Notes

About Eating Disorders, and How I have had recovered from Anorexia.


So I've decided to dedicate my first post talking about : eating disorders.
Frankly every 1 per 10 teens have an eating disorder, or have faced it in past. And up to 90 percent -- are adolescent and young women! So my dear readers, who I think most of all are females, I'm here to help you in understanding and treating it! :)
It's not one of the "sweetest periods" of my life so I've decided to share my story with you. I will also talk bellow about it's provenience and how we should overcome it.

There are several different types of eating disorders, the most common being anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. Eating disorders are mental health conditions that all involve an unhealthy relationship with food and eating, and often an intense fear of being overweight. If you have an eating disorder you may experience one or more of the following:

First Of all : Why ?


Psychology

Various psychological factors can contribute to eating disorders. In fact, eating disorders are common in individuals who struggle with clinical depression, anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eating when we are not hungry can also make us feel out of control. In order to try to regain control, we often try drastic measures such as crash dieting, excessive exercising, fasting or purging to regulate our food intake and weight. These activities may seem an easier solution than learning to control our food intake by trusting our bodies. Other factors include:

• A distorted body image, from not seeing the body as it really is.
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy
• Trouble coping with emotions or expressing your emotions
• Perfectionism
• Impulsivity


Culture

Dieting, body dissatisfaction and wanting to be thin are all factors that increase the risk for an eating disorder. Unfortunately, our society encourages all three. Indeed, it is often this need to be perfect that causes a person to try to change their body to meet the perfect “standard” that has been presented by TV, magazines, movies, commercials, etc. Here are some aspects of our culture that contribute to eating disorders:

• An over-emphasis on appearance, at the expense of more meaningful attributes
• Societal beauty standards that promote an unrealistically thin body shape
• Associating thinness with positive qualities like attractiveness, health, success and love
• Media’s focus on dieting and striving for a slim and toned silhouette
• Messages that perpetuate a fear of fat and food; viewing fat as undesirable or foods as “good,” “bad” or “sinful”


Environment

Your environment can also play a major role in developing an eating disorder. These factors include:

• Family or other relationship problems
• Difficult or turbulent childhood
• History of physical or sexual abuse
• Activities that encourage thinness or focus on weight, such as gymnastics, dancing, running, wrestling and modeling
• Peer pressure
• Being bullied because of weight or appearance in general

-> There are also factors as : Genetics and Biochemistry.

I, myself, had the psychological and the cultural influence.


It is because during this period of time, women are more likely to diet to try and keep a slim figure and/or try stringent dieting. Certain sports (such as gymnastics) and careers (such as modeling) are especially prone to reinforcing the need to keep a fit figure, even if it means purging food or not eating at all.


How to recognize ?

Physical
marked weight loss or weight gain
fluctuations in weight of up to 10 pounds or more
amenorrhea; menstrual cycle irregularities
chronic sore throats or stomach problems
decay of tooth enamel
dizziness and/or fainting episode
growth of fine “lanugo” or baby-like hair on body
chronic fatigue
hair loss
dehydration
swollen cheeks
bloodshot eyes
Emotional and Behavioral
preoccupation with food and calories
fear of eating foods that contain fat
“good” and “bad” food categories
restricted number of foods in diet
intense fear of weight gain or becoming “fat”
avoiding situations where food is served
frequent weighing of self
compulsive, excessive exercise habits
purging behaviors (vomiting, laxatives/diuretics, exercise, enemas)
depression and/or anxiety
isolation or withdrawal from family and friends
denial of eating problems or weight loss


!! Sometimes it is not easy to spot the signs of an eating disturbance or disorder. Many people with anorexia will wear large, baggy clothing to hide the weight loss from others. They will also cook for others to hide their lack of eating. Most people with bulimia will not have any significant change in weight. They may restrict their intake of food in front of others and binge only in privacy.

What are the types ?

Anorexia (also known as anorexia nervosa) is the name for simply starving yourself because you are convinced you are overweight. Many people with anorexia do eat every day, including “forbidden” foods such as candy, ice cream and cake. They generally eat only small amounts of food or severely restrict the foods that are “safe” to eat. The compulsive need to exercise often accompanies anorexia and can contribute to the dramatic level of weight loss.

!! Most people with anorexia do not see how thin they are becoming. They sometimes see themselves as actually having gained weight! This is a result of their distorted and unrealistic body image.

Depression and anxiety are common in anorexia, as is withdrawal from family and friends. Denial of any changes in weight or weight loss is very common. Death can occur if anorexia goes untreated for extended periods of time. This is typically related to cardiac or kidney failure due to the malnutrition. Suicidal thoughts also occur in anorexia. Professional counseling and treatment is crucial to the survival and recovery of people with anorexia.