Complete this form to receive a phone consultation...

Name * E-mail Address: * Phone Number * When are you available to be called (days; times)? * For what are you seeking help? * * Required

Eating Disorders and Negative Body Image

Eating disorders and negative body image affect thousands of men and women as children and adults. It's a myth that only girls who are on the verge of starving to death struggle with an eating disorder or body image problems.

The truth is many normal people suffer from painful dissatisfaction with their bodies and the way others perceive them. The media and popular culture have established an unhealthy and unrealistic definition for beauty that is deeply wounding and alienating.

What is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are not about food. In much the same way that individuals use drugs, alcohol, sex, and gambling in inappropriate ways to mask or hide emotional discomfort, so it can be with food. However, while alcohol and illegal drugs can be completely avoided, food is a necessary part of our everyday lives.

Eating Disorders can result in unpleasant and even life-threatening health problems. They frequently cause negative social issues relating to friends, family, and coworkers. Eating Disorders tend to have a spiraling effect; meaning that continued practice of the disorder causes more guilt, more social withdrawal, and increased feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem.

The bottom line is that an Eating Disorder occurs when food is used as an unhealthy coping mechanism for dealing with difficult life issues and emotions.

What is Drunkorexia and Drugorexia?

Drunkorexia is a combination of restricting type eating disorders and binge drinking. This extremely dangerous combination of disorders is becoming increasingly common among high school and college age girls.

Reasons for Drunkorexia

• To feel less inhibited in social contexts.
• Wanting to be skinny at all costs.
• To go out, be popular and party without gaining weight.
• To intensify the effects of alcohol abuse.
• To "numb out" stress or anxiety.

Fear of rejection ultimately plays a big role in this sort of behavior. The need to feel accepted, good enough, and wanted are powerful motivators of extreme behavior.

Drugorexia takes the well-known habit of using nicotine as an appetite suppressant to a whole new level by abusing prescription and illicit drugs as a means to manage body image.

Free Eating Disorder Help

Professional counseling is a big investment with a big benefits. It will cost you: time, energy, and money. In return you can...

• Avoid the dangers to your health caused by eating disorders
• Enjoy more satisfying relationships
• Learn how to become a "normal eater"
• Gain control over your life and stop feeling crazy
• Gain the skills to be the best you possible

These Free Eating Disorder Resources and Recommendations can help you get the most out of your professional counseling experience.

Eating Disorder Help Search Engine

This custom search engine searches the most trustworthy counseling resources around the world. We have found the information from these sites to be helpful for our clients. Search any Eating Disorder topic to find insightful articles and video clips.

Eating Disorder / Anorexia / Bulimia / Binge Eating :: Video / Pictures

        ***VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Not Recommended for Men

• | Finally a Real Body in a Magazine~ This picture comes from glamour magazine and glamour.com from an article entitled "What Everyone But You Sees About Your Body".
• | More Pictures of Real Female Bodies from Glamour~ From far left: Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims and Jennie Runk. Bottom Center: Lizzie Miller.

Helpful Eating Disorder Links

• | True :: identity • beauty • impact~ The True Campaign exists to end the crisis of distorted self image by challenging cultural ideals about identity and beauty, so we can be free to impact our world as God intended.Let’s face it: too many of us dislike our bodies and struggle with eating issues. It’s time to start talking. It’s time to change and take action. For the sake of our future, its time to be True.
• | FINDING balance~ FINDING balance is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who struggle with eating and body image issues, particularly EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified). Whether you’re overweight, underweight, or in-between, if you have issues with food, you are not alone. And you don’t have to stay where you are. Freedom is out there. It’s all about finding balance.
• | Remuda Ranch :: Eating Disorder Articles~ Current articles and news releases written by Remuda Ranch on topics associated with Anorexia, Bulimia and other Eating Disorders. Remuda Ranch provides inpatient and residential programs for women, girls and boys suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia, other Eating Disorders, and related issues. Our Christian programs offer hope and healing to patients of all beliefs.
• | National Eating Disorder Association~ An organization dedicated to providing education, resources and support to those affected by eating disorders. Whether you are an individual living with an eating disorder, a family member or friend looking to offer support to a loved one, or a treatment professional looking to help others — we have structured our site to address your needs.

