selective anorexia?

[RainyDayWoman]

*** i am not asking for medical advice.

*** i am aware that this is unhealthy, as are all eating disorders.

*** i know what eating disorders are and what they can do to your body.

*** i know this is NOT good for me.

 

just to get that out of the way.

 

my question is this...is it possible to have selective anorexia?

 

there seems to be certain months out of the year that i do not eat; actually, CANNOT eat.

 

my weight fluctuates between these cycles of not eating and then eating, sometimes even in the amount of 30-40 pounds.

 

for example, last year, i lost about 40 pounds between late may and mid-august--not eating.

 

one year later from that point, and i've gained most of it back. all year, i ate what i wanted.

 

now, as of a few weeks ago, i am back to not eating, or eating extremely little. i can't make myself. i am not trying to do this.

 

i don't wear a red bracelet

i don't snap my wrist with a rubber band

i don't go to "pro-ana/mia" websites

i don't take pills.

i am not depressed, nor have i had something traumatic happen during this time

i don't hate my body; in fact i am usually pleased with it.

i have no known diseases, and i rarely even sick.

 

i don't even really exercise, although my everyday life does require some physical activity, maybe even more than i realize--but definitely not enough for this huge weight fluctuation.

 

so...does this ever happen to anyone else? it's been going on like this for maybe 3 years (i am almost 25). i don't know anyone this happens to, although, i don't tell people so maybe they wouldn't tell anyone about themselves. but i know people have to notice it; they've commented. no one says anything when the weight is back on though, only when i seem to be "getting too thin."

 

i never consciously think "this is my not-eating season." it just happens, seriously, overnight.

 

i know i should talk to a doctor, but i am so hesitant to. i know people who have established eating disorders lie and say they're fine--that's not me. i don't want them to think i am doing this on purpose.

 

i don't believe in counseling. (it's fine for some people; it is not fine for me.)

 

so basically, has this happened to you or anyone you know? what did they do? and did they ever find out why?

 

i'm not so much looking for a solution so much as where to even start.

 

i know you're not doctors, and i am not expecting you to diagnose me. just curious if this is a known thing that happens to people or that i am just a freak.

 

***the reason i say "selective" is because it is not a constant, not because i am choosing this.

[LucreziaBorgia]

You'll want to seriously consider seeing a doctor about this. You could have fluctuating levels of hormones, etc that are contributing to this - not emotional problems so much as problems with your brain chemistry. I had thyroid problems and some problems with clinical depresssion and Type 2 Bipolar that had some similar effects.

[quankanne]

sounds more like a medically based condition rather than a psychological one. I know that people with adult onset/Type 2 diabetes can go from one extreme to the other (usually a rapid weight loss without trying triggers suspicion of a doctor).

 

you don't sound unusally or freakish, just needing medical attention to solve your puzzling situation

[RainyDayWoman]

thanks guys.

 

i should also have mentioned that i go to the doctor every year, usually just for a regular check-up. there is diabetes in my family, and so i am checked for that often as well.

 

nothing is ever wrong. but something obviously is, i guess.

 

(not disputing anything you've said, just adding something that should have been included in my first post.)

 

thanks for the advice...and for not lecturing me or making me feel like a freak of nature.

[sophia34]

Have you been specifically checked for thyroid problems? Not doubting your doctor, but just wanted to make sure that has been crossed off the list.

 

What you describe sounds a lot like a whacked-out thyroid.

[RainyDayWoman]

Have you been specifically checked for thyroid problems? Not doubting your doctor, but just wanted to make sure that has been crossed off the list.

 

What you describe sounds a lot like a whacked-out thyroid.

 

and you know what, i can't believe i didn't even think of that. my mom within the past year was told she had an underactive thyroid, and my sister was just told a dew months ago that hers is too.

 

 

hmmmm. thanks for making me think, you guys, this is exactly the kind of feedback that i was looking for.

[LucreziaBorgia]

That thyroid can be a tricky thing. I had a lot of problems, and once it was removed and I was on a thyroid hormone some of the problems cleared up. You will definitely want to have that checked. You may have to request it.

[RainyDayWoman]

thank you, LB.

 

i think i will feel better going to a doctor, knowing there is a probably a physical explanation, and not something assumed to be a "head issue."

 

that's frustrating.

 

thank you again.

[Outcast]

Most 'head issues' ARE physical. Thyroid is a type of chemical. So is serotonin and so is dopamine. All of them can go screwy on you with varying symptoms, including symptoms of changed/different behaviour and thinking.

[RainyDayWoman]

Most 'head issues' ARE physical. Thyroid is a type of chemical. So is serotonin and so is dopamine. All of them can go screwy on you with varying symptoms, including symptoms of changed/different behaviour and thinking.

 

thanks, i know that, outcast.

