It has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa and I have been recovered for 12 years. To this day if I head for the washroom after a meal my mother feels the panic start to well up inside of her. Her first reaction to the news that her daughter was bulimic, like so many other mothers, was shock. This had been going on for 7 years and she never knew and she just couldn't understand why.
Bulimia and Anorexia are eating disorders that affect girls primarily in their teens (but can start as young as 10 years old) to their early twenties. Although it is mostly girls that are affected approximately 10% are boys and this number continues to increase. Bulimia is the reoccurrence of binging and then purging. Binging is when a larger than normal amount of food is eaten in one sitting. It is like there is a total loss of control and a young girl can consume 3 times that of a grown man. Purging is when vomiting is self-induced after eating and often, excessive amounts of laxatives are used. Girls who are bulimic become very good at hiding it from everyone even their families, primarily by saving the binging and purging till alone. To people with bulimia their physical appearance has become the determining factor as to their worth as a person. The ability to binge and purge gives control to girls that have somewhere along the way lost it in their lives.
So as parents what should you look for? An abnormal occupation with weight, which will in turn lead to your daughter being preoccupied with dieting. With some bulimics there will not be a drastic weight loss, as with anorexia, however this is not always true. In the case of obesity it is unfortunately usually undetectable. I know that the clothes in my closet ranged in size from 5 to 12. If you have an 11 year old girl who says she needs to go on a diet, that is a good sign that there is trouble. Dieting can be the most dangerous enemy that your daughter ever faces.
If she decides to become a vegetarian but also gives up cake and cookie or eliminates dairy from her diet but also eliminates all high calorie foods; if she starts to constantly make excuses as to why she can't eat, like she is running late or ate with a friend; if she also starts to withdraw and seems depressed a lot of the time and spends more and more time alone. These are all very strong signs of an eating disorder.
The one thing that parents need to realize is that this is not something that will just go away or that they'll grow out of. It is a serious problem that can result in a variety of medical problems and even death. If you see some of these behaviors in your child, you need to seek professional help for her. If you start attacking your child they will become defensive and the situation can worsen. There is help available and treatments such as antidepressants are proving very successful. The first step is realizing there is a problem and then the most important step is getting help. I am living proof that there is life after bulimia.
Cass Hope is a registered massage therapist who has studied and counseled in nutrition. Cass regularly contributes to online and offline publications dealing with weight loss and nutrition. She is currently sponsoring this site: http://www.naturalsuccess.info
(for web reprints please ensure this URL is hyperlinked)
no-contract cleaning service Glenview ..Why have I allowed myself to get into this shape?... Read More
These days, most everyone has heard of low carb diets... Read More
Your Can Turn Fat into Muscle......Fact or Fiction???Completely False!!!!First of... Read More
* Not walking on a treadmill everyday for 45 minutes... Read More
At the beginning of December, WeightWatchers.com announced the release of... Read More
Imagine this ... What if you could ?Increase the rate... Read More
While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
How to Break the Weighing HabitFace it, if you weigh... Read More
Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the... Read More
Getting started on an exercise program is one thing. Staying... Read More
We are inundated by exhortations to lose weight - from... Read More
*Do you truly believe that not eating or cutting back... Read More
Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and... Read More
If you've been on a low carb diet for any... Read More
It would not be surprising to hear your answer is... Read More
Of all the possible exercises there are to help you... Read More
The fear of success arises in patients when they realize... Read More
Research from Harvard, recently published in the highly respected peer-reviewed... Read More
The weight loss protein debate centers around the effectiveness of... Read More
Abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck" is a major surgical procedure that... Read More
To say that Americans are obsessed with dieting is an... Read More
A Little Help With Some Difficult terms ------------------------------------------ Aerobic... Read More
Are you weighted down with delusion, depression and on the... Read More
It seems everyone is looking for that magic bullet -... Read More
Use these tips to turbo charge your weight loss program.Take... Read More
house cleaning company Glencoe ..IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
I'm sick of all the fad diets I see people... Read More
I am Greg Ryan, a high profile fitness expert with... Read More
For many years, the experts, including our government have been... Read More
When you begin the decision making process to have Weight... Read More
After weight loss surgery it is important to include as... Read More
Any true body transformation starts with self?discovery. It is an... Read More
There are many diets, all of which boil down to... Read More
Here are seven tips for getting the calories out of... Read More
Don't diet, just eat and lose weight!First, the following "diet"... Read More
Many people search for a pill, a special diet or... Read More
Losing weight and going on a diet can be quite... Read More
How much will power does it take in order to... Read More
Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started,... Read More
Ever heard of the expression, "Getting up on the wrong... Read More
After patients have had gastric bypass surgery comes a very... Read More
Many gastric bypass patients report frequent spells of dizziness. In... Read More
Diet PillsTaking diet pills is definitely not an effective weight... Read More
I was shocked. I started to cry...After the holidays, I... Read More
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More
If you've been working out with weights for any length... Read More
REDUCE YOUR WEIGHTNow you are not very far from losing... Read More
Teenagers with body mass indices between 25 and 30 require... Read More
Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More
Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that... Read More
Weight Loss |