5,4,and 2

5,4,and 2

Monday, February 23, 2015

What is an Eating Disorder?

*THIS CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS MEANT FOR A MATURE AUDIENCE ONLY AND CAN BE TRIGGERING FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR AN EATING DISORDER.  PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS INFORMATION IF YOU FEEL YOU MIGHT BE TRIGGERED.  THIS BLOG IS IN NO WAY CONDONING AN EATING DISORDER MINDSET OR BEHAVIOR, BUT RATHER TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT EATING DISORDERS.*



     So this week is national eating disorder awareness week and is something I am very passionate about.  I thought I would start by just sharing what an eating disorder is.  There are many different types of eating disorders although most of the world thinks there are only two (anorexia and bulimia).  In my opinion an Eating Disorder is any unhealthy relationship to food whether it be too much or too little.  There are many characteristics of an eating disorder that can not be put into words and often times an eating disorder is only a symptom of something else taking place in someone's life.  I would like to take a few moments to throw some of the signs and symptoms out there for you to look over so that you or a loved one can recognize these symptoms and get help as quickly as possible: 

Abnormally low body weight, but also an average or even overweight size
Intense fear of gaining weight
Distorted perception of body size
Excessive limitation of calories or other nutrients such as carbs, fats, and sugars
Over exercise
Abusing laxatives or diet aides
Purging
Binging
Guilt and shame around food
Preoccupied with body shape and size
Picking at food or moving it around on your plate
Obsessive weighing
Avoiding people during meal times, social events, or isolation in general
Fainting or Blacking out
Hair loss
Feeling cold
Bruising easily
Purple nail beds from lack of circulation
Irritability
Body Dysmorphia

These are just some of the symptoms of an eating disorder, but the mental aspect contains so much more such as:

Feeling out of control
Feeling like you are not enough
Shame and Guilt
Self Hate
Worthlessness
Feelings of being Toxic
Perfectionistic
People pleaser
 Depression

Again this list is not all inclusive but just an idea of some of the areas that might show signs for concern.  Most of these I can share from personal experience as a result of my own eating disorder.  Eating disorders do not look the same in every case so it is important to not overlook signs and symptoms.  It is also important to recognize that just because someone may have disordered eating does not mean they have developed an eating disorder, but they do increase their risks. 

Over the course of this week I hope to raise awareness and shed some light into this horrible disease that have over 24 million people suffering.  While eating disorders may not be preventable that doesn't mean it's not curable and the most widely used resource is therapy.  That's right talking about it, so talk about it with someone you love this week.  Don't let another moment go by living in pain alone.  Let's be a relational people and help one another out.

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