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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
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Diet and Nutrition |
Do I Have an Eating Disorder?03/24/2005 |
Hello, I`m a 23 year old girl, currently 47 kg and 1.61m, aiming to be 44 kg. Since I`m Asian, with a small frame, I think this is a healthy weight goal. I am starting to worry about my dieting habits, and wonder if I may be suffering from an ED. After normal mealtimes, when I have eaten too much or had unhealthy, fattening food, I purge by vomitting. I don`t throw up everything, only enough to compensate for what I think I overate. This happens about 4-5 times a week, maybe more. I am not in the habit of starving myself - whenever I get hungry, I have healthy snacks such as yoghurt, muesli bars, or salad, or I drink glucose drinks. I don`t want my metabolism to drop! I have regular, moderate exercise (swim 2-3 times a week, stretches and crunches everyday, walk up stairs 15 minutes daily) and have lost 1 kg (2.2 pounds) in 2 weeks since I started dieting and exercising in earnest. Since I don`t binge - what I eat is perceived to be normal by the people eating with me - and I don`t starve myself either, I don`t think I`m bulimic or anorexic. But I`m sure this isn`t normal eating behaviour either. Could you tell me if I am suffering from any ED, and whether this will have any long-term effects if I continue? Thanks so much for any help. I don`t know who to turn to, and I`m afraid whoever I ask will automatically assume I`m anorexic and overreact.
Eating disorders are psychological disorders that are defined by specific criteria. Many persons have "subclinical" eating disorders, meaning that they do not have all the criteria to be diagnosed as an eating disorder, but that they have certain eating disordered attitudes and behaviors. Such disordered attitudes and behaviors include: body image disturbance (seeing yourself as overweight when you are not overweight); preoccupation with food, calories, and weight; restricting food intake;and purging via vomiting or laxatives.
From the information that you have given, I think that it would be wise to consult with an eating disorder clinic where teams of health professionals (such as physicians, psychologists, dietitians, and nurses) can appropriately diagnose and treat eating disorders. Your current BMI (body mass index) of 18 is below the healthy range of BMIs, indicating that you are already underweight. Purging is not a normal behavior and can cause many negative and potentially serious health problems, such as irreversible erosion of tooth enamel, inflammation of the esophagus and salivary glands, tears along the gastrointestinal tract, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances which can lead to life-threatening heart problems. A team of professionals can gather information and then help persons to normalize their eating behaviors and the way they view their own bodies. To locate eating disorder specialists in your area, you can consult with your family physician. You can also visit the following websites listed below for more information.
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Bonnie J Brehm, PhD, RD Professor of Nursing College of Nursing University of Cincinnati |
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