By: Mya Dougherty
“I will never get my full health back because of what society taught me to do to my body, and I don’t want that to happen to you,” said Jameela Jamil. February is the month of eating disorder awareness. Studies show that 95% of eating disorder cases occur in people of ages 12 – 25. Of children who have anorexia, which involves severe food restriction, approximately 25% are male and 75% are female. By age 13, over 50% of girls dislike their bodies in some way. By age 17, nearly 80% of girls dislike their bodies. Most eating disorders are developed because of genetic vulnerability, low self-esteem, high perfectionism, and most of all, intense environmental pressure regarding body image. Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness. At least one person dies every 52 minutes as a result of an eating disorder.
People with eating disorders often make comments that reflect body dissatisfaction, rigid food rules, and guilt related to eating. Phrases they might use include, “I feel fat,” “I have already eaten,” “I need to lose more weight,” “I just do not feel comfortable eating right now,” or “I’m not hungry.” To support them during this, you can ask them how you can help, stay positive and be patient, sincerely acknowledge how hard it must be, avoid making comments about their appearance, and never pretend that you know how they feel.
Girls as young as 5 – 7 years old have reported worrying about their weight. Over 80% of individuals with eating disorders report body dissatisfaction before the eating disorder began. Girls who diet are up to 5 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who do not. More than 60% of girls avoid activities because of body image anxiety. Body dissatisfaction and fear of weight gain are strong predictors of suicidal ideation, even without a formal diagnosis. 1 in 3 girls say their body is the main thing they dislike about themselves. 1 in 4 girls have skipped meals to change their body. 1 in 2 girls compare their bodies to others online on a daily basis. This isn’t healthy; it is harmful.
Although statistics show that eating disorders are more common in women than men, they are still certainly affected by them. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, approximately 2.7% of men in the United States will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime. Other than this, there are not many other statistics on male eating disorders. This speaks to the need to have conversations on this topic.
It is important that we get enough calories each day to fuel our bodies. Each organ requires a certain number of calories each day to function. Your heart needs 400 calories a day to keep you alive, your lungs need 280 calories a day to breathe, your brain needs 300 calories a day to think, your body needs 400 calories at night to sleep, and your bones need calories just to exist. You don’t have to earn food; your body already deserves it.
It is important that we fight to end the stigma around eating disorders and have these hard conversations. No matter what, you deserve to eat – even if you overate yesterday, have not exercised, or are having a bad body image day. Your mind may try to tell you otherwise and say you don’t need to eat, but it is important that you do not listen to it. Please never call someone “fat,” because you never know how far they will go to be the opposite. You cannot tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. To anyone reading this with an eating disorder or recovering from one, take it a day at a time, take it an hour at a time, take as much time as you need, but please don’t give up. You are not alone. For more information you can visit https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
