Symptoms Of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders, as the very name suggests, means either not eating food or eating it such a way that has adverse effects on the physical as well as the mental health of a person. The disorder become so excessive that it soon starts interfering with the daily routine of a person, be it in school, at college, on the workplace, and so on. The people suffering from eating disorders often have a very low opinion of themselves and suffer from a general lack of self confidence. In the following lines, we have listed the symptoms of eating disorders, to help you recognize them at an early stage itself, before the situation goes out of hand.

Signs & Symptoms Of Common Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time
Wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers, to hide body shape and/or weight loss
Obsession with weight and complaining of being overweight
Obsession with calories and fat content of foods
Obsession with continuous exercise
Visible food restriction and self-starvation
Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup or enemas
Fear of eating around and/or with others
Hiding food in places like closets, cabinets or suitcases, to avoid eating it
Flushing uneaten food down the toilet
Vague or secretive eating patterns.
Keeping a "food diary"
Pre-occupied thoughts of food and weight
Visiting websites that promote unhealthy ways to lose weight
Reading books about weight loss and eating disorders
Hair loss
Pale or "grey" appearance to the skin
Dizziness and headaches
Low self-esteem
Feeling worthless
Need for acceptance and approval from others
Complaints of often feeling cold.
Low blood pressure
Loss of menstrual cycle
Constipation or incontinence
Perfectionist personality
Loss of sexual desire
Mood swings
Depression
Fatigue
Insomnia or poor sleeping habits

Bulimia

Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately after meals (at times accompanied with water running in the bathroom for a long period of time - to hide the sound of vomiting).
Visible bingeing and/or purging
Hiding food in places like closets, cabinets or suitcases, to eat it later
Maintaining a list that consists of food and/or behaviors, like purging, restricting, calories consumed, exercise, etc
Self-defeating statements after food consumption
Frequent soar throats and/or swollen glands
Abnormal bowel functioning
Damaged teeth and gums
Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks
Sores in the throat and mouth
Bloating
Dehydration
Fatigue
Dry skin
Irregular heartbeat
Sores, scars or calluses on the knuckles or hands
Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)
Feeling that they can't control your eating behavior
Eating until the point of discomfort or pain
Self-induced vomiting
Laxative use
Excessive exercise
Unhealthy focus on body shape and weight
Having a distorted, excessively negative body image
Depression or anxiety

Binge Eating

Fear of not being able to control eating
While eating, not being able to stop
Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans
Eating much more food during a binge episode than during a normal meal or snack
Eating faster during binge episodes
Feeling that the eating behavior is out of control
Frequent dieting without weight loss
Frequently eating alone
Hoarding food
Hiding empty food containers
Feeling depressed, disgusted or upset over the amount eaten
Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight
Vague or secretive eating patterns
Self-defeating statements after food consumption
Blaming weight for failure in social and professional community
Holding the belief that food is their only friend
Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities
Excessive sweating and shortness of breath
High blood pressure and/or cholesterol
Leg and joint pain
Weight gain
Decreased mobility due to weight gain
Loss of sexual desire
Poor sleeping habits

How to Cite

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