Expert: Loren - 5/9/2007

Question
I've had, for really as long as I can remember, what I called "inconsistant eating" sometimes a binger, something days of not eating anything, and I know this must have seriously screwed up my metabolism...but I never really considered it an eating disorder, just me being an idiot when it comes to food. My friend said it sounded like ED: NOS to her

This is how I explained it: "See I think I screwed myself up for good too. I can't even explain my eating habits...I attempted to starve myself through most of HS for part of the day...not to lose weight but because I had anxiety eating around other people...I always thought they were looking at me thinking "Why is that girl eating at all she's too fat already"

So I never ate, I'd give away my lunch, or I'd pocket my lunch money, never eating out with friends if I didn't have to...then I'd come home and binge on ice cream and ritz crackers. Actually eating out would make me so nervous I would end up getting sick.

Then in college I decided I HAD TO LOSE WEIGHT I went overboard...I'd either not eat all day and get dizzy at work, or I'd just eat mandrine oranges and rice krispies for breakfast lunch and dinner. And then I'd exercise (without eating) at least twice a day...and I lost weight but I felt like crap.

And now (4 years or so later) I gained it all back, and I can't make myself eat like a normal person...even though I know I have to...I still don't eat all day at work (today I pushed myself and had a nutrigrain bar) and then I either come home and binge eat everything in sight...or I wait a few hours until I'm so hungry that I'm not hungry anymore and eat like a popcicle for dinner.

So I'm like part anorexic and part binge eater, which makes no sense."


I can't make myself pick up a consistant regular eating pattern. For what I read it seems ED:NOS-like. So you have any recommendations for making my metabolism work normal again, or did I screw it up for life?

Answer
Hello Melissa

What you are describing to me here does definitely sound like ED-NOS. You appear to have a certain anxiety and paranoia towards eating (as do those with anorexia and bulimia) and it in effect is causing you to starve yourself and then binge when you are on your own.

To answer your question, no, I do not believe you have 'screwed up' your metabolism permanently. A person's metabolism is constantly changing and it is never too late to put it right. But your weight may fluctuate initially. I think that you need to perhaps plan the day before what you are going to eat the following day so you'll have a structure to work with.

I think essentially you need to relearn how to eat, so to speak. Think back to when you were a child, and you'll see that your mother or father would feed you at certain times. Your body became used to that structure and learned to be hungry at those specific times. Plus, as a child you would not have restricted yourself. If you were hungry you would eat, and you would stop eating when you were full.

So my advice to you would be to take some time and plan your meals. I'm not the type of person who believes in six small meals a day - I'm a traditional girl who believes that three solid meals is as good as you can get. I won't try to insult your intelligence here, as I think you'll know healthy examples of a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. But if you just make up a menu for yourself, and vary it from day-to-day so you don't get bored, you'll soon find you will have that 'normal' relationship with your food. Remember, it's not an enemy, it's fuel and your body cannot function without it.

Can I also just add that I, too, understand that paranoia and anxiousness of eating in front of others. I used to always believe people would be looking at me and judging me for it. The truth? Other people don't really care! They don't have the time to sit and form opinions on others because of what they're eating. I think the more you don't eat in these people's eyes, the more prominence the issue gains.

Good luck, I hope this helps.
Take care,
Loren