The Effects Of Eating Disorder Knowledge On Dieting Beliefs
Melanie Palomares, Ph.D. and Kristin Kirchner
Psychology 228 is a capstone class for psychology majors and minors. The main goal of the course is the completion of an independent research project, which the student develops themselves from idea to data analysis over the course of the semester. The instructional team is led by faculty member Dr. Melanie Palomares and dedicated graduate students. The 2019-2020 graduate student team consisted of Wendy Chu, Kristin Kirchner, Samantha Langley, Jaleel McNeil, Jonathan Rann, and Daria Thompson. ;
Students were encouraged to develop a study based on their personal interests such as social media, interpersonal relationships, or exercise. Following certification in human subjects training, the students collected data by deploying surveys and assessments to their target demographic. Students analyzed and interpreted their data using SPSS, a statistical software. Students then wrote a full length, APA style research paper about their project. Students from this class acquired several skills such as responsible research conduct, survey creation, statistical software analysis, and professional writing. This class provided the opportunity for undergraduate students to preview the graduate student research experience. The students published here went the extra mile and prepared their research papers for this publication, which often included additional, more sophisticated data analysis and new research questions.
Tip : Develop A Healthier Relationship With Food
Even though anorexia isnt fundamentally about food, over time youve developed harmful food habits that can be tough to break. Developing a healthier relationship with food entails:
- Getting back to a healthy weight
- Starting to eat more food
- Changing how you think about yourself and food
Let go of rigid food rules. While following rigid rules may help you feel in control, its a temporary illusion. The truth is that these rules are controlling you, not the other way around. In order to get better, youll need to let go. This is a big change that will feel scary at first, but day by day, it will get easier.
Get back in touch with your body. If you have anorexia, youve learned to ignore your bodys hunger and fullness signals. You may not even recognize them anymore. The goal is to get back in touch with these internal cues, so you can eat based on your physiological needs.
Allow yourself to eat all foods. Instead of putting certain food off limits, eat whatever you want, but pay attention to how you feel physically after eating different foods. Ideally, what you eat should leave you feeling satisfied and energized.
Get rid of your scale. Instead of focusing on weight as a measurement of self-worth, focus on how you feel. Make health and vitality your goal, not a number on the scale.
Getting past your fear of gaining weight
Getting back to a normal weight is no easy task. The thought of gaining weight is probably extremely frightening, and you may be tempted to resist.
How Fad Diets Lead To Disordered Eating
Dieting is not considered a direct cause of eating disorders at this time. However, in some cases, engaging in fad dieting may contribute to the development of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. In fact, research has shown that engaging in extreme dieting often leads to eating disorders, especially among adolescents and young adults.;
For this reason, it is important to be aware of the risks that come with dieting, especially when it involves;fad diets with severe restrictions. When not properly practiced or controlled, these diets can have a lasting negative impact on psychological and physical health.
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Development Of Eating Disorders Over Follow
The baseline characteristics of the 2,992 young female dieters are shown in . The response rates at each follow-up point were 76%, 68%, 63%, and 60%, respectively. The amount of missing data was modest, with the great majority of items from the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire completed by over 97% of the participants. Those who complied with follow-up had a lower baseline global score on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire than those who did not .
Diets Can Cause Weight Fluctuations
Many people diet for a time, then return to old eating habits. Then, they will diet again and repeat the pattern. This causes frequent weight fluctuations that are not healthy. Researchers have even found a link between weight fluctuations and diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
Frequent weight fluctuations can also be a sign of an eating disorder, so if you find yourself losing and then gaining weight repeatedly, you may be at risk.
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Difference Between Disordered Eating And Eating Disorders
Feeling guilty for eating when you are hungry is like feeling guilty for breathing when your lungs need oxygen. We have been taught to be ashamed of our basic human needs. Refuse to feel shame. You are allowed to eat.
In todays society, we are inundated by food fads, trendy diets, technology apps that record our every move and calorie burned, and the pressure from society to lose weight to be viewed as beautiful.
So, what happens when we become obsessed with this culture and where do we draw the line to differentiate disordered eating and eating disorders? To understand the abnormal, we must first understand what the normal standard is.
There is a lot of controversy regarding what the standard daily calorie consumption is for adults. Still, the Food and Drug Administration has based the daily diet on a 2,000 daily caloric intake, which should include adequate servings of fruits and vegetables and proteins and minimal servings of carbohydrates and fats.
In other words, eating three balanced meals a day is the standard diet in the United States. Additionally, normalized, non-disordered eating is when individuals consume food when they are hungry and can stop eating once they are full. When individuals begin to consume food out of boredom or stress, normalized eating becomes a problem.
How Are Eating Disorders Diagnosed
Health care providers and mental health professionals diagnose eating disorders based on history, symptoms, thought patterns, eating behaviors, and an exam.
