How skinny must you be to be classified as anorexic?

Depends on bone structure

A good way to tell is if your bones stick out..collarbone,ribs,hip bone, and spine.
You can tell the difference between a small petite female and an anorexic

My thyroid made me so skinny everyone got concerned..and called me names, like annie, oliveoil. They would say dont take a shower you'll slip through the drain, truth is though i was super healthy...i ate like crazy...(if only-that lasted-hahaha)

I dont think you are really classified as anorexic though unless you are suffering from the sickness..You can be thin and not have any problems, but then again if you are thin BEcAUSE you refuse to eat and over excercise....that might classify you.

Do you have something you want to confess about your body? Girls DIE from anorexia, their hearts stop...their organs fail!

To check for the size of your bone structure,
circle your wrist with your other hand,
using the thumb and first finger.

In a small-boned person, you will be able
to reach all the way around.
A medium build comes close to touching.
A large-boned individual will be unable
to reach.

Anerexia isn't just about losing weight. Weight loss can possibly be contributed to another health problem. There's many factors only a Dr can evaluate & determine if a person may be anerexic. Anerexia nervosa is a phsycological (sp) eating disorder. As a teenager & beyond I've suffered from anerexia & bulimia. My mind telling me I was fat, etc. Using self/mind control to starve myself. Then purging immedietely if I lost control & ate. I've done the laxatives, diet pills, etc. I've managed to regain the weight but I still sometimes have to force myself to eat or I forget to eat. It's like my stomache has been trained to take on smaller meals otherwise I make myself sick by eating what would be considered normal portions. I always feel fat regardless of my weight & it has always intensified during pregnancy. If you are someone you know may have an eating disorder I'd advise going to the Dr for a checkup.

Can you see most of your ribs? If so? there could be an issue. But anorexic is not a matter of how skinny you are. It is a matter of eating patterns. Anorexics don't eat and likewise will purge. They refuse themselves nutrition and it becomes a slippery down hill slide in mud and pouring rain eventually. Anorexia is also coupled with self esteem issues. A famous example was Kim Carpenter who was a very talented singer in the 1970s. She died from complications associated with Anorexia. Bulimia is a component of Anorexia. Now if you eat normally and do not engage in purging but you are loosing weight like crazy get to a doctor at once! Also if you always think you are too fat, and trust me, Medical guidelines are only best case scenarios only, some people are just naturally built thick and unto that there is also a huge difference between thick and fat. If you can pinch an inch there is no foul. If you can grab a hand full though there is an issue coming on. Society makes people suffer some fuqued up personality issues. So many women want to be "perfect" but the fact is no one is perfect. The best a person with the suspicion of Anorexia can do is seek out professional counseling becasue it is an issue that 99% of people suffering with cannot tackle themselves. Outside forces made the issue and it takes an outside force to help an Anorexic see the problems and behaviors for what they are.

It is funny this question comes up becasue some women are rail thin. I mean they look like Olive Oil from Popeye cartoons. We are talking as flat as a board. That is just genetics and is NOT Anorexia! They can eat and eat and eat and not gain an ounce. That is until they get pregnant and then boobs erupt suddenly in most cases.

Im sorry tessa, thanks for sharing your story. I am surprised you were even able to get pregnant...Keep working on getting better! LUVZ-

My book is all about self esteem and having a healthy perception of yourself, its very psychological, dealing with how to block out negative thoughts and outside comments and accepting positive thoughts and compliments... It's called Princess of Pilayzha. You can google it. I donated a bunch of copies to some group homes ad I am trying to get in with the Dove Self Esteem Foundation. Good Luck to you.

this^^^^^ I was anorexic and bulimic when I was young. for years no one could tell. I'm naturally skinny. I take after my dad's side of the family

A lot of time weight isn't the real issue....it's self esteem.

Andy did you read my post---up top?

I did. A thyroid issue can be a medial reason to see a doctor like I said! I knew a guy who discovered his thyroid issue (it had utterly shut down) when he ad an physical episode (acted like he was drunk at a super market and when the police responded he fainted on them. hey called the paramedics and he woke up in a hospital with 4 IV bottles plugged into him) he also discovered he was a Diabetic.

I did mention Anorexia is more of a mental condition rather than a physical one with Physical consequences? Unlike a physical condition Anorexia is acquired due to society and self esteem issues. I knew a friend who is male, married, and he became an anorexic. He almost died before anyone caught on he had a bad problem. Now he is in counseling and has to go to therapy regularly. He eats but he has to be reminded to do it after three yeas of counseling.

