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.
What is the end result of the bout of starvation?
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.
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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.
Replyhi, i have never suffered with an eating disorder and never plan to. i cant seem to understand why anyone would sacrifice there lives to become unperfect and a pile of bones. a relative of mine has sufferd with the disease and i have watched her go downhill and be close to death. its very upsetting to see an anorexic person in the street and its shocking to see more and more people copying them. i wish all you anas and bulimics the best of luck to RECOVER!!! get well soon just remeber you put your self in this situation.
ReplyGeez, no one PLANS to suffer from an eating disorder. My aunt is anorexic and has told me time and again how much pain it causes her and how difficult recovery is. She suffered a lot of emotional and sexual abuse as a child and it's manifesting itself in her ED. EDs are not something people choose to have, they happen as a result of a lot of forces in your life that you can't control.
Replyi am anorexic as well, and i'm NOT saying that anorexia won't kill you, but i feel i should point out that Karen Carpenter didnt die from anorexia, she died from BULIMIA and SYRUP OF IPECAC. Bulimia causes extreme electrolite imbalances that anorexia rarely causes, except in the most severe cases, and ipecac is a poision. It can kill you the first time you take it. Karen Carpenter's autopsy results clearly show she was bulimic and using ipecac.
ReplyI am curious does throwing up your food count as being anorexic? I have recently taken up this habit and quite frankly i enjoy the empty feeling it leaves in my stomach. I don't have enough willpower to not eat but that seems to be an okay alternative. But what is the truth behind what i am doing? Is it deadly?
ReplyThis message is to the sara who felt compled to post your message. Besides the snideness in your note, it showed what an unhappy,grimey,coal hearted person you are. Some times people get wrapped up in choices and sometimes they are wrong and by the time you feel it was a mistake it is sometimes to late.I'm sure I can find stones to throw at your glass house.
Replywots the problem wiv ppl being skinny, dey cant help it, its nifin 2 do wiv eatin so leave em alone
ReplyCAN YOU GET OVER AN EATING DISORDER? IS THERE HOPE
Replyi feel fat and i want to loose it all i am13 and i weigh 56 and all my friends all weigh like 48 or something like that they are thin and i got this stomac that hangs out and fat legs i hate it
ReplyI would like to send this to all the girls above and all others who suffer from this disease. I am 28 years old, 5'1 and I weigh 92 lbs. That is an increase from the 86 pounds that I was a year ago. Trust me, just those couple of pounds were extremely hard to get used to. I have found that life is way too short to be so obsessed over gaining weight. I have found out recently that because of my disease that I may never beable to have children; this is just one of the many side effects anorexia has. I love food!, and I do have a hard time controlling myself around it. What makes it easy for me is to be good during the week (while still eating healthy) and then I let myself have WHATEVER I want on Saturdays. I know that this may not be the best way to do it, but you have to find what works for you. I am on medication for my obsessive compulsive disorder (which is where my anorexia stems from) and it has helped alot so you might want to contact your doctor to see if this might be a possible solution for you. It is so important to enjoy life to it's fullest and treasure every minute of it!! We are all strong inside and sometimes vanity can be very overpowering but YOU CAN overcome this and trust me, you will feel more happy being healthy then being just skin and bones. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!!
Replyi hope every one suffering from any type of eating disorder recovers and becomes healhty again GOOD LUCK!!
Replyi am 14 and weigh about 60kg i want to loose weight but i don't know how to loose weight the 'right' way and how do i stick to this weight loss 'plan'?
Replymaika
i've looked up to karen carpenter for a very long time and since age 15 i've been anorexic, hitting my lowest in 2003 as 5'7" and 95 pounds, probably even lower. what i ask is if anyone here thinks it's possible for anorexia to be a chosen way of life or is that just what they think when they don't want to admit they are sick. sometimes i feel like i can start eating regularly again if i wanted too, but i don't want too because i feel like like i'm not thin enough yet. so do you think it's a way of life or is it just something we tell ourselves? it's a question i haven't been able to answer.
mkay, thanks
hyl
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