Dexter is a 29 year-old male who visited his primary care physician due to severe headaches and feelings of lethargy. Upon examination nothing out of the ordinary was revealed aside from a low body mass index of 15 kg/m2. Unable to find any medical explanation for his symptoms and concerned for his extremely low weight the doctor referred Dexter to an eating disorder specialist.
Dexter is the youngest child of nine children. He grew up in a large, tight knit Mormon family in rural Idaho. He describes his childhood as “amazing”. His parents were both active outdoor enthusiasts, causing their weekends and vacations to be year-round outdoor adventures. The family’s summer activities included backpacking trips, whitewater rafting and kayaking, …show more content…
He explains that he is a professional carpenter by trade and a sport climber by hobby, but is attempting to become a professional climber. During the work day he has very little time to eat and is on his feet all day. In the evenings he is training for various climbing meets. He describes being very busy most days, often skipping meals. Describing his typical meals, he states he has coffee in the morning, a cliff bar in the afternoon (or something he can eat with one hand while working), and a bagel with peanut butter along with a handful of almonds in the evening while taking a break from his climbing training. Dexter states that he frequently “just doesn’t remember to eat”, sometimes he will get dizzy and realize that he can’t remember the last time he has eaten, then he will have a snack. He admits that he appreciates how little he weighs because “it helps him be a better climber”. He makes the additional claim, “you won’t ever see a fat pro climber”. Dexter denies behaviors designed to promote weight loss such as binge eating or purging. He also denies drug or alcohol use aside from the occasional
Dexter is the youngest child of nine children. He grew up in a large, tight knit Mormon family in rural Idaho. He describes his childhood as “amazing”. His parents were both active outdoor enthusiasts, causing their weekends and vacations to be year-round outdoor adventures. The family’s summer activities included backpacking trips, whitewater rafting and kayaking, …show more content…
He explains that he is a professional carpenter by trade and a sport climber by hobby, but is attempting to become a professional climber. During the work day he has very little time to eat and is on his feet all day. In the evenings he is training for various climbing meets. He describes being very busy most days, often skipping meals. Describing his typical meals, he states he has coffee in the morning, a cliff bar in the afternoon (or something he can eat with one hand while working), and a bagel with peanut butter along with a handful of almonds in the evening while taking a break from his climbing training. Dexter states that he frequently “just doesn’t remember to eat”, sometimes he will get dizzy and realize that he can’t remember the last time he has eaten, then he will have a snack. He admits that he appreciates how little he weighs because “it helps him be a better climber”. He makes the additional claim, “you won’t ever see a fat pro climber”. Dexter denies behaviors designed to promote weight loss such as binge eating or purging. He also denies drug or alcohol use aside from the occasional