Eating Disorder Risks With Extreme Dieting
BY Sandra Kim Leong
Eating disorders often begin when a person goes on a diet. Studies show that dieting when carried out too far results in unhealthy compulsive behaviors. These behaviors usually involve episodes of vomiting or laxative abuse. When on the extreme, eating disorders can be dangerous. So if you are about to start on a diet, you really ought to know what you are getting into. Be aware of when you should stop dieting and take steps to prevent eating disorders from developing.
In fact, you should also know that about 95%25 of people who go on a diet quickly find that they regain the pounds that they initially lost. They simply have no idea on how to sustain being on a healthy weight with a balanced diet. They go back to their old ways of eating soon after and find themselves putting on fat and calories again.
You would also want to avoid yo yo dieting. It is the unhealthy cycle of dieting, losing weight, regaining it, and then starting all over again. Going through this in cycles can wreck tremendous havoc to your health.
Long term complications of eating disorders include cardiac problems, negative impact on metabolism, and other health risks. You can also become malnourished because you are not consuming key nutrients. Key nutrients include calcium and various other vitamins and minerals. Not having enough calcium can cause stress fractures and bone density loss. If you are a female, you run the increased risk of developing osteoporosis.
There are numerous physical symptoms that also result from excessive dieting. You really should bear these in mind for eating disorder prevention. They includes loss of endurance, respiratory problems including decreased oxygen intake, dehydration, weakness, imbalance of electrolytes, heart problems, risk of fainting, loss of muscle and strength, unhealthy skin, insomnia and thinning hair.
Extreme dieting can also have an effect on your mind. When you go on a severe diet over a prolonged period of time, you restrict the amount of calories that you consume. This is the beginnings of an anorexic eating disorder. Your energy levels drop and affect your ability to focus. Obviously if you take steps to prevent eating disorders such as knowing when to stop dieting, you will not have to worry about these things.
In a nutshell, what is of concern is that dieting can lead to extreme behaviors that result in an eating disorder. You should know this information up front to prevent a condition from developing. What matters is not the diet itself that leads to the eating disorder but the behaviors that result from the diet that is important!
ABOUTH THE AUTHORSandra Kim Leong shares her tips and thoughts about eating disorders on her site. Read her posts and gain access to her free report "21 Facts About Eating Disorders That You Should Know About" when you visit http://www.Eating-Disorder-Research.com. |