 

i just didn't want them to think i was crazy OR lying about what was happening. sometimes if you have an unexplainable physical problem, doctor's say it's all in your head, as in it's not real--you're imagining it or subconsciously making it happen.

[RecordProducer]

I would say periodical anorexia, not selective. If you don't want to die, go see a doctor. Your health should be the most important thing in the world for you. Don't postpone it.

[RainyDayWoman]

I would say periodical anorexia, not selective. If you don't want to die, go see a doctor. Your health should be the most important thing in the world for you. Don't postpone it.

 

thanks, RP. so in that case, is it still considered "anorexia" if it's not voluntary?

 

i wasn't sure if that was the right term, if 'anorexia' means the general cessation of eating for any reason, or only the conscious effort to starve yourself into sickness.

 

i mean, throwing up when you're sick isn't bulimia, so maybe there's a term for this that i don't even know about.

 

it's whacked out, that's for sure.

 

 

thank you all.

[RecordProducer]

I am sure you can search the web and find out about anorexia. In any case, depriving yourself from food (or consuming too little) for a longer period of time - more than a few days - is not healthy.

 

If you want to lose weight, do it teh right way. There are so mnay healthy diets out there. You can lose 20 lbs in a few months and then try to not re-gain them.

 

Why don't you eat for a few months? What do you eat actually?

[RainyDayWoman]

maybe you should read my first post a little more carefully, please.

 

thanks.

 

 

and i have researched anorexia, but i have never found my situation.

[georgiagirl76]

Rainy Day

I wanted to contribute to your posts since you have been so kind to me. I agree with the other posters to have your thyroid checked. Thyroid problems can go unnoticed in a regular physical and the symptoms are that of other problems so sometimes you cannot recognize that it is serious to talk to with your doctor. During the times that your eating fluxuates do you have abnormal sleep patterns as well? It is also possible to have both hypo and hyper thyroidism. It is rare to have both that fluxuates the levels of chemical produced from to much but not enough but it happens. I had a goiter my third year in law school that caused me to be very tired and I lost weight and then gained a lot back- well I never weighed over 125 but in the amount of time I was loosing 20 pounds and gaining it back without doing much altering. Regardless of the cause of your problem- which from reading your post I doubt it is psychological unless severly repressed, you need to see a medical doctor so you don't inadvertantly do irreversible damage. The great thing about the thyroid is that they can medicate you to correct the imbalance in hormone and make your symptoms go away. Hang in there.

[RainyDayWoman]

thank you very much, georgia.

 

i have actually made an appointment, but they can't see me until late october, which is okay by me...i'd rather wait for a doctor i trust than rush and go to someone i don't know.

 

and yes, since you asked, my sleeping patterns do fluctuate, but i guess i never put these two things together, since my sleeping patterns since my early teenage years have always been off...

 

it's definitely something worth mentioning to my doctor.

 

thank you for your concern, and for seeking me out in order to help me.

 

when i know what's going on, i will post an update on here. until then, i am trying to make myself eat. usually by this point i would have lost maybe 15 pounds, but it's only been about 7-10. so i'm fighting it, and trying to keep healthy in the meantime.

[georgiagirl76]

I am so glad to hear you do have an appointment. It was the least I could do- seeking you out- you have really made me feel supported. You are the only person who took the time to read my long post and reply. It meant a lot to me. People seem to reply to a lot of the younger people's posts- and I am not knocking it it just seems like their posts are all the same. I guess being a teenager still sucks lol. Well I posted a reply recently to my post that I would love to get your input on. I am trying not to go to crazy from one extreme emotion to another but sometiems it is hard.

[Tankgirl]

Glad you have an appointment too! There are so many things regular checkups might not catch. My sister had stomach issues that caused her a similar situation. She would go for months and be find and then not be able to eat without feeling horrid, food was just unppealing. She had an issue with her stomach and took meds for a short amount of time and it was all fine (and still is) Thyroid as someone else mentioned is SO complicated and can be hard to detect 'in passing'

 

TRY not to stress.. GO to your appt and in the meantime eat anything and everything that looks appealing when you feel this way:)

 

Oh and update us

[HotCaliGirl]

I was anorexic for most of my teenage years, which I regret, but at the time I admit the skinny models had made an impression on me. In my early 20s I was always stressed and had little to eat...I passed out many times (scary experiences) and was hospitalized often, but my physicals always came up normal.

 

Because I exercise a lot and am usually stressed from work, I have to make an effort to eat, otherwise I'll go for days without realizing I haven't eaten almost anything...I'm not sure what the reason is, since my blood work comes in normal and my doctor says I am like a professional athlete from my physical, but maybe there are stress hormones that temporarily release that make me lose my appetite? or the childhood models/present day actresses subconsciously haunting me?

