No Body Is Perfect!

By Dima Sharif

Understanding Eating Disorders Among Teens

&

Ways For Prevention

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Does any of this sound familiar?

"I'm too tall.", "I'm too short.", "I'm too skinny.", "If only I were shorter/taller/had curly hair/straight hair/a smaller nose/longer legs, I'd be happy."…

Do you have these thoughts too? If so, you're not alone! We all seem to not like some things about the way we look. We all occasionally put ourselves down with criticisms and negative thoughts about our body image. “The grass is always greener on the other side” is a common thought. These thoughts can be healthy, if used as a driver to motivate us to be as healthy as we can. Be it by monitoring our food intake, making sure we exercise regularly, get the proper rest our body needs…etc. However, these thoughts can become destructive! If we become obsessed with wanting a ‘body image’ that is simply not the way our bodies are, like for instance, some are naturally tall, others are shorter, obsessing about how tall/ short you are won’t change the fact! It will only make you feel bad, and cause you to have a distorted body image.

In our image-obsessed world, it can be easy to become excessively critical of our bodies. When media images, celebrity idols, and social circles over highlight a confusion between healthy and skinny it becomes easy to fall victim to a distorted view of our body image. We become obsessed with body

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

images that are being forced on us through the media. We become obsessed with a specific weight, a specific size, and a specific image that everyday concerns about healthy eating and weight management can cross the line and become eating disorders. What most of us forget is that our bodies are different!

And just because this model or that looks perfect, does not mean that we all have to look the same! Even the models, have parts of their bodies that they do not like! We all have something to criticize!

But the most important thing to know is that we all have very different body shapes, we are all beautiful in our individual and unique ways. All we need to do is work with what we have, and opt to be as healthy as we possibly can.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Developing Eating Disorders When our body image becomes an obsession, when we don’t understand our body type and think we can change it, when all we do is continuously reduce food intake to lose more weight until we reach a point that we are hardly eating, we have then fallen victim to Eating Disorders.

Eating Disorders are more than just going on a diet to lose excessive weight, or trying to exercise everyday to remain healthy.

Eating Disorders are extremes in eating behaviours: The diet that never ends and gradually gets more restrictive! Eventually causing serious and life threatening health issues.

Each year, thousands of teens develop eating disorders, or problems with weight, eating, or body image. This happens when someone starts to do things that are physically and emotionally unsafe that could have long-term health consequences. Some people go on extreme diets and can develop Anorexia. Others may go on eating binges, where they overeat to excess and develop the Binge Eating Disorder. Others may purge the food they've just eaten and develop Bulimia. While these are the most common eating disorders, there are many other eating disorders like body image disorder, food phobias‌ etc. Whatever the type of eating disorder, they all cause severe damage to our bodies and vital organs, eventually making us dangerously ill.

Signs of Eating Disorders 1. Sometimes a person with an eating disorder starts out just trying to lose some weight or hoping to get in shape. However, the urge to eat less or to purge or over-exercise gets "addictive" and becomes too hard to stop.

2. Teens with anorexia or bulimia often feel intense fear of being fat or think that they are fat when they are not.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

3. Those with anorexia may weigh food before eating it or compulsively count the calories of everything they eat. Teens who believe this is "normal" or "cool" or who wish that others would leave them alone so they can just diet and be thin might have a serious problem.

Anorexia People with anorexia have a real fear of weight gain and a distorted view of their body size and shape. As a result, they cannot maintain a normal body weight. Many teens with anorexia restrict their food intake by dieting, fasting, or excessive exercise. They hardly eat at all, and the small amount of food they do eat becomes an obsession!

Others with anorexia may also develop Bulemia, where they start binge eating and purging: eating a lot of food and then trying to get rid of the calories by forcing themselves to vomit, using laxatives, or exercising excessively, or a combination of these.

Signs of Someone with anorexia include: 

becoming very thin, frail, or emaciated



being obsessed with eating, food, and weight control



weighing him/herself repeatedly



deliberately "water loading" when going to see a health professional to get weighed



counting or portioning food carefully

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com



only eating certain foods, avoiding foods like dairy, meat, wheat, etc. (of course, lots of people who are allergic to a particular food or are vegetarians avoid certain foods)



exercising excessively



feeling fat



withdrawing from social activities, especially meals and celebrations involving food



being depressed, lethargic (lacking in energy), and feel cold a lot

Bulimia Bulimia is similar to anorexia. With bulimia, someone might binge eat (eat to excess) and then try to compensate in extreme ways, such as forced vomiting, using laxatives or excessive exercise, to prevent weight gain. Over time, these steps can be dangerous — both physically and emotionally. They can also lead to compulsive behaviors (ones that are hard to stop).

