Dealing With Eating Disorders

What's an Eating Disorder?

In nations where food is plentiful, the average person won't have many issues when it comes to eating.  They will eat when they are hungry, and won't eat when they aren't hungry.  However, there are some groups of people that are unable to eat normally.  They either starve themselves, eat non-food items, overeat and/or purge any food that has been ingested. 

The reason behind such behavior is usually psychological, though occasionally there are health conditions that are the culprit.  For example, pica, (a condition where a person eats materials that are not food), can be caused by a nutritional deficiency. 

Other health conditions might deteriorate a person to the point that they naturally don't have an appetite or possess too much of an appetite.  But in these situations, they are not eating or eating too much because their body is not properly registering appropriate hunger feelings.  For individuals that have eating disorders, the physiological mechanisms controlling hunger are normal, so they do have ravaging hunger if they are starving themselves. 

Surprisingly, eating disorders have been around since ancient times.  For example, Egyptian, Hebrew and Greek cultures had incidents of bulimia.  Anorexia was acknowledged in the 1600s.  Yet, back then people didn't have as much knowledge of psychology, so it was not understood that these conditions signify mental problems.  This type of classification didn't occur until 1980, when the medical community determined eating disorders to be psychological in origin.  

So, what is happening psychologically when a person becomes a victim of an eating disorder?  Usually, they are preoccupied with trying to attain a false standard of thinness, though this is just the 'surface' reason of why they do what they do.  Underlying reasons reach deeper into a person's psyche.  They could be using an eating disorder as a way to establish 'control' in their lives, especially if they are going through something where they feel out of control. 

An eating disorder could also be used to gain self-esteem, since the victim falsely believes they will be 'beautiful' if they keep losing weight.  Of course, things are a little different if an eating disorder involves overeating without purging the contents.  In these situations a person is using food to fill emotional voids.  Yet, with either type of eating disorder, if help is not obtained quickly, the victim's health could be at risk.  For example, anorexics or bulimics can lose the ability to have a period in the intermediate stages of their illness.  Bulimics could ruin their digestive tract through the obsessive vomiting. 

Overeaters that do not purge become obese, putting their body at risk for heart attack, stroke or diabetes.  And all of these eating orders can lead to the ultimate consequence… death.  This is why if an eating disorder is suspected by family members, action must be taken so a person can become healthy again.  The road to recovery for both the victim and their loved ones will not be easy, but it is one that must be traveled on if the victim wants to reclaim their life. 

The Difference Between Dieting and Suffering an Eating Disorder

With all of society's emphasis on dieting, it is possible that a person can suffer an eating disorder without anyone suspecting anything.  This is especially the case if a person is overweight, since loved ones will simply think the person is 'dieting.'  However, healthy dieting differs from an eating disorder.  This chapter will discuss some of the things family members need to consider when determining whether or not a loved one is actually dieting or a victim of an eating disorder. 

1. Timing of Weight Loss

Healthy dieting should cause a weight loss of no more than 2 pounds a week.  This number can be a little higher if a person started off obese, but if it is more than 5 pounds, loved ones should be concerned.  Regardless of what Hollywood dictates or what the latest dieting fads say, weight loss is a process that will take several months, sometimes even more than a year depending on the amount of weight that needs to be lost. 

2. Amount of Food Being Consumed

This is an iffy area for individuals who are bulimics or EDNOS sufferers, since many of them will still appear to eat normally in front of family members.  But generally, healthy dieters will eat something for each meal.  Their portions might be smaller, but they should still be large enough to satisfy an adult person's hunger.  Examples of the types of portions that healthier dieters would use can be seen through Lean Cuisine T.V  dinners or Nutrisystem meals. 

If a person is not dieting through packaged meals, they can still eat smaller portions as long as they are eating a well-balanced meal.  Even healthy dieters may forget the importance of protein and fat, particularly the 'good' fats found in olive oil and canola oil. 

3. General Health

Individuals with eating disorders will begin to deteriorate at some point.  Normal dieters actually become more healthy through the process of their dieting.  For example, they gain a lot of energy, lower their cholesterol and maintain a healthy blood pressure. 

4. Behavior

Healthy dieters are proud of their dieting, but most don't obsess over it.  Sufferers of eating disorders make weight their whole lives, even if they aren't overweight.  And, unlike healthy dieters, many with eating disorders don't take much pride in the weight they do lose, because they think the number is still too high.  This is not to say that healthy dieters in the beginning may get discouraged at how long it takes for the pounds to come off.  However, they do not make it an obsession. 

5. Amount of Weight Being Lost

This is another area of uncertainty when it comes to bulimics, since they can have the condition for a long time while still maintaining a normal weight.  However, anorexics will continue to lose weight even if they met their original weight loss goals.  Healthy dieters may try for that last 5 or 10 pounds, but most will be happy once they reach their goal weight.  When they look in the mirror, they will see someone that is significantly smaller.  They will often strut around in 'skinny' clothes and basically be proud of their accomplishment.  However, anorexics do not have such pride.  Even if the mirror is showing nothing but bones they will still think they are fat. 

6. Overexercising

It can be difficult to officially determine whether a loved one is overexercising.  This is because exercise is common for health gurus and/or athletes.  It is possible for a person to exercise for several hours and not have an eating disorder.  However, if a person is exercising for an abnormally long period of time, such as 6 or more hours, and they are dieting, loved ones should be concerned. 

7. Going to the Bathroom too Often

Although this might seem cliché and obvious, it is something loved ones need to be aware of if they think a family member has an eating disorder.  Normal dieters won't have the need to excuse themselves from the table to go the bathroom as often as the bulimic or anorexic.  However, bulimics or anorexics will want to try to purge as soon as possible, since they fear they will gain weight if they allow their food to digest.  For this reason they will do whatever they can to get to the bathroom. 

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