My apologies if I am asking this question in the wrong area as I am not entirely sure where this should be asked. My question is about eating disorders. Can a slightly overweight person be anorexic or bulimic? How do you know if a person has an eating disorder? Any ideas?

kp42484

Hi,

Try this one: ANRED: The Better-Known Eating Disorders .

Basically just because one is overweight or even obese doesn't necessarily mean that they have anorexia or bulimia.

Anorexics tend to be exceedingly skinny when they get bad with the disorder. At first one may not be able to tell though. I myself am pretty skinny (but according to BMI, I am within normal weight range) and people call me anorexic, but I am not. I LOVE food! But anorexics don't because they have an irrational fear of being fat (even if they're underweight). They will starve themselves or if someone makes them eat, they force themselves to vomit it up. Most try to hide their problem, as do bulimics.

Bulimics I don't know a lot about, so check out the link.

Hope this helps.

aqua@home

What I meant was, can a person be bulimic or anorexic and still be overweight? Do you have to be underweight to be considered to have an eating disorder?

kp42484

The very definition of anorexia implies that the person must be underweight, so no, one cannot be overweight and anorexic. As the website I posted states: "Weighs 85% or less than what is developmentally expected for age and height. " is a criteria of anorexia.

It also states for bulimia: "Weight may be normal or near normal unless anorexia is also present" therefore also implying that one doesn't have to be overweight to be bulimic and vice versa. But you can be overweight and bulimic. One just has to have the symptoms. One can be diagnosed, therefore, and not be underweight either.

Did the link I posted not work?

aqua@home

Well thank you very much. I only had a minute before, I am going to the website now. Thank you very much, you have given me some good information. Thank you for the link.

jurplesman

Also read:

The Serotonin Connection. See here

for a possible explanation of of anorexia and bulimia.

aqua@home

jurplesman, there was a lot of information on that website you gave me. I'm not sure I understand it all, but I will try. Thanks for the info.

giggles

YES. Many bulimics are in fact, overweight. Also, their weight is more prone to fluctuation than with anorexics, who generally are quite underweight with a strong decline pattern.

While sever anorexia has some physically obvious traits - waif-like skinniness, "chipmunk" face (where the cheeks look swollen and the eyes appear more popped out), bulimia is not so easy to spot. Watch someone who you are suspicious of. Note how soon after the meal they disappear to the bathroom. Check if you can smell vomit in the bathroom after they have been there. Chronic, longterm sufferers of bulimia will often have poor teeth from bile acids, which erode enamel.

Also, many sufferers of diabetes have problems with food, and use their insulin to control their weight (very dangerous)

So yes, you CAN have an eating disorder and be overweight.

aqua@home

Thank you very much giggles. This really answered my question. I guess now I have to figure out how to help someone when they don't want to be helped.

jurplesman

It is very difficult to help someone who does not want to be helped.