What you don’t know about eating disorders can kill you

Told that a Plymouth woman had dropped to 60 pounds because of an eating disorder, a licensed clinical mental health counselor in North Conway expressed shock, saying, “Oh my God.”

Moments later, Nicholas Hudson-Swogger stated the harsh truth about this sickness, which he believes doesn’t receive enough attention: Lack of nutrients can result in heart or kidney failure.

“Eating disorders are under-recognized and completely underfunded in compared to other mental health issues,” said Hudson-Swogger, who opened his own practice last year after working for Northern Human Services in Berlin. “What people don’t realize is anorexia nervosa is the deadliest psychiatric killer. It kills far more people percentage-wise than any other disorder.”

Hudson-Swogger was anxious to contribute to our report on Katherine Drouin, who gave the Monitor complete access to document her fight with anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

Drouin, who’s been sick for 20 years, binges and purges on a nightly basis. She’s 40 pounds less than her top weight, in 1996 when she was a senior at Winnisquam Regional High School, where she ran cross country.

Hudson-Swogger said the condition is not a choice but a physical ailment that affects the brain.

“Eating disorders are one of the last of the mental illnesses being recognized by people as a biologically based disorder,” Hudson-Swogger said. “It’s not about control or intentions or weakness. It’s not under control of the individual. The illness is controlling them.”

Statistics and facts released by the Academy for Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorder Coalition reveal some disturbing data.

For example, at least 30 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder, and only 1 in 10 will receive treatment. Also, between 10 and 20 percent of those who suffer from anorexia nervosa die, the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses.

And the longer a person goes without treating this disorder, the harder it is to cure.

“It’s really quite scary how many people are out there and not getting the appropriate treatment,” Hudson-Swogger said. “When it’s detected early, the chances of having a relapse are very low and recovery is possible.”

Like other types of mental illness, an eating disorder is linked through genetic disposition, although that’s not a guarantee someone will suffer from it.

Drouin said several of her family members are addicted to drugs and suffer from depression. Specific to her addiction, experts say environmental factors come into play as well, including society’s emphasis on fitness and appearance.

Still, eating disorders continue to be overlooked. A recent study by the National Institute of Health claims that 3.6 million Americans suffer from autism and $160 million is funneled toward research, and 3.4 million people are schizophrenic, with $276 million used for research.

Meanwhile, eating disorders affect 30 million people and receive $28 million for research.

“There’s a movement going on within the community of eating disorder specialists in New Hampshire for more and better treatment around the state,” Hudson-Swogger said. “A lot of people suffering are not getting treatment, and it’s really important we address this. These are chronic illnesses that can be quite deadly.”

Does Facebook Use Promote Eating Disorders?

Social media are not just a means of sharing your life with the world – they also open your life to praise (likes and positive comments) or criticism.

Thus, it is easy to see how avid use of such platforms (especially those with ample picture posts) can potentially promote body image and weight obsessions in those who may not be quite confident and happy about their appearance.
That this may not just be an interesting theory is suggested by two studies by Annalise Mabe and colleagues from Florida State University, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
In the first study 960 female college students completed an Eating Attitudes Test that included Dieting and Bulimia/Food Preoccupation subscales with items such as “I eat diet foods” and “I give too much time and thought to food.”
Duration of Facebook use was assessed with the question “How much time do you spend on Facebook per week?” with options ranging from 0 to >7 hours (average used tended to be just over 2 hours per week).
This study found a small but statistically significant positive relationship between the duration of Facebook use and disordered eating.
In the second study, 84 women, who had participated in the first study and endorsed Facebook use on a weekly basis were randomization to either spending 20 mins on their facebook account or finding information about the ocelot on Wikipedia and YouTube.
Participants with greater disordered eating scores endorsed greater importance of receiving comments on their status, and greater importance of receiving “likes” on their status. Those with greater eating pathology reported untagging photos of themselves more often and endorsed comparing their photos to their female friends’ photos more often.
Participants in the control group demonstrated a greater decline in weight/shape preoccupation than did participants who spent 20 min on Facebook. Furthermore post hoc comparisons supported a significant decrease in weight/shape preoccupation in controls.
Facebook use resulted in a preoccupation with weight and shape compared to an internet control condition despite several multivariate adjustments.
As the authors discuss, their finding,

“indicates that typical Facebook use may contribute to maintenance of weight/shape concerns and state anxiety, both of which are established eating disorder risk factors.”

