Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by significant restriction of food intake, excessive weight loss, and a strong fear of gaining weight or being fat. Below I list some of the signs and symptoms of Anorexia. You don’t have to exhibit all of these behaviors to have Anorexia. Additionally, you may have experiences or behaviors that are not listed here.
- Eat very little and often eat alone
- Eat only “safe” foods.
- Experience eating as scary. Food is terrifying.
- Have a significantly low body weight
- Not have a significantly low body weight (Atypical Anorexia)
- See yourself as heavier than you actually are
- Exercise for hours a day; feel panicky if you can’t exercise
- Have an excessive focus on food, calories, or weight
- Become increasingly moody, rigid, and needing to feel in control
- Spend more time alone
- Avoid events that involve food
- Feel unable to eat even when you want to
- Weigh yourself frequently
- Develop fine hair on face/torso
- Develop dry skin and hair
- Develop thinning hair
- Experience hands and feet that are always cold
- Have constipation and other digestive problems
- Have insomnia
- Have a loss of menstrual periods (for women not on birth control)
“Food is not the enemy. Self-hate is.”
— TheLoveYourselfChallenge.Tumblr