It's the New Year and many of you have probably made resolutions about eating more healthily / losing weight / exercising more but what if those good ideas become a bit more of an obsession?

Do you think you look horrible compared to other people?  Dislike your body?  Want to be thin more than anything else?  Worried about someone else's eating?

From 21st Jan we'll have Charlotte from www.b-eat.org.uk here to answer your questions about body image, eating habits and eating disorders so post up your questions here or come and meet her in our chatroom between 4.30 and 5.30pm on Monday 21st.

Youngcarers.net Team

Hey I dont usually post on these things but as my body image affects me a lot lol
I thought i would for a change

I really want to lose more weight as im self concious about myself compared to other girls in my PE class and i know you proberly hear thi a lot

But i tried lots of methods of lossing weight Im also vegiterian which i thought would of helped But hasnt made much of a difference!

Any tips?

hi i dont really quite whether i should be posting this or not but anyway..

I rarly eat anymore i just feel so sick after every meal i dont know what is wrong with me

its not as if i want to be thin or anything because i dont see myself as fat well..most of the time

i dont know wether you can help me or not but it was worth a try

thanx xx J xx

hiya- similar comment to the one jadey has left

I go through fases of not eating- n its not that i dont want to eat- but its that wen ever i do i throw up- n i just stop feeling hungery. its silly i know but i get really worried about it. I spoke 2 my mate last time it happened n they told me i had 2 go 2 the doctors- but i hate going and i just kept putting it off. Is there anythink u could suggest?

Wb Kiwi

hey, i don't usually post on these either but as its about eating!..

i'm really self concious and i look in the mirror alot to see if ive put weight on, i also weight myself once or more evryday. i don't eat much and i know thats not the way to loose weight but nothing else seems to work for me. people say im like a 'perfect' average weight nd everything and ive lost alot of weight in the last few months but i don't see what they see. have you got any tips on any of this?

tnx b x

Hi carer4parents,

Well done for posting when it isn't something you normally do. The first thing I want to say is that it is important to remember that girls bodies change shape at different times - we don't all wake up the same morning with women's shapes. So sometimes if your body has changed when others haven't you can feel out of place. This doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with you.

It is also important that you eat a healthy balanced diet, this includes the odd snack too. It's okay to eat chocolate, crisps etc occasionally as part of a balanced diet.  If you aren't eating meat you need to replace the meat with other proteins such as meat substitutes like Quorn, pulses (lentils, chickpeas etc)  and nuts.

If you are concerned about your weight or body shape, maybe you should think about speaking to your doctor, they can assess you health and the diet you are eating and make suggestions for you.

I hope that this helps.

 Take care

 Charlotte

Hi jadey,

Well done for posting.

You have explained that you rarely eat because you feel so sick after meals. There can be different reasons why you are feeling sick that your doctor could assess for you, maybe you could have a chat with them.

Also sometimes feeling sick after meals is to do with very strong emotions that a person is feeling. It is important to talk to someone you trust about the way that you feel and not to bottle things up.

Why not give our youthline a call on 0845 634 7650, they are open 4.30-8.30 weekdays and 1-4.30 Saturdays or you can e-mail fyp@b-eat.co.uk

I hope this helps,

Take care

Charlotte  

Hi Kiwi,

Well done for posting.

Like I said to Jadey - often there are strong emotions going on for a person when they feel sick after eating and often actually being sick is a way of making them feel better about what's going on for them - I understand that seems weird but eating problems are complicated.

It is important that you speak to someone you trust about your feelings, sometimes counselling can help. It was a good suggestion of your mates about the doctor. I know it's a bit scary going but they could be really helpful to you, they can assess your health and suggest help for you.

Again remember our youthline is there to talk to.

Take care

Charlotte

Hi saucy,

It's great that you have posted when you don't normally.

It sounds as though you are really struggling with how you see yourself. You have explained that people say that you are an average weight but you don't see what they see. Sometimes the way that we see ourselves gets mixed up with how we are feeling -so if we are feeling upset, angry, frustrated we turn these feelings into seeing ourselves as not good enough on the outside. If you are feeling strong emotions it is important that you share this with someone that you trust.

