I'm Not Anorexic but My Mind Is

[AndreaTan]

This might be a tad long, and I apologize.

So my friend told me that she has bulimia nervosa, but I'm not sure if she really is. She vomited before and said it was acid reflux. Now she doesn't vomit but she doesn't eat, (only snacks and a heavy breakfast, based on what she said) so I'm assuming she's anorexic.

She mentioned she wanted to be as thin as me and my other friend. I'm considered tall where I'm from (5"4 and 102-104 lbs or 47-47.5 kg and she's 5"1 and around 96 lbs) and I'm slightly underweight. And I think I have an anorexic mind. I always want to be the thinnest among my friends, but not skin and bone thin. My BMI is 17.8 (so just underweight). I try to ask my friends' waistline, weight, thigh size (I'm a slim pear shape, thighs are the problem), & try to compute their BMI and I try to have the lowest. I can't not eat because I have a fast metabolism & people would quickly notice.

She's really insecure about her arms & loves my slim arms, when I'm insecure about my thighs (they are 19.5 inch each but not thin and toned enough for me). She used to have a 24" inch waist and lost an inch (makes her the same as me) and I don't want her to "beat" me. What do I do? Do I tell her mom who she has a bit of a strained relationship with? As for myself, how do I stop myself from comparing to other girls?

[crazycrossstitcher]

Suggest you visit the ABC website - or BEAT website - both have helpful information. I think you do need to talk to someone about your thoughts and feelings - as does your friend - as things clearly are getting into a "weight" competition and you are both struggling with body image issues and your relationship with food. ABC and BEAT have helplines you can ring - and I don't know if you have a good relationship with your family - perhaps a good talk would help everyone involved?