Note: This article was first published in Life in the Delta in November 2008.
Body dissatisfaction plagues most women as well as a rising number of men. While it is normal to care about appearance, there is a point at which normal caring can turn obsessive and interfere with daily life and, more importantly, relationships.
Before discussing the negatives of eating disorders, let’s first lay a foundation by defining what they are. There are two major eating disorders – bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. They share a common component – compensatory methods to prevent weight gain. However, the main difference that divides the two is that bulimics use extraordinary means to maintain their proper weight while anorexics use extraordinary means to maintain a below normal body weight. Also, bulimia is characterized by binge eating, which is then followed by inappropriate means to keep from gaining weight, with self-induced vomiting being the most common method. Other means include the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise. Anorexics primarily lose weight by the reduction in their total food intake or a diet restricted to only a few foods. They may also lose weight in ways similar to bulimics, such as purging and excessive exercise. (Note: exercise may be considered excessive when it significantly interferes with important activities or occurs at inappropriate times or settings or when the individual continues to exercise despite injury or other medical complications.)
Anorexics and bulimics are both intensely afraid of weight gain but for anorexics this fear is not eliminated by weight loss. In fact, concern about weight gain often increases even as their actual weight decreases. They have a distorted body image and think they are overweight when indeed they are underweight. Anorexics can lose weight in similar ways as bulimics but are “more successful” as they are prone to perfectionism and love the sense of self-control they have over food. Bulimics often binge in secret. While binging, a person may feel a sense of euphoria but later feels ashamed and depressed and out of control. They then take control with compensatory methods to prevent weight gain. While eating disorders may arise due to living in a culture where there are pressures to be thin, they more often also have a past history of abuse at their source.
To understand disordered eating, it is helpful to understand what natural order has been disrupted. When one thinks of food and its purpose, food is basically fuel for our bodies. However, food is also a source of pleasure and is often used for celebration purposes. When someone has an eating disorder, food changes from its normal function: it changes from a gift to a weapon and rarely is it something celebratory. For people with eating disorders, food becomes their focus. They think about food all the time, but they control it.
So why are eating disorders harmful if they achieve successful weight loss? For one, bulimia can cause ever-increasing harm to one’s health over time, including erosion of dental enamel due to recurrent vomiting, calluses on the surface of the hand due to stimulating the gag reflex, menstrual irregularities and amenorrhea, electrolyte imbalances, and a tendency to be depressed, just to name a few. And anorexia can be even more harmful, with many of the same symptoms as well as the symptoms of starvation, such as emaciation, cold intolerance, renal and cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis, and potential death.
In addition to health concerns, when food becomes one’s main focus, then other life goals and purposes slip in importance. Eating disorders also interfere with marriage and family relationships because it is almost impossible to have a close intimate relationship with a person who has an eating disorder because their attention is on controlling the food. Eating disorders are serious detriments to one’s health and to healthy relationships, and people who have them need to seek help – usually medical help as well as professional counseling.
