Purge/restrict Myself From Eating Sometimes?

Question by Kinlee: Purge/restrict myself from eating sometimes?
I’m a freshman in college. I don’t exactly know if I had an “eating disorder” because I never got a BMI of below 18. However, during my junior and senior year of high school, i restricted on calories quite a bit )less than 600, ran 4-6 miles a day) and i dropped about 12 pounds. This was on and off, but i lost those twelve pounds when i went for a little over a month straight. I also made myself throw up whenever i gave in and ate a lot. anyway, im back to my normal weight, but im now in college, and when i fel down about my grades or homesick, i either don’t eat much, go exercise, or make myself throw up. is this considered something extremely serious?? how would you classify this? i want to tell my mom, but im scared. Also, my mom is critical of my weight sometimes. I’m 4’10 and about 106 pounds.

Best answer:

Answer by ?burnttoast?
going to extremes to diet isn’t all that uncommon, but the fact that your weight is fine but your bad dieting habits are being triggered by stress and anxiety, then yes. this is serious.
Anorexia is excessive calorie restricting, and bulimia is when you binge and purge as means to lose weight. And both are psychological disorders classified by fear or anxiety related to gaining weight, having distorted body self-perception, and having an unhealthy obsessive compulsion to diet. I’d say the emotional element related to ED is the most dangerous because it can make it very difficult to overcome. There are also other eating disorders that have elements of both. These arent as easy to classify but can be just as dangerous.
I’d say you are probably borderline with a high risk of developing a full blown ED at this point. But your understanding and awareness of this is to your advantage. I would take steps to address this, start making a conscious effort to not get caught up in this destructive cycle. If you think you need help, then get it. If your university has a student clinic and provides health services, then thats a good place to start. Many universities have programs in place to help people with ED, and if they dont then they will at least be able to direct you to where you can get help.
Talking to your mom is also a good idea, because having family support is important. She loves you so dont worry so much. Moms can just be naggy sometimes, but they do it out of love and with the best of intentions, But once she understands your issues and anxietys she’ll change her attitude and do what she has to and support you on this.

The 700 Club – October 18, 2011 – CBN.com – Abused and neglected as a child, Tania slid into a life of prostitution, and popular Christian music artist, Dorothy Savage, shares her story of faith and overcoming a destructive eating disorder….