I used to often hear from a close friend of mine making announcements like “Hey I am not eating that” “It looks so unhealthy” “I have already eaten lunch” “Let’s not eat today” and “Oh I forgot, I can’t come to your party I have an urgent work to do” “This looks like it has too many calories” does this anorexia story sound familiar to you? So what do anorexics eat?
People with Anorexia control their caloric intake in these ways:
- Vomiting
- Using medicines like diuretics or laxatives
- Diet aids
- Enema
- often by exercising too much
Anorexics may decrease their calorie intake remarkably and practice improper diets. They stop having certain foods or food groups, such as carbohydrates or fats, from their diet.
So what do anorexics eat? They have this intense pursuit of being thin. To achieve this they tend to starve themselves and do not allow themselves the pleasure of savoring delicious foods even when they are feeling ravenous.
Anorexia makes a person refuse to maintain even their minimal normal body weight for their age and height in some cases it is even less than eighty-five per cent of normal weight.
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Who is affected by anorexia?
Though people of all ages cultures and backgrounds can have it. Studies show that one out of every hundred teenage girls is suffering from this disorder like my friend who was only 16. About more than a thousand anorexic women die in the U.S. alone. It is seen more commonly in girls and young women than in boys or men.
If you or someone you know is suffering from this disorder. It is very critical that you get help by getting nutritional counseling from a professional or having therapy sessions. In severe cases, hospitalization is because ten percent of the known diagnosed cases of this disorder eventually die. It may be due to some anorexia-related causes or complications or sometimes due to suicide.
Physical Signs of Anorexia
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Low blood sugar
- Irregular heart rhythms
- Intolerance of cold
- Dry skin
- Thinning of hairs (breaks and fallout of hairs)
- Brittle nails
- Dizziness or fainting
Emotional changes in anorexics
- Depressed
- Irritable
- Self-critical
- Have anxiety
- Determine attractiveness based on weight and looks
Behavioral changes in anorexics
Anorexic people do not only undergo physical changes but they will have some differences in their behaviors.
Changes in habits of anorexics
- Obsessing over calorie count- One thing that they tend to do is that they always think and speak about their body weight.
- They will always want to avoid having food or refuse food.
- Social withdrawal – Pushing all their friends away will cause them to have a very friendless existence.
- They will become very secretive about what they are eating.
- They look in the mirror a lot and think they are fat when in actuality they are skeleton-thin.
- Although it would be difficult to notice early on as being anorexic makes one sneaky they will try to vomit food.
- Becoming anorexic makes people start using water pills, diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, and whatnot.
- Wear loose-fitting clothes with long sleeves to hide their body from others and themselves.
- Too much exercise – You will notice that they have started having more vigorous workout sessions and heavy training than they used to have.
- Soaking in cold water with the thought process that it will burn calories. Sleeping without blankets for the same reason.
If you will ask them about these behaviors they would be in complete denial over any of such things taking place.
What do anorexics eat?
Wondering about what do anorexics eat in a day? My friend whenever she was present at a lunch or dinner party would usually eat very low-fat and low-calorie food like cereals and try to have more fruits and salads on her plate. If people are observing her like friends and family she would then try to eat very small portions of everything. Then she would proceed to avoid every other meal for the next day. For beverages, such people would go for a black coffee to suppress their hunger or sometimes even water. After having all this they will then proceed to puke everything they had or have insane workout sessions to burn the entire calorie intake. For example, my friend used to eat very slowly on the pretext of chewing every bit of her food. She pretended to be eating normally in front of her family and friends circle. I had on many occasions caught her trying to throw the remaining food on her plate in the dustbin. She would then proceed to lie that she was having stomach cramps and couldn’t eat much. When she realized that I understood that something was wrong she used to plead not to mention it in front of her family.
So what do anorexics eat in a day is not something fixed but yes they do try to eat very little food with minimum calories. They may order a salad at a restaurant or something “healthy “also they will drink only water or tea. Some start smoking thinking of it as an appetite suppressor. (Warning Smoking is injurious to health.)
How do people become anorexic?
It doesn’t begin overnight but takes a course of a few months or years as with any mental health problem. Eating disorders begin differently for different people. So how do you get anorexia? For some, it may begin by enjoying losing a few pounds. Some people start believing that everything in their life will become alright if they lose weight. Some researchers show that anorexia may be an unconscious attempt to come to terms with painful childhood experiences. Sometimes it happens when someone in the family like a sibling or a parent already has an eating disorder.
How do anorexic people think?
They really can’t stop thinking about the calories they ate and if they do eat they will suddenly feel sick and may vomit or they may get upset and depressed. They will then try to fast the next day as “damage control”.
Calorie count for recovering anorexics
It is not unusual for recovering anorexics to gain one or two pounds a week. Some adolescents may be able to start with 2000 to 2,500 calories a day. Such patients are advised to raise the calorie count of their food to 3000 to 5000 calories per day for their recovery. The minimum calorie requirement of a healthy female is 1200 and for a healthy male, it is 1800. You shouldn’t have less than 600 calories in a day which would lead to serious side effects.
Anorexia is an eating disorder
Don’t play with your life following online anorexia diets.
Recently saw an anorexic girl on Tik Tok
Pro Ana tips
If you are researching about Anorexia online you must have come across the term pro ana. There are actually many posts like pro ana tips reddit group with large followers that share ways to reduce weight by severe dieting and reducing calories consumption extremely.These are harmful methods which are in no way prescribed by doctors and experts. Anorexicia is a disorder not some positive lifestyle choice.
Teenagers nowadays think about what do anorexics eat or how they become anorexic. The thinking of being anorexic is “fun” is not right. They have this misconception that how anorexia is good for them. They look for information on how to be anorexic or on an anorexia diet or how to become anorexic. Online searches for things like “anorexia tips to lose weight instantly” have increased a lot. It is not a “cool” thing but a very serious mental health condition. It is neither a choice nor a lifestyle. Anorexia is not a way to garner attention.
It is a disease and it can be fatal. Anorexia is one of the deadliest mental diseases that needs to be taken seriously. For anorexics living with anorexia is very difficult. Their anorexic mind believes that it is a way to run from their problems while for some other anorexics, it may be the only thing they can control in their life.
Conclusion about what do anorexics eat?
Regarding what anorexics eat, it can vary from individual to individual and also on how severe their disorder is. Some anorexics may eat very little food, avoiding some foods all the time, while others may eat certain food items and adhere to strict rules about them. In some cases, people may eat but purge, thus behaving so that they can compensate for their weight gain. Anorexia is a severe illness and should be handled by a qualified healthcare professional.
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Dr Amit Sharma is a Doctor and writer with a particular interest in mental health. He helps individuals by combining practical advice with emotional support.