girlfriend might be anorexic. any advice

[ludedude]

ok so my gf told me last nite that she hasn't been eating very much lately. i can't really keep an eye on her because we are in a LDR. first it started with her wanting to eat healthier then it progressed to eating less and less. she says she really doesn't get hungry anymore and only eats cause she's afraid of what people might say if she doesn't. she started this to loose the few pounds she's gained since going away to college. im really scared at this point. i dunno what to do. any advice? keep in mind we will be back together for summer in about 3 weeks. thanks.

[Hope75]

How much weight has she lost since starting this?

 

Find out how much, and exactly what she is eating/not eating.

 

Eating disorders are very serious and can be life threatening, it's important you get on top of this as quickly as possible and get her help if she indeed does have anorexia.

 

You need more details first.

[ludedude]

shes lost a little weight, but i think i caught it at the beginning, luckily. she's about 120 lbs last time i saw here and like today she has had a donut, muffin, and a little lasagna. which isn't her eating style at all

[YNP8112]

if she is at college there should be a nutrition counseling program at her university ( I know this because I was a dietetics major at my old school) You could have her contact them and they could help. You could even contact them and ask for their help but don't let her spiral downhill. My sister's one friend was anorexic and bulemic and now she is in and out of the hospital all the time. (not to scare you) But you do need to act on it. I think by her telling you that she hasn't been eating properly means she is looking for help.

[SimoneTiger]

ludedude, I think your girlfriend is just trying to lose some weight, and you have no reason to worry.

 

I was treated for anorexia nervosa in my teens and was fortunate enough to have had no eating/weight problems since... But at the time that was going on, I would have never even considered eating things like donuts, muffins, or lasagna. Anorexics typically eat foods like celery (I know that my case was textbook-typical), lettuce, and fat-free, sodium-free chicken broth. I used to be terrified even at the suggestion of eating something more fattening than a vegetable, and even looking at donuts would make me feel nauseated.

 

If you feel that she has a problem with her self-esteem, however, just keep asking and asking about it, until she understands that you care about what she is dealing with--my boyfriend kept bugging me about my problems at the time, and even though I would sometimes rather cry than tell him the truth, now I couldn't be more grateful for his demands & insistence...

[ludedude]

very good point. im just afraid its going to go from eating very little like this to eating almost nothing.

[RayKay]

Well, even though she is not eating typical anorexic foods (I was anorexic too for a good length of time, and still have lasting issues surrounding food, though I am very athletic now so do eat quite a lot more still have the whole "mental game" when it comes to eating some foods...but don't worry, I do eat like a horse now to keep up with my activity!) and is probably not anorexic (actually, she would not be considered that yet....there are several conditions that need to be met, not just eating less..) that does not mean she cannot be on the path to it.

 

Many anorexics start out just by limiting calories slowly, and then increasing it over time until it is severe.

 

I think you should encourage her if she wants to lose weight to eat healthier. A donut, muffin, lasagna, etc are not healthy ways to eat as not only is it limited, but she is also missing fresh veggies, fruit, dairy (actually low fat dairy consumption is shown to keep women leaner due to the calcium in it...in moderate quantities of course) and also lean, fresh meats, whole grains. She is getting a lot of refined sugars and flours/starches instead.

 

Encourage her to exercise and eat healthy instead of telling her she is not eating enough, etc.....she needs to start eating in terms of "lifelong healthy eating" not just crash dieting.