Eating Disorders Affect People at Many Different Levels
By Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N.
After years of working with student athletes at the University of Louisville Athletic Department and with some of our local high school students who suffered from eating disorders, my approach had always been to reinforce the attitude that you need food (calories) to perform at your best. Your body is like a car; if you don't put any gas in it, you won't get very far. Food should not be the bad guy. Restricting food can deplete fuel stores and cause amenorrhea, stress fractures, fainting and weakness fatigue, which can ultimately impair performance. Chronic fatigue due to eating too few of calories ultimately leads to illness and injury. Some athletes can live on a calorie deficit for a period, but injury and lack of energy eventually take their toll.
For some reason, food has become our national enemy. However, with eating disorders, food is not really the problem. But, food becomes the issue because it is the only thing the student athlete can manipulate. Their training and school schedules are very structured, but the athlete can control what goes into his or her mouth. A disordered eating pattern can be caused by an underlying abuse issue or a coach who has made the athlete focus too much on their body weight.
Many sports are breeding grounds for eating disorders or disordered eating - including sports with weight standards such as lightweight rowing or wrestling; sports that are aesthetic in appearance such as gymnastics, ballet dancing, cheerleading and figure skating or sports like running and volleyball. But, eating disorders can be found in an array of sports.
When Dan Benardot, Ph.D., from Georgia State University proved to the gymnasts and their coaches at USA Gymnastics that they could actually eat for performance, he gained the attention of many young athletes and their coaches. These gymnasts went on to win numerous gold medals for the U.S.
EATING DISORDERS STATISTICS
- Eating disorders affect five to 10 million Americans and 70 million worldwide. (Crowther, et. al., 1995)
- Approximately one million males have eating disorders. (Crowther, et. al., 1995)
- It is estimated that currently 11 percent of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.
- Time magazine reports that 80 percent of all children have been on a diet by the time they have reached the fourth grade.
- The diet and diet-related industry is a 50-billion-dollar a year enterprise. (M. Maine, 2000)
- Ninety-one percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. Fifty-one percent of 9- and 10-year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet. (Mellin et. al., 1992)
- Up to 19 percent of college-aged women in America are bulimic. (Radar Programs)
- In their lifetime, 0.5 - 3.7 percent of females suffer from Anorexia Nervosa. (NIMH, 2000)
- In their lifetime, 1.1 - 4.2 percent of females suffer from Bulimia Nervosa. (NIMH, 2000)
- Two - five percent of the American population experiences Binge Eating Disorder. (NIMH, 2000)
- Ten - 25 percent of all those battling anorexia will die as a direct result of the eating disorder. (ANAD)
- Bulimia often occurs in athletes such as gymnasts, wrestlers, dancers, horse jockeys, football players and runners.
- A study conducted by Cornell University found that 40 percent of male football players surveyed engaged in some sort of disordered eating behavior. (Newsweek, 1994)
- Men constitute as many as 40 percent of those exhibiting Binge Eating Disorder. (DSM IV, 1994)
- The mortality rate for anorexia is higher than for any other psychological disorder. In fact, it's the No. 1 cause of death among young women. Five - 10 percent of anorexics will die within ten years of onset. Eighteen - 20 percent diet within twenty years of onset, and only 50 percent report ever being cured. (ANAD).
From: www.eatingdisorderinfo.org
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE AN EATING DISORDER?
If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you may have a problem with eating and should discuss the issue with a professional.
- Does the diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa or diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa describe you? (See the Ask Your Doctor column)
- Are you constantly thinking about food, weight or body image?
- Is it difficult to concentrate on the daily tasks of studying or work because of food and weight thoughts?
- Do you worry about what your last meal is doing to your body?
- Do you experience guilt or shame around eating?
- Is it difficult for you to eat in public?
- Do you count calories every time you eat or drink?
- Do you diet chronically only to regain the weight after going "off" the diet?
- Do you feel "out of control" when it comes to food?
- When others tell you that you are too thin, do you still feel fat?
- If you see yourself as thin, do you still obsess about your stomach, hips, thighs or buttocks being too big?
- Do you weigh yourself several times daily?
- Does the number on your scale determine your mood and outlook for the day?
- When you are momentarily satisfied with your weight, do you resolve to be even more vigilant?
- Do you punish yourself with more exercise or restrictions if you don't like the number on the scale?
