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Do I have an eating disorder?

User Profile: ScarletLetters
ScarletLetters May 20th, 2015

I never starve myself. I never purge. I don't know if what I do counts as binging. I've always been an average weight, but I'm so scared of gaining weight that I constantly track what I eat with an app. I used to even�weigh every bit of food. I spend hours a day looking at my app, wondering how I can reduce my calorie intake. Is this an eating disorder? Or just an extension of my anxiety disorder? I don't know what to do because I'm worried about it all the time but last time I quit tracking for a while I gained [weight edited be 24Help1] pounds and I'm only now starting�to lose�it again.

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User Profile: Kitkat35
Kitkat35 May 20th, 2015

It can be considered both, at this point if you start to lose weight then yes (please be careful! Getting out of eating disorders and their habits is a really difficult thing)

User Profile: ScarletLetters
ScarletLetters OP May 20th, 2015

I feel like it's impossible for me to try to eat right and exercise without it becoming an obsession. Ikeep going back and forth between not caring and caring too much. I don't know where it ends

User Profile: SmallishLion
SmallishLion May 20th, 2015

I'm no professional by a longshot, but according to what I've read in the past, as long as you're consistently eating within a range that qualifies as healthy (edited to remove calorie specifics by Anomalia), it might not be fair to call it an eating disorder per se, whereas when I went through something similar as a kid, my doctor did call it a manifestation of an anxiety disorder.

In short, I'd say it could be either of those things, erring on the side of anxiety disorder - but it could still bloom into a full-on eating disorder, needless to say, and personally I'd say you're within your right to lose weight if you want to, but if you are losing weight currently, I wouldn't recommend limiting yourself any more than you already are, and upping your daily calorie intake by small-ish amounts over a period of time until you've eased yourself out of a weight loss mode.

Anyone who knows more on any of this point/could make any suggestions that they know to be valid beyond "seems legit", good lord please correct me!

User Profile: Anomalia
Anomalia April 25th, 2016

At the end of the day, no one can diagnose you but a doctor/therapist, but if eating issues are impacting your life to the extent that they are infringing on the rest of your day / taking your focus, then there is an issue that warrants getting help and support.