Losing Weight the “Unhealthy” Way

I’ve just recently become a member of a blogging website and I’ve noticed that there are very many young adults who are so obsessed with losing weight, and doing it completely wrong. Some of them are actually binging and purging, while others are restricting themselves to only 500 calories a day. Do they have any idea what they are doing to their bodies? I’m going to explain to them why their weight loss habits are hurting them more than helping them and will only make them quickly gain the weight back and then some. Here are the two main kinds of eating disorders associated with weight loss.

Binging and Purging
Also known as bulimia, this is a cycle that is very hard to break. You see, what the individual does is go on an eating binge. Usually it consists of mainly junk foods, and the binge can last anywhere from a full day to three days. Once their binge is “over”, they purge or throw it up. Some individuals have to make themselves throw up (some have confessed to using their toothbrush and shoving it down their throats), some say they are actually already sick due to the excessive amount of foods they’ve eaten, whereas others have actually “trained” their bodies to purge without any help on their part.

Some health issues associated with binging and purging are heart failure, teeth erosion and cavities, salivary gland swelling, gastric rupture, acid reflux, rupture of the esophagus, laxative dependence, ulcers, and potentially death. The death rates because of eating disorders are higher than the death rates caused by some forms of cancer.

Anorexia
Anorexics tend to starve themselves in fear of becoming fat. Despite being underweight or even at a healthy weight, they never believe they are thin enough. Anorexics are usually prone to constantly weighing themselves, restricting themselves to a certain number of calories a day, skipping meals, or even starving themselves for days at a time in order to lose weight or prevent weight gain. They tend to stress over even the most minor body issues (a tiny roll in the stomach), and some have great amounts of anxiety as well.

Not only does starving yourself have great effects on your metabolism (it ultimately slows it down), but it can also cause a lowering of heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and body temperature. Some people have also experienced thinning hair, restlessness, infrequent periods, and dry skin. Anorexia can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, and kidney damage. It is also potentially fatal.

If you or someone you know is battling with an eating disorder, don’t be afraid to get help. It could possibly be a life and death situation here and the struggling individual needs medical attention immediately in order to grasp their lives firmly again.