I have a history of being anorexic when I was a teen. I got this under control, and am now a 47 yr old mom of 1. I have MS, and the limitations of mobility from this combined with gaining almost 100 lbs with the pregnancy, has gotten me to the point of being overweight.

About a month or two ago I decided to try one of the Hoodia products on the market. It is working remarkably well for me. I have lost about 20 lbs so far.

I am also using a computer program where I chart everything that I consume, and it breaks it down to show nutritionally what my percentages are. This way I know what things I need to work on.

With this said, I actually have a couple of questions.

First-The program I'm using also shows me a report that shows my averages over a period of time. Well so far(I've only been using the program a week), my average caloric intake is under 1000 calories per day. Am I being unrealistic in thinking that I should be losing weight quicker? Is there such a thing as your body going into a starvation mode if your intake is too low? I actually have about 80 more lbs to lose. But I am very aware of what I am eating, but I am worried that I could possibly become anorexic again. Is it silly to think that someone of my age could become anorexic?

Thanks for any info you can share.

I may only be 13, but i have had an awful time with anorexia. ( i have posted my story and my name is Lottie if u wanna read it) If you worry about it at all, speak to yor doctor. DONT RISK IT, please! You have a small child!! they need a mummy!

Lottie

To the author of the first comment:

Yes, eating too little will put your body into famine mode, where your basal metabolic rate will be reduced to protect your weight. Eating fewer than 1200 calories per day will be counter productive for weight loss. In fact, depending on your height and activity levels, you probably need to eat approximately 1500 calories per day to lose weight consistently.

And yes, you can indeed become actively anorexic again. Many women who have recovered from Anorexia Nervosa will experience relapses of this nature, even years after recovery. Your fixation on what and how much you're eating is a very bad sign, and eating so little is a good way to push yourself over the edge. I strongly urge you to take action now, to avoid falling back into the trap. A good registered dietitian, with experience with treating eating disorders, would be your best bet.

Good luck to you.

I'm trying to figure out whether I'm anorexic or not. I'm 14 years old and i only weigh 91 pounds. I recently lost 3 pounds this week. I do starve myself most of the time. My friends all ask me why i never eat anything at lunch with them or breakfast. I'm running out of excuses. i don't gag myself and i don't exercise daily, or take diet pills. My friends are worried but my family has no idea. how can I find out if I'm really anorexic or not, without my parents knowing. Can someone tell me at least?

It sounds like you may be displaying the symptoms of anorexia, although you really should get a diagnosis and help from a doctor! Please talk to someone - a teacher, your parents, or one of your friend's parents and get help!

I may only be 12, but I have a hard time dealing with anorexia. I'm not like the other people in my class. While they are drinking dr. pepper and that kind of pop I'm drinking diet stuff. My parents now that i am dieting but what they don't know is that i'm 10 pounds under weight

I'm 14 years old and think I may have anorexia. It started out really mild. I would eat, but more in the morning and less in the evening (you burn your breakfast calories off by the end of the day). I actually did go from 96 lbs to 87 lbs (I am currently 5'2.5") . Then is sort of became a game...what was the lowest weight I could reach? Then, I went to camp, it's not hard to loose weight there, and when I came home I was only 83 lbs. Then I didn't want to gain weight. Very recently I was sick, and my weight went down to 81 lbs. I don't want to gain weight yet I know I need too! I throw most of my lunch away and say I've eaten think which I haven't really. It's like out of control! I know it's horrible for me, but I can't help it!

i'm only 12 and i'm VERY confused if i have anorexia of not. I was 100 pounds when wanted to lose weight. i would and still say that my friends are skinner than me (and they are). Most of my friends are taller so they LOOK skinner than me. Now i'm 98 pounds and i can't stop losing weight. i don't know if i need help or not i am told that i have similar side-affects to it. DO I NEED HELP OR NOT?! i am also getting dehydrated more often, losing some of my hair some how. i don't know!! the dehydrating part is the hardest to deal with. i didn't know i was dehydrated and i road my bike about 1 mile and i ended up passing out on a chair for 3 minutes until i drank something. its serious i know, but i don't know how to tell my mom or get help if i need it. SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!!!! PLEASE.