Helpful Eating Disorder Books

• | The Rules of "Normal" Eating~ The Rules of "Normal" Eating lays out the four basic rules that "normal" eaters follow instinctively — eating when they're hungry, choosing foods that satisfy them, eating with awareness and enjoyment, and stopping when they're full or satisfied. Along with specific skills and techniques that help promote change, the book presents a proven cognitive-behavioral model of transformation that targets beliefs, feelings, and behaviors about food and eating and points the way toward genuine physical and emotional fulfillment. Readers learn how to reprogram their dysfunctional beliefs, manage uncomfortable feelings without turning to food, and establish new eating habits that tune their bodies into natural sensations of hunger, pleasure, satisfaction, and satiation. Filled with humorous insights, compassion, and practical wisdom, the book outlines balanced attitudes and patterns that benefit all types of eaters.
• | Telling Yourself the Truth~ Most of What Happens in Your Life Happens Because of the Way You Think. Wrong thinking produces wrong emotions, wrong reactions, wrong behavior—and unhappiness! Learning to deal with your thoughts is the first step on the road to healthy thinking. How to handle one’s thoughts properly is what this book is all about! It explains the life-changing method the authors call Misbelief Therapy, and it can work for you— In your home In your own circumstances In your own problems In your own adverse environment In your own thinking Based on the Bible, this book has helped thousands of people for many years, and it can help you! Telling Yourself the Truth can show you how to identify your own misbeliefs and replace them with the truth.
• | Behind the Broken Image~ Alexa, Abby, and Robin are all sharing the same shameful secret that has already compromised the health, endangered the future, and devastated the families of all three. They now stand at the crossroads of their lives. Each must decide whether to go forward into the frightening world of recovery, or return to the the seductive, familiar world of addiction. Their families wait, knowing the future may offer hope or only desolation where all dreams of happiness are shattered. Behind the Broken Image, captures what it is like to be entering the first stages of recovery from an eating disorder. With compassion, she tells the story of three eating disordered females- 2 teen girls and one adult woman. She also captures the reactions of the families-- their pain, anguish, and frustration at not being able to "fix" the people they love.

Types of Body Image and Eating Disorder Problems

• Negative Body Image ~ a persistent critical appraisal of ones body and the habitual comparing of one's self to others. Feelings of contempt, shame, dissatisfaction, and/or disgust with one's body.
• Binge Eating ~ compulsive over-eating, eating to sooth negative emotions, or rapidly consuming thousands of calories in a short time, without purging.
• Anorexia ~ starving one's self or restricting calorie intake out of fear of becoming fat. Often includes over-exercising.
• Bulimia ~ a destructive pattern of binging on food followed by "purging" of calories through over-exercising, vomiting, or the use of laxatives.
• Emotional Eating ~ Eating to soothe emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and depression; without purging.
• Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) ~ Characterized by having some, but not all, of the symptoms of anorexia or bulimia.

Often eating disorders begin with negative body image. Strong dissatisfaction with ones body or life then causes a person to begin either eating excessively, severely restricting calories, or cycling from eating in excess to taking extreme measures to rid oneself of calories. It can start as just "wanting to lose a few pounds" or "wanting to be more healthy" but soon it becomes an unhealthy obsession. Food becomes the enemy; the battle for control is intense and consuming.

Stages of Eating Disorders

• Early Stage ~ In the early stage of an eating disorder a person is developing a negative body image; is dissatisfied with their appearance; is beginning to feel shame and disgust about themselves.
  At this stage a person is at high risk of developing a full blown eating disorder and may already be experimenting with restricting, purging, or binging behaviors.
  This is the best time to intervene and get help; especially for adolescents and pre-adolescent children.
• Mid Stage ~ In the mid-stage a person is actively and regularly restricting, purging, binging, and/or excessively exercising. They have begun to experience a considerable change in body weight and may or may not be at a healthy weight range. At this point one is usually not aware of or is in denial of the negative affect their behaviors are having on their body.
• Late Stage ~ Those struggling in the late stages of an eating disorder are at serious health risks, possibly even death. At especially high risk are type 1 diabetics who may be manipulating their insulin to control their weight. At this stage medical treatment is critical and inpatient/ residential treatment may be necessary. The Relationship Center coordinates services with Remuda Ranch, the premier Christian eating disorder inpatient treatment center in the world, and other treatment programs, to get pateints the urgent help they need. We also continue care following release from an inpatient program, to ensure successful long-term recovery.

