FACT SHEET 4
WARNING SIGNS OF AN EATING DISORDER
There are several types of eating disorders, but all share some fundamental features:
An extreme dissatisfaction with the body
Body weight, size, or shape being the primary measure of self-worth
Feelings of guilt or depression after eating
A tendency to isolate, to withdraw from friends and family
Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, fat or carbohydrate grams, and diet
For bulimia nervosa, also look for:
Periods of uncontrolled eating, or binges
Self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives
Excessive exercise, often used to “undo” the last eating episode
For binge eating disorder, also look for:
Periods of uncontrolled eating, or binges
Eating often when not hungry
Eating until uncomfortably full
For anorexia nervosa, also look for:
Dramatic weight loss
Feeling fat despite dramatic weight loss
Intense fear of fat
Excessive exercise
Odd food rituals such as counting bites, cutting food into tiny pieces, etc.
Loss of menstrual periods, fainting, or irregular pulse
A Note About Dieting
Many eating disorders begin as a diet. Going on a diet is often the gateway to a full-blown eating disorder, because it introduces unhealthy ideas about food and because it fosters excessive focus on the body. Popular culture is overflowing with dangerous misinformation about nutrition and the body, and nearly all of it can contribute to the development of eating-disordered beliefs and behaviors. If your daughter is dieting, using diet pills or diuretics, or eating under food rules such as “no carbohydrates” or “no eating after 5 p.m.,” she is at risk.
Healthy Eating Gone Awry
Sometimes people can become fixated on healthy eating to the point of obsession, a condition called orthorexia, similar to an eating disorder. Orthorexia begins in ways that at first can seem healthy: choosing foods that are good for the body and avoiding ones that aren’t. Over time, this interest in health becomes a preoccupation, and the person focuses on what and how much to eat to the exclusion of other important parts of life. Eating rules become increasingly rigid and difficult to maintain, and those who try to maintain them respond to slips with guilt, self-hatred, or increased strictness. Some may be obsessed with the idea of toxins in food or body and may engage in juice fasting or other “cleanses.” The end result is a diet so restrictive that it impairs physical health.
If You Feel Concerned That Your Daughter Is “Fat” or “Getting Fat”
It’s normal for preadolescents and adolescents to accumulate fat; their bodies are just storing up for the tremendous amount of energy they will need to develop physically into adulthood. This is most often a temporary state, and children should not interfere with it through diets or extra exercise. It is also important to remember that when an adolescent is transitioning from a girl’s body to a woman’s body, she gains more fat. This is a biological reality that is made more difficult by a society that fears even normal amounts of fat.
Despite what the diet industry tells us, each of us has a set body weight that is predetermined; we can do very little to change it. This is why diets never bring lasting weight loss and why some people spend their entire lives fighting those “last few pounds.” Look at both sides of your children’s biological family to get a sense of what their set body type might be. If your children are bigger or heavier than they want to be, they may need support in learning to accept their natural bodies despite a culture that overvalues the underweight look. Remember that beginning a diet can set your children up for a demoralizing, lifelong and, most important, losing battle. As long as your children are reasonably active and making thoughtful nutritional choices most of the time, you shouldn’t need to worry. However, if your children are inactive or making poor food choices, they are at risk for obesity and other health problems. If you’re concerned, it may be helpful for you and your children to go to a nutritionist together to get guidance in making these lifestyle changes.
Eating disorders can be deadly, and over time they usually get worse and more difficult to treat. But when you recognize them early and get proper treatment, your children have an excellent chance for recovery. If your children are showing any warning signs, it is important that you seek professional help as soon as possible. When looking for treatment, be sure that both the therapist and the nutritionist have had special training in treating eating disorders; don’t be afraid to ask.
Recommended Resources
National Eating Disorders Association
Information and referral help line: 1-800-931-2237
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Gürze Books
Specializing in publications and education about eating disorders
1-800-756-7533
Source: Kimberly Lawrence Kol, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist/Eating Disorder Specialist