I'm scared of getting fat. Do I have anorexia?

Question

I'm a 19 year old male who's developed an obsession with food and weight over the months. I'm far from fat (I'm borderline underweight).

The trouble is, I LOVE food. I think about it all day every day. I'm not necessarily hungry all the time, but I look forward to meal times.

The trouble is, though, is that I love eating but because I have an unhealthy obsession with food, I'm scared of getting fatter. I also tend to "binge"/overreat only to find myself forcefully putting myself through a dreadful hour of exercise.

How can I get out of this loop? I always feel like I NEED to expend energy or else I'm going to get fat. I can't just sit down and relax in the evening after a meal.or eat a burger and not look back.

Anthony · Answer

Since you are afraid of getting fat but you do binge and then force yourself to exercise to the point that it is "dreadful" as you say, I think it may be more likely that you have bulimia. You may know bulimia as eating too much and then making yourself throw up, but a more general definition is a binge & purge cycle. Instead of making yourself vomit to "purge" your body of the food, you exercise.

Bulimia info: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa.htm
How to stop a binge before it happens (for Binge Eating Disorder but can apply in your case too): http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/features/how-stop-binge-before-happens

Since this clearly is having an impact upon your life since you cannot sit down and relax, I would recommend talking to someone you trust or a doctor about this to help you get through this difficult time. Good luck! :)

I'm scared of getting fat. Do I have anorexia?

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