TeamFLEX Newsletter

Weight Loss Spotlight

Eating Disorders & Weight Loss

When your self-image is distorted you don't have a realistic view of your own body anymore. Eating disorders all have physical signs and symptoms when they are in the full blown state but there are usually psychological warnings signs early on that something is not right.

Eating disorders often begins in early years with a traumatic event, verbal or physical abuse, low self-esteem, pressure from parents, trouble being accepted in school or any other psychological stress.

Eating Disorders: Bulimia

For a lot of young children with a troubled childhood, food becomes their best friend. When anxiety hits them, they crawl under the blanket and eat to feel better. Their body starts to crave more and more food and when the guilt sets in that they ate too much, the self-induced vomiting starts. The cycle of eating and ridding the body of the food becomes a way of living and dealing with psychological stress on a daily basis. The term used for this disorder is bulimia.

Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa

The opposite of bulimia is anorexia nervosa, see Weight Loss & Anorexia. Instead of overeating, sufferers from anorexia nervosa don't eat at all and losing weight no matter what becomes their one focus in life. Nothing else matters and they are usually very good at hiding their condition in public in such ways as wearing bulky clothes and pretend to eat when people are watching. However when alone they look at their bodies, already malnutrition and underweight but see nothing but an fat overweight person who needs to lose more weight. People with eating disorders are commonly so disgusted with their own self-image that they punish themselves by either not eating or by overeating until they feel sick.

Eating Disorders: Orthorexia Nervosa

Another not official eating disorder diagnosis but useful as a concept is Orthorexia nervosa which are obsessions with eating “the right” food. Eating the clean and right food becomes the primary focus of life.

People with orthorexia often see themselves as superior to others because they eat right and proper food. To be worthy of these people's attention or friendship, you need to eat right and know how to obtain proper food or you are in other words, worthless in their eyes.

Eating Disorders: Night Eating Syndrome

Night eating syndrome is a fairly new eating disorder. The person has little or nothing to eat for breakfast and delays the first meal for as long as possible due to guilt and upset feelings over how much they ate the night before.

Eating Disorders: Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder is more of a sleeping disorder then an eating disorder but it still involves abnormal food consumption. People suffering from this disorder sleep-eat and sleep-walk.

Eating Disorders: Rumination Syndrome

Rumination syndrome can be involuntary or voluntary caused. Ruminators eats the food, swallows it and then regurgitates the food back into the mouth again, where the food is then chewed and swallowed once again.

Pica involves cravings for non-food items such as clay, dirt, plaster and chalk and not one of the more common eating disorders.