In terms of practical implications of these findings, the authors suggest that,

“Facebook could be targeted as a maintenance factor in prevention programs. For example, interventions could address the implications of appearance-focused comments such as “you look so thin” or “I wish I had your abs,” in perpetuating the thin ideal on Facebook, much as “fat talk” perpetuates this ideal in everyday conversations. An adaption of the “Fat Talk Free” campaign as well as adaptations of media literacy programs could encourage girls and women in the responsible use of social media sites.”

Clearly, this appears to me as a rather fertile area for further research.
I’d certainly be interested in hearing about your experience with facebook and any effects it may have had on your body image or eating behaviours.

If you or someone you love struggles with an eating disorder, please call us at (206) 909-8022 or visit us at www.RameyNutrition.com for a full recovery!

'Eating Disorder' Doesn't Just Mean Anorexia or Bulimia: I Have EDNOS

By Grace Kemeny

I'm Grace, and I have EDNOS. Maybe you haven't heard of it. EDNOS stands for "Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified," and according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), it's the most commonly diagnosedeating disorder of all.

I don't meet the criteria for anorexia or bulimia. I've never gone a whole day without eating, or been able to make myself throw up after a meal.And sometimes it even feels like I'm not allowed to say I have an eating disorder, because my belly never became distended from starvation and I never lost a tooth due to constant vomiting. But I know my eating disorder is real. It has controlled my thoughts for more than half my life.

Right now, the DSM's eating disorder category recognizesanorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, plus -- added to the new version of the psychiatrists' bible just last spring -- "binge eating." According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, examples of EDNOS range all the way from regular binge eating to exhibiting all the traits of anorexia, but with a body weight still in the "normal" range.

Growing up, I never thought I'd have an eating disorder. I never thought I'd be an alcoholic, either. But now I'm in recovery for both. And I've come to realize that my alcoholism and my eating disorder are not so different -- but one big difference is that you can quit booze and drugs, but you can't quit food.

I first learned about anorexia and bulimia -- and those two only -- in sixth grade health class, via dramatic images of women with bones jutting through their skin. I remember thinking bulimia seemed like a waste of food and a risk to your front teeth. And anorexia seemed to require a willpower I could never muster.

The health teacher wrapped up the unit by playing us the Lifetime movie The Secret Life of Mary Margaret: Portrait of a Bulimic, starring an emaciated Calista Flockhart. Spoiler alert: Mary Margaret dies.

Aged 12, I didn't identify with the extreme behaviors of anorexia or bulimia. But my complicated relationship with food and body image had already begun. I was going through puberty. I no longer fit into clothing from the children's section.

So I created some dietary rules based on things I'd read in women's magazines and what I saw my mom do. I banned all fattening and sugary foods. But then I'd have moments of weakness where I stole cookies from the pantry or rode my bike to Dairy Queen to scarf ice cream in secret.

Before I was even a teenager, food had become my enemy and my obsession.

Various factors motivated my fear of fat: my thin mom, my dreams of being a movie star, my desperate need for attention from the opposite sex.

NADA says the psychological profiles of people with eating disorders often contain the following traits: "perfectionism, high self-expectations, competitiveness, hyperactivity, repetitive exercise routines, compulsiveness, drive, tendency toward depression, body image distortion and a pre-occupation with dieting."

Yep -- all of these describe me.

My weight has always Yo-yo'd dramatically. I'm 5′ 4′′ and throughout my adult life have oscillated between a size 10 and almost a size 0 -- which is where I am currently.

Up until recently, this was my basic pattern:

Step 1: Be Obsessively Healthy All Day and Don't Touch Any "Forbidden Foods"

Step 2: Overeat Dessert Alone at Night

Step 3: Weigh Myself the Next Morning

Step 4: Be Ashamed of Myself and Mercilessly Beat Myself Up

Step 5: Over-exercise

Step 6: Weigh Myself Again to See If Progress Has Been Made

Step 7: Repeat

When I graduated high school and started attending a theater school in New York City, my perfectionism, poor body image, and obsessive eating skyrocketed. It didn't help that I had to wear a leotard all day and was surrounded by super-talented performers.

Drugs and alcohol helped me relax around food and turn off the voices in my head that told me I could never be good enough. Or thin enough.

When I smoked pot, I could binge eat without guilt. When I drank, I felt skinny and beautiful.

