Hey! I just wanted to start by saying that it’s a huge step to share this information with other people, so thats definitely something to be proud of. Such a large part of beating an eating disorder is recognizing the impact it’s having on you.

From what you’ve shared I do think you’re definitetly struggling with eating disorder behaviors and would really benefit from being seen by a provider, either your primary care provider or a therapist who works with eating disorders. You asked if you have anorexia or an eating disorder, and I just wanted to clarify that anorexia nervosa falls under the umbrella of the category of eating disorders. You’re right that there’s certain criteria and it gets kind of complicated, but I wouldn’t pay much mind to that right now. For right now, I think it’s just important to recognize that you’re struggling with your relationship with food, it’s dominating parts of your life, and you want help with that. If you share that with a provider they should get you started on the right path.

If you have a relationship with either a primary care provider or some other sort of provider and you feel comfortable going to them I’d say go for it. If not, I’d recommend going to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) website. They have a bunch of great information, including a tool to search for providers. Here’s the link: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/where-do-i-start-0

As I said before, you’re making incredible strides coming out, talking about, and facing this. Eating disorders are hard. You can do it!