It is important to eat a healthy balanced diet, I would also suggest that you spoke to your doctor - thye can assess your weight against your height and let you know whether you are a healthy weight. It is also important to be honest with them about what you are or aren't eating and how you are feeling so they can help you in the best way.

As I have said in other replies, why not give our youthline a call on 0845 634 7650, they are open 4.30-8.30 weekdays and 1-4.30 Saturdays or you can e-mail fyp@b-eat.co.uk

I hope this helps,

Take care

Charlotte

"A" - I've cut out fags and drank a little bit more booze but I'm kinda fat fat fat. But i hardly eat. People say I'm not but i got that muffin type thing wiv jeans goin on. they say im not but i am

Charlotte - It's important that you eat ahealthy balanced diet "A", alcohol has calories in but you need energy from food that is good for you too. Maybe it would help to try to drink a bit less booze and try to eat balanced meals ...
some people do think they are fat when others don't think they are - this can be because they aren't happy or have tough stuff going on and they feel that changing their outsudes will help change the tough stuff in their life or help them cope.

"A" - but what happens if u think u r fat, the mirror tells u ure fat but ure clothes r maller than everyone and u just feel fat

Charlotte - If you think you are fat, the reflection in the mirror looks fat but everyone else thinks you are small and your clothes are smaller I would suggest that you called our youthline to chat about how you are feeling, coz sometimes feeling bad about ourselves distorts what we see in the mirror

"B" - ok well i am really really really really fat and i mean really fat but i go through stages where i eat loads and just dont stop feeling hungry and then i go through stages when im just never hungry and then when i do eat properly i end up feeling really ill afterwards -

Charlotte - what "B" has described sounds like binge-eating disorder -it's when you get trapped into a cycle of eating a large amount and then feel bad about it so you don't eat for ages and then gets reallly hungry and eat a big amount again. Often this has a lot to do with coping with tough stuff that is going on.  Most eating problems centre around negative feelings and thoughts - a lot of the time it can help to talk to someone about how you are feeling like someone you trust or a counsellor.

"B" - wat can i do about it Charlotte?

Charlotte - try to eat regular meals, if you eat a large amount still try to eat something at the next meal time you will be less likey to have a binge the next time. Also keep a diary that keeps a track of what triggers you to eat a large amount or to not eat. You might be able to work out a pattern, for example 'I eat a lot when I am sad' so next I'm sad I will remember this and try to cope with it in a different way like watching a funny video or writing down what I'm sad about.

"C" - I did a food diary and I'm supposed to have 2000 calories a day, I eat just about a thousand, I normally have tea and a snack, i drink water. So y am i still big? How many calories shud u eat to loose weight? I've looked at pro ana sites for advice. Does it work?

Charlotte - I wouldn't use the advice on any pro ana sites, they are often run by people who are very ill themselves and don't understand the danger of what they are doing. If you are concerned about your weight it's important to speak to a professionals like a doc or nurse.

"D" - Has over acting thyroids got anything to do with eating disorders

Charlotte - I think over active thyroid and anorexia can have similar outside symptoms - so it's important to speak to a doctor to recieve the correct diagnosis and treatment.

"E" - if you think you might have a problem how bad do u av 2 b b4 u got proper help? Like i dont wanna be put in a unit or anything. like is there stages?

Charlotte - People are admitted into units as a last resort, counselling and food plans are often tried way before that.

Sam - And who can help with counselling and food plans Charlotte?

Charlotte - Our youthline can tell people where to get free confidential counselling in their area, docs can refer for nhs counselling and organise dietician referals. CAMHS ( Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ) often help people with eating problems too.

"F" - Charlotte where I used to live we didnt get chance to have tea till around 9.30, and i knew that it was bad to eat at that time of night so i used to make my self sick, but thats not that bad though

Charlotte - it's much better to eat late at night rather than to be sick coz that's damaging.

"F" - why is it damaging though, because people are sick all the time?

Charlotte - being sick not only makes you get rid of food your body needs, it can also dehydrate you and causes you to use important minerals that your body needs to regulate organs such as your heart.