By the time I "hit bottom" with drugs and alcohol, I was downing a bottle of cough medicine in the morning to get high and suppress my appetite until the evening. Then I would smoke a joint just to allow myself to eat dinner. Then I would drink.

I would wake up filled with regret, and sometimes half a dozen giant cookies from the night before. I would promise myself to never to do this again. Then I would break my promise the next night.

When I got sober, aged 21, my relationship with food did improve. I started to consume regular meals again instead of starving all day and binging at night. I met my boyfriend -- a "normie" who's never had aDSM-worthy illness -- and felt safe enough to finally allow myself to eat from the list of "forbidden foods" I made when I was 12. I had pancakes for the first time in years. I let myself indulge in Chinese food, pizza and ice cream.

But occasional indulgences turned into binges. Since I couldn't drink, I used food to unwind, reward myself, cope with feelings and have fun. If I had a bad day, I baked. If didn't get cast in a role I wanted, I ordered takeout. For a fun Saturday night, I suggested going out for Italian.

The negative voices crept back, berating me whenever I cleaned my plate or skipped a couple days of exercise. I sometimes hated my body so much I would cry. It's a self-obsessed, narcissistic thought process. But to be fair, society encourages it.

At my lowest point, I felt so powerless over my eating, I thought I might drink again, or even kill myself. "Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness," according to the American Journal of Psychiatry.

I get it.

At 2.5 years sober in Alcoholics Anonymous and one year into therapy, I was so desperate, I tried Overeaters Anonymous. But I couldn't find anyone in OA who was available to sponsor me, and I left after six weeks.

A new therapist helped me to realize that my eating issues mirrored my drinking and drug use. But despite this awareness, I wasn't making any permanent changes.

I was still bingeing, obsessing, over-exercising -- and plagued with guilt and self-loathing. I was "hitting bottom" with food. It was quieter than with drugs and alcohol, but just as painful.

I finally found surrender in the least likely of places: at the gym. During a complimentary personal training session, the trainer asked how I felt I was doing.

"Pretty good," I said.

"How do you feel in your body?" she asked

"Pretty crappy," I blurted out.

I started working with the trainer and she gave me a food and exercise plan that involved less intensive cardio, more weight lifting, and a meal plan that kept me full. This plan, along with therapy, helped me to finally break my unhealthy eating cycle. I lost 15 pounds. More importantly, I didn't think about food all the time.

But my eating habits and body image were still warped. Although I'd hit that "perfect" number, I didn't think I was thin enough. And though I usually stuck to my food plan, sometimes I'd let myself off the hook for one night and binge until I felt sick. As anyone with experience (or who has watched The Biggest Loser) can vouch, emotional eating is no joke.

The truth is, I still struggle. But, I'm happy to say that there are more good days than bad ones now. As they often say in AA, it's about "progress, not perfection."

I have made progress. If I'm stressed, I can take a bath or watch TV or chew gum rather than scarfing down half a batch of brownies. If I overeat one day, I go back to my "normal" schedule the next, rather than restrict and starve myself. If I feel uncomfortable at a party, I try to engage in conversation rather than stuff my face with hors d'oeuvres.

My food and body issues are a distraction -- a way of avoiding my life. Recently my therapist pointed out to me that if I let my EDNOS take control, I will always see myself as a failure. I wish I'd realized this years ago, but I feel lucky to have this awareness at all.

According to ANAD, "up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) in the US," but "only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment."

I recently wrote about my eating disorder on my personal blog and was astonished by the feedback I received. Many women I always thought to be totally healthy shared their own struggles with food and body image. It made me realize how lucky I am to even know what I'm fighting against -- and to be armed with tools for keeping the cruel inner voices at bay.

Just by acknowledging that I'm an alcoholic with an eating disorder, I can make the right choices today.

Grace Kemeny is a pseudonym for an actress and writer based in New York City. She performs onstage regularly in the New York City area, and can also be seen on various cable TV shows. She lives with her boyfriend in Brooklyn and loves to eat dessert, lift weights and go to comic conventions.

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Have a story about depression, eating disorders, or substance abuse that you'd like to share? Emailstrongertogether@huffingtonpost.com, or give us a call at (860) 348-3376, and you can record your story in your own words. Please be sure to include your name and phone number.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Need help with substance abuse or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for theSAMHSA National Helpline.

If you're struggling with an eating disorder, call the National Eating Disorder Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237.

