How to explain to my family that I don't have an eating disorder.

"Emergency mode" or "starvation mode" really isn't a thing, you know. Or not in the way people explain it, at least. Think about it. If it was, everyone with anorexia, or children in Africa, would be fat. Your body is a machine. Metabolism may work more efficiently if calorie intake is healthy, however it can not and does not hold onto fat if it's not getting enough nutrition - that's like saying a car holds onto fuel if it's nearly empty. It just doesn't work like that. Fat loss may be a little more efficient if the body is getting a healthy calorie intake, but tbh the difference really is negligible at best. Read up on it, proper, scientific stuff, and see what you think. It's a huge myth, trust me.

"Emergency mode" or "starvation mode" really isn't a thing, you know. Or not in the way people explain it, at least. Think about it. If it was, everyone with anorexia, or children in Africa, would be fat. Your body is a machine. Metabolism may work more efficiently if calorie intake is healthy, however it can not and does not hold onto fat if it's not getting enough nutrition - that's like saying a car holds onto fuel if it's nearly empty. It just doesn't work like that. Fat loss may be a little more efficient if the body is getting a healthy calorie intake, but tbh the difference really is negligible at best. Read up on it, proper, scientific stuff, and see what you think. It's a huge myth, trust me.

In that case not eating would not only not help but even may cause even more fat storage in the places you don't want because your body is not getting enough fat and sugar and enters an 'emergency' mode when it stores as much fat as possible to use it later when you basically starving yourself.

The best this for you is sport activity and gaining muscle weight instead of fat weight. Speak to your parents about joining a group or a gym with a professional trainer, in addition talk with a naturopath or a dietitian about a better diet for you, it should help more.

Sorry, but you weigh 7st. That is very low, unless you are about 4ft tall. I think you need to listen to your parents and your GP and understand that you might, actually, have a problem. Nobody who weighs 7st should be actively trying to lose weight. I think I was that weight before I left primary school. Sorry but you have to be honest and truthful with yourself. Unless you are 5'2" or smaller, you are classed as underweight, and should actually be trying to gain rather than lose.

It is often a stage that comes before extreme weight loss. People that eat too little are tend to store more fat then people who eat 'normally'. The store fat and look more fat to themselves therefore start eating even less, and here they enter the ED loop.

I've been considered anorexic by others all my life because I'm underweight.... almost every place I go people are lecturing me about these things. I've studied it a bit too.... I am extremely underweight but still have a bit of stomach fat... it's like the only place I store fat (which is pretty uncommon for females).

I know it is not the best help I could give, but I feel it is better than claiming that one have an ED only due to a certain, pretty logical mindset.

5'2'' isn't that far from 5'4'' tbh I'm probably not as 'severely underweight' as everyone is making me feel bad about.

Stomach fat is uncommon in females? I've always had stomach fat

How underweight are you? Are you trying to gain or lose more weight?

females usually store fat in their breasts, butt,legs and arms, less common in their stomach.


I'm 164cm and weigh 43kg now. I'm trying to gain weight.

Your BMI is 16.5 - this is low and you are at risk of getting osteoporosis and other health problems. Are you having periods?

That doesn't seem to be the case for me..
You weigh lower than me! How is that possible if you're trying to gain weight?

my lowest was 39.
My mom had the same issue until she got pregnant at 30.

my lowest was 39.
My mom had the same issue until she got pregnant at 30.

girl omg I'm currently 39 and i literally cannot gain. It's so annoying because literally everyone comments on how skinny I am my entire life and I've been bullied so much

Me too. but I am gaining slowly but surely.

what are you doing to gain? I've tried to eat more nut butters and incorporated more protein bars. I don't work out but I've had a growth spurt as well so I look even lankier

People who are starving (including anorexics and children in Africa) are at increased risk of getting fatty liver disease - so although they are thin on the outside, their lipid metabolism is abnormal and unhealthy. Furthermore, studies looking at changes in body fat composition in anorexics after weight restoration have shown that they get greater deposition in the trunk/abdomen rather than the peripheries (i.e. unhealthy fat) in the short term. So no, "starvation mode" is not a myth and I would urge you to do some reading yourself.