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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can i have an eating disorder even though I am not underweight?

    Related Topics
    Depression Eating Disorders Mental Health
    I am an extremist. I used to be overweight about 4 years ago. In a bid to lose weight, I hired a trainer and cut out a lot of foods from my diet. Ever since then I have continued to cut out food groups and it has come to the point where I have not touched bread/rice/meats/poultry/fats/sugars (except for fruit) in 4 years. I feel like I have an eating disorder because food and weight pretty much dominate my life even though I am not underweight but I am on the skinny side.
    I am scared of certain foods. I am absolutely petrified of putting on weight. I cannot eat in public or infront of anyone as i get anxious. I tend to eat the same food, at the same time everyday, with the same utensils. Its an obsession.

    But the worst part is that I have isolated myself from everybody. This is mostly because going out always involves food. But it is more than that. Even from my family and friends. I no longer have any interests or anything to look forward to. I live a constant battle with weight.
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  • Dr Simon Easterbrook-Smith

    Health Professional

    My research interests include immunology and the mechanisms of amyloid formation. The latter has implications for people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease … View Profile

    Writing as somebody who knows a lot about metabolism (*not* as a qualified dietitian), your diet sounds very restricted to me and I doubt that it is healthy. I suggest that you check out http://daa.asn.au/  - it is searchable for qualified dietitians where you live - such a person will be able to advise you.

    Writing as somebody who is an administrator of a world-wide forum which supports people with mental health issues (*not* as a mental health professional), it seems to me that you may show signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and/or an Eating Disorder.

    I suggest that you talk with your GP about this. S/he will be able to draw up what is known officially as a “Mental Health Care Plan” with you. That will entitle you to a number of Medicare-subsidised sessions with mental health professionals.

    All the best.

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  • Kyla Holley

    Counsellor, Psychotherapist

    Are you concerned about your relationship with food? Would you like the opportunity to explore this further? Hello, I am the Director of the Australian … View Profile

    There are many different types of eating disorder.
    Your brief description above leads me to believe that it would be a good idea to speak to a professional about your relationship with food.
    There are a few indications that you may suffer from orthorexia, or atypical anorexia.
    You don't mention if you are taking laxatives or purging to lose weight, and there are many other factors to be taken into consideration before anyone could offer you a diagnosis.
    Please be assured that there are proven treatment methods for eating disorders that can allieviate your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
    Good luck 

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  • Elizabeth Newsham-West

    Dietitian

    Yes you can. Disordered eating can present in many different ways with many body weights and behaviours which requires a multi disciplinary team to support you in making good choices for your own health and well being.

    Unfortunately dieting can be presented with restricted foods or meal plans with lists of foods that you can or cannot eat contributing to disordered eating and restrictive eating practices. A Dieitian can help you have confidence in eating a enormous selection of foods in the right amouts to meet you nutritional needs and health goals.

    I agree you need to seek professional help to reassure you as well as provide good guidance and treatment . You GP is a great place to start who will know the best clinicians to help you where the cost can be covered or subsidised by Medicare.

    You will find these websites have good evidenced based information and contacts as well .
    www. butterflyfoundation.org.au and
    www.headspace.org.au if you are aged between 12-25 years.

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  • Vicki O'Dwyer

    Psychotherapist, Social Worker

    I provide Medium-Long Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy to adults and older adolescents. and couples. I see people with histories of trauma, complex diagnoses and personality disorders. View Profile

    It certainly sounds like an eating disorder to me. All those symptoms you describe are certainly indicative of a increasingly constrivtive way of living that leaves you missing out on important things like socialising. Eating disorders are mental health disorders, so anyone, any size can have one - the key features being the preoccuption around controlling what is eaten and ultimately this aims to control weight. In anorexia, the restriction of food and compensation for ‘indescretions’ increase over time, in bulimia nervosa the stressors of life lead to ‘going off’ a restricted diet then binge eating and purging, which then leads to a sense of having to restrict again. In binge eating, there is no compensatory behaviours, so weight may keep increasing depending upon how often the binge eating happens. Eating disorders are serious and devastating, whether subclincal or clinical, and I really encourage you to seek out treatment to free your life up a bit more. I hope this helps. Vicki

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