Expert: Meg - 5/1/2006

Question
hi, i hope someone gets this. i have been restricting my eating in terms of low carb and low fat for the past year now. i am a 17 yr old male 5'7 now 130-135. i used to be 185 at heaviest a year ago. i have fallen into a sad routine of not eating anything until 2-4 oclock in the afternoon and then only have a low calorie dinner, like grilled chicken and shrimp over a salad with some mixed veggies.. no dressing.. i also take hydroxycut and a lot of other caffeine items like coffee and green tea throughout the day. also. i work out cardio for about 50 minutes a day and lift 6 days a week. i know i burn about 600-900 calories per workout and barely take that many in in a day.. i have been doing this for two weeks now consistently and am starting to feel puffy, and swolen everywhere, including my face and knees.  i feel like i am starting to get fat even though im not even eating any fat.. it seems like everything i eat is just rushing to my face. i dont know what the hell is going on inside of me, i am always cold and have no energy, yet i force myself to work out daily.. i need some advice. note: i have been diagnosed as anorexic.  

Answer
Hi CD,

Thanks for the note and I'm glad that you're looking for some answers here as it sounds like you are involved in a dangerous cycle  here and hopefully you can find a way out before it gets any more serious.  

It is very likely that with your exercise schedule, extremely low calorie intake as well as the diet pills that your body is in starvation mode-and also that you are putting your body in danger and need to make some changes as quickly as possible.

I don't mean to scare you, as I know that it is so easy to get wrapped up in not eating/exercising/measuring weight that it all seems okay but it really is not.  Since you have been diagnosed as an anorexic, I'm wondering if you are getting any type of help or support for that right now.  If not, I highly recommend doing so right away.  

There are many signs that you mention that your not eating, taking the diet pills and exercising when you're exhausted are taking its toll on your  body including: always being cold, having no  energy, not eating all day, feeling fat even though you are not, etc.  

I would recommend checking out these links that talk more about anorexia and the very real danger it poses.  

http://www.something-fishy.org/dangers/dangers.php
http://www.pale-reflections.com/anorexia.asp?page=2

My heart goes out to you as it sounds like you don't understand why you are doing these things but feel out of control to stop  them (which is, again, another sign of an eating disorder).  I hope that you can talk with someone soon about this as well as find a healthy diet plan that will help you to get healthy again.

There are certainly ways to be healthy and have a body that you like, but undereating and getting sick  is not one of them.  And,  you deserve a lot more than that-as you are 17 which is an age where you have so many important life things going on that it would be a shame to miss out because you are too sick to do anything.

Please talk with someone about this very soon and let me know if there is anything else that I can help with or if anything in this answer was unclear.

Take care,
Meg