Anorexia: The New Diet Plan?
There is considerable confusion surrounding the concept of starving to lose weight. Anon writes:
Okay, here's a question: why do people always say that if you stop eating or skip meals your body will think it's starving and hold onto fat, so you won't lose weight ... but then when people talk about how skinny celebrities are, they always say it's because they're anorexic?
Let's address these issues.
Starvation will cause weight loss... and ultimately death. Approximately 25,000 people die per day due to starvation. However the human body is remarkably adaptive and can survive considerable periods of time without food.
What's wrong with skipping meals?
When people talk about "Yo-yo dieting" or "holding onto fat" - they are referring to the way the body detects that it is under deprivation and will attempt to slow down metabolic rate accordingly. Skipping meals can start a difficult cycle whereby the body burns less calories - therefore you need to starve even more. It is a self-defeating cycle. When a person suddenly eats "normally" the body typically rebounds with the sudden calorie excess and stores it as fat.
A bout of starvation, followed by a return to previous eating habits will have disappointing results. The person is left with less muscle mass than before and possibly more fat tissue. During the deprivation they may have experienced fatigue, irritability, and possible nutrient deficiencies that have affected their skin, hair, and nails.
Starvation as a form of weight loss often begins a never-ending cycle. The costs are: health and happiness. People who are obsessed with starving are often very unhappy people - despite pretending to be otherwise.
If starving makes you "yo-yo" - how do Anorexic's stay thin?
Anorexia Nervosa is a complex psychological disorder. Starving oneself or simply being skinny does not necessarily imply that one has Anorexia. The roots of the disorder run very deep and recovery is a long process.A person diagnosed with Anorexia eats very little indeed - they don't just skip breakfast - they almost opt out of food altogether. This is often coupled with obsessive exercise. Life becomes a daily obsession with food. There are significant health issues with Anorexia - and many sufferers have even died.
Do all skinny celebrities have Anorexia?
You'd have to ask their doctor - however to achieve the very low levels of muscle and fat that some young women have means they have been under severe calorie deprivation. Loss of muscle mass is often the key. Because muscle is metabolically active - and needs food for it to survive - a person who is consuming little or no food will become - literally - skin and bone.However some people are slim - but have low levels of fat whilst maintaining their muscle mass. The chances are they have been losing weight with "conventional" methods (weight training, cardio, and appropriate food intake).
So what's the verdict?
Skipping meals is a far cry from full-blown Anorexia. Skipping meals often results in subsequent fat gain and a life-time of yo-yo dieting and loss of muscle mass.Anorexia results in a lifetime of obsessive-compulsive behavior, completely distorted self-perception, poor skin, hair, and eyes, osteoporosis, possible organ failure, and possibly a heart attack. Anorexics often feel tired, anxious, cold, constipated, and prone to sickness.
Despite all this... they look in the mirror and still feel fat...
What price would you pay - when all you end up with is a weak, skinny, and unhealthy body?
The alternative is to be strong, fit, and full of vitality. Neither skipping meals nor anorexia will achieve this.
Karen Carpenter died aged 32 on Feb 4, 1983 of a cardiac arrest. She struggled with anorexia for many years. The publicity surrounding her death prompted a serious look at the dangers of eating disorders.
NOTE:Diet-Blog.com is not an eating disorder support site. Please visit some of the following:
Something Fishy
National Eating Disorders Association
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26 Comments
Created / Updated: November 27, 2011
Thank you for this sane and thoughtful article. The picture of Karen Carpenter is heartbreaking.
ReplyI enjoy food too much to starve myself. Food isn't an enemy to me, but the way I deal with it is. I agree with 'tulip' above, that picture of Karen Carpenter is so very heartbreaking.
ReplyThere are thousands of young girls out there who are looking at some of the skinny celebs, then looking at pro-ana communities. I'm sure they must wonder if it's an answer to their weight problems.
This message says "No - it's not an answer"... From time to time you hear the Carpenters song "Close To You"... It's hard not to feel incredibly sad at what this disorder can do.
