Is there such a thing as the opposite of anorexia?

Greetings, everyone. Growing up, I was quite underweight; I hovered around 108 pounds until my junior year of high school. During that era, I faced constant commentary from people claiming I looked skeletal or asking if I even bothered to eat. At the time, I simply chose to ignore them. However, some time has passed, and my weight has increased; I am currently 154 pounds at 5'6", yet I still perceive myself as being too thin. The most difficult moments occur when I head out the door and catch my reflection—I still see someone who is underweight. My mother is the only one aware of this struggle, and while she tries to reassure me otherwise, I remain dissatisfied and stuck in this perception of being too frail.🙂 I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I am curious if there are specific types of psychotherapy or similar clinical interventions available to help me dismantle these persistent thoughts...

Have you undergone somatic therapy or seen an endocrinologist?

No, and why on earth would I?

Yeah, it probably should...

Why? I honestly can't quite wrap my head around the logic here.

irongardener14 said:Why? I honestly can't quite wrap my head around the logic here.

Because fluctuations of that magnitude in body weight are frequently symptomatic of a hormonal imbalance, implying an endocrine etiology.

irongardener14 said:Greetings, everyone. Growing up, I was quite underweight; I hovered around 108 pounds until my junior year of high school. During that era, I faced constant commentary from people claiming I looked skeletal or asking if I even bothered to eat. At the time, I simply chose to ignore them. However, some time has passed, and my weight has increased; I am currently 154 pounds at 5'6", yet I still perceive myself as being too thin. The most difficult moments occur when I head out the door and catch my reflection—I still see someone who is underweight. My mother is the only one aware of this struggle, and while she tries to reassure me otherwise, I remain dissatisfied and stuck in this perception of being too frail.🙂 I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I am curious if there are specific types of psychotherapy or similar clinical interventions available to help me dismantle these persistent thoughts...

If you're dealing with bouts of uncontrolled overeating, that's called Binge Eating Disorder. If it's strictly about being obsessed with your weight, it might fall under an unspecified eating disorder.

Look, your weight is fine right now. You're actually a little more filled out than you used to be, which is perfectly healthy. Just don't swing too far in either direction—don't obsess over being thin, and don't overdo it on the other side.

And yeah, you can definitely make an appointment with a psychiatrist. 🙂

EDIT: Also, feel free to shut down your family when they start lecturing you about your weight. Tell them you're healthy and happy, and that's all that matters. It doesn't surprise me at all that you're feeling overwhelmed when you've spent your whole life being picked on for being too skinny.

Believe me when I say I have descended into such a state of despair that I am starting to question my own mental stability. It isn't even a matter of overeating; I maintain a perfectly normal diet with portions that align with my body's actual needs. Yet, at 70 kg, I look in the mirror and see someone who is far too thin, while my mother insists I am overweight and should watch my weight. I find myself unable to believe her—I am convinced she is being untruthful—because when I face my own reflection, all I see is a person who is underweight.

irongardener14 said:Believe me when I say I have descended into such a state of despair that I am starting to question my own mental stability. It isn't even a matter of overeating; I maintain a perfectly normal diet with portions that align with my body's actual needs. Yet, at 70 kg, I look in the mirror and see someone who is far too thin, while my mother insists I am overweight and should watch my weight. I find myself unable to believe her—I am convinced she is being untruthful—because when I face my own reflection, all I see is a person who is underweight.

Look, you basically have no choice but to cut them out of any conversation involving food. Just be blunt. Tell them straight up that their opinion on your weight isn't wanted and that as long as you're healthy and happy, it's none of their business. 🙂

And seriously, try to stabilize right where you are. If you keep going down this path, you might actually spiral into being underweight.

EDIT: And obviously, like all the experts say, it would be a really good idea to go get your hormone levels checked by an endocrinologist. 🙂

I shall attempt to do so. I am also planning to consult with a psychologist, as I suspect I lack the necessary fortitude to contend with these "maladaptive" thoughts on my own.

You need to go see an endocrinologist for that issue we talked about, and honestly, you should hit up a psychologist too to deal with those thoughts and that distorted body image...

Asking for advice on a forum isn't going to do squat for you; you're just gonna end up with a bunch of useless ideas... the only real advice worth taking is to go see some professionals and stop stalling...

Common indicators of anorexia include:

• A persistent refusal to maintain an appropriate body weight
• An unrelenting fear of gaining weight
• Significant weight loss driven by the misuse of diuretics, laxatives, or amphetamines, alongside excessive exercise and purging
• Ritualistic eating habits, such as obsessively cutting food into tiny pieces
• Intense discomfort when eating in social settings
• Increasingly secretive behavior

My situation is quite the opposite. This has been my reality for the last year and a half, though I haven't quite figured out the underlying cause. ://

irongardener14 said:Greetings, everyone. Growing up, I was quite underweight; I hovered around 108 pounds until my junior year of high school. During that era, I faced constant commentary from people claiming I looked skeletal or asking if I even bothered to eat. At the time, I simply chose to ignore them. However, some time has passed, and my weight has increased; I am currently 154 pounds at 5'6", yet I still perceive myself as being too thin. The most difficult moments occur when I head out the door and catch my reflection—I still see someone who is underweight. My mother is the only one aware of this struggle, and while she tries to reassure me otherwise, I remain dissatisfied and stuck in this perception of being too frail.🙂 I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I am curious if there are specific types of psychotherapy or similar clinical interventions available to help me dismantle these persistent thoughts...

