Disordered Eating & Overexercising

Sometimes when people try to lose weight it goes too far. What do you think it means to “go too

far” when it comes to losing weight?

Today we are going to talk about disordered eating, eating disorders and overexercising.

Disordered eating refers to troublesome eating behavior such as:

• Skipping meals• Restricting food choices• Occasionally bingeing on certain foods

• These behaviors can lead to eating disorders.

Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses diagnosed by a health care provider. There are three types of eating disorders.

Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa– Weight loss to below 15% of normal weight.– Extreme fear of gaining weight.– Distorted body image.– Loss of menstrual cycle.

Eating Disorders

• Bulimia Nervosa– Eating too much at one time (bingeing).– Purging by vomiting, misuse of laxatives or

excessive exercise.– Recurring at least twice a week for 3 months.

Eating Disorders

• Binge Eating Disorder—includes 3 or more of the following.– Eating rapidly.– Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.– Eating large amounts of food when not hungry.– Eating alone out of embarrassment.– Feeling guilty or depressed after overeating.

One or more health problem related to unhealthy body image is overexercising.

Overexercising

• Signs of overexercising include:– Exercising more frequently and intensely than is

required for good health.– Giving up time for work, school and relationships

to exercise.– Exercising despite being injured or ill.– Defining self-worth in terms of physical or athletic

performance.• Many people with anorexia also overexercise.

There are many serious health consequences of eating disorders. You are going to have an opportunity to

test your knowledge about some of these.

Turn to the “Consequences of Eating Disorders” quiz on page 29.

Follow the directions and complete the quiz.

Turn to “How to Help a Friend” on page 30.

Who are people you could go to if you think your friend has an eating disorder?

It is very important that you get help for your friend. You could enlist the help of a:

• Counselor• Teacher• Parent• Coach• School nurse

A Friend in Trouble

• Situation 1• A friend has been acting different lately. She

doesn’t want to eat anything at lunch and is always complaining about how “fat” she looks. She’s acting moody and secretive.

• What should you say or do?

A Friend in Trouble

• Situation 2• A friend is on the wrestling team. He’s always

concerned about his weight. On the days before a meet, he constantly spits into a cup, wears heavy clothes, and doesn’t eat at all so he can make weight. You are concerned about him.

• What should you say or do?

A Friend in Trouble

• Situation 3• Your friend has lost a lot of weight recently.

Everyone’s telling her how great she looks, but you know she’s taking a lot of diet pills and laxatives to lose the weight. You’ve tried to talk to her, but she just says you’re jealous. You are scared about her health.

• What should you do about it?

Find a partner. Choose 1 of these situations and create a roleplay showing how you would help your friend. Your roleplay could

involve talking directly to your friend or talking to a trusted adult.