Does my gf have an eating disorder?

Hey everyone.. my girlfriend had a stomach virus 2 months ago, where she felt really, really sick for a week... well ever since then she hasn't eaten much, she's lost 29 pounds so far.. she takes little bites of food throughout the day and drinks a lot of water & soda, she drinks fine.. she says she's starving and very hungry but everytime she goes to eat she tenses up.. she says its because she's scared she will throw up.... she wants to gain her weight back.. it's not anorexia or anything like that.. she's just scared to eat big meals because she's scared to get sick, so she bites and chews on chips and small things... How does she get back to normal eating?

Well, as long as she continues to eat little meals ALL day then she will be fine. If she lost 29 pounds, that's a lot (sounds like you guys are teenagers) and she should probably tell a doctor that she is scared to eat.
If you want to help her, just have her eat a little bit more every meal till she gets back up to a normal sized meal or have many, many small meals all day long.
What has probably happened is your stomach is very use it or lose it, if you eat a ton and stretch your stomach out (your stomach is about the size of your fists) then you can eat a lot more, if you don't eat, it doesn't need to stretch and can't hold as much. If she eats a lot now, she WILL throw up, she's not wrong.. she can't hold it anymore.
If you fear for her health, she definitely needs to see a doctor, also I suggest her taking daily vitamins, if you don't have adequate nutrition you can become fatigued, have bone loss (calcium), and become anemic (especially during her period) because of the loss of iron. This could all be very bad.
She needs your support.

Im the same after im sick. i hardly eat anything at all.
Just make her think Good things like
"I won't throw up im exaggerating"
Just help her try to eat more stuff instead of Junk try to make her eating crackers and move your way up to bigger food and maybe she will go back to normal eating habits.

Hey Mike,
I was especially triggered to answer this question, because I have been suffering from anorexia nervosa on and off for a few years. You're right, that defiantly does not sound like anorexia (well it sort of does, yet it doesn't). I really do not think she has an eating disorder. She is just a little paranoid. She is doing the right thing by eating small amounts. Discuss this with her. I have tons of advice. After cutting off food for so long, re-feeding is harder than it sounds. She should by "Tums". I swear...pure miracle workers. They stop vicious stomach acid amazingly. Yogurt helps re-establish healthy intestinal flora. Gingersnaps are great for settling the stomach. Bread products are great. Fiber is vital for rebuilding and strengthening atrophied intestinal muscles. Have her be warned, though... there may be gas, irregularity, and general discomfort for a while as this happens. Soy milk. The nonfat kind if she likes. She will need extra protein if she has a lot of muscle to replace, and it's pretty low-cal. Re-hydrate. Very important as her body gets used to processing food. Tell her to drink V8 and soymilk and non-acidic fruit juices like mad.

SHe may be developing a disorder because fo her fear.
ACtually, if she can eat 6 small but nutritious meals a day, she may be just fine.
She should not be losing so much weight though.

Instead of nibbling on chips, encourage her to eat 6 meals a day, like this:

1--breakfast: small bowl of whole grain cereal, 1/2 c milk (any kind), 1 banana (to keep her potassium up)

2--mid morning snack: cup of yoghurt, piece of fruit

3--lunch--small salad or soup, small roll, one egg (any style) or 2-3 oz. cheese or tuna fish (some kind of protein, but small portion)

4--mid afternoon snack: fruit or juice and cheese or (if no egg at lunch) one egg.

5--dinner: no more than 3 oz. of meat, fish or chicken, 1/2 cup rice or 1/2 potato, 1/2 cup veggies

6--late snack (but at least 2 hours before bed): glass of milk or yoghurt, snack sized applesauce

Of course, she should drink 8-10 glasses of water--and avoid "empty calories" such as soda pop
(carbonated drinks will make her feel full and gassy and might make her nauseous if she has not been eating right.) and chips, which are all salt and empty carbs.

These are general suggestions.
The idea is to maintain a balanced diet by eating everything she would normally, but in small increments.

This is actually a healthier way to eat than 3 large meals.