Poor body image may lead to unhealthful and harmful eating behaviors.

body image

fad diets

weight cycling

eating disorders

anorexia nervosa

bulimia nervosa

binge eating disorder

Your Body Image

The media and other influences can affect your body image.

Try to accept yourself the way you are.

Your Body Image

When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? If the answer is yes, that means that your body image is positive.

Body imageThe way you see your body

Your Body Image

Images shown in the media aren’t always realistic.

Peers and media images can influence body image.

Accepting Yourself

May cause other teens to gain weight. Hormonal Changes

May cause some teens to look thin. Growth Spurts

AffectPhysical Change

Fad Diets

Fad diets are neither safe nor reliable ways to lose weight.

People on fad diets may lose weight temporarily, but they usually regain it after going off the diet.

Fad Diets

Teens who want to lose weight may be tempted to try fad diets that promise quick, easy weight loss.

Fad dietsWeight-loss plans that tend to be popular for only a short time

Fad Diets

People who follow fad diets may fall into weight cycling.

Weight cyclingA repeated pattern of losing and regaining body weight

Types of Fad Diets

Types of Fad Diets

Miracle Foods

Magic Combinations

Liquid DietsDiet Pills

Fasting

Recognizing Fad Diets

Any diet plan that does not follow the MyPyramid guidelines may deprive your body of nutrients.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are extreme and dangerous eating behaviors that require medical attention.

Eating disorders are classified as mental illnesses.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are often linked to depression, low self-esteem, or troubled personal relationships.

Eating disordersExtreme, harmful eating behaviors that can cause serious illness or even death

Eating Disorders

Social and cultural forces that emphasize physical appearance can play a role in eating disorders.

 

Research also suggests that genetics may be a factor in the development of eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa

People with anorexia nervosa see themselves unrealistically as overweight even when they are dangerously thin.

Anorexia nervosaAn eating disorder in which an irrational fear of weight gain leads people to starve themselves

Anorexia Nervosa

People with anorexia develop obsessive behaviors related to food, such as:

avoiding food and meals

eating only a few kinds of food in small amounts

weighing or counting the calories in everything they eat

exercising excessively

weighing themselves repeatedly

Anorexia Nervosa

Possible health consequences

Brittle bones

Drop in body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure

Reduction in organ size

Heart problems and sudden cardiac death

Bulimia Nervosa

People with bulimia nervosa regularly binge then purge.

Bulimia nervosaAn eating disorder that involves cycles of overeating and purging, or attempts to rid the body of food

Bulimia Nervosa

Binging is eating a huge amount of food in a single sitting.

 

Purging is forcing vomiting, taking laxatives to flush food out of the system, or fasting or exercising frantically after a binge.

Bulimia Nervosa

Possible health consequences

Dehydration

Sore and inflamed throat

Swollen glands

Damaged teeth

Damage to the stomach, intestines, or kidneys

Irregular heart rhythms, heart failure, and death

Binge Eating Disorder

People with binge eating disorder do not purge.

Binge eating disorderan eating disorder in which people overeat compulsively

Binge Eating Disorder

Consequences of binge eating disorder include:

Becoming overweight or obese

Developing the health problems associated with obesity

Seeking Help

Eating disorders are serious illnesses that require medical help.

 

Medical help may involve counseling, nutritional guidance, a doctor’s care, and, in extreme cases, a hospital stay.

Seeking Help

If you think that you or someone you know may have an eating disorder, talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent, counselor, or school nurse.

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

Any two: Insecurity about physical changes during adolescence, images in the media, attitudes of friends and family

1. List two factors that influence body image.

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

2. Define fad diets.

Fad diets are weight-loss plans that tend to be popular for only a short time.

After You ReadReviewing Facts and Vocabulary

3. List three types of eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder