Starving For Success

Starving for Success Ð'--

The Dangers of Disordered Eating

Katie battles an unseen enemy, a fight against a culture which values thinness above all else. This fight takes place each day at the dinner table. Katie has an eating disorder.

It began when she was a senior in high school. Katie's good friend, whom she admired, watched the fat content in everything she ate; soon Katie began noticing those fat grams too. It drove her family crazy, but they thought she was just being a picky eater. Then a couple of years later, Katie drank a milk shake.

"I felt horrible. It was the first thing with fat in it that I'd eaten in months," she said. She needed to rid her body of the unwanted calories, so she induced vomiting. That began a cycle she would battle off and on for several years.

You'd never guess that Katie has a disorder that affects almost 20 percent of young women. You'd never imagine that this friendly, attractive young woman has a problem which, left untreated, could cause serious medical problemsÐ'--even death. You'd never suspect that Katie had anything seriously wrong. Unless, perhaps, you noticed her unusually thin arms.

Eating disorders are actually distorted eating habits, often related to emotional problems. There are three main eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is self-starvation, with marked weight loss from severe restriction of dietary intake, excessive exercise to burn up calories, or purging food from the body to keep from being absorbed. Bulimia nervosa is extreme overeating followed by purging activities such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives and/or diuretics, or by periods of fasting. Binge-eating disorder is characterized by episodes of overeating but no purging.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia means "lack of appetite." Ironically, anorexicsare hungry almost all the time. Symptoms associated with anorexia nervosa include:

Ð'* Marked weight loss

Ð'* Abnormal attitude about weight

Ð'* Changes in the skin and hair

How does anorexia begin? Some form of dieting always occurs before the onset which often follows a stressful life event, such as the loss of a parent, or a breakup of a family unit. Less complex, but equally stressful, events such as entering puberty, leaving home, being embarrassed or ashamed, doing poorly in school, being told one looks "fat," or not being allowed to participate in a social group also may trigger an eating disorder.

As for the next disorder, Bulimia nervosa is a disorder in which a person eats large quantities of foods followed by deliberate vomiting. Bulimics have a difficult time avoiding food, and feel out of control when eating. Bulimics also believe their self-worth is centered on being thin - but weight is usually normal or near normal. They also have more trouble with compulsive behaviors, such as shoplifting, promiscuity, abusing alcohol/drugs and credit card abuse. Appearing cheerful on the outside, they are often depressed, lonely and ashamed on the inside.

Symptoms associated with bulimia include:

Ð'* Sore throat

Ð'* Vomiting

Ð'* Teeth and gum damage

Ð'* Acid reflux

Ð'* Undesirable social traits

As for binge eaters, they are often chronic dieters. They tend to overeat at mealtimes and snack frequently. Binge eating affects men and women equally. Half of those remain overweight. Binge eating is defined as recurrent episodes of eating food in amounts that a normal person would not eat, and a sense of lack of control when eating it. Binging usually occurs at least two times a week for at least six months. A person who is classified as a binge eater would not use the methods that a bulimic or anorexic would use to prevent food absorption. A binge episode usually includes at least three of the following behaviors:

Ð'* Eating much more rapidly than normal.

Ð'* Eating until uncomfortably full.

Ð'* Eating large amounts of food when not hungry.

Physical Complications of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders affect every cell, tissue and organ in the body. Starving, binging and purging can lead to physical damage and death. Although people of many cultures and backgrounds develop eating disorders, 95 percent of the diagnoses are women. One out of every 100 females between the ages of 10 and 20 may be starving herself to death. Those with disordered eating habits are often insecure about their changing shapes and sizes. Some feel that in order to be accepted, they must look like models and actors that they see on film and in print. However, many of the popular stars are below their ideal weight. Trying to match this weight is dangerous.

Just a little F.Y.I.:

32% of female collegiate athletes have reported having eating disorders.