Pat's Answer

Hello, you are very welcome to Ask Pat,

Thank you so much for getting in touch and trusting us with your thoughts and feelings. 

You are saying that you restrict your food intake and you have started to loose weight and now you don’t want to stop. 

It sounds like you are happy you have lost weight but are also concerned that you do not want to stop. You have been very brave to reach out to us today, to seek support for your feelings. We would be concerned for you that you feel you do not want to stop losing weight. It is important for your mental and physical wellbeing that you get the help and support you deserve around this issue, as our bodies need food to grow healthily.

One of the most important things you can do if you are worried about your relationship with food is to talk to someone you trust, like a parent, carer, another family member or a teacher. How would you feel about talking to one of these people? It is possible that you may need the support of a professional like a doctor, a dietitian or a counsellor, and you have the right to get this medical help.  

There are websites you can look at, organisations which can offer help and support to you. Here are some you might find useful, www.bodywhys.ie/;  www.yourmentalhealth.ie;  www.spunout.ie.  You might also like to read some articles on the Childline website: www.childline.ie/how-i-feel/;  www.childline.ie/eating-disorders/.   

You do not have to go through this alone. If you feel that you cannot talk to anyone around you just yet, the Childline Team are waiting for you to get in touch.  You did a great job in reaching out to Ask Pat today. How would you feel about calling us at Childline for a chat? We really would love to listen to you. 

You are welcome to talk to Childline by phone on 1800 66 66 66, by text to 50101, or through our web chat on www.childline.ie. Childline is here for you anytime and we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The services are free and confidential. We are non-judgemental, and we will not tell you what to do. We can help you explore what options may be available to you.     

Thank you for reaching out to us. We are here to listen, and we are here for you whenever you would like to chat. Please get in touch with us soon.   

Take care of yourself,    

Pat