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Warning Signs and Symptoms of an Eating Disorder
Disordered Eating: An early warning sign
Before someone develops a full-blown eating disorder they almost always struggle with disordered eating: Symptoms include: obsessively counting calories or fat grams, skipping meals regularly, repeated weighing yourself and fixation on the number on the scale, times of adhering to extreme dieting, experiencing out of control feelings when you eat, fear weight gain, eating the same foods or banishing certain food groups, secretively binge eating, abusing laxatives or diuretics, exercising not out of enjoyment but out of necessity to lose or control weight, feeling guilty or ashamed after you eat. If you recognize these symptoms, you may not yet have an eating disorder but you could be well on your way.
Orthorexia Nervosa
Those who are overly obsessed with healthy eating may be suffering from Orthorexia Nervosa which means "fixation on righteous eating." With this disorder self esteem becomes wrapped up in the purity of a rigid diet and sufferers often feel superior to others. Eventually food choices become so restrictive that health will suffer. The obsession with healthy eating can drown out other activities and interests impairing relationships and a social life and will eventually become physically dangerous. Some signs include: Finding it very difficult to eat a meal lovingly prepared by someone else, Love, joy, play, and creativity take a backseat to having the perfect diet, feelings of guilt or self loathing when you stray form your diet, feeling in control when you eat the perfect diet, a sense that you have positioned yourself on a nutrtional pedistal and wonder how others can possibly eat what they eat!
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Often referred to as compulsive overeating, Binge eating disorder affects many women and men. This disorder includes episodes of uncontrolled eating or bingeing followed by periods of gulit and depression. Common warning signs are eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry, eating more rapidly than normal, eating until one is uncomfortably full, eating alone due to shame and embarrassment, feelings of depression, disgust, and hopelessness, having a history of weight fluctuations.
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
Sixty percent of eating disorders will fall into this category. This eating disorder has some behaviors from anorexia and bulimia. Someone may binge or purge but infrequently. They may eat very restrictively and have a low body weight but not 15% below ideal body weight as with anorexia. Generally EDNOS has aspects of disordered eating, anorexia, or bulimia combined. It is just as serious as any other eating disorder and requires professional help.
Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
Anorexia is self imposed starvation. It is life threatening and usually stems from underlying emotional causes. People suffering from anorexia continually deny their hunger all the while remain obsessed with food. Women with anorexia often limit or restrict other parts of their lives besides food--relationships, social activities, or pleasure. Severe medical problems associated with anorexia can lead to death. Warning signs include: one continues to diet or restrict foods even though not overweight, has a distorted body image and feels fat even though one is thin, preoccupied with food, calories, nutrition, or cooking, denies hunger, exercises excessively, weighs herself frequently, hair loss, feels cold in normal temperatures, stops menstruating.
Bulimia Nervosa (BN)
Bulimia Nervosa is the repeated cycle of out of control eating followed by some form of purging behavior. Bulimia, like anorexia is very serious and can be fatal. Purging associated with bulimia can be self induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, or obsessive exercising. Women with bulimia often feel out of control in other areas of their lives besides food. Spending excessively, abuse of drugs or alcohol, or engaging in chaotic relationships can be part of the disorder. Common warning signs are: Engages in binge eating and cannot voluntarily stop, uses the bathroom frequently after meals, reacts to emotional stress by overeating, swollen glands, menstrual irregularities, weight fluctuations, obsessively concerned about weight, attempts to adhere to diets but often fails, feels out of control, has depressed moods or mood swings.
If you have an eating disorder or if you think you may have one, please seek help with a qualified eating disorder specialist. For more information about eating disorder support and specialized therapists, explore the website of the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) or ED Referral.com.
For more information or to schedule an appointment please call 210 467 8808.
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