Eating Disorders

Help, I'm too fat! No, Help I can't stop Eating !

"My hips are too big." "Look at my legs!  I'm disgusting." "'m bored, I need a twinkie." "I will never finish this project iin time.  I'm taking a break to eat that last piece of pie."

These are typical responses coming from individual with eating disorders.  By definition, an eating disorder is a psychological and emotional disorder where a person either avoids, purges or obsessively consumes food.  There are several forms of eating disorders.  The most common are anorexia and bullimia. 

Anorexia is a condition stemming from a psychological disorder that causes the individual to starve him or herself to achieve an unrealistic ideal weight (extremely thin and malnourished).  Anorexics continually avoid food, have dramatic weight loss and compulsively exercise.  They are often distant and withdraw from friends and family members.

Bulimia is a condition stemming from psychological problems causing them to go through a cycle of binge eating followed by purging and excessively taking laxatives.  If you notice that someone you know is eating large amounts of food in a short time and then always making excuses to go to the restroom after meals, bulimia may be the problem.  Bulimics also may smell of vomit and have swollen cheeks or jaws.

Society has established the idea that "thinner is better."  Due to this unrealistic view, people of all ages are faced with a tremendous amount of stress striving for what is perceived to be perfection.  Ads on the tv, in movies and magazines are what's looked to for defining beauty, causing great stress to individuals wih self esteem issues.  If a person's self image is flawed, stress and anxiety are often a result of the media's unacceptable views on what beauty is.

Anorexia and Bulimia however, are not the only forms of eating disorders.  Excessive emotional eating (eating when not hungry but often eating when bored, sad, angry, or depressed) is also a form of eatiing disorder.  Deadlines at work, problems managing relationships, boredom and lack of constructive things to do can cause emotional eating disorders in an individual.

This issue of eating disorders is very sensitive for me because I have dealt with extreme amounts of emotional eating and then experience feelings of guilt for having a lack of self control. Then on top of that feeling bad because I feel overweight as a result of my lack of self control.  When I was in my twenties, I experienced a short bout of binge eating and purging after having my second child.  This was an emotional time in my life.  Thank God, I was able to come to my senses and stop focusing on what society says is acceptable.

Whatever weight you are, if you want to lose or gain, do it because it's healthy thing to do, not because of what society says "looks good"

God Bless,

Michelle Howard
Stress Relief