QUESTION:I have a friend that has high anxiety and doesn't always eat properly, although I have seen her eat normally for a number of days. She still doesn't seem to be able to gain weight. She has lost 8 lbs. in the past few months. My question is, could she have such a nervous stomach that she can't keep food in her?  She promises me that she is not vomiting. She claims the food is just going right through her.She has regained 4 pounds and seems to have a more normal appetite recently. I am just concerned with her being so small and the weight swings and all. She wants to try and gain 8 - 16 more pounds. Thanks.

ANSWER: Thank you for sharing your concern for your friend. There are many reasons why she may not be able to maintain or gain weight – the only individual qualified to make an accurate diagnosis would be her medical doctor.

Unfortunately, given the current statistics of those affected with eating disorders (over 11 million in the USA alone), I often tell people that if it ‘walks like an eating disorder, talks like an eating disorder and acts like an eating disorder’, it probably IS an eating disorder.

However, it is still dangerous and inaccurate to assume that, just because the outward symptoms appear to suggest an eating disorder, that that is in fact what is going on in your friend’s life. She could have a food allergy. She could have a severe stress reaction that is affecting her body’s ability to absorb the nutrients in food. She could have a thyroid disorder/hormonal imbalance. And there are many more reasons that only her medical doctor might even know to investigate that could be causing her current difficulties.

Please feel free to send her the Key to Life website link and ask her if anything she reads on the site feels or sounds familiar to what she is experiencing right now. If your relationship with her is such that you can offer to accompany her for a medical screening, that might be a good way to show your support for her during this difficult time.

All my best – please let us know how we can support you both.

Shannon

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