Anorexia Nervosa

Day 1: 8:00 AM run 2 miles. 9:00 AM take diet pills. 10:00 AM weight in. 11:00 AM eat 1 cup of Special K cereal= 100 calories. 12:00 to 4:00PM work, no food intake. 4:00 to 6:00PM workout. 6:15PM eat 1 cup of lettuce, no dressing=75 calories and 4 celery sticks= 80 calories. 7:00 to 9:00PM Pilates workout. 9:15PM weigh in. 9:30PM bed. Total calories for the day=225 Total fat=0 grams. This is not a schedule for a marathon runner or an Olympic athlete. This is a daily ritual for an Anorexic. Seems extreme right? Well, every aspect from food to workouts is closely analyzed in an anorexic’s mind. Food and exercise control their life and their goal for weight loss is taken to the extreme; extreme enough that their life is at risk.

Many people believe that people who suffer from anorexia do it to themselves on purpose and it is all in their head. In one aspect they are right yes it is in their head, it is a physiological problem, but it also is a life threatening disease. Something that I want you to understand is that people die from this disease; it is called “Slow Suicide” for a reason. Many people think that this disease only affects girls, but that is another myth. Although it is more common in girls, boys are affected as well. This disease usually starts in the early teen years, the same time as puberty hits, attraction to the opposite sex manifests, and the media more readily affects their lives. Young teens see the super thin models and toned celebrities and want to look like them. So they start dieting and exercising. Nothing wrong with that right? Well no, but when the dieting and exercising takes over their lives, it is now a problem. In people with anorexia weight loss becomes a sign for control and the drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control or fears related to one’s body. The cycle of restrictive eating, often accompanied by other behaviors such as excessive exercising or the overuse of diet pills and/or laxatives in order to reduce body weight is pushed to the point of starvation. This cycle becomes an obsession and, in this way, is similar to an addiction.

You now know what anorexia is so what are the symptoms? Symptoms range from psychological to physical. Some psychological symptoms include: depression, irritability, strive for perfection in all aspects of their life, and a strong desire to be thin while they hate their current body. The physical symptoms are more severe. Their extreme weight loss affects their heart, for example, low blood pressure. Since they reduce their food intake the rate their food is absorbed is slowed leading to abdominal pain and constipation. The body’s endocrine system (glands) is greatly affected by anorexia, thyroid function is reduced to preserve the body meaning that your body is struggling to survive, a woman may lose her menstrual cycle, and a major hormone imbalance may occur. Bone density is lessened leading to frequent fractures and electrolyte imbalances due to laxatives can cause death. All of these symptoms can be deadly.

I want you to realize that this disease is not something you can catch from a virus or someone is born with. This disease is deadly, but it can be prevented. Look for these signs in your friends or yourself and get help. Yes it is wonderful to be thin, but having a thin body is not worth your life. The last situation anyone wants to be in is sitting in a hospital bed with a feeding tube because you are starving yourself. I know what many of you’re a thinking, “Why don’t people with anorexia just start eating again?” I know that is concept may seem easy to you, but to someone suffering from this disease it is the hardest thing in the world. Their mind will not let them get better, their stomach has been without food for so long that when food is let it they throw it back up, and they feel as if that one bite will ruin their body they have worked so hard to have. Anorexia is like being addicted to a drug, it runs your life, you feel as if you cannot live without it, and you cannot get better without help.

I have been criticized my whole life about my weight, when I was overweight people made fun of me, when I was underweight people called me anorexic and even now it still is a daily struggle for me. When I started dieting and exercising to lose weight I would have never guessed that I would lose control, but I did. I was very heavy growing up and into my teen years so I though being thin was amazing, but every goal reached can come with a consequence. I suffered from a case of anorexia, not something I am proud of, but it was a learning experience that changed my life. Eating food use to be an addiction for me, but then not eating was an addiction. I would hide food so I did not have to eat it, weigh myself every day, exercise constantly, and would take in less than 300 calories a day. My family had no idea what was going on, but my friends did. They would take me aside all the time to try a get me help, but it wasn’t until one day I looked in the mirror and saw someone I did not know. I was pale, always sick, very underweight, and my hair was falling out. Then I decided to get help. My weight will be a life struggle for me and it goes both ways, I have to watch what I eat because I am prone to being overweight, and I have to watch the way I deal with my weight so I do not lose control again. Anorexia is scary and life changing. What I ask of you is to watch what you say to others because the reason for my experience sparked from the jokes and names I have been called all my life. Realize that words hurt and you could secretly be killing someone and not even know it. Understand that the next girl or guy you call fat or anorexic is suffering from a disease! And your hate words only make their lives worse. Words push people to their breaking points, I broke and many others out there have too and the sad part is some are not here to tell their story.           

