# How can you tell if you're anorexic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552 "2000-04-02T18:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/1 "2000-04-02T18:31:00Z")
## This is serious. Im starting to get worried. Lately (the last month or so) my wrists have looked very bony, and all my pants practically fall off my hips. Come to think of it, all my clothes are a smidge looser. But when I look in the mirror at my face, waistline, belly, and saddlebags, I think, “fat - fat - fat”. So somewhere, my perspective is off. Im not purposely starving myself, but I dont think I eat very much. I just dont want to lately. Why suddenly now? What would make someone suddenly turn anorexic (if I have)? I’ll stop procrastinating tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/2 "2000-04-02T18:35:00Z")
Go to your doctor. He or she will be able to tell you pretty quickly whether or not you are. Also write down what you eat for a couple of days and total the calorie count, which your doctor will probably ask you to do anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/3 "2000-04-02T18:38:00Z")
I’m no expert in this field, or any other for that matter, but I was under the impression that perceiving oneself as fat when actually one is not is a very common (and central) symptom of this kind of disorder. But that’s just my WAG. The best advice? Go see a doc, and sooner rather than later. It’s good news indeed, though, that at least you recognise you _might_ have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/4 "2000-04-02T20:55:00Z")
Echoing what the others have already said. [b] Go to your doctor.\*\* Though, there are questions that could be asked to ‘tell if you’re anorexic’, has your period stopped if you’re a female, would be another red flag alert, that something in your body is being deprived. ## Go to your regular physician and get checked out, and tell us how it goes, okay?? Judy * * * “Um, according to who? Nothing more than a high brow troll, though occasionally the bi polar personality swung in a constructive direction on innocuous topics.” Omniscient ---
**Author:** ![Catrandom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Catrandom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catrandom)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/5 "2000-04-02T21:02:00Z")
Being boring and repetitive: Doctor, doctor, doctor! That you’re wondering about it is a pretty good sign that there’s something that needs to be checked out. And even if you’re not anorexic per se, weight loss and loss of appetite can be signs of other problems (depression among them) and you need to know what’s up. Good luck, Scarlet, and let us know how you’re doing. Catrandom ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/6 "2000-04-02T21:02:00Z")
Thank you for the advice and concern. But one problem is, I dont _have_ a regular doctor (moved six times in the last three years) - would the doctor I have now be able to see anything? I doubt it. But I’ll make an appointment anyway. Thanks for goosing me into it. And the period thing doesnt help - I only get it about once a year anyway. Ive had _that_ checked by several gyns - that’s just the way my body is. * * * I’ll stop procrastinating tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/7 "2000-04-02T21:13:00Z")
Been there, done that. When I was in high school, two things happened. I started feeling a need to lose weight, and lost the desire to eat. I am very thin to begin with, and it wasn’t so much an issue of thinking I was fat per se, but more of an issue of “If I could take off just a teeeeensy bit more, I’d have something…” Food became rather revolting, as well. I literally would rather have starved than eaten. I got down to 115 pounds- not a good thing at my height. And, of course, I was in complete denial the whole time. “I’m not anorexic, I’m just not very hungry.” You’re obviously not in denial about it, and that’s a good sign. I never did see a doctor about my condition, and eventually, I snapped out of it on my own, but I’d definitely recommend you seek medical advice anyway. For your sake, I hope it’s just a short-lived mental twitch of some kind. * * * Heck is where you go when you don’t believe in Gosh. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/8 "2000-04-02T21:35:00Z")
Scarlet… Even if you haven’t established yourself with a particular physician yet, you should still get checked out. He or she will have you request your medical records (which will include your previous weight measurements) from your past physicians to see if there’s any sort of pattern there. If possible, find a physician who specializes in comprehensive medical care for women. Sometimes difficult (if not downright impossible), but worth it if you manage to find one. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/9 "2000-04-03T00:04:00Z")
Stand before a mirror & see if you can count your ribs [no shirt on of course]. If you can count yourself on the too thin side possibly. Anorexia is in the mind not the fat. Anorexia is the fear of being fat. so they think fat fat fat. But then don’t take advice from us cause no two of us ever have the same answer. ---
**Author:** ![inertia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@inertia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inertia)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/10 "2000-04-03T00:41:00Z")
Are you overweight? When you do eat, is it something healthy or is it a Honey Bun? Food doesn’t disgust me, I’m in no way overweight, but sometimes I can go for three days without eating. When I get a really bad headache it’ll occur to me that I need to eat something. I’m perfectly health. I just rode 18 miles on the bike and go to the gym 3 times a week (well, I’m supposed to anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/11 "2000-04-04T14:08:00Z")
She says Im not fat, Im not thin, Im depressed. Big surprise there. But she made another appointment so I can talk about it. Cool! I didnt know MDs did counselling. * * * Hey, sweetie! You want a Danish with that coffee? – _another custom design by the mind of Wally_ ---
**Author:** ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/12 "2000-04-04T15:12:00Z")
The girl I am seeing has told me that she has had issues with anorexia, and constantly asks if I think she is fat (she is very, very thin). After she met some of my friends, she wanted to know what they thought, and I told her, “well, they all thought you were skinny”, which is what they said, though I am being polite in how I phrased it. She became upset at that, and now I really don’t know what to do/say. I’ve told her I will pay for counseling, et al… * * * Nothing is so bad that it can’t get worse. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/13 "2000-04-04T15:34:00Z")
Scarlett—How tall are you, and how much do you weigh? That might give us more of an idea. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/14 "2000-04-05T05:57:00Z")
Yeah, post a picture, let us see. How are we going to know otherwise. Guys, avoid answering this question whenever possible, when a woman asks it, ‘do you think Im fat?’ ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/15 "2000-04-04T18:46:00Z")
Jeez, I was expecting this to be a joke thread. I was gonna say “when you’re afraid to take a shower because you’ll slip down the drain” but that wouldn’t be appropriate I suppose. Here are a couple of sites that you might find helpful: [www.anred.com](http://www.anred.com) [www.renfrew.org](http://www.renfrew.org) And from [Anorexia nervosa](http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-et01.html), the American diagnostic criteria are: > [@](#): > > A.Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected). > > B.Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. > > C.Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. > > D.In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. (A woman is considered to have amenorrhea if her periods occur only following hormone, e.g., estrogen, administration.) > > - Restricting Type: during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas) > > - Binge-Eating/Purging Type: during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas) > > Associated Features > > - Depressed Mood > > - Somatic/Sexual Dysfunction > > - Guilt/Obsession > > - Anxious/Fearful/Dependent Personality Most anorexa sites focus more or less exclusively on women, but men and boys may also develop anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphia or any other eating disorder. It sounds to me like you’re, if not full-blown anorexic, in an early stage. I’m glad to read that you’re seeking counseling now and not later. ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/16 "2000-04-05T00:56:00Z")
Speaking of anorexia. Did anyone see [cruel.com](http://cruel.com)’s Cruel Site of the Day for April 2nd? Emperess Anorexia, appears to be trying for a sort of “responsible anorexia”. Me, I’m kinda curious if she’ll restrain herself before going too far, and if current research into calorie restriction and life extension will have an actual test subject… [http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Castle/1895/](http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Castle/1895/) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-tell-if-youre-anorexic/15552/17 "2000-04-05T01:24:00Z")
Anorexia can be treated. My younger sister had it. She went from a jolly plump girl to a walking skeleton. She exercised compulsively and refused to eat even though she admitted to being hungry. She thought she was fat even when I could feel her bones when I hugged her. She has made a full recovery through a good program at a local hospital.