The counselors at The Relationship Center know how to help at every stage of a body image or eating disorder problem. They can help you recover and gain control of your life. They can teach you how to become a "normal eater".

What causes eating disorders?

Dieting

While dieting may seem harmless, statistics show that girls who diet before the age of 14 are eight times more likely to develop an Eating Disorder. Dieting disrupts normal eating patterns and can start a cycle of unhealthy eating. 50% of adolescent females report dieting before the age of 14.

Media Influence

The current message from movies, television, billboards, popular music, and magazines is that thin is "in", regardless of the cost. Media images equate thinness with beauty, peer acceptance, success, self-esteem, morality, and health.

Peer Pressure

In an attempt to fit in, individuals may feel they need to change their physical appearance, even to the extent of significant weight loss. Within peer groups, dieting or other Eating Disorder specific behaviosr can become competitive.

Trauma

Trauma can occur in one significant event or repeatedly over a period of years. Sexual abuse, rape, the death of a loved one, divorce, changing schools, or moving are all serious life events that could trigger an Eating Disorder

Performance

High performers in athletics are academics often believe their worth is found in what they do and how they perform. Image can be very important and fuel an Eating Disorder.

Athletic Achievement

Certain competitive sports may lead to the development of an Eating Disorder.
For example:

• Gymnastics or dance participation may be dependent on a certain body type or "look".
• Sports like cross-country may be a convenient outlet for an individual to over-exercise in an "acceptable" fashion.
• Wrestling often mandates "making weight" in order to wrestle at a certain weight-class.

Life Transitions

Times of transition can lead to emotional stress. Puberty is one of those transitions; another often occurs at ages 18-20. Fear of physical development, which naturally brings curves to the female body, can lead to extreme dieting.

Quick Eating Disorder Screen

• Do you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
• Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat?
• Have you recently lost more than 15 pounds in a three-month period?
• Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin?
• Would you say that food dominates your life?

Any person answering "yes" to two or more of these five questions is quite likely to have an eating disorder, even if he or she is currently at a "normal" weight range.

Eating Disorder Warning Signs

Anorexia / EDNOS

• Dieting obsessively when not overweight
• Claiming to feel fat when overweight is not a reality
• Preoccupation with food, calories, nutrition, and/or cooking
• Denial of hunger
• Excessive exercising, even in bad weather or when ill
• Frequent weighing
• Loss of menstrual period or failure to start
• Strange food-related behaviors
• Episodes of binge-eating
• Rapid weight loss
• Depression
• Slowness of thought/ memory difficulties
• Hair loss

Bulimia / EDNOS

• Strict dieting followed by eating binges
• Frequent overeating, especially when distressed
• Bingeing on high-calorie, sweet foods
• Vomiting, laxatives, and strict dieting
• Vigorous exercise to control weight
• Excessive concern about weight
• Leaving for the bathroom after meals
• Being secretive about binges or vomiting
• Planning binges or opportunities to binge
• Feeling out of control
• Depressive moods

Binge-Eating Disorder

• Frequent overeating, especially when distressed
• Bingeing on high-calorie, sweet foods
• Being secretive about binges, eating alone
• Feeling out of control when eating
• Depression and guilt

Emotional Eating

• Eating when not hungry
• Eating foods perceived as "forbidden"
• Grazing throughout the day and/or night
• Other emotional uses of food

What are the effects of eating disorders?

acid reflux | constipation | loss of menstrual cycle or failure to start | dry and yellow skin | feeling cold |slowness of thought | erosion of the teeth and gums |hemorrhoids | osteopenia/osteoporosis | stunted growth in children and adolescents | heart rhythm abnormalities | heart attacks / strokes | electrolyte abnormalities | abnormal liver functioning | anemia | decreased estrogen or testosterone | elevated cholesterol | abnormal blood pressure | brain shrinkage

10% (1 IN 10) of those with anorexia and 1% of those with bulimia will DIE as a result.