I am confused if i have anorexia. meet me i'm the 12 year old. im 98 lbs and this is my story

as you no i am currently 98 lbs and i was 110 lbs before my goal on losing weight. in my concern i have been trying to lose weight for about 2 years. i got to 75 lbs at 4 grade, then i started to gain during 5th and 6th grade. in didn't like that. it meant that i was getting fatter and fatter every year. i started to cut myself for eating. i still have the scars. one said my name, another said BNR for Big & Rich, and a lightning bolt. also i non-visible one which said poison. my friends said that i was crazy. my cousin in which has known this for a while said that i NEED to stop hurting myself for this.

Well there is more on the way. i have cracked my wrist for eating fries, bent my finger for EATING. I COULD GO ON! i went to a smoothie diet once. helped a little, but not enough. i didn't know what to do but it's getting worse i can tell.

i read up on anorexia that it can lead to severe dehydration, kidney failure, hair lose, a lot of things. i KNOW i have the severe dehydration because i passed out over it. my hair is falling out a little.

but who can i tell. my mother wouldn't listen when i tried to tell her. should i tell my teacher. and if i should, what could i say.

im scared and i don't know what to to

i don't know who to tell.

I NEED SOME ADVICE FAST

Please tell your teacher, and if your teacher doesn't listen, tell a different teacher or a friend's mom. Keep talking to adults until someone helps you!

its what to say. i'm afraid to tell my teacher because i don't know when to. i don't even know if i'm anorexic yet. because my story should be above this. CAN YOU TELL ME?

it is known that most pre-teens and teens get anorexia because they want to be skinner. they watch models on TV and compare themself to others. if you or someone you know has done this or YOU even has done this do something about it or it will get worse.

as an anorexic i know it's hard to tell someone when you need to. but its something you just need to. i may be only 12 but i know when it gets bad or starts to improve. i'm still anorexic but i still know what to do. if no one believes you tell me i check this site daily.

I WILL GET YOU A ANSWER IF YOU SPEAK UP

THANK YOU

Hello.

i've struggled with anorexia before.

i'm now 15.

i'm 5'9 and im weighing 120 pounds still losing

you can see my ribs badly when i'm standing OR sitting for that matter.

i get sick WAY too much..

and i'm not eating at all.

i have no appetite what so ever.

i play sports all the time.

i'm an athlete.

but i also have ALOT of stress in my life..

i don't even know where to begin with that.

my parents and everyone around me says i'll be in the hospital soon.

am i too skinny?

how far is too far?!

help

signed;

desperate

i always feel as if eating is not something i must or want to do and that i'm overweight but i recently got asked if i was anorexic. but it didn't change my view. no one but that one person has mentioned my weight so i'm not sure if he was kidding or not ...

hi. i've had anorexia. im 97 pounds.

you need to stop. it gets addicting. no one knows that i'm anorexic. no one knows how i feel. i have all those problems that you do too...

anorexia is a sign of depression. if you start eating you won't be depressed. i tried it and it worked but i gained weight. so i stopped eating and here i am. addicted to not eating. everytime i see food i feel like i'm gonna puke.

stop. you NEED to eat. PLEASE!

i am 13

i have been worrying about my weight for a few months now i am 5 stone when i see myself i feel soo fat i am always freezing and my hands are blue my friends are starting to notice but i don't care all i want to do is be thin.

what can i do?

i posted the last question

how could i tell anyone no one would understand can you please tell me how i could tell someone because i haven't got a clue how.

also i may not actually be anorexic i might just want to lose weight.

to anonymous, if you are concerned that you may be anorexic, then you may have a problem. if you know that you are at an unhealthy weight, and feel like you want to lose more weight, then you may be anorexic. at 13, you cannot handle this on your own--if you have a hard time going to your parents, or family, then you should go to your school nurse, your teacher, or your friend's mom. there are so many adults who would be willing to help you talk to your parents. you don't want to risk your health now, and your future health by waiting to address this. find the strength within--you can do it! good luck and best wishes!

