A growing trend of achieving a skinny body type, the most idealistic body or a size zero figure, has got teenagers to start resorting to extremely unhealthy ways of losing weight. Some go to the extent of avoiding food, or eliminating carbs and fats or mono dieting, or eating extremely insufficient food and sometimes even forcing themselves to forcibly puke out the consumed food. This is an extremely dangerous phase to be in as it can lead to anorexia nervosa, or an abnormally low body weight.
The desire to look skinny can lead to chronic mental, physical illnesses and diseases. There are also surgical methods used by some to transform their body types by going under the knife. Desperate attempts to look thinner, better, whiter makes them try all sorts of medications without understanding the implications of it on their health.
Dieting is dangerous
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder which causes people to obsess about their weight and what they eat. It is associated with a distorted body image with an intense fear of becoming fat even if they become underweight. Anorexia isn’t about food, rather it’s an unhealthy way to try and cope with mental stress. Signs to watch out for anorexia nervosa:
Self-induced starvation.
An intense fear of becoming fat and not eating if they are starving.
Abnormally low body weight and compulsively exercising.
Absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles post-starvation.
There are two types of anorexia nervosa — no binge-eating and binge-eating:
No binge-eating
Present in approximately 50% of people suffering from anorexia. Food intake is highly restricted and people may be relentlessly and compulsively overactive. A person with restricting anorexia nervosa often ends up feeling depressed and anxious.
Binge eating
People alternate attempts at rigorous dieting with intermittent episodes of binge eating. It is often associated with self-induced vomiting, or frequent use of laxatives to compensate for the binging episodes.
The other symptoms are medical complications of starvation such as slower heart rate and feeling cold due to reduced body fat stores.
Treatment for the same involves restoring the nutritional state and in maintaining a healthy body weight.
(The author is health coach & founder,
MY22BMI)