- Do you exercise more than 45 minutes, five times each week with a goal of burning calories?
- Will you exercise to lose weight even if you are ill or injured?
- Do you label foods as "good" or "bad?"
- If you eat a "bad" or forbidden food do you berate yourself and compensate by skipping your next meal, purging or adding extra exercise?
- Do you vomit after eating and/or use laxatives or diuretics to keep your weight down?
- Do you severely limit your food intake?
Reprinted from " Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide To Recovery "
HELPFUL WEBSITES
BOOKS WORTH LOOKING INTO
"Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery" - Lindsay Hall and Monika Ostroff
"Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery" - Lindsay Hall and Leigh Cohn
"Anorexics on Anorexia" - Rosemary Shelley
"Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self" - Lori Gottleib
"Overcoming Overeating" - Jane R. Hirschman, M.S.W. and Carol Munter
For Parents :
"Anorexia Nervosa: A Survival Guide to Families, Friends and Sufferers" - Janet Treasure
"Diary of An Eating Disorder: A Mother and Daughter Share Their Healing Journey" - Chelsea Brown Smith with Beverly Runton
"Like Mother, Like Daughter" - Debra Waterhouse, MPH, RD
"When Your Child Has An Eating Disorder: A Step-by-Step Workbook for Parents and Other Caregivers" - Abigail H. Natenshon
For Teens :
"Girl Power in the Mirror" - Helen Cordes
"Starving to Win: Athletes and Eating Disorders" - Eileen O'Brien
"Life in the Fat Lane " - Cherie Bennett
"Eating Disorder Survivors Tell Their Story" - Christina Chiu
"Anorexia Nervosa: When Food is the Enemy" - Erica Smith
"PERK! The Story of a Teenage with Bulimia" - Liza Hall
"Exercise Addiction" - Laurie Kaminker
"Body Blues: Weight and Depression" - Laura Weeldreyer
THE DOS AND DON'TS OF HELPING A FRIEND WITH AN EATING DISORDER
The following list was compiled by Tiffany Clinton-Taylor, M.S., N.C.C., L.M.H.C.
THE DOS
- Increase your knowledge about eating disorders. (Request information packets, read books, attend seminars.)
- Talk with the person about your concerns in a loving and supportive way. It is important to discuss these issues with honesty and respect.
- Talk with the person at an appropriate time and place - in private, free from distractions.
- Encourage the person to seek professional help as soon as possible. Suggest that she/he see someone who specializes in eating disorders (a physician, therapist or dietitian).
- Be prepared that the person may deny that she/he has a problem. If so, and if she/he refuses to get help, it will be important to tell someone else about your concerns. If your friend is under 18, her/his parents need to know immediately.
- Listen with a nonjudgmental ear.
- Talk about things other than food, weight and exercise.
- Be available when your friends needs someone, but remember, it is okay to set limits on what you can and cannot do.
- Hang in there! It won't be easy.
THE DON'TS
- Don't try to solve her/his problems or help with the eating disorder on your own. Get help from others.
- Don't confront your friend with a group of people or in front of a group of people.
- Don't talk about weight, food, calories or appearance. Do not make any comments on what she/he looks like.
- Don't try to force or encourage your friend to eat. Do not get into power struggles.
- Don't let her/his peculiarities dominate or manipulate you.
- Don't gossip about her/him to others.
- Don't be scared to talk with her/him.
- Don't expect to be the perfect friend - reach out for support when you need it.
- Don't expect your friend to be "cured" after treatment. Recovery is a long process.
- Don't keep this a secret for your friend. Remember, her/his live may be in danger.
From: www.eatingdisorderinfo.org
Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is the publisher and nutrition editor of KHF. She is the former sports nutrition consultant to the University of Louisville Athletic Department and the United States Navy SEALs. Barbara is also the author of Fast Facts on Fast Food For Fast People (ISBN 0-9631538-6-2) and High Energy Eating Sports Nutrition Workbook for Active People (ISBN 0-9631538-5-4). In addition, Barbara has a private practice specializing in sports nutrition, has a weekly health & fitness radio show on WKJK 1080 AM and is the nutrition/recovery editor for Performance Volleyball Conditioning. Barbara serves on the Board of The Mint Jubilee, Special Olympics Kentucky, the Louisville Youth Training Center and Fit Louisville and is a member of Greater Louisville, Inc. and NAWBO.
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