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Feb.23-Mar.1

WHAT IS AN EATING DISORDER?

Eating disorders are real, complex, and devastating conditions that can have serious consequences for health, productivity, and relationships. Eating disorders do not discriminate.

They are not a choice, fad or phase. Eating disorders are a serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional & physical health. The earlier a person with an eating disorder seeks treatment, the greater the likelihood of physical and emotional recovery.

NEDANational Eating Disorder Association

BULIMIA NERVOSA

Signs: (Not Limited To)

- Food disappearing

- Hiding food/vomit

- Physical symptoms

- Frequent trips to bathroom

- May or may not be physically obvious

A continuous cycle were a person may binge on food, followed by compensatory behaviors to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.

Compensating Behaviors:-Laxatives-Exercising (Exercise Bulimia)- Self-induced vomiting (reactive)

ANOREXIA NERVOUSA

- Restricting food intake, cutting out certain food groups.

- Intense fear of weight gain

- May or may not use binge eating and/or “compensating” behaviors.

- Hiding under clothes

- Pretending to eat to reassure others

- Avoiding going out to eat with friends

- Individuals with anorexia between ages 15-24 are 12 times more likely to die from the illness than all other causes of death

BINGE EATING DISORDER

- May not eat in front of others because being ashamed about how others judge when they eat, leading to starve and then eat excessive amounts of food in secret and alone

- May go through cycles of dieting for period (weeks or months) at a time followed by binging for (weeks or months) ect.

- Unable to control yourself so don’t eat in front of others then binge when no one I around.

- A feeling of being out of control during binge behavior and in control during starvation period

- May eat until the individual is beyond full to the point of discomfort

PROGRESS WITH ‘B.E.D’

EATING DISORDERS IN MEN

No ethnic, gender or socioeconomic group is immune to the dangers of this disease.

In regards to gender, 1 in 10 cases of these disorders involve males.

Doctors are reportedly less likely to make a diagnosis of eating disorders in males than females.

A study of 135 males hospitalized with an eating disorder noted that the males with bulimia felt ashamed of having a stereotypically “female” disorder, which might explain their delay in seeking treatment.

Particularly, for the disorder anorexia, up to one in four children referred to an eating disorders professional is a boy.

Clearly eating disorders amongst males is a cause for concern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LKPOoLgaPQ

THE VOICE INSIDE MY “ED”

-This voice, is a person’s inner bully

-Demeaning, scolding, nagging, dishonest, hateful, controlling.  Simply put, you do not want this person in your life. You wouldn’t want to spend five minutes with it. 

-Yet, for people with eating disorders, the voice is 24 hours a day (even in dreams).

-May seem like a best friend/ only friend

-“She won’t let me.”  “She”-being the voice the person’s head

“Everything will be better when your thin… you will have more fun if your thin. You will be

happier and more people will like you”

WHAT IS GOING ON?

Skinny Gossip Columns actually provides ”starving tips of the day“

This starving tip of the day came from SkinnyGossip reader Katy:

This is particularly good if you are fasting. Buy about 3-4 flavoured lip balms, which you can apply when your craving  something sweet and guess what? No calories! I’ve managed to get a  chocolate one, chocolate mint one and a peanut butter one! They work wonders for me.

http://www.myproana.com/

http://www.skinnygossip.com/category/thinspo >i wish i could tear all the fat and skin off me/ Be free(?)<

WHAT NOT TO SAY…

- Basically anything referring to looks, clothes, body or food

“ I love you, I don’t love your eating disorder”

“ How are YOU feeling right now?”

“ I want to be here for you, sometimes I don’t know the right things to say. What works best for you?”

“I’m trying my best to be here for you, maybe this could be a learning experience for both of us”

“ This must be really hard for you.”

“ How are YOU doing?”

“ No topic is off limits.”(Things to be careful of, “It makes me want to throw up”.

“I could never be anorexic I love food way too much”)

RECOVERY PROCESS- Abstinence: learning how to incorporate food(drug) into life and not

abuse.

- Recovery from trauma - Learning how to eat again.- May have to redevelop parts of body or learn to cope with permanent

damage.- Reactive purging- Unable to have bowl movement- No hunger que- Diabetes- Osteoporosis- Stomach pain while eating

BE THE EXAMPLE

OF CHANGE

There is nothing egotistical, selfish or

shameful about loving yourself and

expressing that love