Anorexia Nervosa: Are you eating enough?

Eating disorders are serious health issues that are caused by disturbances in people’s eating behaviours associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. Many times people think that eating disorders are a mere lifestyle choice and not a disorder, but that’s a misconception. These eating disorders can be fatal, and can negatively affect a person’s physical, mental and social functions.

The 3 most common type of eating disorders are:

Anorexia nervosa – It is characterised by a person's urge to control their weight by not eating sufficient food or doing too much workout to lose weight 

Bulimia Nervosa – In this type of eating disorder the person loses control over how much they should eat and then they take drastic measures to lose or to not put on weight. People suffering from bulimia nervosa can be underweight, normal, overweight or even obese.

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Binge eating disorder (BED) – This is characterised by eating large amounts of food until there’s a feeling of uncomfortable fullness or even nausea.

People with anorexia nervosa always try to keep their weight as low as possible by not eating enough food, starving or doing too much workout.

They may eat small amounts of low-calorie foods and do extreme exercises. Some persons can also intermittently binge eat and then vomit.

Some common signs of anorexia nervosa are: 

-Extremely restricted diet

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-a very low body mass index (BMI) than normal

-Emaciation—extreme thinness

-Skipping meals, avoiding eating 

-Intense fear of weight gain

-Even after being healthy or underweight, believing the need to lose weight 

-Taking appetite suppressants to reduce hunger 

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Over the time starvation and deficiency of nutrition can cause other symptoms to develop, like 

• Osteopenia or osteoporosis
• Constipation
• Low blood pressure
• Weakness
• Dizziness 
• Mild anaemia and muscle wasting 
• Brittle nails
• Dry and yellowish skin
• Growth of fine hair all over the body, aka lanugo
• Severe hair loss

If you think you have these symptoms and may have anorexia, see a doctor as soon as possible. Even if you aren’t sure about having the disorder, taking to the doctor and getting the right support can help you recover from anorexia. The doctor might ask questions about your eating habits, your dietary choices and your lifestyle to check your condition.