Eating Troubles

Eating troubles such as Anorexia and Bulimia involve a preoccupation with body weight and food and are usually team up with an overwhelming fear of fatness.

• Anorexia commonly starts with dieting and then develops into obsessive control of food intake. Even though hungry, people caught up with anorexia are convinced to force themselves either not to eat or to eat only tiny amounts of food to keep their weight low.

• Bulimia also commonly begins with dieting which leads to poor nutrition, hunger and tiredness. Bulimia has people developing into an out-of-control compulsive cycle of bingeing on food and often followed by vomiting.

Often eating problems such as anorexia and bulimia as well as eating troubles such as bingeing, compulsive eating, restrictive eating patterns and yo-yo dieting capture women but they can and do affect men as well.

If you are concerned about your body image and/or your eating patterns and finding that your thoughts about food and body image are occupying a lot of time or getting in the way of life then it might be an idea to come and talk to a nurse, doctor or counsellor.

Some websites that may be useful

www.eatingproblems.org/

www.headspace.org.nz/