. I am not underweight but would  prefer not to put my weight here. Every morning I am scared my outfits make me look fat. I do gymnastics and tennis so I work out 6 days a week for 3-4 hours a day. For the past two years or so I have been chewing and spitting a lot too. Like 2-3 times a day and often wil buy junk food just to chew and spit. Thinking about it lately, I am begining to thunk maybe I do have an eating disorder? Maybe it is just all in my head. Anyways, do I possible have an ED?

Answer
Alice-  It doesn't sound like you have what is known as a "clinical" level of an eating disorder, however, you do have a few common characteristics of someone who does.  It is a great time to turn things around before you go any further down the eating disorder path.  It is important to deal with the things that are effecting you right now.  Someone with experience in working with someone with disordered eating behaviors can help.  Your school counselor, school psychologist or family physician is a great place to start.  One of them should be able to put you in touch with someone with experience in this area.  Also, look around your life, if you have toxic friends or your gymnastics program is toxic, back away from it for a little while.  You can't get better or feel better about yourself if you are receiving negative messages from those around you constantly.  Ask yourself, what do these people get out of pushing me?  Does my coach want me to be great because he cares about me so much or because he wants to be able to say that his gym produced an athlete who qualified for the Olympic Trials?  Do your "friends" on your teams make comments to hold you up or drag you down... they may be trying to make themselves feel better or justify their own behavior by dragging you down.  I'm not sure that this is the case but take an inventory of your life and make an honest judgement.