How to Prevent Anorexia

Learn to recognize the warning signs of anorexia and take action

People with anorexia have distorted views of their bodies. Despite restricting their food intake to the point of illness or malnutrition, those suffering from anorexia still see their bodies as too fat. Preventing anorexia can be an ongoing process for a person who is at risk of developing this eating disorder. Those at risk may have a close family member such as a mother or sibling who also had the disorder. It is also common in people with perfectionist tendencies. Gaining a healthier perspective on your body and a healthier relationship with food may help you to avoid this disorder.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Developing a Positive Body Image

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1
Focus on your whole person. Society often places a great deal of emphasis on outward appearance to the point of overlooking other wonderful features about a person. One way to develop better self-esteem is to think about all of your strengths. Make a list of all the qualities you feel describe you as a person. Also, think about ways others have spoken highly of your personal traits in the past. Include these compliments on the list as well.
- Tape this list on your bathroom mirror so whenever you find yourself judging your physical appearance, you can immediately correct these judgments by focusing on positive strengths you have in other areas of life.
2
Highlight the positives about your body. This method is not suggesting that you point out specific aspects of your appearance like a slim nose or thighs. Instead, you need to direct your attention on how awesome the human body is without regard to appearance. For instance, you can pinpoint amazing abilities and functions that you are able to carry out because of your body.
- Whenever you catch yourself being nit-picky about any perceived flaws on your body, try to correct yourself and declare positive affirmations like "My legs and arms allow me to do cartwheels.", "My heart is so strong it delivers blood to my entire body." or "My nose helps me to smell these beautiful flowers."
- Your body image may be poor if you are always directing your attention on what you think it is lacking. You can develop higher self-esteem and confidence if you uplift the wonderful things your body helps you to do.
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3
Be critical of how bodies are portrayed in the media. Socio-cultural factors present through media, the Western perception of thinness as a beauty ideal, and opinions formed in local communities or cultures may strongly influence young people who develop unhealthy views of their bodies.
- Be a rebel and admonish images on TV, the internet, or in magazines of females who are significantly underweight and males who are idolized for having perfectly muscular bodies. Make a point of reminding yourself that these are not real portrayals of the true range of human bodies.
4
Correct friends or family members who bad-mouth their bodies. When you hear your mother, sisters, brothers, or friends down certain parts of their bodies for being too large or not good enough, stop them in their tracks. Tell them that speaking bad about their bodies is an unhealthy behavior and immediately compliment them on something that is not related to appearance such as them being awesome at soccer or having the highest GPA in their class.
- Dissatisfaction with one's physical appearance is a warning sign for anorexia and other eating disorders. Reminding your friends of this may help to promote awareness and also help you to reinforce thinking about your body in a more positive manner.
5
Remind yourself that a certain body weight cannot bring you happiness. When you spend so much time idealizing a certain body weight you begin to view this as a key to happiness and feeling good about yourself. This is an unhealthy viewpoint and can lead to developing anorexia.
- Despite what may be uplifted in the media, there is no ideal body types. Healthy human bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Furthermore, no amount of weight loss or change will suddenly make your life more exciting or enjoyable.^{[1]XResearch source}
- If you have formed an association between happiness in life and your appearance, it may be necessary to visit with a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of treatment may be helpful for individuals at risk of eating disorders because it helps them identify and alter irrational or inaccurate thoughts and beliefs.^{[2]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}
6
Say goodbye to perfectionism. Researchers have found a link between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction - a common problem for individuals with eating disorders. Therefore, you will need to do away with perfectionist tendencies and your need to control every situation if you want to avoid developing anorexia.
- Perfectionism is demonstrated when you often have trouble meeting your own standards. You may be very critical of yourself and your abilities. You may also procrastinate on tasks or do them over and over again until they meet your standards.
- You can speak see a therapist for help with overcoming perfectionism. Cognitive-behavioral therapy may be helpful in pinpointing perfectionist beliefs and finding ways of developing healthier expectations for yourself.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food

