You might be surprised to find out that weight and eating disorders don’t always go hand in hand.
First of all, as a teen your weight will naturally fluctuate as you grow.
Eating disorders fall under a category of diagnosis’s that can affect your health and well being.
Adults and teens can be over or under weight and still not have an eating disorder. Or, they can be of normal weight and have all the characteristics of an eating disorder.
If you suspect that your eating habits are interfering with your life, then your instincts are talking to you.
These are early warnings only you will know about:
1)You start eating in solitude.
You might feel that people are watching or judging the way you eat or how much you eat.
Eventually, you excuse yourself from the dinner table only to eat later in your room alone, or sneak downstairs for a midnight meal.
2)You start hiding food.
This is called hording. You might find that you are buying or stealing food then tucking it away for later consumption when you’re alone.
The main thing is that you will feel sneaky or guilty, but don’t think it’s a big deal because you think you are in control while the food piles up.
3)You eat to extremes.
There are three extremes when it comes to eating disorders.
You can be really hungry and refuse to eat, at least until you can control the situation, like being alone in your car.
Or, you could be really nervous, upset, or just had a bad day, so you binge. This means you eat a lot of food in a short period. People usually binge on the food they’ve horded because they know what they’re doing is wrong and they don’t want anybody to find out.
Then, there are people who binge until they are so full they vomit. There are also people who binge and force themselves to vomit. Either way, people who do this describe the feeling of getting rid of the food as a release of tension.
4)You find yourself lying about your eating habits.
It’s only a matter of time before people notice you’re not eating, or not eating in front of them.
At first you might try to show them that you’re eating, but eventually the anxiety of eating for show will drive you to start lying.
“I ate before” , ” I’ll eat later”, and “I’m not hungry right now” may not feel like lying, but in your heart you know you are losing control, and no matter what your method of extreme eating is, it’s getting harder to satisfy the control.
Most eating disorders are about control. It may be that you’re controlling feelings of anger, or sadness. You could be trying to control the people around you by controlling your body and what you put into it.
But for what ever reason, know that by taking action and getting help you are taking control and fighting for your body and your health.
Talk to your parents. If they are in denial (which sometimes happens) go to a trusted adult such as a school or camp nurse, counselor, or you can call your pediatrician or doctor.
There are many treatment options available, especially if you are ready and willing to participate in your care.
For more information and support:
http://www.anad.org (the association of anorexia nervosa and associated disorders)
http://www.aedweb.org (the academy of eating disorders)
Get in touch with someone today. It will change your life and put you back in charge.