Worried my friend has an eating disorder.

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poopylungstuffing
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20 May 2009, 5:59 pm

My very good ASish friend who I talk about all the time is troublesomely underweight...he is around 5'10 and maybe 130...He is vegan and does not take good care of himself..and forgets to eat, and worse tends not to drink nearly enough water...I have to force him to drink water...and it is really bothering me. He faints really easily. He has mood swings and meltdowns that seem to increase when he is not getting enough food. He has close to zero body fat. He could easily play a concentration camp victim in a holocaust movie.
Sometimes he goes through phases where he will allow himself to eat a variety of foods including dairy and he seems much healthier and happier and more energetic and more able to take care of himself...then he gets wound up over food again..and it is back to the vegan...starvation diet...He also drinks a lot of beer...so this combination of little food or water and lots of beer seems to be eating him alive. I wish I could talk some sense into him, but he is very rigid and stubborn about the way he wants to eat.

Last night he wiped out on his bike...and he was a combination of hungry, drunk, and dehydrated when it happened. If he had not been wearing a helmet, it would have been a lot worse.

I try to take care of him as best as I can but I can't always be around to do so. One of our main rituals is that when we talk on the phone, I always ask him what he had for lunch and dinner so I can be sure he is eating...I am glad he is ok with my asking that...as he kinda gets mad easily.

I ply him with vegan health bars....and bring him other kinds of food when I can....

I have nothing against him being vegan..he really needs to gain some weight to cushion his bones...and he needs to drink more fluids that aren't beer.



LostAlien
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20 May 2009, 7:03 pm

I know nothing about vegan eating. Just stating that. But I would like to help.

Can he eat nuts? or has he allergies?

Would he react ok with you bringing over some form of dinner when he's not being healthy? Pre-packed dinners from health food shops even? I don't know about the health food shops where you are like, though I know that I've seen vegan pre-packed dinners in my local ones.

Soups could also be a good thing, I've heard that coconut milk can be a good subsitute for cows milk to add a creamy taste (when finished cooking for liquidized soup not broths) and having beans, lentels and other pulses mixed in with vegetables and complementing herbs can make a nice soup.

When tired/hung-over I would guess it's hard to motivate himself to make a healthy anything. It's good that he has a friend that cares about him and his well being. Remember to take care of yourself too though.