Even Normal-Weight Teens Can Have Dangerous Eating Disorders, Study Finds

Teenagers do not need to be rail thin to be practicing the dangerous eating behaviors associated with anorexia, a new study suggests.

Rather, the true measure of trouble may be significant weight loss, and the Australian researchers noted that a drastic drop in weight carries the same risk for life-threatening medical problems even if the patient is a normal weight.

Even more concerning, the scientists saw a nearly sixfold increase in this type of patient during the six-year study period.

Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness characterized by excessive weight loss and psychological symptoms that include a distorted self-image and fear of weight gain. In some patients, this can also include depression and anxiety. Those who have these symptoms but are not underweight enough to qualify for the definition of anorexia fall under a different diagnosis, known as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS-Wt).

"Emaciated bodies are the typical image portrayed in the media of patients with restricting eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa," said lead researcher Melissa Whitelaw, a clinical specialist dietitian at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. "This paper highlights that it is not so much about the weight but the weight loss that can lead to a serious eating disorder. The complications of malnutrition can occur at any weight."

In her study, which included 99 teens aged 12 to 19, Whitelaw found only 8 percent of the patients had EDNOS-Wt in 2005, but more than 47 percent of the patients had it in 2009.

"I was surprised to see how much it increased," Whitelaw said. "I was also surprised at how similar they were not only physically but also psychologically. Everything about them was anorexia except that they don't look really skinny." Both groups had even lost a similar amount of weight: a median 28 pounds for those with anorexia and 29 pounds for those with EDNOS-Wt.

Other experts noted that it can be difficult to spot this less obvious eating disorder.

"We are conditioned to think that the key feature of anorexia nervosa is low body mass index [BMI]," said Cynthia Bulik, director of the Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. BMI measures whether a person is a healthy weight for their height.

"In fact, we miss a lot of eating disorders when focusing primarily on weight," Bulik added.

Leslie Sim, an assistant professor of psychology at Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester, Minn., said, "People are calling it atypical anorexia, but we see it every day. We see people who have all the psychological, behavioral, cognitive and physical symptoms of anorexia nervosa, but the only difference is their weight."

In this study, the side effects of having an eating disorder were also very similar. Dangerously low phosphate levels occurred in 41 percent of anorexia patients and 39 percent of EDNOS-Wt patients. The lowest pulse for the teens was 45 beats per minute (bpm) for those with anorexia and 47 bpm for the other group. Meanwhile, 38 percent of the EDNOS-Wt patients and 30 percent of the anorexia patients required tube feeding.

"[Normal-weight patients with anorexia symptoms] were becoming medically unstable, despite the fact that they had what you would call a normal body weight," Whitelaw said.

The reasons for the apparent increase in these patients is less clear, but both Sim and Whitelaw said it is likely a combination of increased awareness of the problem and an increased focus on obesity. One tricky aspect of identifying these patients, Sim said, is that the weight loss appears at first to be a positive development.

"These patients just fly under the radar and when they're in that earlier stage, it's harder for people to see it," Sim said. "Parents say to me every day, 'I thought my daughter was doing something good and making healthy choices until it got out of control. We didn't know it was a problem until she couldn't eat the cake at her birthday party.' "

The experts emphasized that eating disorders are not parents' fault. Instead, parents can play an important role in identifying the symptoms of an eating disorder, especially in its early stages, said Jessica Feldman, a licensed social worker and site director of The Renfrew Center in Radnor, Pa. Symptoms include significant changes in eating patterns, excessive exercising, a teen's negative statements about their body image, an increase in depression or anxiety, and a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities.

Bulik stressed the importance of recognizing that both conditions are illnesses.

"No one chooses to have an illness. We would never tell someone with allergies to 'just stop sneezing,'" Bulik said. "Although dieting might be a first step, the illness takes over and develops a life of its own -- sufferers often cannot eat, even if they want to."

Barrow man with eating disorder for more than 40 years tells story

A MAN who has battled an eating disorder for more than 40 years says he will never be free of it – but managing it is possible.

