"I cannot be Anorexic because I do eat when I have to..."
Restriction of food and calories does not mean complete restriction for
every sufferer. For some this means restricting certain types of foods
(each individual sticking with what they perceive as "safe foods") and
limiting calories to below normal on a daily basis. For others this means fasting for a
certain number of days and then eating "normally" for the next number of
days, and repeating the cycle continuously.
"I don't fit any category... I only eat when I absolutely have to (but I don't
binge) and then purge whatever I do eat..."
Those suffering Anorexia do not
always completely restrict. Often times
when they cannot avoid a meal or food they will follow any consumption with
self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse. This is considered "Anorexia, Purging
Type." You should read the definitions of
Anorexia, Bulimia,
Compulsive Overeating, and
Binge Eating Disorder, as well as
"Eating Disorders not Otherwise Specified".
"I am above/on the high end of my healthy weight range... I cannot possibly
have an Eating Disorder..."
People suffering with any Eating Disorder can be of any weight. For most sufferers
weight will continuously be going up and down. The weight of a person's body
does not indicate their overall health, nor does it change the danger each
sufferer may be in! There are more dangers
involved in the disordered eating
patterns themselves, rather than in each person's actual weight.
"I eat a lot of candy, and can't possibly be Anorexic..."
Many Anorexics and
Bulimics
are junk-food addicts. There is little nutritional
value to junk food but they serve as a false sense of energy. They also
appease extreme cravings... for example, a sufferer's system may be
depleted of Sodium so there may be a strong craving for something salty.
A bag of chips would seem to satisfy this craving. It is not uncommon
to find a person with Anorexia or Bulimia who lives solely on candy (or junk-food),
and like any Eating Disorder sufferer, this puts them in great
danger. Other common
"replacements" are drugs,
alcohol, coffee, tea and/or cigarettes.
"Only middle-class, white teenagers suffer..."
ANYONE can suffer from Anorexia or Bulimia. Regardless of previously held
beliefs, it is not only young, middle-class white teenagers or college students who
can suffer. African-American, Hispanic,
Asian, or white, women or men,
rich to poor, from their teen years well into their fifties, there are sufferers
from every age-bracket, class and culture. Don't rely on the "written statistics" - they are
based on reports made to government agencies and if a country, state, or province
doesn't require that doctors report the cases, the statistics will not be accurate.
Keep in mind as well, the more shame a person feels, the less likely that they will come
forward and say they have an Eating Disorder... so if we keep perpetuating the idea
that only "young white women" suffer, less and less people who suffer that don't fit
this ideal will not come forward, be acknowledged, and get the help they deserve.
"I eat three meals a day (or I eat a lot during the course of a day)
and never purge. How can I have an Eating Disorder?..."
Disordered eating doesn't always mean restricting, binging and/or
purging. Sufferers sometimes eat 3 meals a day, or eat continuously throughout
the day and through this can disillusion themselves into thinking that all is fine.
If these eating patterns or meals consist of only lettuce, salad or yogurt (or other
comparably low calorie, low fat food), and the calorie intake overall is far below
normal (and is combined with emotional attributes), this
would be considered Anorexia. A person suffering may not be "starving" themself of food per se,
but of any real calories, substance and nutrition. (The same is illustrated above in
the example of eating candy.)
"I don't make myself vomit or use laxatives, I cannot be Bulimic..."
There a other methods of "purging" following a binge. The person suffering
with Bulimia will eat an unusually large
quantity of food in a short period
of time and follow it with purging; In addition to using laxatives or
inducing vomiting, purging can also be compulsive exercise or
complete fasting. This is one of the attributes that can be present in
a person suffering both Anorexia (restriction and purging without binging) and
Bulimia (binging and purging).
"My family member/friend eats normally around me. He/She can't possible
have an Eating Disorder..."
It is not uncommon for those with Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Eating
to eat "normally" around others. This type of sufferer may look forward to
their time alone, to be able to "make up for" the time they've spent eating
"normally" around others. Anorexics will completely starve themselves, Bulimics
will binge and purge, and Compulsive Overeaters will overeat or binge once they
have gotten back into their solitary environment. Sufferers may even look forward
to being alone so they can partake in disordered eating patterns.
"This is just a phase..."
Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Overeating are not phases a child,
teen or adult goes through. Some may go through dieting phases but this
is far different from having an Eating Disorder. You should visit the
other sections on the website
to learn more about what having an Eating Disorder means.
"I take vitamin/mineral supplements so I know
I will stay healthy..."
Vitamin Supplements will not protect anyone from the harm an Eating Disorder
will expose the body to. Vitamins and Minerals
are absorbed into the body much
more efficiently through their source food, and work in harmony with one another
to ensure the highest level of effectiveness and absorption. While taking vitamins
and minerals may help to provide a sense of security, or even prolong certain aspects
of health (like warding off infection),
they will not protect you from the
dangers associated with having an
Eating Disorder, such as: the bowel or kidneys
shutting down, shrinkage of the brain, dehydration, diabetes, TMJ Syndrome
and misalignment of the teeth, tears in the esophagus, ulcers, joint pain and
arthritis, digestive and absorption problems, acid reflux disorders, cancer of
the mouth and throat, low or high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia and cardiac
arrest, loss of menstrual cycle, infertility, dilation of the intestines,
or depression and suicide.
"Everyone who is overweight or fat has
Compulsive Overeating..."
What defines the illnesses of Compulsive Overeating or Binge Eating Disorder
is more than just the weight range of the individual. Emotional eating,
eating to fill a void, stuffing down feelings with binging, isolation and
pushing others away are just some of the traits. There are also those
who suffer from Compulsive Overeating or Binge Eating Disorder who
are not extremely overweight, as well, there are other reasons
an individual can be overweight (including medical reasons or
genetic pre-dispositions to a larger body size). The overall symptoms that
help determine if a person suffers from any disordered eating are how their
eating relates to a lack of self-esteem and ability to cope with pain,
anger and stress.
"I can't die from this..."
Anorexia, Bulimia and Compulsive Overeating can
kill those who suffer from them. Eating
Disorders have the highest rate of death out of any other psychological
illness. Up to 30% of the sufferers of Eating Disorders (and maybe higher)
will die as a result of a complication
caused by the illness. Be sure
to see the Physical Dangers sections to read
about all the complications associated with Anorexia, Bulimia and
Compulsive Overeating.
