Most of those sites are pretty disturbing. I had a friend in high school who became anorexic to the point of hospitalization, then after recovery became clinically obese again and cannot find a middle ground. It's a constant struggle.

I will readily admit though that some days, going by the newsstand to pick up a glossy magazine is the only thing that keeps me from giving up and ordering a big greasy pizza. I certainly don't want to look like Kate Moss, but seeing photos of women like Eva Longoria and (pre-pregnancy) Gwen Stefani, who have readily admitted to working constantly at eating right and working out, reminds me that it CAN be hard but that there IS a payoff. The distinction though is that neither of those women starve themselves to emaciation. It's a very fine line.

This thread just got me wondering. I know this is going to sound crazy, and some of you are probably going to be like "well he's just a kid" but I am very worried about my bf's little brother. He's almost 8 and wont eat AT ALL. The other day, he had two small chocolate donuts for breakfast then turned around and told his grandma when lunch time came, that he already had lunch - the 2nd donut. Then just yesterday, they had made a nice meal up for everyone and he refused to eat at all. He'll be 8 in september and I'd guess he's about 3'6-7 and I seriously doubt he weighs more than 35 pounds.

Here's a couple of pictures just to prove what I'm talking about. His parents wont take him to the doc or anything for it to see what could be wrong with him and they just let him eat whatever he wants so it IS they're fault mostly.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...z/102_0223.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...z/102_0230.jpg

I wouldn't eat when I was that age either. As time went by I started to like more and more things. We can see where that went...

While it may not be a problem that he is not eating much, I would be concerned that he is only eating things like donuts. How about something more nutritious?

that is very poor nutrition for such a young boy. i know it's kind of a rough subject because they are your bf's parents, but have you mentioned anything to them? Or maybe even your bf could mention something to them, since they are his parents?

Yeah, we've all tried that and they just refuse to listen to anyone at all..

Here are links to height and weight charts for boys ages 2 to 20. According to this, a boy age 8 (96 months) should weigh between 40 and 75 pounds, with the average being around 55 pounds. If he weighs less than about 40 pounds, this is probably reason for concern. You can see by the height chart that for a boy of 8, a height of 42 or 43 inches is also below the minimum range of normal. Show these charts to the boys parents. They might not know that he is so small for his age.

There could be many reasons, but if a child is outside the normal range of height or weight for their age, their pediatrician should definitely be consulted. And BY ALL MEANS, if you suspect abuse or neglect, report this to your local child welfare authority. You can do so anonymously.

http://sickkid.net/charts/english/6b-wtage-e-2-20.htm

http://sickkid.net/charts/english/7b-statage-e-2-20.htm

they're addicting

pro-ana sites? yeah.. .yeah they are..

I think the entire glamour "Hollywood Image" is schizophrenic itself. First they say thin is in showing stars and singers with bones protruding out of their bodies like the walking dead (which now magazines put these people down too) and God forbid if your curvy your considered fat and that is not acceptable either. Our entire society has a messed up view on beauty and weight to begin with. As a whole our society has a whole body distortation image problem. I personally like Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign commercials there a breath of fresh air from the glowing Revlon and Almay adds with nothing but gorgous size 2 models showing off makeup.

I just took a look at thinspriation. I had no idea that sites were out there like that but not really surprised either. I found it sad, on one page she was talking about not being a victim and how its a choice but if you look at her artwork it screams a totally different picture. It really angers me to see so many celebs. looking like rails. My daughter(who is 9) came up to me one day saying she wished she was thin and looked like a girl in a magazine she had. I sat her down and had a heart to heart with her. I also showed her this article :
http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/20...ur_reality.php

which I hope helped put things in perspective. I have heard her tell friends that the models dont really look that way.

I sat her down and had a heart to heart with her. I also showed her this article :
http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/20..._rea lity.php

which I hope helped put things in perspective. I have heard her tell friends that the models dont really look that way.

Good for you sweetie I am glad you had the talk to her about eating disorders and how dangerous they can be. To me that conversation ranks up there with the talks about drugs, alcohol, and sex with preteens and teenagers. As a matter of fact my niece who is 12, I just explained to her what anorexia and bulemia are and she vowed to me that she would never do something that stupid and dangerous to her body. I was very proud of her.

Liz-
I am sorry you are in such a touch situation! I know my younger cousins all went through phases where they were different ages and didn't eat much at all. It all passed within a few months. If this has been going on much longer than that I would give it a little more time and see if things change. Maybe you could talk to him yourself, ask if he's ever had certain kind of foods and see if he wants to try them. Find out what he does like and make it for him, or suggest your boyfriend does.
I hope I helped a bit!
Good Luck

Yesterday for Trystan was a good day, a very good day. He ate almost all of his food (mashed potatoes, corn, and greenbeans* on his plate except his hamburger. The only thing that bugs me about his family is that they don't force him to eat more than he does, they let him eat what he wants *he's ADHD and some of you may know what that's like... he can be a handfull sometimes* Other than what he ate for dinner, he had only had 2 peaches and they let him just eat that... it's just something that I can't figure out at all. :S

I used to go on sites like that. It really pushed my eating disorder further because I didn't feel so alone and got support for my unhealthy habit. But I got help and now I am proud to say that I don't have an ED anymore, although sometimes I still have the urge to go back to those kinds of sites.

Anywho, with feeling better about myself... I started eating more, and now I am wanting to lose weight again. But I know this time, it's going to be healthy!

I too like Honeybunny am a recovering anorexic and I am very glad that I did not find these websites because it would have further intensified my disorder. I have seen the error of my ways and vowed never to put my body through that again. I want to lose weight badly but I want to do it the right way now too.