See The Signs: Common Symptoms Of An Eating Disorder

Written By Brooke Chaplan / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

As you know, food is an essential part of living a healthy life. However, many people develop an unhealthy relationship with food. If you or a loved one is trying to manage your weight, it can spiral into a dangerous obsession with adverse side effects.

Maybe you’ve decided that you want to do something about your eating habits. Before looking into treatment options for eating disorders to try out, it’s important to establish that is what you’re dealing with. If you are unsure where you should start, here are some of the recognizable signs you or someone you care for has an eating disorder.

Signs of Anorexia

Many people are unaware that there are multiple types of eating disorders. While some of the signs may be similar, it’s best to understand which symptoms correspond with each disorder. For instance, anorexia sufferers are obsessed with losing weight to the point that they restrict themselves from eating for extended periods of time.

Common symptoms to look out for include:

• Skipping meals
• Eating significantly less than your daily nutritional requirements
• Negative body images
• Hiding a frail frame under oversized clothing

Bulimia Symptoms

Unlike anorexia, people dealing with bulimia eat normal amounts of food. However, they typically binge eat and then throw up their food. While throwing up occasionally is fine, self-inflicted purging of meals is bad for oral and digestive health. People with this eating disorder typically:

• Spend abnormally long amounts of time in the bathroom
• Are anxious to go home or be alone after a large meal
• Irregularly use laxatives or diuretics

If you notice that you or a loved one experience any of the symptoms above, consider looking into treatment options for eating disorders. Treating an eating disorder is a physical and mental process that can be easier to overcome with professional assistance.

Common Signs of Binge Eating

Although you may not be starving yourself or purging after every meal, being a binge eater is a serious health condition. This disorder occurs when one eats an extremely large amount of food within a small window. You may feel good when you eat a lot of food at the moment, but you often end up feeling guilty afterward.

People dealing with binge eating often:

• Experience significant weight gain
• Eat during times of high stress
• Feel shame after a large meal

Anyone suffering from an eating disorder should seek immediate help. Not only can intervention save lives, but it also helps the sufferer adopt healthier coping mechanisms.

Keep in mind, people suffering from eating disorders often deal with issues outside of their poor self-image. When trying to introduce them to healthy solutions, be sure to take a sensitive yet caring approach.

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Written By:

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan  

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.