Warning Signs – Eating Disorders | Eating Disorders Birmingham

You may be diagnosed with an eating disorder if your eating habits threaten your health and happiness or threaten the health and happiness of the people who care for you.

It can often be very difficult to realise that a loved one or friend has developed an eating disorder.

Warning signs to look out for include:

Missing meals.
Complaining of being fat, even though they have a normal weight or are underweight
Repeatedly weighing themselves
Making repeated claims that they have already eaten, or they will shortly be going out to eat somewhere else
Cooking big or complicated meals for other people, but eating little or none of the food themselves
Only eating certain low-calorie foods in others’ presence, such as lettuce or celery
Feeling uncomfortable or refusing to eat in public places, such as a restaurants
Changes in personality
Withdrawing from social groups, hobbies they use to enjoy or from family life
Depression and anxiety, particularly around mealtimes.
Deliberately making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat
Exercising too much
Having very strict habits or routines around food
Changes in your mood

You may also notice physical signs, including:

Feeling cold, tired or dizzy
Problems with your digestion
Your weight being very high or very low for someone of your age and height
Not getting your period for women and girls

*eating disorders are 7 to 10 times more common in women than in men*

Types of eating disorders

The most common eating disorders are:

Anorexia Nervosa – when you try to keep your weight as low as possible by not eating enough food, exercising too much, or both

Bulimia – when you sometimes lose control and eat a lot of food in a very short amount of time (binging) and are then deliberately sick, use laxatives , restrict what you eat, or do too much exercise to try to stop yourself gaining weight

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) – when you regularly lose control of your eating, eat large portions of food all at once until you feel uncomfortably full, and are then often upset or guilty

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) – when your symptoms don’t exactly match those of anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder, but it doesn’t mean it’s a less serious illness

OSFED is the most common, then binge eating disorder and bulimia. Anorexia is the least common.

You can take back control of your Eating Disorder – You can live a calmer, happier, much more relaxed, balanced life- CALL NOW
Eating Disorders Birmingham
Quadrant Court
51-52 Calthorpe Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 1TH
Call- 0121 403 3163 / 07825 599340 for a free 30 minute confidential consultation.
stuart@eatingdisordersbirmingham.co.uk
www.eatingdisordersbirmingham.co.uk