To be diagnosed with bulimia, a person must be binging and purging regularly, at least twice a week for a couple of months. People with bulimia eat a large amount of food (often junk food) at once, usually in secret. In extreme cases, bulimic individuals might even eat food that is not cooked or might be still frozen, or retrieve food from the trash.

They typically feel powerless to stop the eating and can only stop once they're too full to eat any more.

Most people with bulimia then purge the food they just consumed.

Signs of Someone with bulimia include: 

fears weight gain



Is intensely unhappy with body size, shape, and weight



makes excuses to go to the bathroom immediately after meals



only east diet or low-fat foods (except during binges)



regularly buys laxatives, diuretics, or enemas



spends most of his or her time working out or trying to work off calories



withdraws from social activities, especially meals and celebrations involving food

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Binge Eating Disorder Binge Eating Disorder is different from going to a party and "pigging out" on pizza, then deciding to go to the gym the next day and eat more healthfully.

This eating disorder is similar to anorexia and bulimia because a person binges regularly on food (more than three times a week). However, unlike the other eating disorders, a person with binge eating disorder does not try to "compensate" by purging the food.

What Causes Eating Disorders?

Many people who develop an eating disorder are between 13 and 17 years old. This is a time of emotional and physical changes, academic pressures, and a greater degree of peer pressure. Although during teen age it is completely normal (and necessary) to gain some additional body fat especially during puberty, some respond to this change by becoming very fearful of their new weight and body image. They might mistakenly feel compelled to get rid of it any way they can.

Add to that the pressure of conforming with celebrity role models while bodies grow and change during this age; it is not hard to see why some teens develop a negative view of themselves. Most celebrity teens and athletes conform to the "Hollywood image", where girls are petite and skinny, and guys are athletic and muscular. The popularity of these body types extended from Hollywood to high school, adding more pressure on teens to conform with these images.

Many people with eating disorders can also be depressed or anxious, or have other health problems.

Most Celebrity pictures are edited and fixed to look skinnier, to fix the look...etc as you can see in the image above

There is also evidence that eating disorders may run in families, mostly because we learn our values and behaviors from our families.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Sports and Eating Disorders Athletes and dancers are particularly vulnerable to developing eating disorders around the time of puberty, as they may want to stop or suppress growth (both height and weight). Coaches, family members, and others may encourage teens in certain sports — such as gymnastics, ice skating, and ballet — to be as thin as possible. Some athletes and runners are also encouraged to weigh less or shed body fat at a time when they are biologically destined to gain it.

Effects of Eating Disorders 

Eating disorders are serious medical illnesses. They often go along with other problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and substance use.



Eating disorders can lead to the development of other serious physical health problems, such as heart conditions or kidney failure.



Someone whose body weight is at least 15% less than the average weight for that person's height may not have enough body fat to keep organs and other body parts healthy.



In severe cases, eating disorders can lead to severe malnutrition and even death.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

With anorexia, the body goes into starvation mode, and the lack of nutrition can affect the body in many ways: 

a drop in blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate



hair loss and fingernail breakage



loss of periods



lanugo hair — a soft hair that can grow all over the skin



lightheadedness and inability to concentrate



anemia



swollen joints



brittle bones

With bulimia, constant vomiting and lack of nutrients can cause these problems: 

constant stomach pain



damage to the stomach and kidneys



tooth decay (from exposure to stomach acids)



"chipmunk cheeks," when the salivary glands permanently expand from throwing up so often



loss of periods



loss of the mineral potassium (this can contribute to heart problems and even death)

A person with binge eating disorder who gains a lot of weight is at risk of developing: 

Diabetes



Heart disease



Some of the other diseases associated with being overweight. Like high Cholesterol, High Blood pressure…etc

Other side effects of Eating Disorders: 

The emotional pain of an eating disorder can take its toll, too. When someone becomes obsessed with weight, it becomes hard to concentrate on much else.



Having an eating disorder can use up a lot of mental energy: planning what to eat, how to avoid food, planning a binge, getting money to buy food or laxatives or other medications…etc It can be exhausting and overwhelming to monitor food intake and exercise, and be in a constant state of stress about food and how your body looks.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com



You become withdrawn and less social: It's easy to see why when you develop an eating disorder it negatively affects your social life. It gets too hard to join in on snacks and meals with friends or families, or too hard to stop the addictive exercising or working out to have fun. Besides you will be very busy making up reasons to use the bathroom after meals, or figuring out how to tell people around you that you want to be alone after a meal, which is not exactly promoting a healthy social behaviour.