Trust me, I am not ignorant of the issue. I am also aware others have different issues that come off as similar to Anorexia but a physical condition and a mental one are two different beasts. One takes a doctor to deal with. The other takes a doctor and a therapist! Anorexia can be managed with behavioral Modification Therapy. That still takes time and outside help! BOTH STILL NEED THE AFFLICTED TO SEE A DOCTOR IN THE FIRST PLACE! It is the part about people needing to understand they have a problem to face they should seek help and they have no idea where to begin. To many afflicted it is like being in a dimly lit cave and all four tunnels you see are just as dark as the other and you don't know which of the four leads to death or salvation. The resources are out there but sometimes people need to ask where they should go to get help and that can be tough to ask of strangers! In many cases even family and friends have no clue where to look.

In some cases Anorexia can be brought on by severe PTSD too! Anorexia is probably one of the most insidious and self destructive diseases I ever seen. but unlike AIDS or Anthrax there is no pathogen. It is all in the victims own head. that is the most twisted thing about it! It is not like Hypothyroid condition which so far seems to be genetic but sometimes a disease can shut glands down too. Again there is a huge difference. For Anorexia to play into a physical condition is not unheard of. And those poor people are really the ones in the worst trouble. It takes a lot of strength to have to face an issue like that and come out ahead!

Huh! I always wondered how you figured that out.

Generally if your bones can be seen, if it causes health problems, etc. There's more to being anorexic than just being skinny. I would seek professional help ASAP.

I watch the Doctors :-)
It has to do with proportions.
Like your foot is always the same length
as your elbow crook to your wrist.

haha Andy, i know, i wasnt dissing what you said. i was laughing cuz you said olive oil. and i had put that is what people in HIgh School use to call me...

I chose not to each much at all, at times, as i had an illness which made me feel as if i was constantly bloated, and no i wasn't depressed or anything of that kind. I always had a really sore stomach, too. I was born quite small, so as you can imagine my appetite was never gonna be that great. Lol. Just that some who are born with a physical illness, who seriously can't eat much, get accused of bein anorexic by dr's. Before they bother to know the full story.

Thanks guys for all your imput.I was just wondering coz i've been 96 ibs and i always lose my appetite during lunch and dinner so i dont eat lunch coz if i do i'll just feel sick.Thanks Tessa for sharing your story.I'll definately see a doctor.

The tv commercials don't help encourage eating in a wise way. Their always showing some skinny chick, eating a salad. A salad, ffs, yet she's already really thin as it is. I'd be damned if any of my children developed an eating problem. Genetics could also play a part.

That must've been hard.

The main question is do you feel healthy? Most people today over eat so the portions are larger than they should be, you look to be a small girl who will not weigh much naturally... But other people will try to have you gain weight so you are big like they are, I think it is a misery loves company type of thing. My last girlfriend was about your size and everywhere we would go people would say she was too skinny but she ate more than I did and never exercised...lol. She was just naturally like that.

You have an issue hiding in the back of your mind you need to discover and face down. I would not exactly call what you are experiencing Anorexia but it can lead to it. My mother is 5 foot tall and at 110 pounds she has a fat azz! My mom was always a slightly built woman until she acquired a secretary spread from years of office work. She had her moments of being freaked out by her weight even though she was not fat. Some people are lucky in that they don't gain weight. Not all people have slow metabolisms.

Sometimes instead of eating my usual lunch all I want is a couple of Tacos for lunch and I am good to go. Normally I am good with about four or five. But i have moments where all I want is just a little food, not a lot. I have stress issues that cost me my appetite but I force myself to eat when I get into one of those weird funk moods that makes me forget to eat.

If you have an underlying physical condition it will be discovered if the doctor has an idea of what he is looking for. When it comes to mental issues though Stress can do strange things to us like make us forget or not want to eat. Self Esteem can be one issue that causes stress. So can a sense of failure (personal or otherwise). And there is also social stigmata which is what Fashion models suffer from the most. Even Loneliness can really screw with us and make us exhibit strange tenancies. If you have an underlying mental issue hiding once you identify the reason (putting a face to the monster) you can get control over it. Sometimes though the face of the monster can be family itself and that can be very bad becasue it tears into people when that realization comes. The thing is once you identify the root of your issue it is all in how you deal with it.

Once you can put a face to the issue you can free yourself of it! And once free a new life awaits you!

And now I free the dancing banana!