To Your Health:

Prevention of Eating Disorders

By Nancy DiMarco, Ph.D. and Johnna Kudlac, M.S, R.D., L.D

We live in a society where we are constantly being told how to look, from the 3-year-old who is told how cute he is to the 50-something woman who is asked by well-meaning friends if she has lost weight.

The media fuels the situation by their portrayal of successful individuals as being perfectly proportioned. Rarely do you see an average looking or larger than average person in a prime role.

Go to any locker room and I can assure you that the average woman (or man, although I haven't been in any men's locker rooms lately) looks nothing like what we are fed by television and movies.

Magazines have gone as far as producing computer-generated cover models in their quest for perfection. Airbrushing also is a common practice used to make a cover model look "perfect." But rarely are we told that the average female model weighs up to 25 percent less than the average woman. And those models are between 15 percent to 20 percent below a healthy weight for age and height.

These women are not healthy and should not be emulated!

Diet advertisements also are a continuing problem. The airways, magazines and newspapers are filled with get-the-weight-off-quick snake oil remedies that promise immediate results.

The only thing that is immediate is the hole that appears in your wallet or pants when you give them your money. There are so few weight loss programs that actually work I could name them on one hand. Weight Watchers and Take Off Pounds Sensibly are two.

Peer pressure has never vanished from middle and high school campuses. Dressing to succeed or to be accepted by peer groups often prompts some vulnerable young person to begin unhealthy eating behaviors.

The home environment is a weight-loss battleground for many youngsters, too. If Mom is dieting constantly or talking about weight loss, guess who is listening and observing closely? Parents must instill a sense of pride in their children and make them feel good about themselves and their bodies, regardless of what size or shape they are.

With all these messages, it's no wonder some young people develop eating disorders. And eating disorders are dangerous!

One of our recent students, 24 years old, had her bone mineral density measured at the Institute for Women's Health and we determined it was equivalent to that of an 82-year-old.

She entered counseling with a dietitian and professional counselor. At one point, she had lost 48 percent of her “ideal” body weight and she was so weak she could barely walk up a flight of stairs and her hair was falling out.

Her dietitian and her physician actually went to her work and took her out and admitted her into inpatient care.

She wanted to get better but she had no idea how to get well because of her intense fear of gaining weight. She played mind games with her professional health team by putting weights on her ankles or drinking copious amounts of water before it was time to be weighed.

She had a very low resting heart rate, mitral-valve prolapse and became dizzy each time she stood up because of extremely low blood pressure. Like others with eating disorders, she was at a much greater risk for sudden death from cardiac arrest.

Prevention Of Eating Disorders

Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, a recognized expert in eating disorders, believes every child should be treated as if he or she has an eating disorder because every child needs that much care and awareness. Pay attention to eating habits, weight gain and loss and with girls changes in menstrual cycle.

And parents suspect a child has an eating disorder, seek the help of a licensed professional counselors, registered or licensed dietitian and psychologists and physicians specializing in eating disorders.

Web sites with more information concerning eating disorders are: something-fishy.org, mirror-mirror.org/eatdis.htm, anorexiasurvivalguide.com, centerforchange.com, aedweb.org, bulimia.com, iaedp.com, hedc.org, medainc.org, nmisp.org and overcomingovereating.com.

Dr. Nancy DiMarco is a research professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, nutrition coordinator for the Institute for Women's Health and coordinator of the master's program in Exercise and Sports Nutrition at Texas Woman's University. She can be reached at ndimarco@twu.edu.

Johnna Kudlac, M.S, R.D., L.D., is practicum coordinator for the Exercise and Sports Nutrition program and also a dietitian in private practice specializing in eating disorders and sports nutrition. She can be reached at jkudlac@twu.edu.

Dos And Don'ts When You Suspect An Eating Disorder

Do:

• Call a professional if you suspect someone has an eating disorder
• Find out everything you can about what is wrong, medically and personally
• Get help for yourself
• Tell them you are there to support them and to listen
• De-emphasize weight by eliminating comments about weight
• Explore your own values and attitudes toward weight loss, and body image. Often we are guilty of the same behaviors as those we are trying to help
• Monitor internet use – some sites actually show teens “how-to”

Don't:

• Believe that weight reduction equates with increased performance
• Deal with the problem by yourself
• Discuss weight or eating habits
• Personalize, and realize that your concern will be met with anger and denial
• Point your finger
• Be the food police
• Tell them they have to fix the problem
• Attach punishment to behavior
• Use food as a leveraging point

Above all, take the warning signs seriously. There is a 10 percent to 15 percent mortality rate and a 25 percent suicide rate for persons with eating disorders.

For Further Information Contact:

Roy Kron
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: rkron@twu.edu