Do you know if you have one? Think someone you know might have one? Read on to find out what the are, warning signs, symptoms, what to do if you or someone you know has one, and QUIZZES evaluating on the likelihood of you having one.
HERE ARE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR THOSE WITH EATING DISORDERS:
Peace, Love, and Hope Eating Disorder Site (information, support groups, bulletin board)
http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Eating_Disorders/peacelovehope/index.html
ANOREXIA:
An eating disorder where the afflicted person starves himself or herself, often to the point of death.
BULIMIA:
An eating disorder where the afflicted person binges then purges.
OVEREATING DISORDER:
An eating disorder where the afflicted person has extreme binges.
TERMS FROM THE ABOVE DEFINITIONS:
1 binge - to eat excessively
2 diuretic - a substance causing a person to urinate frequently
3 laxative - a substance causing a person to use the bathroom frequently
4 purge - to rid the body of food by abusing exercise, laxatives, or diuretics
WARNING SIGNS SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY HAVE ANOREXIA:
You never see the person eat.
The person loses weight drastically.
The person seems weak, faint, and weary all the time.
The person always says negative things about his or her body.
The person cringes or gets upset when anyone eats (esp. fatty foods) in front of him/her.
The person refuses to go out very much anymore (if ever) especially to events where food is involved (i.e. a pizza party).
WARNING SIGNS SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY HAVE BULIMIA:
The person throws up often.
The person doesn't bother eating balanced meals.
The person refuses to go out very much anymore (if ever).
The person always says negative things about his or her body.
The person always seems to be overeating but is not gaining weight.
The person uses diuretics, laxatives, or pills (and his/her parents don't know).
The person seems obsessed with a certain exercise schedule and is very upset if the exercise has to be postponed.
WARNING SIGNS SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY HAVE AN OVEREATING DISORDER:
The person plans their day around eating.
The person doesn't bother eating balanced meals.
The person always says negative things about his or her body.
The person always seems to be overeating and is gaining more weight than normal.
The person can not stay on diets, or he or she stays on diets for a while and then rewards himself or herself by binging.
The person refuses to go out very much anymore (if ever) especially to events with food involved (i.e. pizza parties).
THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN EATING DISORDERS:
Some magazines, television shows, etc. feature primarily unhealthily thin people. This is a negative - it makes some people think that the majority of people are that thin, and if they weigh anymore than that certain (airbrushed!) model, then they are fat.
Fact: The average American woman is 5'4" tall and 140 pounds.
Fact: The average American woman model is 5'11" tall and 117 pounds. Hmmmm....makes you wonder, doesn't it?
A FEW MORE WARNING SIGNS OF EATING DISORDERS
(thanks to Help Fight Anorexia and Bulimia, a zine dedicated to doing just that. To join, e-mail mailto:Silvrgrin5@aol.com?subject=SubscribeMeToHelpFightAnorexiaAndBulimia)
Signs and symptoms: If you or anyone you know has 5 or more of these signs/symptoms, they may suffer from anorexia. Try to get help to you or your friend immediately!
1. They push their food around their plate and don't eat much of it but try to make it look like they are.
2. They are taking laxative or diet pills.
3. They no longer eat their favorite foods, but eat "safe" foods with low calories.
4. Obsessing over clothing size and always want to be a size smaller.
5. Denial of hunger.
6. Hair thinning or beginning to lose hair.
7. Menstruation stops.
8. Constantly feeling cold, even if it is warm.
9. Over-excercising.
10. Preoccupation with calorie counting.
HELPFUL QUIZZES TO TAKE:
Do you or don't you have a healthy body image: Find out here. http://aol.women.com/metaphoria/repository/cobrand/-link/link/?uri=http%3a%2f%2fhomearts.com%2fdepts%2fhealth%2f12bodqz1.htm&cpId=g7j0z5
Health calculator: Find out how much fat you need in your diet, see if you should be drinking more calcium, if you are (approximately) in YOUR healthy weight range, etc.
http://shadow.ivillage.com/aolwomen/tools/?redirect=http://www.ivillage.com/food/tools/healthcalc
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