Many people are not satisfied with their looks. Those suffering from anorexia nervosa are obsessed with losing weight. Surprisingly, many of the people suffering from this condition are not overweight; taking into consideration the body mass index (BMI). The condition is actually an eating disorder that affects both genders. When left untreated, it can be life threatening.
It’s important to lead a meaningful, fulfilling life. It is imperative to learn the value your life has for success to be realized.
[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gIpD0PmXK0″ width=”220″]In essence, you’ll be required to learn the key features of this condition. It has three main characteristics:
- Fear of weight gain
- A body image that is distorted
- Obsessed with an unhealthy body
What Are the Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa?
It’s quite difficult to identify the symptoms of this ailment because patients tend to hide the habit. They also disregard the concerns as baseless when confronted with the issue. Still, there are several signs that will show and they are:
- Adopting restricted diets- This is quite suspicions particularly when the person is already too thin. Many people suffering from this condition usually prefer eating foods that do not contain fats and carbohydrates.
- Calories obsession- Patients of this eating disorder will showcase signs of obsession with calories. You’ll see such people reading labels on foodstuffs in order to measure fat percentage and nutritional value. Some may go to the extent of weighing food portions before eating.
- Pretending and lying- People suffering from anorexia nervosa will often lie about eating. When they are unable to do this, they’ll resort to pretending that they’re eating. Then, they’ll throw the food away when you are not looking.
- Food rituals- Be on the lookout for rituals such as not eating in public or preferring to eat alone. They’ll always develop a weird way of chewing, cutting and even spitting out food. Most will have a separate plate for the food they spit out.
Physical Signs of Anorexia Nervosa
Apart from behavioral signs, there are some physical signs to watch out for. They include:
- Weight loss- This will occur in a very dramatic and suspicious manner. Anorexia nervosa often brings about this symptom even when there is no medical cause.
- Feeling fat- The person will always feel fat despite the fact that he/she is actually underweight. In most cases, the feeling is not for overall weight but for specific areas such as thighs, hips or abdominal area.
- Altered body image- The obsession of having a perfectly thin body will lead to an alteration of the person’s normal body image. This will be evident in aspects like new dressing style for instance.
- Critical of looks- Anorexia nervosa patients spend too much time focusing on their appearance. They tend to be quite critical of how they look and will always find an aspect of their body that they don’t like.
Purging- Many of those affected tend to purge after eating. They will implement several techniques to induce this such as diuretics, laxatives, diet pills, vomiting and compulsive exercising.