I’m not sure if I have EDNOS. I am always thinking of food, but never wanting to eat it. I really don’t like food or eating it. Since I was a little kid the only thing I would eat is salad. Salad is still the only food I will enjoy eating these days. I do not eat meat at all. I get really sick when I eat meat. It seems like every thing I eat makes me feel sick, but when I eat salad I feel fine. I will go up to a whole weekend without eating. Not that I want to, but just because I don’t feel like eating or nothing sounds good. I really don’t enjoy eating. When I do eat I feel extremely guilty. I will eat, just not a lot. When I see myself I see myself as being fat. Many people say that I am not fat, but really I do think I am. I am not really thin. I am 5,8 and my weight is *** to ***. If I could be *** then I would be happy. I just really hate eating. I feel bad when I eat, and I don’t know why. I really don’t feel as though I fit into any category. I am terrified of getting fat. My sister is overweight and so was my mother, and I don’t want to be like them. I have exercised 7 days a week for an hour and half, but I never lost weight. I think because I never lost weight when I did that and seeing my family being overweight I just got scared of food. I got depressed at that time and that’s when I never got hungry, and just stopped eating. Now I’m just not hungry that much. On top of never being a big eater I am scared to eat too much. Do you think there is anything wrong that might be going on or am I over reacting? What should I do? -Ash
Hi Ash,
I really would recommend that you see a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and/or a physician. While I don’t like to say that anything is “wrong” with you, because I don’t believe that having an eating disorder of any type makes someone have something “wrong” with them, I do think you could benefit from getting an assessment.
Yes, you do fit into the category of EDNOS. The fear of being fat, the thoughts of you not being thin or of you being fat are all tell-tale signs of an eating disorder. It also sounds as if your hunger signals may have been ignored and as a result you think that you are not hungry.
The other thing I hear in your message is that you are likely quite strict when it comes to your exercise habits. Health guidelines state that people should ideally exercise 3-5 days a week. 7 days is a little much. Without a day off, you are not allowing your body to heal and to gain all the strength it can. Ideally 5 days a week would be best, without guilt for not working out those other two days.
You message indicates that you are a very smart individual with a lot of insight. You would do very well in counseling if that’s what you choose. It sounds like the thoughts of food and weight do interfere with your quality of life or you wouldn’t be asking these questions. For that reason, I really hope you will consider talking to someone in your area about the possibility of seeking some sort of counseling with an eating disorder professional. For ideas on finding the right person, read our “Finding Treatment” article.
Good luck to you and take good care of you too.
Sincerely,
Nicole Bourquin,M.S.