Woman asks /r/Relationships how to stop her friends from accusing her of having an eating disorder. /r/Relationships screams in unison that she has a debilitating eating disorder!!!

5  2018-01-18 by GARBAGE_MACHINE

5 comments

For if when the post gets removed:

So I'm 5'7 1/2-ish and about 110-112 lbs. I've been at this weight for years. The rest of my family (the women at least) are all like this, and my mother claimed she was skinnier than me around my age. I don't have a eating disorder. I know this myself, but my new friend group (we met last summer at cheer camp and they're literally the best friends I've never had) have been bothering me lately about "getting help" and making sure I'm "eating". I eat until I'm content, sometimes if I'm feeling like a pig I stuff myself past my limit, but at school I bring a salad and some fruit for lunch. That's all I need until I get home. To them this isn't enough and they constantly buy me junk food to eat and whenever I turn it down they use that as more "proof" for my disordered eating.

Whenever I say something about being cold they use that as proof. If I'm tired that's more proof. If I'm having trouble doing something that's even more proof. Everything I do is an indication of me having a eating disorder to them, and I'm getting so sick of it. Yes I know I'm a little skinner than most girls at my age, and my doctor herself said that I'm on the low end of the scale, but I'm fine. I know my friends are probably just being concerned, but even after I've told them all these things they won't quit. They've gotten upset at me and told me I need to stop before I encourage someone else to do the same. Since we're cheerleaders there are loads of girls that audition to join the team and there were a few girls that in the past developed an eating disorder to keep the weight off. I don't know if they think that's what I've been doing, but I don't want to feel guilty and like I may make people want to go on an extreme diet. I see them watching my every move, especially at lunch time, or if we go out and food is involved, they'll order for me. How can I be polite but more firm in explaining that I'm fine? What else can I do to make this stop?

tl;dr: My friend group has been worrying about my so called "eating disorder" that they believe I have. I've tried explaining that I'm fie but they don't believe me, and I'm getting sick of the constant questions. What can I do to make them stop?

Luckily, reddit super hero /u/knottedscope has come to the rescue by commenting 5,000 on her post:


If you want to prove to them that you are fine, then attend a physical with your primary care doctor to assess your health, a nutritionist to assess your diet, and a psychologist to assess your mindset. Be honest and forthcoming about what you've said here, anything you have neglected to mention which might be relevant, and in answer to any questions posed to you by any of the specialists. If you aren't struggling with food, then you'll have professional opinions to share with your friends, who are only looking out for you. If you noticed concerning behavior on their parts, would you say something? The short summary here suggests to me that you may be in denial and experiencing disordered eating. If that's the case, then seeing professionals will help you address things now before they escalate to "eating disorder" status. Eating disorders are among the most deadly mental disorders and are very difficult to overcome once ingrained in your daily thought process and behaviors.


She makes excuses "women in my family have always been thin" and refers to occasional desire to overeat as "being a pig" (emotionally charged language). Personally I find her evaluation of the validity of her friends's opinions to be suspect given those two indicators.


We don't know what is going on behind the scenes. You mentioned a ton of good examples. But is OP reticent to gain weight, even healthy muscle mass? Is the number on the scale important to her? Does she eat salad because it's her favorite food or does she order it because it's suitable calorie-wise?


If you have an evening sport or exercise, you really need to be eating more during the day, especially protein. Physical activity is taxing, muscle recovery is taxing, and if your intake is low compared to your output, you will be thin regardless of how full you feel.

She sounds anorexic.

Or not american.

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They just can't wrap their head around the notion that some people don't get that hungry.