DO YOU SUFFER FROM ANOREXIA? WHAT REALLY ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

 

Anorexia is an eating disorder which strikes both women and men, but mostly teenagers. It has been increasing the past few decades and more and more people are skipping meals in order to look like the models in magazines. It's in human's nature to try to look better than the others everyday, but sometimes it can turn into a serious problem which has no return. But what really are the syptoms of anorexia? How can you recognise them so that you can save yourself or a friend of yours immediately?

 

• Do you feel fat even when people try to prove you wrong?

If you constantly feel the need to lose weight but you're friends assure you that it is useless and you're already thin, then you have to re-think about it and discuss it with your favorite people before starting a diet!

• Do you always search for the calories before eating any kind of food?

If you're too obsessed with calories and you're even thinking about chewing  gum, then you should really start to freak out -or maybe not, the best way is to chill out. Just eat whatever you want for one week without thinking about calories and fat , but don't overdo it. If after this you feel too guilty and want to start an extremely strict diet then you should ask an expert's help.

• Do you exercise excessively while on a diet at the same time?

If you've noticed that you have started working out more lately while you're trying this "effective" diet you read about on the internet, give it a second thought. Have you been skipping meals with necessary nutrition? Have you been working out so much you don't have energy for anything anymore? Dont push yourself so hard -your body will treat you the way you treat it.

• Do you lie about eating constantly to family and friends?

Have you been asked lately about eating your meal and you lied? Has this started to happen regularly? Do you feel guitly for skipping  a meal but you don't have the courage to ask for someone's help? Please, skipping meals it is not a healthy way of losing weight. If you eat five small meals a day and you exercise three days a week, then you're just going to be fine -or maybe awesome!

• Is your self-esteem based only on how much you weigh?

If the only thing that makes you happy is losing weight in order to be thinner and thinner, then something's going wrong. Look at yourself in the mirror and speak out loud about all your perfections. Whenever you think that losing weight is the only way to beauty, take a look in the mirror to build!

 

I hope these tips were useful for all of you teens out there. I just want to remind you that we're not experts; just teenagers who want to help other teenagers through their personal experience. 

 

 

Nefeli Katsigiannaki 

 

Sources: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa.htm