There are now soaring numbers of people in England who self harm and eating disorders are one type of it.
Mike Lynch, 52, from Barrow, has been an extreme binge eater since the age of five and has struggled to maintain a relationship because of it.
Mr Lynch has come forward to tackle the taboo of eating disorders in men and to share his story.
He said: “It took me a long time to realise that what I was doing is a form of self harm.
“The condition manifested itself when I was young and I didn’t understand why children the same age as me were bigger than me. I would eat all this food to try and make myself bigger and never put any weight on.
“By the time I was 15 the damage was done and I started putting weight on rapidly.”
After a few days of bingeing, Mr Lynch would then starve himself to try to lose weight.
He said: “The logic in my brain tells me that if I eat for three days straight I can starve myself for three days and it will somehow even out.”
One of the main problems caused by his eating disorder is how difficult Mr Lynch has found it to maintain a relationship. He said: “I went on holiday in the 1980s with a partner and I ruined the whole holiday because I didn’t want to go out and eat. We ended up in separate rooms and because of this the relationship broke down.”
Mr Lynch’s eating disorder remained undiagnosed until five years ago when he was referred to Safa in Barrow.
Safa deals with individuals who self harm and offers them counselling and trusting support.
Mr Lynch said: “Safa has really helped me, especially with the counselling.
“I have been very, very lucky that I have not done more damage to myself over the years.”
Eating disorders are more commonly associated with women and men tend to be the silent sufferers. Mr Lynch hopes to change this.
He said: “There is just as many men as women who suffer with eating disorders but, because of societal attitudes, not as many are willing to come forward and talk about it.”
Mr Lynch has been working closely with Safa in managing his condition, but is aware how easily a relapse can occur.
He said: “About a year ago I didn’t eat for three days. During this time I decided to walk from Lancaster to Kendal because I was convinced it was good for me and my body just gave up.”
Nicky Guest, 46, from Barrow, is a support worker and counsellor at Safa.
She works closely with Mr Lynch and feels he is making great progress.
She said: “There is a massive taboo when it comes to men admitting that they have an eating disorder and there is a huge difference now from when Mike first walked through our doors.”
Mr Lynch’s weight has fluctuated massively during his daily battle and in the past five years alone he has gone from one extreme to another.
He said: “At my heaviest I have been 17 and a half stone and my lowest has been nine stone.
“People need to know that there isn’t a magic pill to cure it. I will have this eating disorder until the day I die, it’s managing it that’s the key.”

Pride Over Weight Loss May Help Drive Anorexia

By Robert Preidt

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Women with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa feel a sense of pride about their weight loss, and this positive emotion may play a major role in the deadly condition, according to a new study.

"What we think happens is that positive emotions become exaggerated and are rewarding these maladaptive behaviors," study author Edward Selby, an assistant professor in the psychology department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., said in a university news release.

Over two weeks, the researchers assessed the emotional states of 118 women, ages 18-58, being treated for anorexia nervosa. Along with negative emotions, the women also felt positive about being able to meet or exceed their weight-loss goals.

The study was published in the July issue of the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

People with anorexia often starve themselves or exercise obsessively in order to get to a weight that's below normal for their age and height. Without treatment, the disorder can lead to serious health problems and even death.

"Since only about one-third of women recover after treatment, what we need to do is gain a better understanding of why these positive emotions become so strongly associated with weight loss rather than with a healthy association such as family, school or relationships," Selby said.

Most previous research into eating disorders has focused on negative emotions such as sadness, anger or lack of control. Little attention has been paid to the effects of distorted positive emotions, the researchers said.

Women in the study who had the most difficulty recognizing distorted positive emotions displayed anorexia-type behaviors -- such as calorie restriction, excessive exercise, laxative use, vomiting, and frequent body fat and weight checks -- more often.

"Women with anorexia are often in complex emotional places, that is why it is important to understand all we can about what they are getting out of this experience," Selby said. "The more we know not only about the negative emotions, but also the positive emotions connected to this disease, the more likely we will be to treat this devastating illness."

More research is needed to learn how to deal with anorexics' positive feelings about extreme weight loss and to redirect those feelings to other healthy activities, the study says.

"Being in control is important for many of these women. What we need to do is find a way to reconnect the positive emotions they feel in losing weight to other aspects of their lives that will lead to a more balanced sense of happiness," Selby said.

How a Vegan Blogger’s Healthy Lifestyle Escalated Into an Eating Disorder

A little over a year ago, Jordan Younger began her blog “The Blonde Vegan”- now “The Balanced Blonde”- to chronicle her vegan journey. Younger had suffered from stomach problems her whole life and for the first time she felt good about the healthy diet she was following.

