am I anorexic?

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I used to weigh 105lbs then I got on the depo provera shot and it made me gain 13 lbs. I got down to 115lbs and it was very hard to lose 5 lbs. I'm at like 110lbs right now. I want to get back to my normal weight of 105lbs but it's so hard for some reason:( I feel like whatever I eat I'll weigh 115lbs again... I hardly eat...but when I do I feel like I'm gaining all kinds of weight.

Skinny does not mean anorexic. The issue with anorexia is a mixture of not being ever content with your body and of having a different view of your body as compared to what others see.

Someone with anorexia:

- Is very scared or upset by the idea of gaining weight.
- Thinks she is fat even though other people disagree.
- May lie about what she eats/doesn't eat or hide her eating habits from others.
- Feels good emotionally when she goes without food. Restricting makes her feel powerful or in-control.
- Believes most of her worth as a person depends on how thin she is or how good she looks.
- Is willing to engage in behaviors others would consider unhealthy if it meant she would lose weight.
- Focuses a lot on numbers associated with her weight, like how much she weighs, how many inches her waist is or how many calories she's eating.
- Most of her daily thoughts are about weight, shape, looks, what she is/is not eating, exercising, etc.
- Gets upset if someone criticizes her eating habits.
- Is likely to be on the low end of the normal weight range for her height. She may be underweight.

Um, 115 lbs is not a bad weight...I don't know your height but even if you are pretty short that is pretty thin. If you are a healthy weight for your height, then why are you worried about your weight? Stop focusing on the number on the scale and focus on healthy eating habits: getting enough calories for your lifestyle, and getting proper nutrition.

Maybe this type of response isn't what you're looking for (I usually try to avoid posting in the Women's Discussion), but I had a girlfriend a little while ago who was about your weight due to medical reasons and I didn't like it. She had bony hips (which is unattractive), and whenever she got sick (which was often), I was always scared that she'd die because she just doesn't have enough body fat to go very long without good digestion.

It depends on your height and your mental attitude about weight. 110 isn't too skinny for someone who is 5 ft, for example.

I sometimes wonder if I have an eating disorder because I'm a very picky eater and food often disgusts me. I do fear being fat but mostly for health reasons as I've had family members who are morbidly obese and I've watched them suffer. I also am very sensitive about clothes feeling tight so I usually buy clothes a size or two too big, and if I gain even a little weight I can feel the "tightness" in the clothes and it drives me crazy.

I also have a fascination (obsession?) with ascetics and religious hermits who eat very little or who have a strict diet, like buddhist monks. I'm always reading about it.

But, I don't think I'm fat or anything like that... so I don't know.

Have your any of you ladies at irregular periods? Say maybe you didn't have them in 3 months?

What?

Maybe I should re phrase? I know of someone who may be anorexic but hasn't had a period in at least 3 months. Is that a concern?

Not getting your period is a symptom of anorexia. In fact, part of the current DSM criteria is 3 consecutive missed periods, although that's going to be removed in the new DSM because it's not the most reliable criteria - some women are on birth control which means they don't have periods, cis men can't have periods anyway, and some women continue to menstruate even at severely emaciated BMIs.

DSM? So anorexics CAN get monthly periods still?

No, what you are describing is someone with anorexia nervosa.

Anorexia is a general term meaning someone experiencing reduced appetite for whatever reason. Anorexia can be caused by many different illnesses. Anorexia nervosa is a specific kind of anorexia where people stop eating because they believe they are too fat, or are scared that they will become fat if they eat.

OP, are you deliberately not eating, or do you just have loss of appetite? If it's not deliberate then you might have anorexia for any number of medical reasons, and should visit a doctor to get checked out.

I think hmtsmil makes an important point... Anorexia is every bit as much of a MENTAL problem as it is a PHYSICAL one...

BOTH need to be addressed for long-term health.

Only the OP can answer that though... your obsession over weight doesn't sound healthy to me as a casual observer.

It may not be a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa but you do sound like you have very "disordered eating" (I think that's a correct term, or EDNOS) and it might do you a lot of good to seek the advice of a professional counselor or therapist to determine whether or not it is something that requires further exploration/treatment etc.

If you're in school (I think I saw you say you were going to college, somewhere, I could be wrong) there should be a health adviser or some sort of health professional you can go to and speak to privately to see what they recommend.

If you're worried about your relationship to your body and nutrition and weight etc. is going all wonky, it really can help a lot to ask someone around you for help. If it is the beginning of an eating disorder, it makes sense that you're worried about it. Eating disorders are very, very serious, and AN has the highest rate of death of any mental illness. I probably am making this sound scary, but it is scary. The beginning is when you can still get out, if it turns into a serious eating disorder, it's like it takes you prisoner. So.. gah, I hope this is OK to post as a response. Just, if you're worried, please do confide in someone nearby who can possibly offer you some help.

I hope you are well. Be kind to yourself.

I actually bleed too much.

Also, I'm 5'6"...now I'm at 111lbs.

I just feel like my stomach gets fat or I get puffy in my face when i eat and then I feel guilty.

I'm not a big eater...I eat in small proportions.

Yeah, that's a problem. Unless you're chowing down on huge amounts of salt (ie, a whole bag of potato chips or a can of Campbell's soup), you're not going to 'get puffy' from a single meal. If you're imagining that you are, then it's enough of a false-guilt complex that you should talk to a therapist about it.