 

On the other hand, there are some who overeat when they're stressed, to find comfort which I am sometimes tempted to do, but I have to use discipline to keep myself from ever allowing that to happen, even though it would be difficult to gain weight with all my muscle, so I guess I'm really hard on myself? who knows...

 

I work so hard to look as fit as I do and fight temptation so it's sometimes annoying to see people who overeat then complain that they're fat - blaming it on hormones, same with those who undereat and blame it on hormones, which are maybe 1% of the cause in reality, but 99% blame it on that, so I am glad you are going to get yours checked out to know for certain and not blindly blame it on the "hormones".

[big_girls_rock]

yeah you should get that checked out so that you will know whats wrong- I went through a series like that except I was emotionaly eating and not eating- I still struggle with it but actually there was something wrong with my thyroid. It makes your body all wacky with different kind of emotional eating, makes you more tired, less or more hungry, your very moody. I got it fixed and then all of a sudden Im loosing weight and I only eat when Im hungry- and I have more energy too.

[Juliet]

I will sometimes binge on junk food for days.. and stay up all night snacking... then not eat for a few days or very little for the next week. I can feel my weight go up and down like a yo yo.. I was 120lbs .. then i went down to 100 and now I am back up to 110. Everyone thinks it is very odd..that with all the junkfood i eat that i am not 300lbs. I eat obscene amounts of junk food! I once ate 9 ice cream bars in a day! My boyfriend thought i was a real pig when he reached into the box! When the sugar wears off i begin to shake and have to devour more candy....FAST.

[Vikingfan]

This so sounds like me. Last May I started a diet but it ended up me barely eating and all I did was exercise. I lost like 35 lbs. in 3 months. Well I have gained itt almost all back within a year. I am starting to become like that again. If i dont exercise everyday I get mad at myself and I have days I dont eat and I have days that I binge. I dont really know whats up. I really want to lose the weight again but I want to do it healthy..but fast because I am disgusted with myself. I am going to have to say its anorexia. Eating anything under 1000 calories is like being anorexic. I didnt feel like there was anything wrong with what I was doing but now looking back I can see how bad it was for my body. I use to get so mad at myself if I went to like subway and got a sandwich...I felt like such a pig!!! Hopefully I dont get like that again. I dont know what to do to make sure it doesnt happen again.

[HotCaliGirl]

I really want to lose the weight again but I want to do it healthy..but fast because I am disgusted with myself.

There's no way you can lose weigt healthy and do it fast...the slower you lose the weight, the longer you keep it off.

Eating anything under 1000 calories is like being anorexic.

This is so not true! If you eat 100 calories more than what your body requires every day, you will gain 10 pounds/year. Let's say your body needs 1200 calories (for a not so active, average girl)...if you eat 1500 calories - 300 extra, then the next day eat 900 calories, it balances out... Your body fluctates from day to day, so it doesn't make sense to eat the same exact amount every day. Some days are more active and you burn more calories, eat less/more...there are a lot of factors to consider.

I use to get so mad at myself if I went to like subway and got a sandwich...I felt like such a pig!!!

Think of the alternative - there are so many people who don't feel like pigs when they stuff themselves and don't get mad enough not to eat something they shouldn't be...ending up very over-weight. You're lucky that you are conscious of the foods you eat.

Hopefully I dont get like that again. I dont know what to do to make sure it doesnt happen again.

Eat whatever you want, as long as it is in moderation your weight will be ok and your body will adjust to the portions you are eating. If you are used to eating a lot, it will be difficult at first to adjust, just like it is difficult when someone first starts to exercise, but then it will become a way of life, instead of yo-yo-ing up and down and suffering.

[Slapshot2286]

You know, I don't know if this is at all related, but I'm a guy, and sometimes I can't eat/don't eat. Its weird. Sometimes I go for extended periods of time (like more than 10 hours) without eating. Its not a normal daily thing, but sometimes I just forget about eating, or don't feel like it. I feel hungry, but its like I'm too busy to eat or something. And it doesn't go in seasons like you say yours does. It'll go on for maybe a week like that, then I notice I'm losing weight and I'll remember that I haven't been eating that well and I'll start eating a lot again. I think the main reason with me though is because I eat so damn much I just get tired of eating. I don't know if that helps, but its something kinda like what you're describing...in a way...

[HotCaliGirl]

That's interesting to hear that it happens to a guy...I guess it's normal to eat, then not eat for an extende period of time, but it's so engrained that we're supposedly supposed to have 3 meals a day that we try to conform to that. I think cavemen would eat whenever there was food availalble from a hunt, which wasn't necessarily every day and so our body is not designed to have to eat continuously...that's why it stores fat to burn when there's no food available and maybe if you eat too much in a short period of time, your appetite shuts down so that you won't gain too much weight too fast or ??? who knows...but I think it's all normal and there doesn't necessarily have to mean there's an imbalance if you're not eating 3 small meals/day.