Let’s not be mistaken. Obesity is serious. But so is self-malnourishment. In a society that constantly publicizes the “obesity epidemic”, sometimes it’s easy to forget that people fall on the other end of the spectrum too. Eating disorders can range from very serious to very mild, but there are a few things that might surprise you about people who suffer from an eating disorder.
1. We don’t all make ourselves throw up.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of other types of eating disorders that don’t involve inducing vomiting. Bulimia just happens to be one of the commonly known eating disorders that does. And even then, people with bulimia often engage in excessive exercise to rid themselves of the guilt of eating too much instead of making themselves throw up. There are different methods of purging. And we’re not proud of any of them.
2. We eat really, really slow.
A big part of having an eating disorder is feeling like we’re making our food last for as long as possible. AKA: Mealtimes are carefully planned.
3. Which means we are excellent planners.
Meals, beverages, meal times, how many pieces we are going to cut our skinless chicken breast into at dinner at 5:30 pm because eating any later than that will make you gain weight… Needless to say, this obsessive planning tends to bleed out into our everyday life too.
4. We love cookies and cake just as much as the next person.
Yes, we do want some of that pizza after a Friday night out. We do want the Hershey bars and the homemade cookies your mom sent you at school. And we sure as hell want that chocolate cake that’s there every single day in the cafeteria. People will try to tell you that the less you eat something, the less you will crave it over time. We call bullshit. And it’s entirely our own fault. Most of the time, we restrict ourselves so much that our cravings are out of control. So no, the fact that we haven’t eaten a single chocolate chip cookie since the school year started doesn’t mean we don’t want one. We do.
5. Not all of us are depressed.
A lot of people mistakenly associate eating disorders with depression and anxiety. Sometimes that’s true. But sometimes it’s not. Sure, most eating disorders are accompanied by a discontent with the way we look, but that can range from extremely mild to extremely severe. In fact, a lot of eating disorder cases are pretty mild, which means many sufferers can go about their day without it being obvious that they’re struggling with their diet (although that doesn’t make it any less serious).
6. Sometimes it’s not about “being thin”.
At least, it doesn’t always start that way. A lot of eating disorders start with the desire to be healthy or look athletic, but as time progresses it’s not hard for things to get taken out of control. Eating “healthy” becomes the sole focus, and our minds will twist that into seeing every single thing that could possibly be unhealthy about any food we’re even thinking about consuming (that includes fruits and vegetables ladies and gents – we look for ways those foods are unhealthy too). As time goes on, sometimes our motives just change, and we can’t really help it.
7. A lot of times, we don’t know it’s a disorder.
Most of us don’t just wake up one day and decide we’re going to stop eating, or make ourselves throw up after every meal, or run on the treadmill until our knees feel like jello. The intentions are usually a lot more harmless than that at the start. Which means sometimes it can take a long time before we realize we need help.
Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, and anyone can suffer from them. This article is not to suggest that these characteristics apply to every person who suffers from an eating disorder. Rather, it is to accentuate some of the quirks that come along with eating disorders that many might not realize. If you or anyone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, or if you think you might be at risk, please call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237 for free, confidential assistance. It could save a life.
