Mind4Youth

Author: Ananya Bhat

A McDonalds cheeseburger has 300 calories. One apple has 95 calories. One can of Coca Cola has 140 calories. A cup of Granola is 270. Today, I ate a pancake with berries, soup, a salad with dressing, trail mix, and two slices of pizza, so in total, I ate about 1150 calories. The average person needs around 2000 calories a day. 1200 calories is a big deficit. That means I’m in a deficit today. I end up having a bit of dessert though. A cupcake. That’s 200 more added to my log.. 1350 today.. That’s over my deficit. I should weigh myself. Yesterday, I was 94 pounds. I weigh myself again today, and I’m at 96 now. My goal is 93 pounds. How could I have let this happen? Do I not know how to commit? Why can’t I stick to my goal? I have to reach my goal. I need to be thinner. It’s okay, I’ll just make up for it tomorrow.. I’ll have to be in a bigger calorie deficit, and I should exercise an hour more to burn that off! It should be fine.. It’s fine.. Calories, scale, 93 pounds, diet, binge, starve, calories, none tomorrow, binge, diet, calories, calories, calories!

What you just read is the world of so many people out there. 10% of teenage girls in the United States have some form of an eating disorder, and the number is similar for teenage boys (Aacap Eating disorders in teens). That means 1 in 10 of your peers may be practicing something like this. Your school may have 200 people. Of those 200, 20 of them could be suffering from some form of an eating disorder.

You’ll notice I said “some form of an eating disorder” multiple times in that last paragraph. That’s because there isn’t just one type, but many ways this may afflict people. The type I described was from real 15 year old girls out there. But, there are other ways eating disorders can manifest in people. In her story, we saw excessive exercise, extreme dieting, and calorie counting. That is called Anorexia Nervosa. Other symptoms of an eating disorder could be other forms of dieting, starvation, binge eating, and eating inanimate objects. There are so many types! And in those types, there’s even a spectrum; Extremes to mild! Some people may take calorie counting, for example, to an even more extreme form than what we saw. Or, the calorie counting could just be a few days. No matter which type or part of the eating disorder spectrum someone may be on, we all have to remember that it’s important no matter what, and they deserve to be able to get help.

Peeling the Apple
First up, why do eating disorders plague people? What’s the cause of them? Well, to tell you the truth, there is no definite cause. It can come from many places. Some people see models and influencers on social media that promote toxic ideals and beauty standards. In today’s time, everyone has a phone, since our society makes it almost impossible to live without one. Most people have social media. And there are influencers promoting body types that are impossible for most people to get, and a lot of the time, the influencers themselves can’t live up to the standards they’ve created. The Kardashians are a perfect example of this. They brought beauty standards so high that they can’t even keep up with the Kardashians anymore (pun intended). If they can’t even do that, can normal teenagers? Celebrities and influencers promote so many toxic standards that are unattainable. Comparing yourself to these people on Instagram or Tik Tok, or even just random people around you can be
draining, and the desire to look like them can overtake you. Another place an eating disorder can come from is from the home or school. If someone makes fun of you, being your peer or family, that can have a detrimental impact. If that joke just so happens to be about food or
weight, you can get an eating disorder. There are so many places an eating disorder can come from. It’s so important to look around you, note where you see harmful things being spread, and try to put a stop to them or comfort someone who may be affected. One comment can make a difference.

Looking at the Menu
Now, let’s talk about the different kinds. The most common one, or the one you probably think of first, is Anorexia Nervosa. That is the type where someone starves themselves, engages in excessive exercise, diets, or has an extreme fear of gaining weight. There’s also Bulimia Nervosa: when someone has episodes of overeating, then purges. Another lesser known type is Compulsive Eating Disorder. That’s mostly binging, which means eating huge portions of food in one sitting; it can result in horrible body dysmorphia (insecurity in your body weight or proportions), a feeling of lacking control, and may lead to another type of eating disorder. There’s also Pica, where someone eats things not generally considered food, like rocks or wood. There are so many types, and some symptoms may combine!

Cutting back the Puns: This is not a Joke
If you see any of these symptoms in someone you know, it is so important to help them. Tell them they’re worth it, affirm them. They need to know they’re beautiful, and don’t need to change anything about themselves. Encourage them to get therapy, so they can get better from
this ailment.

As for anyone who sees these symptoms or signs in themselves, or just anyone who needs to hear it, I’ll do it myself. You are so beautiful, pretty, and perfect. You don’t need to change the way you look at all. I’m not sure what reason you may have, but just know that you are loved by so many people around you who don’t want you to hurt yourself like this, so please don’t do this, and please work on getting better. The hotline is +1 866-662-1235. Check out this website to gain more resources. And just remember, you aren’t alone. There are people just like you in your region, and around the world. There are so many people who’ll get it.

Eating disorders can be caused by so many things and there can be so many different types or extremes. They pour into so many aspects of life, and take and take. Look around you, and at yourself. Do you believe any of this applies to you or someone you know? Then please, take this knowledge to help someone. Just one sentence, one person can make a huge, positive difference in someone’s life. Be that person.

Works Cited American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “Eating Disorders in Teens.” Aacap.org, Mar. 2018, http://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/facts_for_families/FFF Guide/Teenag ers-With-Eating-Disorders-002.aspx.

National Eating Disorders Association. “National Eating Disorders Association.” Nationaleatingdisorders.org, 2023, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
NIMH. “National Institute of Mental Health.” Nih.gov, 30 Jan. 2020, http://www.nimh.nih.gov/.