FAT LOSS – EATING DISORDERS: RECOGNISING EATING DISORDERS

posted by admin in Weight Loss

The relationship between developing an eating disorder and ‘dieting’ is unclear, but it is generally accepted that both anorexia and bulimia tend to be preceded by a period of intense dieting, or food restriction. How or why this happens is uncertain, however, in laboratory conditions it can be demonstrated that ‘dieters’ will eat more than ‘non-dieters’ after they have consumed food which they believe to be low in calories. This process, known as ‘counter-regulation’, seems to suggest that there is a strong cognitive component in the maintenance of these disorders. In both anorexia and bulimia, the sufferer eats according to extreme dietary restrictions. Anything which interferes with these self-imposed rules (believing they have eaten something ‘wrong’,’ depression, anxiety or stress) results in a temporary total abandonment of control. The type of foods chosen at these times (the ‘forbidden’ foods) not only alleviate distress, but may also provide significant pleasure, a factor which reinforces both their use as a binge food and their banishment from the path of true dieting’. Subsequent to the binge, seen as proof that the body and its appetites cannot be trusted, there is an even more fervent return to rigidly controlled dieting.

Both bulimia and anorexia are complex in their aetiology and resistant to treatment. It seems likely that there is no one underlying cause and that psychological, physiological and social factors are involved in both the development and maintenance of the disorders. It is seen as significant that both conditions are primarily female disorders, linked to the psychological, social and cultural emphasis given to how a woman looks, as opposed to how she feels. Female (role) models continue to present young women with body sizes and shapes which are unachievable by the majority. The problem is probably also intergenerational as research shows that many young women identify with their own mothers’ pre-occupation with their bodies and their mothers may project their body image concerns onto their daughters.

By the age of 18 it is estimated that 80 per cent of females have started dieting. Many of these women have discovered bulimia themselves even without being shown or told by peers or the media. Few have any idea of the potential consequences of their attempts to fix their weights at sub-optimal levels. For these women, dieting takes the place of dealing with more serious issues such as their self-esteem and body image disturbance, the transition to adult sexuality, the development of an autonomous self and the initiation of intimate relationships, dysfunctional family sequelae, mood disturbances and ongoing stress management. More recently, it has been suggested that a high proportion of women with eating disorders have a background of sexual and/or physical abuse.

*222\186\4*

Share and Enjoy: