Expert: Joanne - 10/26/2007

Question
I am 5'4", 108lbs. According to everything I read, this is healthy, but I want to be much thinner. I am constantly looking at girls around me and wondering whether they are thinner, and watching how they eat, and wishing I were naturally as small as them. It seems like I eat much less than anyone - on a typical day I will have coffee with a tiny bit of skim milk in the morning, then a few grapes at lunch plus one or two bites of a sandwich or whatever my mom thinks I am eating for lunch. I drink a lot of tea and other calorie-free liquids throughout the day and try to avoid supper by letting everyone think I went out with my other friends, or that i will eat as soon as i get home (i tell my mom i went out). I am so sick of always thinking about food, but I think my weight is too high for me to be anorexic. What should I do??

Answer
Jackie,

I don't know how old you are, but I'm guessing you are young that you still live with parents!  Are you at school, college, university?

If you are still in education, there are a number of people situated within these schools to help you deal with problems that may arise in your life.  I definitely think that it may be worth your while trying to get an appointment with one of these counsellors /guidance teachers.  If there isn't such a person in your school, many teachers will have some sort of student support training, and should be able to point you to someone that can help.  Please find someone that you feel you can talk to!!

If you feel comfortable enough, it may be worth while even talking to your Dr about these feelings and your eating habits to see if he/she can put you in touch with people that can help with this!

Can you talk to your mum or anyone in your family?

Please do not think that getting into the weight range to be classed as anorexic is a great achievement!! With that low weight comes a lot of health problems, and it also has a huge impact on your psychological well-being!  Eating disorders can also be fatal, so please think about that while making the decision whether or not to tell someone about this!

Please get back in touch if you have any questions that you would like answered, or if you just need someone to talk to!

All the best
holly