Treatment for Eating Disorders Fortunately, eating

disorders CAN be treated. People with eating disorders can get well and

gradually learn to eat well and interact with their family and friends again. Because Eating Disorders involve both the mind and body, medical doctors, mental health professionals, and dietitians will often be involved in a person's treatment and recovery. Therapy or counseling is a very important part of getting better. In many cases, family therapy is one of the keys to eating healthily again. Parents and other family members are important in supporting people who have to regain weight that they are afraid of, or to learn to accept the body shapes that their culture, genes, and lifestyle allows for.

Learning to be comfortable at your healthy weight is a process. It takes time to unlearn some behaviors and relearn others. Be patient, you can learn to like your body, understand your eating behaviors, and figure out the relationship between feelings and eating, which are all the tools you need to feel in control and to like and accept yourself for who you are.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

If you want to talk to someone about eating disorders but are unable or not ready to talk to a parent or close family member, try reaching out to a teacher, school nurse or counselor, your doctor, or another trusted adult. You will be surprised how much better you will feel and how much help and support you will get once you do reach out.

Where Can I Go if I Need Help?

Sometimes, Eating Disorders and body image issues are too much to handle alone. A few teens may become depressed, and lose interest in activities or friends. If you are feeling this way, it can help to talk to a parent, coach, religious leader, guidance counselor, therapist, or friend. A trusted adult — someone who supports you and doesn't bring you down — can help you put your body image in perspective and give you positive feedback about your body, your skills, and your abilities. If you can't turn to anyone you know, ask your doctor, s/he can guide and suggest health professionals who can help you out. The most important thing is to get help if you feel like your body image and self-esteem are affecting your life.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

If you have a friend whom you suspect has Eating Disorders, this is what you can d to help: People with eating disorders often have trouble admitting that they have a problem, even to themselves. They may feel guarded and private.

It can be hard trying to help someone who isn't ready or doesn't think help is needed. Try not to get angry or frustrated. Remind your friend that you care. If your friend tells you it is none of your business or that there is no problem, you might have to talk to someone else about it.

These are some guidelines to help you deal with the situation:



Start by talking to your friend privately about what you've noticed.

Explain that you are worried. Be as gentle as possible, and try to really listen to and be supportive about what your friend is going through.



If your friend opens up about what's going on, ask how you can help.

Tell your friend you want to help him or her get healthy again. Try not to make statements like "If you'd just eat (or stop working out so much), you'll get better." Instead, asking simple questions like "How can I help?" shows you can listen and be supportive without judging.



Find out as much as you can about eating disorders from reliable sources.

Many organizations, books, websites, hotlines, or other resources are devoted to helping people who are battling eating disorders. Learning more can help you better understand what your friend is going through. Share what you learn with your friend if he or she is open to it, but do not preach or campaign.



Try not to be too watchful of your friend's eating habits, food amounts, and choices.

It can be tempting to try to get a friend to eat more, but eating disorders are complicated so it often does no good (and it may push a friend away if he or she thinks you are judging or lecturing).



Know your limits.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Being concerned and trying to help is part of a good friendship. But don't take it on yourself to fix things. This is one time where telling a friend what to do or how to act probably won't work.



Focus on inner qualities.

Try not to talk about food, weight, diets, or body shape (yours, your friend's, or even a popular celebrity's). Focus instead on people's strengths, like how someone has a great smile, helpful nature, or talents in something like math or art.



Offer to go with your friend to a support group or be there when your friend talks to a counselor.



If your friend isn't getting better and isn't getting help, it might be time to talk to someone else.

Try talking to your parents, the school guidance counselor or nurse, athletic coach, or even your friend's parents. This isn't easy to do because it can feel like betraying a friend. But part of being a good friend is doing everything you can to help.



Remind your friend that you're there no matter what.

Listen and be supportive. Sometimes you'd be surprised how asking simple questions like "What would make you feel better?" can lead to a great conversation about how you can help your friend heal.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

You can be healthy, exercise and occasionally diet to shed excess weight.

This does not necessarily mean an Eating Disorder. However, Unhealthy Diets, Bad Eating Habits, Unhealthy Relationships with Food, Poor Body Image…etc can all lead to Eating Disorders. To prevent that, you need to understand Healthy Eating.