The doctor will check weight and height and compare these to previous measurements on growth charts. The doctor may order tests to see if there is another reason for the eating problems and to check for problems caused by the eating disorder.
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Tip : Challenge Damaging Mindsets
People with anorexia are often perfectionists and overachievers. Theyre the good daughters and sons who do what theyre told, try to excel in everything they do, and focus on pleasing others. But while they may appear to have it all together, inside they feel helpless, inadequate, and worthless.
If that sounds familiar to you, heres the good news: these feelings dont reflect reality. Theyre fueled by irrational, self-sabotaging ways of thinking that you can learn to overcome.
How Do Eating Disorders Affect Health And Emotions
Eating disorders can cause serious problems throughout the body.
Anorexia can lead to health problems caused by undernutrition and low body weight, such as:
- low blood pressure
- feeling tired, weak, dizzy, or faint
- constipation and bloating
- autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit disorder
- problems at home and school because of eating behavior
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Missing Elements Of Nutrition
Lets take look at the staples in many fitness enthusiasts diets: chicken, rice, broccoli, oatmeal, eggs, nuts, fish, olive oil, etc. For many, things such as fruit, dairy, and bread are a no-go. Whats unfortunate about the exclusion of certain food groups is the lack of variety, which creates a lack of essential nutrients. A wide, varied diet allows for the diversity of vitamins and minerals necessary to keep your body healthy.
Another issue that can develop from a severely limited diet is the potential for too much or too little fiber. Since some clean eaters dont track what they eat, its entirely possible to be out of a reasonable fiber range. There are negative effects associated with both too much and too little. Too much fiber can lead to cramping, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and malabsorption. The issue with malabsorption is that fiber binds to nutrients. With the influx of too much fiber, this raises the potential to pull essential nutrients out of the body and not allow for absorption. The issue with too little fiber is the potential for constipation, weight gain, and blood sugar fluctuations. Both extremes are clearly not optimal for a healthy body. A basic formula to follow is about .2g of fiber per pound of bodyweight.
Maintaining A Balanced Approach To Eating
Rather than dieting to achieve an ideal weight, focus instead on maintaining overall health. This is the most sustainable approach. It will also help you avoid relapse if you are in recovery for an eating disorder.
If you have ever had an eating disorder or are currently struggling with one, dieting can be dangerous. If your doctor has advised you to lose weight for your health, its important to do so with a balanced approach that emphasizes healthy eating and nutrition. Be sure to tell your doctor about your eating disorder, and consider working with an eating disorder treatment center to avoid a relapse.
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What Is Intermittent Fasting
Also known by its initials, IF is a type of diet characterized by periods of eating interspersed with periods of fasting. The precise method of how intermittent fasting works varies. Some of these diets require you to go for several hours without food, while others limit caloric intake during certain times.
No matter which variation is used, they all share a few characteristics that can trigger disordered eating.
Dieting Body Dysmorphic Disorder And Eating Disorders
Young women who are height;and weight proportionate may start exploring fad diets if they have a distorted perception of their appearance. In some cases, body dysmorphic disorder begins when a family member or friend makes an offhand remark about their physical appearance. For example, someone may;mention they havent lost their baby fat or they have cute, chubby cheeks. Young women who may;have a lower level of;self-esteem, who are depressed or anxious due to family dysfunction, have an obsessive preoccupation with weight or thinness;or exhibit characteristics of a perfectionist could take such comments seriously and obsess over them.
Positive responses from friends or family members, such as Oh, you look great! You have lost weight may further intensify;the desire to correct nonexistent physical flaws and lead to an increase in;anorexia nervosa symptoms. As symptoms worsen and these individuals begin;to hear comments;such as,;Youre too skinny, they may already be;too deep into their eating disorder to correctly hear these statements. Instead, young adult women needing anorexia nervosa treatment;may;interpret critical statements about their appearance as meaning they are still not perfect.
Consequently, women with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may;resist changing their eating habits while going to great lengths to hide their weight loss until the point;they suffer serious medical complications and are in need of treatment.
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The Three Most Prevalent Eating Disorders:
Eating disorders are regarded as mental illnesses;and can;take on various forms. They tend to affect more women than men, usually in the teen years or early adulthood but can develop earlier and later in life.
Of any mental illness, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate. People with anorexia are at high risk of starvation, suicide or organ failure. Symptoms usually include restricted eating to the extreme, fear of gaining weight and a distorted self-image. Anorexic patients typically force themselves to vomit, use laxatives, or exercise excessively to lose weight.
People with bulimia nervosa go through episodes of uncontrollable and excessive eating. These bouts of overeating are followed by purges, through fasting, forced vomiting, using laxatives and diuretics, or extreme exercise.