I Feel if i am fat which i am i have no reason to live i starve myself and don't lose weight i exercise i don't lose weight my friends say i am skinny but i am fat compared to them i need help

hi im danielle and im 12 i have got anorexia and it's hard living with it and the worst thing is my doctor said if i don't put on a few pounds i will die in a week so don't become anorexic please

I'm not sure if I'm classed as anorexic or not. I'm 23 and approx 7 1/2 stone, I'm not trying to lose weight, I know that I don't need to and if anything I could benefit from putting some on. But I can't seem to eat a regular meal, I don't eat breakfast, never have, I usually skip lunch and in the evening can only manage about half of what would be considered a normal sized meal then I'm full. I eat when I'm hungry which isn't very often, my parents have asked me about this but the honest answer really is that I'm just not hungry. I have the odd binge where I can eat full meal upon meal but it's rare. Does all this make me anorexic???

i'm 13 am weigh 28kg. this word anorexia is always in my head i'm always running and exercising, never eating. people at school be like sarcastic calling me fat and stuff and it really gets to me. i think i need help, am i anorexic ?

Im 12 years old and have a difficult time with my weight. All of my friends say that they are fat. one person in my class is so skinny i love it!! she is a size 0 in jeans. But although she's skinny she show it off to everyone in class. She stands up and glides her hand down her stomach and laughs. And it's not like we like it. me and my friend always talk like "You're so skinny. Ya right. well you are. no i'm not" stuff like that. I might be a size 1 and she is a size 7 but as i always say jeans can't hide everything. no guys like me. i don't know. im going on a diet but i don't think it's working. i weigh 105 lbs. please tell me what should be my goal or i'm i at a good weight??

hi, im Alexa and 13 years old. Im 5'0 and weigh 96 whole lbs!Ive been trying to lose weight since last year, and at my lowest have made it down to 76 lbs. I try to skip breakfast without my mom knowing and I eat as little of my lunch as possible to get it past my friends. They think im anorexic but I dont know... and Im scared! All I see when I look into the mirror is fat and hated. I am always thirsty and feel very weak almost all the time. My friends are basically force-feeding me and trying to help me "gain weight to be healthy". My best friend almost told my mom... but she didnt, because we're not sure if I have anorexia or not. Im really scared because I know that people can die from this and I just don't know what to do! please help me!!!

my mum is constantly nagging me because apparently i dont eat enough. but usually i eat most of my meals. she bugs me and says i look like i skeleton.. which i dont think i do. i weighed myself today and it said 8 stone 8, im about 5ft 8, which i dont think is anorexic weight. i lost a lot of weight since i was ill and i was 8 stone when i was about 9 and a bit before. i dont wanna be that skinny but i dont wanna be fat either. i look at myself and see the tummy that i want to be flatter. im usually cold, i have dry skin and tired which i read are symptoms. i just want answers to shut her up and leave me alone cos she threatens to take me to the doctors.

this is all complete honesty here.. cos i just want answers now. im so fed up.

why do i feel fat even though everyone tells me i'm skinny? no matter what that is how i feel. i don't want people to know because i am a girl no one would ever expect to be anorexic. what do i do?

please help me! Im 13 and I've lost about 7lbs. really, really recently. I dont know if I have anorexia or not..... I skip breakfast, pretend to eat in front of my friends, and eat as little as possible for dinner. I am 5'0 and down to about 89lbs. Is this normal? I've been down to 76lbs. at my lowest, and really want to get back down to it. Where do I draw the line?

I've seen a lot of people posting they aren't saying anything about their concerns they might have anorexia because, they say, "I'm not even sure if I have it." Well, people who have symptoms of cancer don't know if they have it, so they talk about their symptoms and get a diagnosis. It might be something different, but it isn't your job to figure that out. Of course you don't know if you have it! That's why you need to talk to someone who can help you figure out what is going on, whatever it is. Go talk to a doctor or other adult today!

For those of you who don't know what to say, so you don't say anything, I've written what you can say below. It doesn't matter if you are young or old, male or female, white or black, rich or poor, overweight or underweight... you can say what I've written below. You can write it, read it, IM it, say it, email it, whatever it takes. Here's what to say:

Hey Dad, (or Doctor, Coach, Aunt Janine, etc), I have something important to tell you that's been on my mind, but I haven't said anything because I'm not sure about it all and I'm a little worried about your response (or "about my parents' response"). Can you just listen to me until I'm done? (If the person interrupts you to argue a point, like if you ought to lose weight or if you should be worried about this, say, "Would you please listen to everything I have to say before responding? This is hard for me to talk about and I want to be sure to get it all out.")