What are the social effects of eating disorders?

Isolation

Individuals suffering from Eating Disorders often exclude themselves from normal social situations. They may do so because food is going to be present and there may be an expectation that they must eat. Eating Disorder patterns tend to be very secretive, which may remove the individual from common social activities.

Lying (or secretive behavior)

Most lying occurs because people are embarrassed by their practices. For example, there is a tremendous amount of shame associated with the consumption of thousands of calories and then purging. Individuals often lie about exercise patterns that meet an emotional need.
Because people with an eating disorder may go to extreme lengths to keep from being "discovered", they may become very sneaky or skilled at practicing the behavior without others noticing. Therefore, it is important to listen to what is being said. Often, the "truth" is revealed in statements such as the following:

• "I just ate, so I'm not going to order anything."
• "Yes, I always go to the bathroom right after eating - eating throws my intestines into an uproar."
• "I know I look thin, but my doctor says I'm healthy."
• "I have a high metabolism. I eat like a horse, but it doesn't affect me."
• "I didn't get to exercise yet this week."
• "I'm exercising to stay in shape, not to burn calories."

Pretending to Eat

This includes hiding food under a plate, in napkins, in clothing; even in a person's own hair. Often, individuals "accidentally" drop food onto the floor, or hide it in their mouths with the intent of spitting it out later. All these techniques are designed to make it appear as if more food has been consumed than actually has been eaten.

Storing Food

Someone who may need to binge at a moment's notice often keeps a stash of food available. Simply having a supply of food may not be a problem, but if the trash can is suddenly filled with wrappers from a significant amount of snacking, a binge may have occurred.

Vomiting / Laxatives

In an effort to rid the body of foods before calories are taken in, someone may try to use laxatives or self-induce vomiting (including the use of ipecac). A foul, sickly odor in the bathroom tends to be associated with either of these practices. You may also find that a person engaging in either behavior spends an inordinate amount of time cleaning up in the bathroom following an episode.

Rigid Scheduling

The person involved in compulsive exercise patterns lives his or her life around those practices. To compensate for eating, individuals feel that calorie burning is required. A typical healthy pattern of exercise is 20-30 minutes of aerobic activity, three times a week. This may be complemented with some strength-training 2-3 days a week - on days opposite the aerobic activity. If an individual is exercising significantly more than this, it may be the result of eating disorder issues. Common compulsive exercising often includes:

• Moderate to heavy aerobic activity everyday for extended periods
• Exercising at bizarre times
• Significant amount of exercising in addition to normal athletic involvement or training

Not only can exercise be excessive, but the scheduled times for exercising take on a sacred quality. The schedule cannot be shortened or altered. This rigidity may spill over into other areas of life, allowing no spontaneity. The level of exercise may escalate to the point where the individual is exercising even when sick, injured, or in bad weather. Such individuals cannot take a break without causing significant anxiety for themselves.

Food Rituals

A person practicing an eating disorder often uses the "how" of eating. A food ritual could be as simple as cutting food into miniscule bites. A person might count the number of chews each bite gets. Food items may not be able touch other food items. In some cases, only one food item can be on the plate at a time. These rituals go beyond likes and dislikes relating to taste.

Emotional / Mental Effects of Eating Disorders

Someone with an Eating Disorder is likely to experience emotional issues and problems with thinking, including:

• Depression. This tends to be very common in people with Eating Disorders.
• Shame and guilt.
• Significant mood swings. Exercising and substance abuse may be an attempt to influence mood.
• Broken relationships resulting from Eating Disorder patterns may cause feelings of grief and loss.
• Anger may be present as a result of feeling out-of-control.
• Thought patterns may be black-or-white; no gray areas exist.
• Obsessive thinking may rule the mind of a person with Eating Disorder. Obsessive/ Compulsive Disorder is a common problem for someone with an Eating Disorder. The thought process may not seem logical to others, but is entirely logical to the individual caught in the problem.
• Fear of food. The irrational thoughts may be so severe that a person can believe that being in the same room with a cheeseburger will cause them to gain weight. They may have categories for food - "good" food or "bad" food. As anorexia progresses, the good food list gets shorter and the bad food lists gets longer.

