Extreme MeasuresThe Quest for the Perfect

Body

To what lengths will people go to achieve the “ideal” body image?

Diets? Exercise? Steroids?Diets? Exercise? Steroids?

Anxiety and Anxiety and preoccupation preoccupation withwith

WeightWeightFoodFoodCaloriesCaloriesFatFatDietingDieting

PsychologicalPsychologicalLack of self-esteemLack of self-esteemPerceived lack of control in lifePerceived lack of control in lifeDepression, anxiety, anger or lonelinessDepression, anxiety, anger or loneliness

Interpersonal FactorsInterpersonal Factorsdifficulty with relationships, expressing difficulty with relationships, expressing

feelings and feelings and emotionsemotions

Teased about sizeTeased about size Physical or sexual abusePhysical or sexual abuse

Causes of Eating DisordersCauses of Eating Disorders

Causes, continuedCauses, continued

Societal FactorsSocietal Factors

-a culture that glorifies thinness, -a culture that glorifies thinness, muscularitymuscularity

-narrow definitions of beauty-narrow definitions of beauty

-a culture that values appearance -a culture that values appearance over inner strength and strengthsover inner strength and strengths

ANOREXIA ANOREXIA NERVOSANERVOSA

An emotional disorder in which an extreme and irrational fear of being overweight results in starvation

Sufferers have a distorted image of their own body shape (dysmorphia)

SYMPTOMS Obsession with food, weight,

calories Refuses certain foods; restricts

certain food groups, severe restriction of calories

Makes comments about “feeling fat” in spite of weight loss

Denial of hunger Baggy clothing to disguise weight

loss Use of laxatives and diuretics to

lose weight Obsession with exercise

COMPLICATIONS Risk of heart failure Bone loss leading to osteoporosis Severe dehydration causing kidney

failure Weak, fatigue, fainting (lack of

calories) Hair loss Development of “lanugo”, a downy

layer of hair that counters loss of body heat

Menstrual period stops

Starving to death is NOT beautiful or poetic, it is an UGLY UGLY death and a painful one. Starved bodies ache all the time. The skin bruises, the muscles cramp and deteriorate, the brain slows and slurs, the bowels STOP working on their own (there is nothing glamorous about that), the bones splinter and hurt and break, the body is constantly weak but ceases to be able to sleep restfully (why? because your body thinks it needs to stay awake to hunt for food, the body assumes it is in a famine)... the mouth dries, the eyes fog (some people will go BLIND from starving), the heart flutters and beats hard and painfully, and there can be many scary moments prior to actual death where the body feels so sick and like its dying (because it is).

The Truth about Anorexia

BULIMIA An emotional disorder

in which an intense fear of being overweight results in secret binge eating fol-lowed by starvation, self-induced vomiting and the use of laxatives and diuretics

SYMPTOMS

Evidence of eating large amounts of food; purchase or shoplifting of large quantities of food; secret binging

Evidence of vomiting: leaving the table immediately after eating; catching person in the act; possession of laxatives/diuretics

Rigid exercise regimen; the need to “burn off” calories Discolored, stained teeth

COMPLICATIONS Tooth decay and discoloration from stomach

acid Electrolyte imbalance leading to irregular

heart beat, heart attack and death Ulcers in esophagus, kidney damage,

digestive disorders, osteoporosis, malnutrition!

REMEMBER…bulimics look normal! They are hiding their eating secret.

The Truth about Bulimia Yes, you can DIE from bulimia and it doesn't

matter what you weigh. Here is the hard, cold truth: Bulimia is LIFE THREATENING every time you purge. Most bulimics DIE OVER A TOILET BOWL. Most bulimics DIE while in the act of purging, and are found unconscious next to the toilet. You know this because you feel your own heart racing each time that you make yourself purge. The sudden change in electrolyte balance can stop the heart from beating (electrolytes are like electricity in our bodies, electrolytes give power to our hearts, like a motor). Each act of purging is a direct threat to your physical life. Period.

ANOREXIA ATHLETICAalso known as “compulsive exercising”

Person exercises compulsively in anattempt to control their weight in a misguided attempt to gain a sense of power, control and self-respect.

SYMPTOMS Exercising beyond

what is necessary for good health

Fanatical about weight and diet

Defines self-worth in terms of performance

Insists their behavior is healthy

Steals time from work, school to exercise

Activity is no longer fun; it’s a “job”

COMPLICATIONS Often goes hand-in-hand with other eating

disorders Damage to tendons, bones, ligaments

from lack of healing time Loss of menstrual period from hormone

imbalance; osteoporosis Exhaustion; fatigue Depression, withdrawal from family and

friends, feelings of self-worth

BEWARE: FEMALE ATHLETE TRIAD!

OsteoporosisAmenorrhea

Eating disorder

Amenorrhea-stoppage of the menstrual cycle

Osteoporosis-loss of calcium from the bones; weakness, fractures

Disordered eating-anorexia, bulimia

In which sports do you think the “athletic triad” are most common? Martial arts, cross-country, ballet,

gymnastics, diving, swimming, wrestling, figure skating, track and field, rowing

Treatment for eating disorders centers on… Self-esteem (what has “robbed” them of

this?) “perfect world”. Many people with eating

disorders are “perfectionists” and often feel they are falling short of someone (or their own) standards.