Binge eating disorder;is one of the most recently recognised disorders but is also relatively common. People with;this disorder;lose control over their eating and can eat quickly and in excess over a period of a few hours. They usually do this in private and even when they are not hungry. These episodes are often followed by remorse and guilt, however they dont purge themselves afterwards. Binge eating disorder is associated with obesity.
My Doctor Is Encouraging Me To Become Healthier Doesnt That Mean I Should Lose Weight However I Can
The simple answer is no. Health isnt dictated solely by ones weight. In order to become healthier, you may start engaging in more positive exercise, addressing life concerns, or working on improving your mental, emotional, or psychological health. If a medical professional recommends a patient lose weight in order to live a more fulfilling life it is recommended that the individual meets with a trained dietitian, nutritionist, or even an eating disorder specialist .
Since we know diets dont work, its advised that individuals seek professional guidance when embarking on a path to improve their health. Instead of dieting, doable life changes are suggested as opposed to restrictive changes. One example of promoting health might be reducing the amount of fast food one eats on a weekly basis. This does not mean the individual can never eat fast food or should feel bad if they do, but it encourages the individual to find other options to expand their lifestyle.
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Cultural Or Religious Fasting
Many religions engage in fasting as part of their practices, such as in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the Christian season of Lent, or the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. These practices are not harmful in themselves, but can be triggering to people at risk of an eating disorder, experiencing an eating disorder, or in recovery.
Most religions believe that you should not fast if you are not healthy enough to do so. This includes mental health concerns or eating disorder issues. Across the religions, fasting is often about becoming closer to your God, or refocusing your mind on spirituality. Ask yourself if fasting at this stage in your life will bring you closer to your God or instead put your mental and physical health at risk?
There may be other ways you can observe your religious practice without fasting, such as a non-food fast, extra prayer, or giving back to the community. Think critically about what the purpose of fasting is, and whether it can be achieved through other actions. If you decide that fasting from food is important to your relationship with God, its recommended that you speak with your health professional and religious leader for support and guidance during this time.
Remember, the purpose of fasting is not to punish, and if there is a risk of harm, religious leaders will be able to work with you as an individual to create an acceptable alternative.
Lent
If youd still like to fast in another way, you can consider the following:
Ramadan
Anorexia Causes And Effects
There are no simple answers to the causes of anorexia. Anorexia is a complex condition that arises from a combination of many social, emotional, and biological factors. Although our cultures idealization of thinness plays a powerful role, there are many other contributing factors, including:
- Body dissatisfaction
- History of physical or sexual abuse
- Other traumatic experiences
- Family history of eating disorders
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How Extreme Dieting Leads To Eating Disorders
January 6, 2021 By Dr Jake Linardon
Most people in their life have gone on some sort of diet to lose or modify their weight.;
In fact, it was estimated that 45 million Americans go on a diet each year!
Although restrictive diets can produce rapid reductions in body weight, the reality remains that weight loss diets are not very effective in the long-term. Research suggests that, for most people, any initial weight that is lost through a restrictive diet is all regained within five years 1Wing, R. R., & Phelan, S. . Long-term weight loss maintenance. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82, 222S-225S.
Making matters worse, restrictive weight loss diets are also associated with many different physical and psychological complications, including mood changes, low self-esteem, poor quality of life, lowered body temperature, constipation, and concentration difficulties 2Lowe, M. R., & Timko, C. A. . Dieting: really harmful, merely ineffective or actually helpful?. British Journal of Nutrition, 92, S19-S22..
Whats most concerning is the potential for dieting to lead to eating disorders or other disordered eating features.;
To highlight this with an example, severe dieting increases the risk of eating disorders by 1,800% 3Patton, G. C., Selzer, R., Coffey, C. C. J. B., Carlin, J. B., & Wolfe, R. . Onset of adolescent eating disorders: population based cohort study over 3 years. Bmj, 318, 765-768.!
Do Differences In Metabolism Body Weight Community Expectations Or Culturally Specific Diets Exist Across Various Cultures
No significant metabolic differences exist between cultural or ethnic groups that explain differing obesity rates. But other factors do have an impact.
Data suggests that when someone moves to the United States, their risk for obesity skyrockets within the first year. I have a friend who came here from Peru when he was about 15 years old. He remembers being amazed by all of the food here. He was stunned by how fast food costs so little. And he couldnt believe how delicious and calorie-dense it was. He became obese and developed high blood pressure within three years. The risk of developing a serious eating disorder for adults who immigrate to the United States remains low. But as kids are raised in American culture, their risk will quickly approach that of the general population.
African Americans are also affected by huge economic and social disparities. These sadly persist and greatly contribute to obesity among that population. Unemployment, incarceration and education rates for African Americans are greatly disadvantaged compared to age adjusted white individuals. It is difficult to imagine prioritizing diet and exercise if your family does not have the luxury of safety or steady jobs.
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