I've been trying to lose weight lately and I've noticed that I'm thinking about it a lot now. I've started [say your symptoms and concerns here, like...] not eating even when I'm hungry, and constantly comparing how skinny I am to my friends. Even though I know in my head that this thinking isn't healthy, I can't seem to control it and (sometimes) I really don't want to control it. It's starting to affect my life (or "to concern me," or "to get out of hand") and I'm wondering if I might have anorexia (or, "and my friends are saying that I might have anorexia" or "some people on the internet said I might have anorexia.") I've thought about talking to a (school) counselor or doctor about it, but I'm scared. (You could also mention specific fears, like "I'm scared of being told to gain weight or to stop working out or that I won't be taken seriously or that my Mom will blow it all out of proportion or that it will be true." And/or, you could say whatever other feelings you have like, "I'm embarrassed to be dealing with this at my age, or to be a guy going through this, to be relapsing after going so long, for people to know, to be overweight and maybe anorexic" or maybe you feel conflicted, confused, justified, or another emotion, and you would say that here.) Will you help me? (You could also mention specific ways to help, like "help me to get to the doctor, to tell my Dad, by staying in the doctor's office with me, to understand what's going on, etc?")

That's it! Be honest, be straightforward, and deal with whatever is going on. By saying all of it at once (what's going on, what you've done about it, what you think and feel about it, ask for assistance) you're going to be able to take control of the circumstances and to stop feeling powerless and controlled by these forces pulling you from outside and inside. Choose a mature, trusted adult in your life and tell him/her/them everything here and they'll help you to empower yourself. You might tell the doctor everything to find out your weight and eating are fine and the person who suggested it needlessly made you worry, that you really have a different problem--maybe one easily treated with some medication, or you might find out that your body is starving itself and eating its own fat and organs to live because you aren't giving it enough food and if you keep it up much longer then you'll soon die a painful death. Whatever it is that is going on, following what I said above will get you to where you need to be. So now that you know what to say and how to say it, go say it!

If you need help with anorexia, you can call the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free hotline, for yourself or about someone else, at 1-800-931-2237 or you can visit their website (edap.org) for information, advice, or referrals.

im probly the perfect weight but i don't know im 5'6 and im 127 i only gained 2 pounds since i last weighed my self last year. u can see my ribs and i do not eat lunch any more only my carrots and i will not eat dinner and i only have half a bagel for breakfast and im 12 so i feel kinda fat and people at my school are skinner than me.

I was wondering if anyone knows how long it takes for anorexia to really develop? I am 20 years old. I started throwing up when i was about 12 and did that till about 17 but got control and stopped for about eight months, and in that time i went from about 130lbs to about 210lbs. Then, in a year i went from 210lbs to about 108lbs. I constantly think about how much I eat. I feel anxious when I have a couple of bites of bread, or even if i drink something with calories, like skim milk (which is ridiculous i know). I wear a size zero but still feel extremely fat and want to lose more weight. I refuse to talk to anyone about it, so if anyone has advice other than talk to someone, it would be appreciated.

Hi, I started a low fat, low calorie diet about a month ago now, and for the last two weeks i seem totally obsessed with counting calories and have been eating under 500 calories a day, only eating fruit and veg and maybe as a treat either a bit of chicken or an egg. The thing is I can stop now, I cant make myself eat and stop thinking about calories. I wouldnt even have a drink of tea because of the milk in it and i dont find myself hungry anymore, i just eat fruit for lunch and a salad at night because i know i have to. I cant stop it and i think i need help but whenever i talk to my boyfriend who is away in the Raf at the moment he just gets angry at me and tells me to go cook a pizza or he wont speak to me. so i lie to him and say i have, but i cant.

Theres a lot of talk of girls being anorexic... but what about guys like myself... im 19... im 6 foot ish... maybe 6 foot 1... and weight around 136lbs usually... it varies obviously a lot... but i think im fat and people keep asking why i'm soo skinny... but its almost like i dont want to lose my figure... when men put on weight they get a big old stomach... and i like my flat skinny waist line... its about 27inches and my hips are like 30 inches... and my chest is 34 so i am skinny enough but i do have some flabbyness on my legs and stomach... its like what meat there is on me... is basically fat... and i havent developed like most guys... i havent gotten hairy thank god and havent got much facial hair... Id hate to end up like a typical hairy foul man.. i duno what to do though.. am i not eating to stop this happening?