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1
Stop demonizing certain foods. This may come as a surprise, but no food is bad. Yes, there are foods that nurture your body with essential vitamins and minerals. On the contrary, there are foods that provide only empty calories. These tend to be foods high in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar. Still, labeling these foods as bad puts young people at risk of constantly denying themselves tasty foods that they enjoy with the high likelihood of overeating them later.
- All carbohydrates are not bad as many fad diets like to declare.^{[3]XResearch source} Carbohydrates are a necessary macronutrient in the body. In fact, complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains offer an abundance of energy and fiber without the surplus calories. Simple carbohydrates like white bread, rice, and potatoes are processed in the body faster and leave you with sugar cravings shortly after. These foods should be enjoyed only in moderation.
- When you deny yourself something, you are draining yourself of willpower. Willpower is a limited resource, and, over time, it will become difficult to stay away from whatever you have labeled as off-limits. The trick to stopping endless cravings while still keeping your eating plan relatively healthy is to allow yourself a small portion of foods you have labeled as off-limits. This prevents the necessity to overeat these foods later.^{[4]XResearch source}
- A less common type of anorexia is the binge-eating/purging type. These sufferers may place extreme restriction on their eating habits, only having very small portions of food at a time. After bouts of denial, they may give in to a small portion of cake, a regular-sized meal or a complete binge. Afterwards, they punish themselves by working out vigorously or by purging (vomiting) what they have eaten. The most common form of this disorder is characterized by extreme restricting without bingeing or purging.
2
Stay away from "diets". Only 10 to 15% of eating disorder sufferers are male. These disorders are overwhelmingly within the female population. Dieting is also a big trend with females. Dieting can be dangerous, impact mental health, and ultimately lead to an eating disorder like anorexia. So, steer clear of diets.
- The bad news: diets often fail. Removing certain food groups and eating below nutritional guidelines can lead to numerous health problems. Statistics show that 95% of all dieters will regain lost weight within 1 to 5 years.^{[5]XResearch sourceNeumark-Sztainer D., Haines, J., Wall, M., & Eisenberg, M. ( 2007). Why does dieting predict weight gain in adolescents? Findings from project EAT-II: a 5-year longitudinal study. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(3), 448-55.}
- As described above, two primary reasons why diets fail are because individuals often restrict their calories too low to maintain over a long period of time, or they deny themselves foods they really like. When they began eating normally again, they gain all the weight back.
- Individuals who are constantly, or yo-yo, dieting are at risk of diminished muscle mass, bone deficiencies, heart disease, and negatively affecting the metabolism.
3
See a registered dietitian for education on a healthy, balanced eating plan. Wondering how you will maintain a healthy weight without dieting? Visit a professional who can help you develop a lifestyle-based eating plan that focuses on health not weight.^{[6]XResearch source}
- A dietitian will determine the dietary needs you require based on your medical history and any allergies you may have. In general, Americans should eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources like poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts, fat-free or low-fat dairy, and whole grains.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Your dietitian might also suggest that you get with your primary care physician to determine a regular exercise plan. Along with a balanced diet, exercise can help you control weight, prevent disease, improve your mood, and live a longer life.^{[8]XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to source}]
4
Reflect on childhood experiences that influenced your eating habits. Long-standing beliefs about food often promote unhealthy eating patterns. Think back to when you were younger and try to remember the rules you followed about eating. For example, maybe you were rewarded with sweets and currently view these types of foods as ways to make yourself feel better. Some of these rules may have taken root and begun to affect your current way of viewing food.
- Talk to a therapist about any disordered patterns of eating behavior from your childhood that may have influenced your current habits.

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Warnings

If you notice yourself refusing to eat or drastically restricting your food intake, it is important to see your health professional immediately.
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None of the above suggestions constitute medical advice.
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