feeling depressed or anxious having a strong fear of gaining weight or of being “fat” desiring to withdraw from friends and family paying an unusual amount of attention to food and calorie intake having an intense fear of certain foods, like those containing sugar or fat steering clear of situations involving food denying issues with food or changes in weight attempting to purge after overeating by exercising, vomiting, or using laxatives weighing yourself every day
You may have very strict “rules” of eating, such as specific colors of food you avoid, times of day you refuse to eat, or strict caloric boundaries you observe. If you suffer from anorexia, you may fear being fat or experience your body as fat, even if you are several pounds underweight. Even if you are extremely thin, you are never happy with your appearance and feel like you can always lose more weight to feel better about yourself. Ask yourself if your parents or friends have commented on your weight or weight loss. Ask yourself whether you base your personal value on your weight, clothing size, or what you eat.
Even if you do not purge right after eating, you may still have bulimia if you tend to starve yourself for days following a binge, exercise more than usual, or follow another type of drastic diet to avoid gaining any weight. [3] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source You may try to eat healthy and follow a healthy (or restrictive) diet for a while, but be overcome with tension or cravings and end up caving under pressure into a binge.
People with binge eating disorder may feel depressed, disgusted, and guilty over their bingeing episodes. You may find that you have put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time if you binge eat.
If you feel like your life is out of control, you may turn to anorexia to harness the feeling of control in your life, and feel accomplished when you “succeed’ in starving yourself. Ask yourself about your relationship with control and whether you are happy with it. Do you find yourself wanting more or less control in your life? Do you feel like you have enough control over your life, or do you take out that control on your food?
If you find yourself feeling ashamed of your eating behaviors, then you may have symptoms of an eating disorder.
You might feel like the only way to accept your body is by losing weight. You may think, “When I lose all the weight, I’ll finally be happy. ” Reflect on your own beliefs about weight and body satisfaction and ask yourself if losing weight or “being skinny” is the only way to feel good about your body.
Bending the truth may be one way for you to keep living with an eating disorder without anybody finding out. Do you find yourself making excuses for how you eat? What about finding ways to get out of meeting people for dinner or coffee?
Think about the ways you perceive your body and ask yourself whether you see yourself accurately. Ask yourself how you perceive your flaws and if it’s okay to have flaws.
constipation or bloating damaged teeth and gums dry, yellow skin brittle nails headaches fainting and dizziness bone density loss a layer of fine hair that grows all over the body and face memory problems and sluggish thinking depression and moodiness
pain in your abdomen or bloating weight gain swollen hands or feet always having a sore throat or sounding hoarse having broken blood vessels in your eyes feeling weak and dizzy having sores in your mouth puffy cheeks (from vomiting) tooth decay due to acid from vomit not having a period having lots of stomach issues such as constipation, ulcers, and acid reflux
type 2 Diabetes high cholesterol high blood pressure joint and muscle pain gastrointestinal problems sleep apnea heart disease some types of cancer
Don’t be fooled into thinking eating disorders are not severe. Mortality rates related to untreated eating disorders are higher than any other mental disorder. An analysis of 35 studies showed that out of 12,800 people with anorexia, 639 died. An analysis of 12 studies showed that out of 2,585 people with bulimia, 57 died. And an analysis of six studies showed that out of 1,879 people with an eating disorder not otherwise specified, 59 died. [17] X Research source
See a therapist as someone who is there to challenge and support you in your healing journey. For more information on how to find a therapist, check out How to Choose a Therapist.
If you’ve become a master at hiding your eating disorder and making everything look “normal” in your life, yet still struggle to be emotionally or physically healthy, inpatient treatment may be a good option for you.
For more information, check out How to Treat an Eating Disorder.