Spiritual effects of Eating Disorders

Those who struggle with Eating Disorders may experience spiritual difficulties. They may feel:

• Out of touch with God
• Unworthy of God's love
• A sense of inadequacy or not measuring up
• As though God is judging or condemning them
• That they have deeply disappointed God
• Tremendous shame and guilt

Common Eating Disorder Myths

Individuals suffering from anorexia are easy to identify.
Due to extreme thinness, it is sometimes easier to identify a person who struggles with anorexia than other Eating Disorders, but simply being thin is not the determining factor. There are medical issues that might cause someone to be unusually thin, or it could be an inherited body type. Appearance is not the exclusive determinant of an Eating Disorder. People struggling with Eating Disorders come in all shapes and sizes.

Physicians and other healthcare professionals can be counted on to discover and diagnose an Eating Disorder.
Though we would like to believe this is true, unfortunately, it is not always the case. Sometimes, due to a lacked of training/education or lack of exposure to Eating Disorders, professionals may not catch the behavior. Remember, a professional may only see and talk with the individual for a few minutes during a visit. Most Eating Disorder behavior goes on behind closed doors and is denied.

Parents are the cause of their child's Eating Disorder.
Genetic research is being done to determine what role family genes play, but there are also many other contributions to an Eating Disorder. Factors outside the family are influential, such as media, peers, and trauma.

Eating Disorders affect only the rich or celebrities.
Eating Disorders cross all socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and religious boundaries. Many suffer in silence, without the social spotlight or camera.

Normal or overweight people do not have an Eating Disorder.
A person with Bulimia often has normal body weight. That is why it can be so difficult to notice. Most ED issues are about the person's relationship with food, not his or her appearance.

A fat-free or low-carb diet is healthy.
Any diet that severely limits an entire food group, emphasizes excessive consumption of one or two foods, or permits very high or very low caloric intake is unhealthy. All foods are acceptable, and can fit into a healthy diet. Fat is needed for the body and brain to operate as they were designed. 25%-35% of caloric intake should come from fat. Healthy eating is guided by balance, variety, and moderation.

Eating Disorders are not fatal.
Thankfully, this can be true, but not always. Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder; as high as 10% of those with anorexia and 1% of those with bulimia will die as a result of the disorder.

A "natural" diet pill is a "safe" diet pill.
The FDA does not regulate many over-the-counter foood supplements. Advertisements often distort the truth about the results a diet pill or supplement will provide. The practice of dieting itself, even without the use of pills, can lead to Eating Disorders.

Laxatives are an effective way to prevent the absorption of calories.
The use/abuse of laxatives only depletes the body's store of fluids. Laxatives react with the colon, where absorption of calories takes place. Laxative abuse can lead to extreme dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and additional medical complication up to and including the need for a colostomy.

A person who "always eats" does not have an Eating Disorder.
A person practicing an Eating Disorder may only play with his or her food, making it appear as though they have eaten a meal. He or she may eat at such a slow rate that they only consume a few calories. He or she may even eat large amounts of food, but of insufficient variety to offer proper nutrition. They may later secretly purge the food they have eaten.

"I obviously don't have an Eating Disorder."
Simply saying it does not make it so. People often state what they believe others want to hear or what they want to believe about themselves. Or they may be misled about Eating Disorders.

Exercise is good - you can never overdo a good thing.
You can overdo a good thing. Excessive exercise is a problem, potentially leading to stress fractures of the bone, chronic pain, curvature of the spine, osteopenia or osteoporosis, loss of menstrual cycle, and even sudden death.