Obesity

                The most exciting and memorable night of high school has arrived, my makeup is done, my hair is flowing with curls, I look like a princess in my dress that was specially made for me, and now I am ready to walk in to the party with all of my peers. With the first step I feel all eyes on me, I hear whispers, people smirk and laugh under their breaths, and at that very moment I realize that the hours I spent on my makeup cannot cover up the thickness of my face, the curls in my hair cannot hide my dimples, and my dress was specially made for me because I cannot fit in the dresses sold in prom stores. Prom, the most memorable night for a high school student just turned in to a night I wish I could forget because I am overweight. Have any of you felt uncomfortable in your own skin? Do people stare and laugh because you do not fit society’s image of perfect? Maybe you have glasses, well that can be changed with contacts. Maybe you have crooked teeth; you can fix that with braces. But how do you fix pounds of body fat that you have been carrying for years? Diets fail, workouts seem to go nowhere, and you have just decided to give up hope. For many teens this is a daily struggle and this prom scenario was probably their reality. Obesity is a major issue today for people our age, but there is hope.      

                The statement I want you to understand is that obesity and being overweight is a medical condition and there is a difference between obesity and overweight, obesity is past being overweight to the point where your health is majorly at risk. People who are overweight do not wish to be that way and many of them want to change but it seems impossible. Many aspects affect whether a person is prone to being overweight. Genetics play a big role, if your parents were heavy most over their lives then you are at a greater risk. Environmental aspects are diet (JUNK FOOD), lack of exercise, drinking sugary drinks, and temptation of indoor activities (video games) add to this issue. The scary problems with obesity are the health problems that go with it. Type 2 diabetes is very common, asthma because of restricted airways, sleep problems such as apnea from fat surrounding the throat, bone problems because of the excess weight, high blood pressure, and heart disease. These conditions are serious and life threatening when the life style is not changed.

                Well, how can you change your body? By changing your lifestyle. The number one thing you need is determination and a strong will. This change is something you do not want to last a few weeks and go back to the way you lived before, this is a permanent change. As far as diet goes the first step is to slowly decrease portions to shrink your stomach. Also make a promise to yourself that junk food and sweets are no longer a part of your life. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is key. Reduce the amount of red meat intake as well as no more fried food. Switching to low fat and low calorie is also important. And sorry but no more sodas or energy drinks that are pack with sugars. This may sound strict, but until you have a stable weight it will be tough. Most people who are not active cringe at the thought of working out, but it can be fun and it is vital to weight loss because without it you will not lose fat. Start slow, you do not need to work out 6 hours a day to get results. 30 minutes is a good start and you can do anything. Long distance running burns fat directly and any kind of aerobic exercise. You can even dance off the pounds! You will not even feel like you are exercising then because you are focused on the music. Another important part of changing your lifestyle is GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE! Videogames are the main culprit of obesity. Some people can sit at a TV or computer screen for hours when they can be outside getting fresh air and exercising.

                Now that I have told you how you can change if you are overweight or obese I want you to think about how these people who are struggling with their weight feel. How would you feel to have people constantly criticizing your weight? What if the only thing that defined you was your pant size? Our society is extremely focused on the prefect body. To most people “perfect” is a size zero and a tone body, but that is not realistic for most people. Instead of saying “Hey fatty” or “Look at her, she is so fat how can people like her?” Think about if that were you and you had to deal with this kind of verbal abuse every day. People who are overweight are usually unhappy with themselves and your hate words just makes matters worse. How can they heal and change their lives when they are constantly put down by others. It’s like climbing a mountain while rocks are thrown in your face, it hurts, you feel it is impossible to make it to your goal, and there is no one there to encourage you to push forward.

                Now that I have preached to you about weight loss and how it makes overweight people feel I’m sure you are thinking “How can she give other people advice when she has no idea what it is like?” Well I am not speaking from a skinny girl’s perspective. This is not something I am proud of nor is it a time in my life that I want to revisit. I have been heavy most of my life and I do not mean just chunky either. Yeah, I started out chunky, but as I got to be teenager it just got out of control. When I was in sixth grade I was 5 feet tall and 185 pounds (I’m sure that does not paint you a pretty picture). Struggling with my weight most of my life I have heard almost every fat joke and criticism there is and what hurt the most was that it mainly came from my friends and family. Instead of people knowing me as “Chelsea” they knew me as the “fat girl.” I prayed every night to lose weight so I could be like my friends, but it never seemed to go away. So one day I just decided to change my life forever. It was the middle of my sixth grade year; I put myself on a low fat diet and started exercising. I cut all junk food, fried food, and sweets out of my diet. At first it was so hard I had thought of giving up, but I could not give up on my dreams of playing volleyball, running track, and dancing without losing my breath, fitting into clothes girls in my class wore and for the first time in my life having respect. Once summer hit it seemed like the pounds just melted off and I did it all by myself. I did not use diet pills, crazy diets, or extreme workouts I just used pure determination. I started my seventh grade year a new person and I will never be the “fat girl” again. From 7^th grade to a freshman in high school my struggles with my weight became a whole other problem, because my obsession with weight loss got out of hand. So I have been from one end of the spectrum to the other, 185 pounds to 85 pounds. With the help of others and accepting myself I found a healthy balance. I have been the weight I am now for about four years now, I still struggle with my weight at times, but I have accepted the fact that I will always have to be cautious about my weight. So to the people out there that are struggling to lose the weight, I completely understand, but there is a way out. Also to those who are unhappy with their weight remember what Marilyn Monroe once said, “If you think you are not beautiful because you are not a size zero, you are the beautiful ones, society is ugly.”