the freshman *fifty*

Gwen_Fairfax
Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:04:52 +0000

You’ve got lots of good suggestions here for the physical problem…but you’re talking about about a mental health issue too. Your parents are, as you say, “health fanatics”, “neurotic” about eating. As you make your way toward adulthood, you’ve broken from some of their ways, and gone too far in the other direction. It’s hard to find a balance in life, and when you’ve been raised in an atmosphere that’s fanatical about anything, you’re bound to feel some confusion.

So yes, get up and have some fruit and cereal for breakfast, take a good walk or run or bike ride tomorrow. Then, call the student mental health service and find yourself a therapist to talk to about this. You’ll have set yourself on a path to physical and mental health. I suspect your depression will begin to clear very quickly, and the weight will follow. Meanwhile-- I assume your parents value other things about you than your weight? You sound like a thoughtful, intelligent, fun person-- those attributes are still right there.