Can You Say No?

Peer pressure is something that every person has grown up learning about. Schools teach students at a young age to “just say no” and to make decisions for themselves. When those students reach college, the amount of peer pressure they are faced with drastically increases. Whether it be something minor such as skipping class for a day or life changing such as trying drugs, students are faced with important decisions to make on a daily basis. Peer pressure obviously comes from our peers and having to live up to their expectations but what we don’t think about is where these expectations are coming from in the first place. Today we live in a world where people are constantly being compared to gorgeous celebrities and stick skinny models that in reality we know an average being could never be anything close to without much needed help. This is where the problem of eating disorders comes into play. College students, with the limited time and budget they have, think that it is impossible to maintain a healthy diet and exercise while at school and would rather starve themselves or throw up any food that they do eat to attain a tiny figure such as those women featured in all the magazines we read. College students, especially women, are being judged by their appearance every second of the day and will do anything to conform to the expectations surrounding them.

Anorexia Nervosa and the Effects

Anorexia nervosa, more commonly referred to as anorexia, is a severe eating disorder. It has been recognized to be a psychological disorder too. It typically affects women in their teenage years, however it does affect men too. Anorexia is more difficult to diagnose because people with anorexia tend to hide it and are in denial. Anorexia has many health effects that can be detrimental not only immediately but can affect the person later on in life too. The effects include: low blood pressure, frequent urination, anemia, osteoporosis, arrhythmia, loss of menstrual cycle, and hormonal imbalances. While some of these health affects seem to be minor the seriousness of an eating disorder is not to be taken lightly. Along with all the health affects previously listed a person suffering from anorexia often shows physical affects such as brittle skin, hair, and nails, lower body temperature, fine hair covering the body, severe weight loss, and hair loss.

Bulimia & Its Side Effects

Bulimia is an eating disorder followed by the symptoms of not eating for a long period of time followed by binging, extreme overeating with large amounts of food at one time. After overeating, the person then feels guilty, depressed, and suffers from low self esteem. To overcome these feelings, the person then proceeds to vomit and throw up everything that they have just consumed. This pattern continues with every meal that they eat. The image above shows some of the extremely harmful effects that bulimia has on our bodies. Depression, liver/kidney damage, stomach ulcers, and an irregular heartbeat are just to name a few. Not only is bulimia extremely hazardous to ones health but bulimia is also a huge mental block to overcome. If you feel as if you are suffering from any of these symptoms above and the cause might be from an eating disorder, please do not hesitate to call 1 (800) 330-0490. Avalon Hills, the residential eating disorder program.

Compulsive Overeating

What is it?

Compulsive overeating is another disorder just like bulimia where the person is addicted to food and constantly overeating. Subsequently, they do not stop eating even when they are full. Again, just like bulimia, they feel the same guilt and low self esteem from overeating but do not act on those feelings and do not throw up.

What are the causes? 

Most of the people that suffer from overeating are using food to hide form their emotions and to cope with stress. This way of coping however tends to go in a downward circle. People overeat from stress, but then get stressed again from being overweight.

Symptoms of Overeating

Consuming large amounts of food, eating very quickly, eating even when uncomfortably full, and eating alone.

Compulsive overeating is in fact a disorder; however, when seeking help, it can be cured pretty quickly.

Not Otherwise Specified?

Two types of eating disorders are recognized: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, but what happens when a person meets all of the symptoms of having an eating disorder except one? This is referred to as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or ED-NOS for short. Many people mistake not otherwise specified as not important, but this is not the case. The affects of ED-NOS can be just as detrimental as the affects of anorexia or bulimia. A person suffering from ED-NOS can participate in a large range of disordered eating, which is why it cannot be specified. It is often referred to as ‘sub-disorder’ meaning that it is a less extreme version of an eating disorder. An example that is very commonly seen is binge eating, when someone goes and consumes large amounts of food but does not purge or having a constant obsession with exercising.  Many people who suffer from ED-NOS are not super skinny, rather that are ‘normal’ weight, however their struggle is just as severe as one suffering from anorexia or bulimia.

 

A College Student’s Letter Home

Dear Mom and Dad,

            I’ve been here for a couple months now and though I love every minute of my time here    I do have few complaints:

        1.  This place sucks!

        2.  The dining hall and I have a love/hate relationship

        3.  Everyone’s a stick, I’m a balloon

        4.  I DON’T understand how this is happening

        5.  I have no time to work out because I live in the library

        6.  Even if I had time to work out I’d have to wait an hour for the elliptical

        7.  Why is McDonalds conveniently located next to my dorm?

        8.  How can everyone else walk around so confidently and all I feel is self conscious and huge?

        9.  Why does alcohol have to have so many empty calories?

      10.  Why, after we all drink, do we have to go get more food?

      11.  It’s almost impossible to maintain a diet here

      12.  I eat when I study, I eat late at night, I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m bored, I EAT ALL THE TIME!!!!

I never believed in the freshman 15, but apparently it’s true. Please stop sending me care packages.

Love,

      MMAD

Use and Abuse

Eating disorders sound so easy when one thinks of them. I can either starve myself or binge and purge, a great solution for attaining the perfect body. But what many people don’t realize when weighing the pros and cons of these vicious disorders is the entire package that comes with it. It isn’t common knowledge that eating disorders help lead to substance abuse of different types of drugs and why would it be? To an outsider, it is unexplainable but to someone who lives with the effects of having an eating disorder, it makes perfect sense. To those people, using and abusing these substances only adds to their main goal: losing weight; they never think about the damage it is taking on their bodies. As shown in Figure 1.B, a graph generated from a study conducted by CASA (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) at Columbia University, cigarettes are the most used substance by females with eating disorders, because it suppresses the appetite, followed by alcohol, because since they do not eat there is a greater chance of purging after drinking. Females with eating disorders use and abuse drugs at a greater percent than those without any disorder symptoms.

Where To Get Help

Living in an image conscious culture it is definite that our appearance means a lot to us. As young adults, college students, especially women, are susceptible to eating disorders. It is important if you see a friend or yourself showing signs of unhealthy eating habits that you seek help. Not all the time is it easy to ask for help but in any case it is a must. Many national and local organizations have facilities and programs to help their patients get back on track. If you or someone you now may need help contact these organizations.

NEDA 

Avalon Hills

Something-Fishy

Understand, Prevent, & Resolve

How To Live A Healthy Life

It is apparent that watching the way you eat and what you eat is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. When going to college all students struggle with body image and eating habits. Some key ways to avoid problems with the eating disorders addressed above are simple and easy to follow.

-       When and what are you eating?

Regularity is key. It is important to eat at least three nutrient rich meals a day. Skipping meals messes with your metabolism and eating foods high in saturated fats and added sugars will not provide your body with the nutritious content it needs. Eating colorful fruits and veggies are the foundation to a healthy diet. Packed with vitamins, minerals, fibers, and antioxidants it is important to incorporate these foods on a regular basis. Look at what you're eating before you put it in your mouth.

-       It’s not just what you eat but how you eat

Eating with others allows you to model healthy eating habits. You are more cautious of what you are physically putting in your mouth when you are sitting at a table with friends than when you are sitting in front of a TV or computer stuffing your face. In addition chewing your food fully and asking yourself if you are really hungry will help with potential digestive and over eating problems. Eating more smaller meals throughout the day, rather than three heavy meals, will bring your energy up and will help keep the body healthy.

If we all make taking care of our body a priority we are guaranteed to live a healthy lifestyle. For more ideas on how to eat healthy visit these websites.

http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com/eating-habits.html

http://www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html