Younger’s blog gained a large following and she left grad school to pursue growing The Blonde Vegan’s brand. As her brand expanded, Younger’s vegan and healthy lifestyle habits shifted into more obsessive eating behaviors and an eating disorder called Orthorexia.

                                       

“I wanted to feel as healthy as I could so I got really carried away with reading about veganism, doing research and following other blogs,” Younger said. “I developed fears around food and was constantly trying to find different ways to be as clean internally as I possibly could.”
Orthorexia is an eating disorder characterized by the fear of eating anything that is not completely pure or clean. It can start out as an attempt to eat healthier, but escalates into an obsession with eating only healthy foods, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
“I was obsessed with health, not being super skinny,” Younger said.
While suffering from Orthorexia, Younger tried to mask her healthy obsessions, she said. She went out to eat with friends, but would eat beforehand to make sure she got in a healthy meal. When going out, Younger checked that there was an organic grocery store around and panicked about when and what her next meal would be.
With eating disorders, many people assume it’s something written on your body that you can notice, Younger said. But with Orthorexia, Younger was suffering more psychologically.

“I was almost thinking about food 100 percent of the time,” Younger said. “It was confusing because you’re trying to think about other things, but in the back of your mind, you’re always thinking about food.”
According to Younger, it was a very scary and dark time in her life.
Her own life was unhealthy while she was trying to lead people toward healthier lifestyles. Younger realized it was time to get help so she brought the eating disorder up to her family and they were relieved she wanted help. Younger saw a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and started treating her Orthorexia.

“The scariest fact was that I was a vegan food blogger and had branded myself as that. I had so much anxiety that I would have to change the brand and it would come crashing down,” Younger said.

                                          

On June 23, 2014, about a year after Younger started The Blonde Vegan, she wrote a blog post sharing that she was transitioning away from veganism with her readers. When Younger came out about Orthorexia on The Blonde Vegan, there was immediate interest, as the eating disorder is not very well known. Her followers gave mixed responses too. While some were very supportive, others from the vegan community were outraged Younger would associate veganism with eating disorders.

“I never expected this to be a popular story. There is no reason I would come out with this for personal fame,” Younger said. “I just wanted to be honest with my followers.”
Since moving away from a strict vegan diet, Younger has transitioned to a more balanced lifestyle. She has started eating a wider variety of foods like eggs, wild fish and salmon, and enjoys trying new meals. Younger is also improving her lifestyle spiritually and physically. Rather than working on her blog constantly, she makes time to connect with herself through exercise, going on walks, spending time outdoors, enjoying her neighborhood and yoga.

“Listening to your body is the best thing you can do for yourself,” Younger said. “I’m trying to not be so all or nothing in my life and am finding balance in all aspects.”
Younger shares her story today to help raise greater awareness around Orthorexia.
She is working on a book chronicling her vegan journey that lead to the eating disorder, is working on mini documentaries and is in contact with blog readers who think they are also Orthrexic. Her blog, once known as “The Blonde Vegan” is currently under redesign as it transitions to “The Balanced Blonde.”

“I think developing a stronger mind-body connection will enhance my life from here on out,” Younger said. “For the first time in my life, I’m truly showing my body kindness.”

 

If you or someone you love suffers with an eating disorder, please visit us at www.RameyNutrition.com or call us to set up your Gentle Eating Disorder Assessment

 

(206) 909-8022.

 

Coming Out About Eating Disorders Might Not Be Cathartic, But It’s Important

Girls’ actress Zosia Mamet became the latest celebrity to share her struggle with an eating disorder this week.