People with Eating Disorders are vain.
Although a few people with anorexia want to look like super models, for most people with Eating Disorders nothing could be further from the truth. Far from flaunting their bodies, they are often disgusted by their bodies.

Eating Disorders are a temporary way to lose weight.
Eating Disorders rapidly get out of control due to chemical changes they produce in the body. What starts as a way to get control of one's eating quickly takes over the person's entire life. Many people with Eating Disorders feel trapped and unable to stop their behavior, even though they know they are hurting themselves.

Cutting and other self-injurious behaviors are not related to an eating disorder.
While one behavior is not likely to cause the other, both the Eating Disorder and self-harm are an attempt to deal with stress or trauma and often occur together.

How can I help a friend with an Eating Disorder?

Be Aware
Educate yourself about some of the issues surrounding Eating Disorders. Statistics suggest that someone you know is struggling with an Eating Disorder right now.

Be Honest
Don't look the other way once you know a problem exists. Denial only allows the person to continue unhealthy behaviors, and the longer Eating Disorders continue, the harder they are to cure. Act now!

Show Caring and Concern
Be a good listener. You will gain the person's confidence by listening, rather than "diagnosing" or adopting a judgmental attitude.

Know What Resources are Available
Familiarize yourself with resources. This web site, GetRelationshipHelp.com, and the counselors at The Relationship Center are a good place to start.

Be Understanding
Try to listen and see things from the person's point of view. Know that Eating Disorders are complicated, and while all the issues and feelings might not make sense to you, they make sense to the person experiencing them.

Be Objective
State your concerns from the standpoint of your observations. State that you see how the person's health and relationships are being adversely affected. List evidence, and be specific.

Be Persistent
If the person does not accept what you have to say, recognize that they may be unable or unwilling to deal with the truth right now. But because you care for them, return to the issue at another time when more progress might be made.

Be Available
Although the person may reject what you have to say, after processing what you have shared with them they might come to grips with the truth and find that they want help. Should this happen, be available. Your availability will show caring even more than your words.

• Let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth. 1 John 3:18 NIV
• If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Eccl 4:10 NIV
• Be kind and compassionate to one another,...Eph 4:32a NIV
• Keep loving each other as brothers. Heb 13:1 NIV

What should I NOT do with a friend who has an Eating Disorder?

Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep
Don't promise to keep the issue a secret. If you don't immediately tell someone who can help, set a definite time limit for that person to get help on his or her own. It may go like this, "I may not tell your parents today, but I'll give you two days to think about this, and then if you have not already done so, I'll go with you to talk to your parents about this problem."

Don't Get in Over Your Head
Know your limits. You are not a substitute for professional care. Know what supportive resources are available for you as well as for the person with the Eating Disorder. Call The Relationship Center at 417.496.1867 if you have any questions.

Don't Oversimplify
It is tempting to tell an individual to "just eat" or "just stop throwing up". If it were as easy as that, the problem would already be solved. They have probably already heard those phrases before and it's not going to help them to hear this again.

Don't Nag
Nagging generally causes hard feelings and ill-will. Think about how you would feel in similar circumstance. Avoid giving advice about eating, exercising, and appearance. Know that there are underlying causes, and those are the real issues that the person needs to address.

Don't Be Judgmental
Regarding their behavior, they probably already feel like a failure, inadequate, and lonely. Delivering judgmental comments is likely to drive them farther away from getting the help they need. Don't quote Scripture at them, unless the verse offers unconditional love or encouragement.

Don't Overwhelm the Person
For the initial topic to be discussed, go to the person one-on-one. They are less likely to feel attacked and may be more open to hearing what you have to say if you don't bring a group with you. An intervention, or group confrontation, may eventually be required. If so, this should be handled only by a professional, otherwise it could easily backfire.

Don't Over-Spiritualize
Although there are spiritual roots to Eating Disorders, there are also other causes that the person has little or no control over, including genes, biochemistry, family issues, trauma, and cultural influences. If you point out only the spiritual issues, it is likely to come across as judging and condemning. In addition, although God sometimes miraculously heals, He often works through a process of healing that includes the help of professionals.