Maybe you've been looking up to someone who carries a bit more weight, and in trying to emulate them, you've ended up feeling like you aren't enough? For instance, I've gone through some pretty wild weight fluctuations myself because I could never quite decide which sport to commit to. There were times when I was training to be a marathon runner and dropped significant weight, but then when I focused on building muscle, I’d end up weighing twenty pounds more. There's actually an opposite condition to anorexia, often seen in certain bodybuilders, where the struggle is with being too small. The truth is, there isn't really such a thing as an "ideal" weight; it all depends on your lifestyle and the activities you do. There is only an average, and you are, truthfully, slightly above that average. So, you definitely aren't too thin.😉

Height: 5'6"
Weight: 154 lbs
Bust: 39"
Waist: 33"
Hips: 39"
Glutes: 44.5"
Thigh: 21.5"
Calf: 13.75"
Yet I still find myself convinced that I am underweight, rather than overweight. The mere suggestion of being thin is deeply unsettling to me, often triggering an urge to eat. I find myself constantly hovering in front of the mirror and stepping on the scale five times a day.
@Harold Anderson3, there was once a standard I aimed for, but based on my current weight, I am technically heavier than that ideal—even if I refuse to believe it. It is a frustrating cycle that persists daily, and frankly, it’s starting to make me feel quite aggressive. I am at a loss as to how to proceed.

irongardener14 said:Height: 5'6"
Weight: 154 lbs
Bust: 39"
Waist: 33"
Hips: 39"
Glutes: 44.5"
Thigh: 21.5"
Calf: 13.75"
Yet I still find myself convinced that I am underweight, rather than overweight. The mere suggestion of being thin is deeply unsettling to me, often triggering an urge to eat. I find myself constantly hovering in front of the mirror and stepping on the scale five times a day.
@Harold Anderson3, there was once a standard I aimed for, but based on my current weight, I am technically heavier than that ideal—even if I refuse to believe it. It is a frustrating cycle that persists daily, and frankly, it’s starting to make me feel quite aggressive. I am at a loss as to how to proceed.

Hmm... so you know deep down you aren't thin, yet your mind just won't let you believe it.
I can somewhat relate to how unsettling that feels. I don't think what you're going through is necessarily an extreme crisis, but it's certainly uncomfortable to live with. I've seen people struggle with anorexia before, and it's a truly harrowing thing to witness; I knew a girl who was dangerously underweight, yet she was convinced she was overweight. She had absolutely no concept that her perception was the exact opposite of reality.
It could reach a point where you actually start losing too much weight, and that would be a much more serious issue.
Talking things through with a therapist would likely be a huge help for you, as they could help explain why your mind is playing these tricks on you.

I’ve decided to finally schedule an appointment with a therapist tomorrow; I don't see any other way out of this. I can only hope they provide some actual relief, as the constant irritability and my ongoing frustration regarding my weight are becoming increasingly debilitating, making it nearly impossible to maintain a semblance of a normal life.

Harold Anderson3 said:Hmm... so you know deep down you aren't thin, yet your mind just won't let you believe it.
I can somewhat relate to how unsettling that feels. I don't think what you're going through is necessarily an extreme crisis, but it's certainly uncomfortable to live with. I've seen people struggle with anorexia before, and it's a truly harrowing thing to witness; I knew a girl who was dangerously underweight, yet she was convinced she was overweight. She had absolutely no concept that her perception was the exact opposite of reality.
It could reach a point where you actually start losing too much weight, and that would be a much more serious issue.
Talking things through with a therapist would likely be a huge help for you, as they could help explain why your mind is playing these tricks on you.

Body dysmorphia is a real deal and it can spiral into much worse stuff. You need to hit up a therapist, get some real insight into what's going on (and how bad it actually is), and start tackling it head-on...

redharbor9 said:Body dysmorphia is a real deal and it can spiral into much worse stuff. You need to hit up a therapist, get some real insight into what's going on (and how bad it actually is), and start tackling it head-on...

Could you perhaps elaborate on what those specific problems might be?

There’s zero point in wasting time here. I can stir up enough baseless fear to make your life a total nightmare if I feel like it. That's why I told you to go see a doctor and a therapist. Sit down with some actual pros, talk through whatever's going on, and figure out your next move. 🙂

But what kind of psychologist are we even talking about, and where would they go? "Psychologist" is such a broad term, isn't it? Are we talking about a school counselor? If she goes to a clinic or a hospital, they might run some psychological testing... but then what? What comes after that?
Which specific specialists actually deal with eating disorders?

Besides, if I'm not mistaken, a distorted body image can sometimes veer into psychotic territory. And once you hit that point, I guess it’s no longer just a job for a standard psychologist.