Disordered Eating?

by Laura Sterling
(Gretna,Nebraska USA)

Hunger Hates Me

Two months ago (I kept track, because it started on the 9th of March, a month before prom), I officially stopped eating fully up to par. Now, I can barely stand eating even my most favorite dishes, like my Mom's home-made mashed potatoes and baked chicken (which normally would have been gone in two days, but when she last made it, it survived a week without me touching it once).

I can't stand the thought of eating meat for breakfast.

Heck, I can't stand the thought of eating anything but high-sugar substances for breakfast and lunch, and I've actually been skipping dinner.

I love to eat, with a passion, and this isn't sitting well with me, and it's definitely not sitting well with my parents.

Today, for example, my Dad came home and said "We're going shopping for breakfast foods for you."

Then, as soon as we got to the grocery store, he said "All the things you choose must have some form of meat in it."

I almost threw up right where I stood, just because he wanted me to eat meat for Breakfast. I probably stood staring at the frozen-breakfast isle for 10 minutes and he said "What an ugly face," because I looked completely horrified at all the things he was making me choose for breakfast.

I hate eating breakfast, and the only reason why I eat it is because I have to take a hord of pills every day, with food.

The situation he put me in made my dislike for breakfast just so much stronger.

Then, I told him I didn't want to eat meat for breakfast, and he started saying that I'm the one who's not getting enough protein in my diet (so says my doctor). I complained that there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a vegetarian (because I couldn't think of any other way to label it), and he told me that I can just take care of myself if I won't eat meat.

I like eating meat, but I can't stand eating it as of lately.

I really hate this feeling, and I'm so confused.

I have no idea what the heck is wrong with me, and it scares me. The idea of becoming anorexic scares me, and I just want to go back to eating like I usually could.

Help, please.

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Laura,

You're just one meal away from going back to eating like you usually could. You could do just this at your next meal.

Your current relationship with food is concerning to me.

I understand both sides of your story: It's no fun to be forced to eat foods you don't want to eat. I also understand your parent's concern over your lack of balanced nutrition.

I think it would be useful to meet with both a dietitian and a counselor.

A dietitian can help you plan a balanced diet based on the foods you like and would be willing to eat. Of course there is no way to plan a healthy diet based entirely on "high sugar subtances," but there certainly is a place for them in the diet.

Sometimes cravings for these types of foods is the result of an unbalanced diet.

If you want to be a vegetarian, a dietitian can help you choose protein alternatives to meat that you can eat for breakfast like yogurt, cottage cheese, lowfat cheese, protein smoothies, etc.

I'd be happy to work with you myself, or I can find the name of a dietitian in your area to refer you to. Contact me.

A counselor can help you return to a healthy relationship with food.

Nip this in the bud now, before it gets to be a much bigger problem. The longer this goes on without being addressed, the harder it's going to be to fix it! I think some professional help would be of great benefit to you right now.