Anorexia and Bulimia: The Scary Truth About Teens and Weight Loss

It is no secret that America has been named the world's most obese county in the world. It's a title that American is shamed to admit, but can't hide from. With so many people being overweight it seems as if there is a new diet taunted in front of our faces every day. But for teenagers, the most popular diets are still those which are also eating disorders. Anorexia and Bulimia affect millions of teenagers every year. Even if you look at many of today's teen icons, such as Lindsey Lohan, Misha Barton and Nicole Richie, you will see that they are nothing but skin and bones. Although the media is always talking about how sickly these teen icons look, it is still a sought after look for millions of teenagers around the world.

Statistically 31% of teenage girls, and 28% of teenage boys are considered to be somewhat overweight. But even those teens who are at perfectly normal body weights for their age and height still feel the pressure to lose weight. As a matter of fact, according to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) statistics "Nationwide, 12.3% of high school students had gone without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight during the last 30 days."

The pressure has pretty much always been around for teens to want want to fit in with their peers. It's hard being a teenager, and I don't think many of us adults would argue that fact. But being skinny can become such an addictive goal that many teens are willing to sacrifice health and opt for quick results.

I remember as a teenager me and my friends would often safe up our lunch money and not each lunch. We would go to our local grocery store and buy tons of fruit and go on a fruit fast. We had no idea what a fast was, we just knew that fruit was good for us, didn't have a lot of calories and would hopefully take us down a size or two. I actually remember my mother taking me to a nutritious because for a time, I would only eat salads. Now granted I topped it with ranch dressing, but still, a growing teenager needs more than salad to grow healthy! Thankfully I never developed an eating disorder or anything, but I can completely relate to going to extremes to get the pounds off as a teenager.

The scary truth is these teenagers are not concerned with their health, but rather their appearance. Not that adults are much better at this, but we do tend to understand healthy eating = healthy body. For Americans who became "enlighten" to the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet and so on, our goal was losing weigh, lowering cholesterol, and experiencing new found energy. For a teen,. following any diet is usually only about the weight loss.

Many teenagers will starve themselves before social activities, like a school trip to an amusement park, a dance or the prom. And many teenagers are not acting alone, they are "all" doing it, or so it seems to them. usually they will have a clique of friends who are doing the same thing, which keeps their motivation going. We can even see that in Hollywood with the actresses name in the first paragraph who are often spotted hanging out together. The media is not our teens friend, as it is reported that most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women (Smolak, 1996).

It is scary to think that bulimia and anorexia are still so prominent in Today's society, and teens are not the only ones using it to lose weight. Many adults continue to suffer with these disorders. If you suspect your teenager has an eating disorder, get help as soon as possible. You can start by contacting the National Eating Disorders Association at their hot line at 1-800-931-2237. You may also visit their website here where you will find a lot of helpful information including a free Eating Disorders Survival Guide download and information to local support groups.

Sources:

National Eating Disorders Association http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help-today/

Statistics and Information found at - http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/eatingdisorders/a/eatingdisorder5.htm

SADD - http://www.sadd.org/stats.htm