What are Unhealthy Diets? 

Any diet on which you eat fewer calories than you need to get through the day — like an 800-calorieper-day diet, for instance — can be dangerous.



Diets that don't allow any fat also can be bad for you. Everyone needs a certain amount of fat in their diet — up to 30% of total calories — so no one should eat a completely fat-free diet.



Don't fall for diets that restrict certain food groups, either. A diet that requires you to say no to bread or pasta or allows you to eat only fruit is unhealthy. You won't get the vitamins and minerals you need. And although you may lose weight, you'll probably gain it back as soon as you start eating normally again.



Some people start dieting because they think all the problems in their lives are because of weight.

Others have an area of their lives that they cannot control, like a bad relationship, so they focus excessively on something they can control — their exercise and food intake. Food and exercise must never be used to compensate for or deal with stress or emotional problems.



People who diet may get lots of praise and compliments from friends and family when they start losing pounds, which makes them feel good. But eventually a person reaches a weight plateau — and doesn't lose as much weight as before because the body is trying to maintain a healthy weight. People in these situations eventually discover that, even if they do lose weight, they aren't any happier.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com



Some people may find it hard to control their eating, so they stick with an extreme diet for a little while, but then eat tons of food. Feeling guilty about the binge, they vomit or use laxatives. Eating too little to maintain a healthy weight (anorexia) or eating only to throw up the calories (bulimia) are both eating disorders, which are harmful to a person's health. Someone with an eating disorder needs medical treatment right away.

How to Lose Weight Safely?

When you are a teen, dieting can be dangerous because you may not get the right kinds and amounts of nutrients, which can lead to poor growth and other health problems. However, eating healthy meals and snacks combined with reasonable amounts of exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, or lose the excess pounds, while developing properly at the same time. For many people, just being more active might help them lose weight without even changing what they eat. Regular exercise also helps them feel healthier and better about themselves.

The best way to diet is to eat a wide variety of enough food to meet your body's needs. 

Aim to eat more fruits and veggies



Cut back on meats high in fat (like burgers and hot dogs), greasy fried foods, and sweets.



Drink more water instead of sugary drinks like sports drinks or sodas.

If you are concerned about your body's size or think you need to lose weight, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian, who may reassure you that you are at a healthy weight. Or if you are overweight, he or she can sit down with you and determine the best way for you to reach a healthy weight.

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com

Great Ways to Find Good Health

If you want to change your health habits, here are some tried-and-true tips: 

Exercise! Find a sport you like, walk to school, or ride a bike a few times per week.



Drink milk, including fat-free or low-fat milk. (Many teens mistakenly think that milk has more calories than other drinks like soda. But a cup of skim milk has only 80 calories as well as protein and calcium. A can of soda has 150 calories of sugar and no other nutrients at all.)



Eat a variety of foods, including plenty — at least five servings a day — of fruits and veggies.

(Unfortunately, potato chips don't count as veggies!)



Drink plenty of water (at least four to six 8-ounce glasses a day).

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com



Eat lean, high-protein foods, like lean meat, chicken, fish, or beans.



Eat whole grains (like whole-wheat bread or pasta), which provide fiber, B vitamins, and iron.



Eat breakfast. Studies show that people who eat breakfast do better in school, tend to eat less throughout the day, and are less likely to be overweight.



Choose smaller portions at fast-food restaurants. Avoid supersizing even if it feels like better value.



Stay away from fad diets — you might lose a few pounds temporarily, but if you don't focus on changing your habits, you'll probably just gain it back when you go back to your usual way of eating.



Don't take diet pills, even ones you get over the counter.



Avoid seeing foods as "good" or "bad" or eliminating entire groups of foods, like dairy. If you eliminate entire food groups, you may miss out on important nutrients, like calcium.



If you choose to become a vegetarian, talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to make nutritious vegetarian choices.

Food is so much fun, very social and delicious. Food is a fabulous experience that brings us closer to the people around us, besides being a pleasure. You don’t want to miss out on the beauty and pleasure that food brings to our lives. Like with everything in life, All is Good in moderation. A balance is always needed.

Please don’t suffer in silence. Please seek help you will be amazed how good it feels to recover!

This is NOT a Medical Document. This is an open discussion about Eating Disorders among teens. In case of suffering from or suspecting an Eating Disorder you must seek medical help from certified medical professionals. www.dimasharif.com