A Fear of Fat: Understanding eating disorders

You just wanted to lose a little weight, so you started dieting. Then dieting became an obsession. Now, all you think about is food, yet you don’t eat or you eat and throw up your food. Although you may be significantly underweight, the biggest fear you have is becoming fat. If this scenario sounds familiar, you are not alone. Approximately 3% of all adolescents and adult women and 1% of all men have some type of eating disorder. In light of Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 1–7), Truestar Health is here to tell you what you need to know about eating disorders and how to find help.

Consider the following facts:

One out of every 100 Canadian females between 10 and 20 years old is starving herself.

The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

What is an eating disorder?
Clinical eating disorders are known as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Eating disorders involve the mind and body and can impact an individual’s ability to live a full and happy life.

Anorexia nervosa is the third most common chronic illness in adolescent women and is estimated to occur in 0.5% to 3% of all teenagers. It is characterized by extreme weight loss due to severe food restriction. Most individuals who suffer from anorexia have a distorted body image, meaning they see themselves as fat even if they weigh as little as 80 pounds. They experience a fear of food as they think food will make them fat. Those with anorexia also have the need to control their surroundings. Therefore, controlling the amount of food they eat is as a source of control for other aspects of their life.

Bulimia nervosa is a cycle of uncontrolled binge eating followed by purging. An individual with bulimia will purge using laxatives, induced vomiting, compulsive exercising or fasting to get rid of unwanted calories. Estimates of the prevalence of bulimia nervosa among young women range from about 3% in adolescents to 10% in college women.

Binge-eating disorder or compulsive overeating is when people eat to feed their emotions such as stress, anger or depression. They do not use purging after overeating but often have feelings of low self-esteem and feel ashamed for not being able to control their eating. For more on emotional eating, click here.

Eating disorder not otherwise specified is the term for eating disorders that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder. Many people suffer from food and weight issues that impact their lives but may not meet all criteria for a clinical eating disorder.