Family relationships. There might be stress in the family and a loss of control; this makes them feel “in control”

Anabolic Steroids Anabolic Steroids

Steroids are Steroids are artificially artificially produced forms of produced forms of testosteronetestosterone

Users see quick Users see quick increase in muscle increase in muscle massmass

The Dangers of Steroids.The Dangers of Steroids.Apart from gettingApart from getting

caught…caught…

ADVERSE EFFECTS-ADVERSE EFFECTS-MENMEN

Acne, breast developmentAcne, breast development Sterility, shrunken testiclesSterility, shrunken testicles Heart, kidney, liver diseaseHeart, kidney, liver disease High cholesterolHigh cholesterol DepressionDepression Muscle, bone painMuscle, bone pain Aggressiveness, “roid rage”Aggressiveness, “roid rage”

ADVERSE EFFECTS-WOMENADVERSE EFFECTS-WOMEN

Stoppage of menstrual periodStoppage of menstrual period Deeper voiceDeeper voice Increase in facial and body hair, Increase in facial and body hair,

male-pattern baldnessmale-pattern baldness Decreased breast sizeDecreased breast size AcneAcne

More than half of More than half of men and women men and women using steroids using steroids knew about their knew about their dangers, but took dangers, but took them anyways!them anyways!

Steroid users have Steroid users have the same dissatis-the same dissatis-faction with their faction with their bodies as other bodies as other eating disorders…eating disorders…they always think they always think they can be they can be “bigger”“bigger”

Before You Want to Look Like Before You Want to Look Like This ……This ……

Use This!Use This!

Can we prevent eating and Can we prevent eating and exercise disorders????exercise disorders????

Body dissatisfaction is increasing and Body dissatisfaction is increasing and occurring at younger ages. By school age, occurring at younger ages. By school age, girls fear looking fat more than losing their girls fear looking fat more than losing their parents, getting cancer or a nuclear warparents, getting cancer or a nuclear war

Of students aged 12 to 17 years, 1 in 3 girls and 1 Of students aged 12 to 17 years, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 10 boys are classified as “extreme dieters” in 10 boys are classified as “extreme dieters”

making them at risk of an eating disordermaking them at risk of an eating disorder

1 out of every 4 advertisements on TV had an 1 out of every 4 advertisements on TV had an “attractiveness” message. The goal, of course, is “attractiveness” message. The goal, of course, is to make you feel inadequate so that you will buy to make you feel inadequate so that you will buy

the product and “fix your problem"the product and “fix your problem"

Young people, today, see more beauty and fitness Young people, today, see more beauty and fitness images in ONE DAY than their parents saw in images in ONE DAY than their parents saw in

their ENTIRE adolescence!...their ENTIRE adolescence!...

But is it real?????But is it real?????

The “ideal” female The “ideal” female body as portrayed by body as portrayed by the media has the media has become progressively become progressively thinner and has thinner and has stabilized at stabilized at 13-19% 13-19% belowbelow what is the what is the physically expected physically expected weight.weight.

To what extent can plastic To what extent can plastic surgery change who you are?surgery change who you are?

Men must be Men must be lean, muscular, lean, muscular, narrow in the narrow in the waistwaist

RECOMMENDATIONS for COMBATTING RECOMMENDATIONS for COMBATTING EATING DISORDERSEATING DISORDERS

•Don’t look at body magazines, look at REAL Don’t look at body magazines, look at REAL men/women.men/women.•Athletics: Focus on what your body can do rather Athletics: Focus on what your body can do rather than than how it looks.how it looks.•Fight weightism. It’s a form of bigotry, intolerance, Fight weightism. It’s a form of bigotry, intolerance,

prejudice and is socially unjust. It suggests prejudice and is socially unjust. It suggests that fat that fat fat people are lazy, lack control and are fat people are lazy, lack control and are stupid.stupid.•Develop perspective. What really matters? It’s not Develop perspective. What really matters? It’s not just just about looks.about looks.

Re-shape your body the Re-shape your body the Healthy WayHealthy Way

Limit foods high in fat, Limit foods high in fat, especially saturated fat, especially saturated fat, and cholesteroland cholesterol

Be physically active for at Be physically active for at

least 30 minutes mostleast 30 minutes most daysdays

Train properly and Train properly and remember…it takes TIME remember…it takes TIME to lose fat and gain to lose fat and gain muscle!muscle!

Some “DO’s” in Reaching Out

Speak to the person in private

Tell them how you feel

Tell them what specifically has made you concerned

Let them have time to respond

Listen carefully and nonjudgementally

Some “DON’Ts” in Reaching Out

Don’t speak to an adult without speaking to the person whom you’re concerned about

Don’t give advice about appearance Don’t confront the person with a group of

people Don’t diagnose Don’t get into an argument Don’t be judgmental

Private Practitioners

Free Community Eating Disorders Support Group

Web Sites

Overeater’s Anonymous

Books

Teachers, Counselors,

School Nurse