If not eating can cause weight gain, how come so many anorexics are underweight?
Just about everyone I know says that starving yourself will cause weight gain because your body will realize what's happening and keep as much fat as it can on you, and whatever you eat will be stored and not released. Anorexics obviously do have to eat to stay alive, and since their bodies are in survival mode, won't they be gaining weight instead of losing it? I see so many pictures and cases of them, and they're all bone skinny with little to no body fat, yet shouldn't their bodies be storing body fat? I am so sorry if this sounds dumb, I'm just a bit confused on how the whole thing works.
Can anorexia cause sleeping problems?
I'm not dangerously underweight, but I was diagnosed with anorexia a couple of months age, because I wouldn't eat and when I would eat. I would purge several times. So I was just wondering if my sleeping problems could be due to this? I'm constantly tired during the day, but can't sleep when it comes to when I can. Please Help!
Not eating enough causing slow heart rate?
Yes...you should definitely tell your physician about this. You said that you're a recovering anorexic but your idea of being 'severely underweight' might be different from your physician's idea. The chest pains, heart palpitations and low heart rate are a bit concerning as this could be a sign of malnutrition. If you're still eating less than 1000 calories a day I suggest making an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. At age 15 you're still in puberty and need the extra calories for growing. The doctor will probably go over exactly what you've been eating in the last few days and will try to get an approximate estimate of how many calories you've been taking in. You might be referred to a dietitian on ways to increase your caloric intake. As far as testing...the doctor will probably order some blood work to determine if you are malnourished. He/she may also order an echo-cardiogram which uses sound waves to create a picture of the heart. An electrocardiogram may be ordered to check your heart's rate and rhythm. All this information is not meant to scare you but to let you know what can happen if you continue down the dangerous road of anorexia. The more malnourished you become, the worse the symptoms are. Talk to your parents about making that doctor's appointment. Good luck.
Can not eating enough cause chest pain?
this question is about my boyfriend he is NOT anorexic his doctor didnt diagnose him wit that nor does he look anorexic. im just worried. what else causes chest pain? and what can cure it?
What are the side effects of not eating enough?
Firstly, I want to tell you that this is really bad. An average person needs 2000 calories a day, and as a personal trainer, if you are trying to lose weight, 1400 calories is healthy, anything below is bad for your body. The side effects are that by eating so little, you are starving your body, so any food you eat, your body stores as energy and then eventually fat, so you won't lose weight by doing this. Also, you aren't getting the nutrients you need, this can lead to skin problems, osteoporosis (weakening of the bones), and organ damage. My advice to you is to eat 4-5 small meals a day, high in protein so eat plenty of things like meat, fish, eggs, nuts etc. as protein takes longer to digest so you feel fuller for longer. Eating 4-5 small meals a day also keeps your metabolism up. Increase your calorie intake to 1400 because you will lose weight steadily and healthily. If you continue with this low calorie diet that you are doing now, you will do serious damage to your body over time and the minute you start eating normally again, your body will put on weight because it won't be able to process the amount of food. I hope this helps.
My friends say I'm anorexic, but I don't think I am. I usually eat only 1 meal a day, because I never feel hungry. How do I know if I am anorexic or am on the way to anorexia?
It is important to understand that “anorexia” is not just this thing that happens to girls who starve themselves.Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that happens to people, and includes intentionally eating very little, and usually exercising, and results in health impairments that can literally lead to death. It has a mental illness component.Anorexia and Weight Loss that is not anorexia nervosa can be caused by a medical problem that results in a person feeling a general loss of appetite. It is entirely possible (probably, even) for a person who has medically caused anorexia to not have any mental health problem.If you regularly do not have enough appetite to keep your body weight up to a healthy level, that is a serious medical problem.It is common for some people who like looking skinny to accept their lack of appetite, because they like the outcome.Unfortunately, the kinds of medical problems that lead to long-term loss of appetite are often really bad ones. Like cancer.Your friends know what you should look like, and they are telling you they see you as anorexic, that is not enough to decide that you are. But you say you don’t have much appetite, only enough to eat one meal a day. That symptom, along with your friends concerns about your low weight, are enough to tell you to speak to a doctor about your problem.Low appetite and losing weight without trying, is definitely a medical problem that requires a full medical exam.And, if you realize you are still trying to lose weight, because you like being too skinny, that suggests the possibility of anorexia nervosa. Thinking you still want to lose weight when your friends are begging you to gain weight, means you already have a problem. Not “on the way to” having a problem.Anorexia or anorexia nervosa, either way, go see a doctor. And if you read all this, and still think you don’t want to see a doctor about it? That would be a third sign that you are having a problem. Mentally healthy people do not avoid getting medical help when they need it.
Why do people recommend eating 2500+ calories in anorexia recovery?
People with Anorexia have gone a long time without eating the required amount of nutrients and so lots of their organs have become deficient. The loss in weight also puts more pressure on your body which can cause organ failure. Most doctors will never tell you to eat a specific number of calories as this can be a pretty sensitive topic for most sufferers BUT they will try to get you on a somewhat normalised eating schedule. Mine was 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. This helps to combat some of the mental issue with the disease whilst also steadily increasing your weight and calorie intake to help with the deficiencies that have been created. This will generally be a little higher than the average amount to help you get back on track as quickly as you can without harming your body!Hope this helps!
Why do people choose to be anorexic? Can't they just eat?
When I was anorexic, it was like going swimming in the ocean and all of a sudden you look back, realizing you have been taken much further away from the shore than you ever planned to go. Then you try swimming back, but you no longer have the strength to fight the riptide. A few strong swimmers are able to fight their way back, but the harder you fight the more exhausted you become. Most people with eating disorders need a lifeguard, someone to pull them back to shore.People who are anorexic often have no comprehension of just how far they are away from the shore. They have distorted views of themselves.When someone looks at an anorexic person, they see ribs, bones, painfully dull hair, and other unattractive symptoms. When an anorexic person looks at themselves, they see the bit of stomach fat they have left, they see oversized thighs, they see chubby round cheeks.Once in a while, they look at themselves clearly. I remember once, looking in the mirror at what used to be my full breasts, and seeing a shrunken, flat chest. It was a shock. I felt like I was in the middle of a riptide, and trying to get better only made it worse.I developed bulimia when I tried to recover from anorexia. I had so much fear about overeating, that trying to eat more to gain weight was extremely traumatic. In those times, it was easier to go limp, and let the terrible tide of anorexia take me back.I was drowning.Asking why anorexic people don't simply eat is like asking why a drowning person doesn't try to swim.A better question, is how can you get help if you are anorexic, or get help for your loved ones. Thinking it's a simple issue to solve exacerbates the problem. You are saying to the drowning person that they just need to stop swallowing water and start breathing air.The point is, that they can't. They wish they could. They look at pictures of themselves as a child and feel jealous of that carefree, happy person.Anorexia is a mental illness that has a side-effect of being underweight. The real problem is in their head. They need someone stronger to pull them to shore.
Can i be anorexic for a month then eat again??
you could. but starving yourself is going to be much much more harder than you can imagine before doing so - even if you did succeed (highly unlikely) it would be near impossible, I mean against human biology to not over eat after you're done with your anorexic month. You might develop a long term starve-binge cycle or you might make your body just want to binge eat for the rest of your life. either way, you won't lose the weight for a very long time at all. when you starve yourself your body thinks there is a famine - and thus when you eat again it just wants to eat and eat and eat because it doesn't know when it will be fed again.