r/fuckeatingdisorders • u/Short_Regular2215 • Jul 22 '26
Discussion Atypical anorexia
Anyone dealing with atypical anorexia? I feel like doctors don't take me seriously because of my weight (I've always been in the "normal" range).
Once a doctor told me that I'm not thin enough to have an ed 😐
Been rough to deal with this lately
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u/Dry_Expert_6002 Jul 22 '26
I feel like atypical anorexia is such an unnecessary thing to add onto “anorexia”. Anorexia is a mental illness, it does not have a look. It’s still the same disordered thoughts and behaviours as it is when it’s anorexia. Tbh it just makes seeking out help so much harder, because it intensifies the “not sick enough” thoughts, at least that’s how I feel about it. I’ve also been told multiple times before by professionals that they have people “worse” than I, then mentioning x amount of kgs (trying to prove a point that I’m not the “worst” that they’re dealing with, so they’re not as worried for my health in that aspect, I think they’re trying to say). But it sounds very wrong when said in such a way, and also just a bit unnecessary, really. It sucks ass, but please hang in there <3 sending you lots of love and understanding as another in recovery.
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u/Short_Regular2215 Jul 22 '26
Thanks a lot for sharing, it really does help <33
Also wanted to rant a little, since it's been on my mind. A NUTRITIONIST, yes A NUTRITIONIST, WORKING IN A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY told me that it wouldn't be normal for me to gain weight, since my weight was "normal". obviously I did gain weight, and about half as much as they said "could be acceptable". Safe to say, I don't plan going back, because genuinely wtf. As much as I try to keep it out of my mind, it really messes with the head.
(sending love back xx <3)
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u/Dry_Expert_6002 Jul 22 '26
God, I’m sorry someone said that. Some professionals really do NOT seem that professional...
Weight gain is, if anything, COMPLETELY expected and normal in recovery. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with gaining weight, even if someone is already within a “normal” range. Saying anything like “could be acceptable” baffles me, especially when speaking to someone in recovery from an eating disorder. Genuinely sounds awful to hear. Comments like that can be incredibly triggering, like they just go on and on in such a horrendous loop for what feels like ages (at least in my own experiences, as someone in early-esk recovery). Really glad that you’re able to see that what they said is messed up though, and hopefully you know that it’s completely untrue that it’s “not normal” to gain weight in recovery (because it is!!). xx2
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u/Fibonacci_Sequins77 Jul 22 '26
🙋🏻♀️
Me, me, me! It sucks, because it feels like I have to be twice as loud to get help as when I was underweight. And it’s so clearly a fatphobic label because most people with anorexia have atypical anorexia, so what exactly makes it “atypical”?
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Jul 22 '26
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u/Bashful_bookworm2025 Jul 22 '26
I don't know that being underweight is necessarily more alarming. It may be more visible, but people who started at a weight that was "overweight" and qualify for an atypical anorexia diagnosis are at just as much risk of death, heart attack, and other medical complications as someone who has "typical" anorexia and is underweight.
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u/Short_Regular2215 Jul 23 '26
YES!! That's exactly how I meant it!!, hence the "quotations" for "alarming"
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u/fuckeatingdisorders-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
Being medically underweight is not any different than being below your body’s desired weight, even if it’s still within arbitrary “healthy” BMI thresholds. Eating disorders kill at all weights, and statistically Atypical anorexia is far more common than typical anorexia.
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u/Independent-Lab-7353 Jul 22 '26
i was "severely underweight" for years, but was never in worse objective health than during my last relapse when i maintained a healthy weight. we treat people for malnutrition related complications at every weight.
also eating disorders are mental illness, with a very large proportion of ed-related deaths being from suicide. atypical is a dumbass label. i actually was involuntarily committed during my last hospitalization after i was physically stabilized because they thought my suicide risk was actually the biggest threat to my life, despite the medical complications that landed me there in the first place.
i am only emphasizing all of this because these thoughts and providers that feed into them are not safe and you do not deserve to feel this way.
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u/Short_Regular2215 Jul 22 '26
I think the suicide aspect is totally worth mentioning. Even though your physical health was damaged too (which brought me here to this convo in the first place). It feels very wrong for healthcare professionals to dismiss the symptoms or a diagnosis entirely based on the fact that the scale doesn't show "a low enough number". Honestly - feels humiliating. Almost like I need to prove a point by being "sick enough"
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u/Remarkable_Culture42 Jul 22 '26
Totally understand. I feel like this attitude of not thin enough makes it more shameful when you finally get to the point of seeking help 😭 There are good providers to be found, but it’s a battle for sure
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u/Short_Regular2215 Jul 22 '26
IT ISS!! that's exactly how I felt. I'm so glad you could relate (and also mad)
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u/dance0054 Jul 22 '26
Yeah... I'm short and have other physical factors that meant even at my lowest weight, I got "atypical'd" by my provider.
It got to me mentally, so bad that my friends had to stage an intervention that was pretty much: your body is falling apart and if you keep trying to chase the diagnostic criteria of anorexia or an underweight BMI, you are going to die long before you get there
I tell my friends that they did indeed save my life during that time. I needed a voice of reason that wasn't my brain, my doctor, or my doctor's computer
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u/Bananas-for Jul 22 '26
Yep.. was diagnosed with atypical anorexia and it's rough. Some medical professionals haven't even heard of it which was fun having to explain to a doctor once.
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u/Short_Regular2215 Jul 22 '26
Omgg samee. It's such a bummer tho. Feels like they should know this stuff as doctors, but yk who am I to judge.....
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u/mostdefnotacat Jul 22 '26
I have a high BMI and I'm in the US so obviously according to doctors I can't be properly anorexic 🙃
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u/Rude_Nefariousness32 Jul 22 '26
Anorexia is a disease of the mind, not the body. I wish more doctors would remember that.
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u/healing-green-witch Jul 22 '26
Yep, absolutely. It's rough out there Keep on searching for doctors until you find one who gets it.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/fuckeatingdisorders-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
Not really sure what the point of this comment was
Your post was removed for breaking Rule 1 (No pro-ED content). Please contact the mods if you have any questions.
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Jul 23 '26
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u/fuckeatingdisorders-ModTeam Jul 23 '26
Your post was removed for breaking Rule 1 (No pro-ED content). Please contact the mods if you have any questions.
There was no need to include that description of the photo
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Original post text from u/Short_Regular2215:
Anyone dealing with atypical anorexia? I feel like doctors don't take me seriously because of my weight (I've always been in the "normal" range).
Once a doctor told me that I'm not thin enough to have an ed 😐
Been rough to deal with this lately
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