“Am I The Jerk For Telling My Roommate It’s Not My Problem If I Trigger Their ED?”

Living with roommates means navigating a minefield of personal habits. You learn to tolerate their weird taste in music and their questionable cleaning standards. The shared kitchen, especially, is a delicate ecosystem where everyone has their own way of life.

You respect their space, and they respect yours. But what happens when one person’s healthy routine is another person’s trigger? One student’s disciplined diet became the catalyst for a roommate war, forcing a difficult question about personal responsibility.

More info: Reddit

A shared kitchen can be a minefield of conflicting lifestyles and unspoken rules amongst roommates

Young woman wrapped in a blanket on a blue couch, reading a book, representing health nut roommate and strict diet themes.

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A student’s strict, healthy diet was triggering their new roommate’s eating disorder

Text excerpt about a college student living with a health nut roommate who follows a strict diet triggering her eating disorder.

Excerpt from a health nut gym goer explaining strict diet habits and refusal of junk food and alcohol.

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The roommate asked them to stop weighing food and to be “less strict” with their diet

Text explaining how a strict diet triggers an eating disorder and a request to change eating habits for comfort.

Text about a health nut roomie being asked to eat fast food and drink due to concerns over strict diet triggering ED.

Young woman in kitchen choosing between fast food and healthy salad, reflecting on strict diet and eating disorder triggers.

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The student refused, telling her that her disorder was not their problem

Text message discussing a health nut roomie's strict diet triggering an eating disorder and refusal to eat fast food.

Text message conversation discussing a health nut roommate, fast food, and diet triggering eating disorder struggles.

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The roommate called them a jerk, and the apartment became a tense, silent war zone

This story is set in a classic off-campus housing situation, where a fitness-focused student lives with their friend and his new girlfriend. The narrator is a creature of habit, a gym-goer who strictly tracks their macros, weighs their food, and consistently turns down junk food. This disciplined lifestyle, which had never been an issue before, was about to become a major point of conflict.

One day, the new roommate pulled the narrator aside for a serious talk. She revealed that she has an eating disorder and that the narrator’s strict habits were triggering her desire to relapse. She then made a series of requests: that the narrator stop weighing food in front of her and generally be “less strict” with their diet.

The narrator’s response was blunt, telling her that while they hoped she was okay, she didn’t have the right to ask them to change their entire lifestyle, and that her ED “isn’t really their problem.” This, predictably, did not go over well. The roommate called them a jerk, and the friend in the middle has chosen the path of a conscientious objector, refusing to take sides.

Now, the apartment is a cold war zone. The narrator is left wondering if they are the jerk for setting a firm boundary around their own health and habits, or if they should have compromised their lifestyle to make their roommate more comfortable.

Young woman and man arguing indoors, highlighting conflict about health nut roomie and strict diet triggering ED.

Image credits: kues1 / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The roommate’s request, while difficult, comes from a very real and painful place. As outlined by Equip Health, specific behaviors like weighing food, strict dieting, and labeling foods as “good” or “bad” are common and powerful triggers for individuals with eating disorders. While the OP’s behaviour wasn’t intentionally triggering, it did push the wrong buttons in the end.

However, there is a crucial difference between asking for reasonable accommodations and demanding control over another person’s life. According to Eating Disorder Specialist Kelly Flack, while the home should be a “safe place,” the person with the ED is ultimately responsible for their own recovery.

A reasonable request might be, “Could we avoid talking about weight or calories at dinner?” An unreasonable one, which is what happened here, is demanding a roommate fundamentally change their personal diet and stop their own health practices.

Ultimately, while the narrator’s delivery was blunt, their refusal to alter their lifestyle was a necessary boundary. As experts at The Emily Program explain, a key part of eating disorder recovery is learning to develop coping skills to manage triggers, as it is impossible to eliminate them from the world entirely.

Do you agree that the roommate needed to learn independent coping skills, or should her demands have been met? Share your opinions in the comments section!

The internet was understanding of the lady’s eating disorder but felt the roommate had the full right to enjoy their healthy ways

Reddit conversation discussing health nut roommate, strict diet challenges, and the impact on eating habits and triggers.

Screenshot of an online discussion about a lady wanting her health nut roommate to eat fast food, linking strict diet to ED.

Reddit user discusses health nut roommate’s strict diet triggering her eating disorder and desire to eat fast food and drink.

Reddit conversation about a health nut roommate and the impact of a strict diet triggering an eating disorder.

Reddit discussion about health nut roommate being encouraged to eat fast food to address eating disorder triggers.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a health nut roommate’s strict diet triggering eating disorder concerns.

Comment discussing a health nut roommate’s strict diet and the impact of fast food and alcohol demands on eating disorder concerns.

User advice on setting boundaries with health nut roommate whose strict diet triggers eating disorder symptoms.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation discussing a health nut roommate’s strict diet triggering an eating disorder (ED) concern.

Reddit user shares how strict diet triggered her eating disorder while managing son's T1 Diabetes, emphasizing healthy balance.

Reddit user discusses mental health and respecting others' routines, related to health nut roomie and strict diet challenges.

Text conversation discussing coping with eating disorders triggered by a health nut roommate’s strict diet habits.

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