Dedicated to women's health and well-being

HerArticle

Sponsored By

When a Diet Becomes a Deadly Eating Disorder, Part 2

November 3, 2009 - 1:54pm 224 reads 0 comments

After a while, Ann starts to resemble the girls she sees on TV and in magazines that makes her feel even better. So she decides to take up exercise to burn more calories; now it doesn’t hurt her to exercise like it did when she was heavy. In fact, the high she gets from endorphins is better than the feeling of comfort she got from her favorite Big Mac. She’d rather die than eat one of those now. Ann even lies about the excessive workouts. But one day, her mother catches her frantically running up and down the stairs to the second floor of the house.

Next Ann starts compulsively examining herself. She can’t pass a mirror or even a window without checking herself out. She’s overhauled her wardrobe: if her clothes don’t make her look stick thin, they’re discarded. But she’s depressed because she never feels that she looks thin enough even though everyone is now telling her that she has gone too far.

These behaviors signal that the diet to become healthy has become the dangerous, even deadly, eating disorder of anorexia nervosa.

Add A New Comment

We value and respect the experiences of all of our HerWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Start Asking & Sharing

Add A New CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first to get the conversation started.

Log in

Are you a member? Log in first to track your posts

Not a member? Join us. Membership is not required to post.

More information about formatting options

We never share email addresses with third parties. Your email address will be used to notify you of activity on your post and send you our newsletter if you choose to sign up for it.
Verify that you are a human (not a computer):
This is necessary to prevent computer programs from automatically posting spam or other irrelevant content on EmpowHer.com. Enter the characters in the box to the left (case sensitive). Do not enter spaces between the characters.
Image CAPTCHA

EmpowHer's Health Newsletter

The latest women's health news delivered to you each week

Featured Provider Discover more about the nation's top provider.

Silver Lake Medical Center

Silver Lake Medical Center

Silver Lake - Downtown Campus is a 117-bed community based hospital. They are located just west of downtown Los Angeles, conveniently adjacent to the 101 freeway.

HerStory View compelling videos from everyday women

Cheri M
Cheri M
SurvivHer

VIDEO - HERSTORY: Cheri Shares Bariatric Surgery Tips

Cheri provides three tips for women on how to have a successful bariatric surgery experience.

View this HerStory

Health News Read up-to-the-minute medical news & stories.

Want Leaner Kids? Parents May Need to Toe the Line

SUNDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- It's a trend that has health experts worried: Young kids are becoming increasingly oversized -- leading, they fear, to overweight teens and, ultimately, ...
Read more