I wrote this article for my old site a while ago and now I'm opening my new site, I've redone it a bit.
Just thought I'd post it and hope someone would give me some criticism.
Quote:
We all know there's alot of presure on young girls (and boys) to be thin.
Whether it be from the media, peer pressure or just seeing thin girls in the street but becoming anorexic or bulimic is not the answer.
Anorexia is mostly a phychological condition. Many people think that it's a physical condition. It's an obsession in the mind of never being thin enough and seeing others thinner than they really are or thinner than themselves.
So does the media lead to more and more teens becoming anorexic?
Possibly. There are alot of celebritys that are very thin and beautiful which can sometimes give across the message that big isn't beautiful. But the media doesn't effect everyone, peer pressure is another reason for anorexia.
There might be popular teens at school that are thin, the guys like them, the girls like them and other teens often feel that they have to be like them to fit in. There are also times when the media and peer pressure have nothing to do with it, it could be a beauty obsession, fears of heart disease or just being unhappy with the way you are.
If you ever suspect someone is suffering of anorexia nervosa you should talk to them and if possible/neccesary tell someone you both can trust about it.
Some symptons of anorexia nervosa that you should look at for are as follows:
- Avoiding public spaces, wanting to spend time alone, eat alone and avoiding large crowds.
- Cutting food in to tiny segments and eating slowly.
- Pale skin, from the lack of necessary nutrients.
- Brittle nails, from lack of calcium.
- Dramatic weight loss.
- Obsessive behaviour with cleaning and tidying and seeing everyone thinner than him or herself at all times.
- Skipping monthly menstruation.
- Anaemia could potentially be a side effect.
Those are just some from the long list of signs.
For those of you even considering skipping meals, eating very little or not eating all together to try and become thinner, let me tell you a little something about it and why skipping meals is not the answer.
Your body needs food. No questions asked.
You need energy to breath, keep your blood pumping and do everyday activites. The energy doesn't just appear, it comes from the food we eat.
If we don't eat, our body goes into what some call 'survival mode' by decreasing its basal metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories) in order to conserve energy for your body to function.
Your body becomes very efficient at storing whatevert calories it doesn't use as body fat. The less you eat, the harder your body tries to retain fat.
Meaning not only will you be damaging your health but when you start eating normally again your metabolism will speed up again and you'll gain all the weight back and probably end up heavier than you were before.
It's just a vicious circle that takes you back to square one every single time.
Currently in America, there are over 7 million women with an eating disorder and over 1 million men.
If you think you or someone you know may be developing an eating disorder or you just want more information don't hesitate to contact us or one of the following sites:
http://www.anad.org
http://www.anred.com
http://www.something-fishy.org
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I think I still have room for improvement. I tried to make it informative but not too long, I don't want people to get bored with it after the first few lines when they see how long it is.
Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated.
Anorexia Article.
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