Readers Post 2

I hate my body so much. I’m a 17 year old boy who should be fit and muscly with six-pack abs. I play heaps of sport and I really watch what I eat, but when I look in the mirror, all I see is fat. I have fat on my stomach, fat on my legs, fat on my arms. It’s everywhere and it won’t go away. Sometimes when I’m really hungry, I eat heaps then I feel really guilty and I try to throw it up straight after. And sometimes, I feel so guilty about eating something bad that I don’t eat anything for 3 days. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I have a body like all my other mates in my footy team?

Footy Flab...

Dear Footy Flab,

You are just a teenager who is concerned with the way that you look. What you are doing to yourself is very unhealthy and unsafe. You are becoming a bulimic. Bulimia is a binge eating disorder. Don’t worry about the fat, because all that matters is health if you are healthy, then everything is ok. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a six-pack. If you really want/need a six-pack then try going to the gym, take a friend with you so that you will enjoy it and learn new muscle building exercise. It’s good that you play sport and eat healthily and that’s all the matters. Talk to someone you know and trust, like a close friend, a family member or a doctor, because what you are doing to yourself now can affect you in the future. For more help you can also visit https://au.reachout.com/

Sincerely, Sikha from MHCA.