Eight Signs That Can Help You Recognise an Eating Disorder

There are thousands of people in the UK and around the world that are suffering from eating disorders; The society that we live in has made it so that many men and women feel like they are not attractive unless they are a certain weight.

Eight Signs That Can Help You Recognise an Eating Disorder

This mindset has let many people begin to see food as the enemy, and they have waged an all-out war on calories using the only thing that they have precise control over, their eating.

Many family members and friends do not realize that a person has an eating disorder, or a potential one until things are out of hand. Even a person that suffers from something serious like anorexia or bulimia may not think that there is anything seriously wrong until it is brought to their attention under the cold light of day. There is a way that a person can attempt to identify an eating disorder in oneself or a loved one, and this is to look for signs that show there is a problem.

1. Thinking that you are fat when you are just an average weight

Many people that suffer from eating disorders look at themselves in the mirror, and they feel that they are overweight. They may get on the scale and see the numbers going down, their weight may be within sensible recommended guidelines, but in their mind, they are still substantial. That is one sure sign that the person has a skewed view of reality that can cause them to obsess about food and their weight.

2. Seeing food as an enemy

People that are suffering from eating disorders begin to see the menu as the enemy – something to be avoided at all costs and even despised. At times, they may try to avoid eating with friends, and they may prevent restaurants or places where food is bought because merely being around food makes them feel highly uncomfortable.

3. Always telling others that you hate the way you look

In many societies, it is thought to be entirely reasonable to say that you feel fat. Still, if you or a friend is always talking about how much you hate your weight, that is a telltale sign that there is a problem, especially if you are a healthy weight, or underweight.

4. Binging on food and then throwing up

A huge sign of an eating disorder is binging and purging. That is the practice of eating a lot of food at one sitting, and then taking a laxative, or an expectorant to throw it all up. Many people with bulimia do this to avoid taking in too many calories. Alternatives to this would be taking lots of slimming pills or other slimming aids – going over the recommended dosages can be very dangerous. Those taking any of these measures are caring more about their appearance than their well-being.

5. Weighting yourself constantly

It is healthy and perfectly beautiful to care about your weight, but when you have to get on the scale every day, multiple times a day, you may have a severe problem with your weight, and with your self-image.

6. Dieting constantly and religiously watching calories

Many people around the world will do the occasional yo-yo diet, but it is a problem when a person lives their entire lives on a diet. Doing things like taking diet pills and eating diet foods all the time when it is not necessary can be another sign that a person is suffering from an eating disorder.

7. Excessive exercise

Many people that are suffering from different eating disorders believe that if they exercise all the time, they can stay thin. They may exercise for three or four hours a day, to the point of exhaustion. Exercise is great, but when it becomes excessive, it can be an indication that something is out of control.

8. An obsession with thin people

Quite often, when a person is suffering from an eating disorder, they obsess over people that they see on the television or magazine covers because they want to be thin. They may have a warped idea of what beauty is, and at times they associate being beautiful and being a good person with being thin.

There are many other ways that food disorders manifest themselves, but the proceeding signs are some of the ways you can catch an eating disorder earlier than later. It is also vital to keep in mind that a person does not have to be thin to be suffering from an eating disorder – many other people could be considered overweight that suffer from bulimia. It is essential to recognize the warning signs for an eating disorder because by identifying them, it is possible to save the life of a loved one, or even your own.