“I’ve struggled with an eating disorder since I was a child,” she wrote in a column for Glamour magazine. “This struggle has been mostly a private one, a war nobody knew was raging inside me. I tried to fight it alone for a long time. And I nearly died.”
The list of celebrities who have admitted to eating disorders—Victoria Beckham, John Prescott, Lily Allen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Kate Winslet and Lindsay Lohan—is growing. It’s all-too-easy to dismiss them, to roll our eyes and think oh please, just get on with your model-acting-whatever career. But here’s the thing: when these women speak out they’re not just getting the urgent issue of eating disorders into public discourse —which can only be a good thing—they’re also admitting that being super-slim doesn’t come naturally.
There is a risk, of course, that beautiful, successful celebrities could inadvertently glamorize eating disorders to vulnerable fans. It’s the same risk any role model takes when they discuss their demons, be it drink or drug addiction or any kind of mental illness. A few years ago, both Kerry Katona and Catherine Zeta-Jones were accused of jumping on the bipolar bandwagon. As if such a debilitating condition were a carousel one could hop on and off at their whim.
I believe these celebrity revelations have a huge impact on younger women (and men) who are struggling with food and eating, body dysmorphia or low self-esteem. I remember, aged 19, feeling very alone with the terrible secret of anorexia. I was at university, had just been through my first serious relationship break-up and simply stopped eating. What started as straightforward heartbreak spiraled out of control. My weight plummeted from a healthy nine-and-a-half stone to five-and-a- half.
I knew something was badly wrong, but I didn’t know who to talk to. Or how.
In the depths of this nightmare, I read a magazine interview with Mel C talking about her eating disorder. I’m no die-hard Spice Girls fan (honest) but, finally, here was someone “normal” who had been through what I was going through. In that moment, I felt less isolated.
When Zosia Mamet writes “I nearly died”, she’s not being a drama queen. Eating disorders kill. They have the highest mortality rate of all mental illness—20 percent of those with anorexia nervosa will die, either from suicide or physical complications. In recent years we’ve seen several tragic deaths—Amy Winehouse, Brittany Murphy and Peached Geldof—where eating disorders are suspected to have played a part.
Starvation, vomiting and death are not glamorous. At all. Bulimia nervosa is often the most shameful and hidden of eating disorders and is very dangerous. Repeated purging after meals puts immense strain on the organs and can lead to cardiac arrest, while prolonged use of laxatives causes chronic constipation and other internal damage.
In the warped hierarchy of eating disorders, anorexia is seen as disciplined and superior. Bulimia is disgusting and dirty. Hence the flourishing of those horrible “thinspiration” websites, preferring to depict the ethereal hip-bones and shoulder-blades of waif-like anorexics.
The reality of bulimia is the stench of vomit and rotting teeth.
This is why someone like Nicole Scherzinger deserves respect. Last month, she spoke to Cosmopolitan about her long struggle with bulimia. For a woman whose career is dependent on image, sass and a constant projection of a glamorous, enviable lifestyle, it can’t have been easy to discuss this far-from-sophisticated illness.
Of course, there are risks that come with publicizing eating disorders. I worked on the show Supersize vs Super Skinny and received an alarming tweet once. “I am anorexic and I want to be just like Emma Woolf. She’s skinny, pretty, successful and on TV. Just proves that skinny is good,” she said.
I was appalled. Everything I’ve ever tried to do, in sharing my ten-year fight with anorexia, is to show other sufferers that it’s a terrible waste of life; that recovery is possible. That life after anorexia, or any eating disorder, can, truly, be amazing. But you can see how it gets twisted.
Is “coming out” cathartic? Not in my experience. In writing about anorexia I’ve paid a high cost in terms of personal relationships and my own privacy. Recalling the worst decade of my life isn’t therapeutic. It’s painful. But this isn’t about me. When I write or speak about eating disorders, I’m amazed at the number of “normal” people, female and male, who say, “I feel this way too.” Most of these people do not have an actual eating disorder—they simply recognize that they have disordered eating patterns, feel guilty about their hunger, unhappy with their body weight or shape, or generally out of control around food.
Disordered eating comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just the severe, much-publicized image of binging, purging and starving. Many of us calorie restrict or obsess over the “goodness” in our diet to the point of orthorexia. You don’t need to be skinny to have a disordered relationship with food. I know women who use food as a reward or punishment—a “good” day is one where we eat salad and go to the gym, a “bad” day is one where we don’t move much and eat a lot of chocolate or chips. We calculate in advance what we will and will not eat, ricocheting between self-loathing and self-control. As one woman asked me once, “If I eat when I’m hungry, will I ever be able to stop?”
Eating disorders are a profound struggle between body and soul. They are mental illnesses. From the outside, though, the struggle often makes zero sense. Why would a starving, skeletal person say they look fat? Why can’t they just eat? To external observers—even the psychologists and medical professionals who provide treatment—the illness is very hard to understand. The mental barriers, patterns and neurosis of eating disorders aren’t tangible to anyone but the sufferer, which is why they are secretive, feeding on shame and fear.
This is why the honesty has to come from sufferers. It took me years to admit to myself that I had a problem, let alone say the word “anorexia” out loud. I don’t care whether you’re high-profile or no-profile—coming out is brave, and the first step on the road to recovery.