There is a huge increase in weight problems and obesity especially amongst Americans. It is very striking to a visitor. It is obvious that many people are eating not because they need to, for physical nourishment. The eat for other reasons, well beyond the point of "enough."
Some people have lost that the awareness of that point and no longer get the message that they have eaten enough.The issue does not just affect middleaged people. Many young people especially girls are obsessed with food and they are enduring a quiet and sometimes secret battle with eating disorders.
Anorexia is quite well known. But just to clarify, what does it mean? The word comes from Greek originally and means lack of desire to eat. Actually the person has developed a complicated relationship with food and has developed a fear of it. It is not a coincidence that it is on the increase among young women and even girls as young as 12.
It is being reported currently that a young Scottish woman, who was the youngest person to have a stomach bypass operation in 2008, is now suffering from anorexia and has been told she has just 6 months to live. A clinical psychologist has commented that there were probably underlying health issues which the "gastric band" did not address. Her story is a particularly sad one and rather extreme,but it shows how eating disorders, whether of bulimia, compulsive eating or anorexia, need to be taken seriously.
They look different but the underlying issues are to do with self image and self esteem. It is pointless to label a compulsive eater "greedy" and expect them to use simple will power to curb their eating. At a low level this might be effective, but not when the person has put on more than 2 stones or their health is affected.
It is hard to understand how a person with anorexia can look in the mirror, and see themselves as "fat" when everyone else sees them as skinny but this is a sign of the cognitive problems associated with the condition. But this the case and it is one of the most serious signs of anorexia.
Bulimia is another condition which is kept secret as much as possible. The person eats normally, or to excess, but then induces vomiting so the amount of real nutrition they receive is nothing like the amount they require. They try not to let others know what is happening and will deny it, which is true of all three eating disorders.
Some people suffer from a combination of anorexia and bulimia. This is obviously very confusing and overwhelming, since the person has the combination of both conditions to deal with.
There is a lot of shame and self hatred involved and this mental suffering is tied up with the condition like the proverbial chicken and egg. People eat to suppress uncomfortable feelings, feel ashamed and eat some more. In anorexia, the person has a sense of power when they refuse to eat, and this power is worth more to them than proper nutrition. In some cases the person would rather die than eat.
If you, or someone you know, is affected by any of these eating disorders, you would be wise to seek help as soon as possible. Of course it is wise to ask your doctor's advice but if you would like to have some advice from someone whose own daughter got over the problem of anorexia-bulimia and how she did it in a natural way, with no drugs and in a remarkably short time
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