Eating Problems

Eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia involve a preoccupation with body weight and food and are usually accompanied by an overwhelming fear of fatness.

• Anorexia commonly starts with dieting and then develops into obsessive control of food intake. Even though hungry, people with anorexia force themselves either not to eat or to eat only tiny amounts of food to keep their weight low.
• Bulimia also commonly begins with dieting which leads to inadequate nutrition, hunger and fatigue, later developing into an out-of-control compulsive cycle of bingeing on food, often followed by purging.

Eating problems commonly involve obsessive thinking about food. Like eating disorders they affect body image and individuals often have an overwhelming fear of fatness.

• Bingeing and compulsive eating can be described as eating in out of control ways when not physically hungry.
• Yo-yo dieting can be described as a cyclical pattern of starting and stopping dieting. This may be accompanied by significant weight changes.
• Restrictive eating patterns are characterised by limiting quantity and types of food eaten either over short or long term periods of time.

Many sufferers of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as well as eating problems such as bingeing, compulsive eating, restrictive eating patterns and yo-yo dieting are women. Whilst it is less common these eating problems can and do affect men as well.

If you are concerned about your body image and/or your eating patterns and finding that your thoughts about food and body image are occupying a lot of time or getting in the way of life then it might be an idea to come and talk to someone at student counselling about this.