ReplyHere's a good article about Karen Carpenter and her battle with anorexia, from a website geared for teen girls:
http://atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu/quest/Mind&Body/Carpenter.html
"I'm just afraid I'm gonna miss it all... being married... being a mother."
Karen Carpenter
ReplyThis article is more informat than most news articles. Anorexia isnt learned, it is manifasted in the mind. Karen Carpenter stuggle brings a good point that is often overlooked. She was starting to improve by eating again and almost got to a healthy weight, but the years of battling anorexia put so much strain on her heart that it failed. Most people dont quite know that they could feel the effects of anorexia years later, even after recovery.
ReplyI'VE BEEN BATTLING ANOREXIA FOR TWO YEARS NOW. JUST WHEN I SEE THAT I HAVE IMPROVED AND GAINED SOME WEIGHT, I FREAK OUT AND START TRYING TO LOSE IT AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO CHANGE MY PERCEPTION OF MYSELF. WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR ALL I SEE IS THE IMPERFECTIONS. LOOKING AT KAREN CARPENTER'S PICTURE I SEE SOMETHING WRONG, SOMEONE WHO IS SICK, BUT WHY I CAN'T SEE THAT IN MYSELF IS BEYOND ME, MY HEART GOES OUT TO KAREN AND HER FAMILY.
ReplyAmanda,
When you are in the grip of anorexic thinking, it takes time and effort to change your perception from distorted to healthy because those perceptions lay very deep and are filled with emotion. Don't be hard on yourself. If you haven't already, I suggest you find a licensed therapist who has a certification in eating disorders (the abbreviation is CEDS) to work with you. Best wishes.
ReplyAnorexia is a serious disease, not something that people use for a "diet". I think the reason a lot of "dieters" end up fat is because it's a lifelong cycle of anorexia/normalcy. Some of those fad diets promote caloric intakes of 900 calories a day. So of course you'll lose muscle mass. I'm very slim (5'3", 106 lbs) but it's because I run a lot and eat healthy foods. There IS a difference between being skinny and having an ED...people shouldn't assume all thin people are "anorexic" because that is throwing the term around loosely and taking it out of context.
Replythe picture is heartbreaking...but it doesnt change my perspective... every time a lose weight i just want to be more skin an bone
ReplyOne old adage that I try to abide by and to influence others with is, "We eat to live, we do not live to eat." Eat only when you are hungry, and not when you are just bored or stressed-out. Calories DO count, as does regular exercise. If you want to be healthy, be mindful of and try to monitor your daily caloric intake, and do maintain a regular exercise regimen.
ReplyI had no idea I'd prompt a whole post, but thank you so much for writing this.
ReplyYour question is a good one, and I'm sure it's something that many people contemplate on.
ReplyBeing 23 i have struggled with anorexia since i was 19. I have been hospitilzed twice, but i still continue my studies, my job, my perception that i am not all i could be. Yes, this article brings home a truth to me, but i have been hearing it for years, from doctors to the chapped mouths of hungry girls (me, one of them) continusly lying. Is my perfection worth my death? No. But try explaining this to my mirror every night. I know, even if i were to be 30 kilos i would never be enough. This is the disease.
ReplyThe mirror lies...
ReplyI a happily married 26 year old who has been struggling with anorexia since I was about 16. I ended up in the hospital in July (for the second time) and it really scared me. I am 5'4.5 and I weighed 92 pounds. After this hospitalization I began to "get better" and I have gained about 12 pounds. I absolutely hate myself right now for being so weak and giving in to the temptations of food. I have done so much damage to my body that every time I eat or drink anything I get horribly bloated and feel very sick and disgusting. My stomach just expands before your very eyes. I would really like to lose the weight I have gained back. This disease consumes your every thought. Even once you begin to eat again, all you can think about is food. I just wish I could be normal. I commend anyone who is willing to try to help those affected by eating disorders and those who are thinking about going down this path. Please don't be like me, it's a miserable life.
Reply