How Thin is TOO Thin?
Oh, the things we will do to keep ourselves “healthy”! We exercise, hire personal fitness trainers, seek out nutritionists and holistic experts and diet. The list could go on and on. For some people, the motivation is strictly to look good. For others, it’s to be in shape. For a lot of women, however, the need to look and feel good is taken to the extreme. They think that being healthy equates to being thin. But how thin is too thin?
Women and Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa is defined by Wikipedia as an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Women, more so than men, are more likely to develop anorexia as a result of low self esteem, mass media (ex: television) as well as growing up in an unstable household.
Because of the fear of gaining weight, victims of anorexia will typically starve themselves by eating very little, if anything at all. In some cases, someone suffering from anorexia will purge themselves by taking diet pills, laxatives or by making themselves vomit.
If you live in North Carolina and see someone suffering from anorexia, you should try to help them by talking to them about your concerns, or by accompanying them to a rehabilitation facility that deals specifically with eating disorders. Carolina House located in Durham is a great resource. Also, you may want to seek professional help from a psychologist so that you can talk about your problem. Feel free to contact BCBSNC or your local NC healthcare provider regarding this as most individual healthcare plans cover pscyhological treatment.
[...] tons of diet books, renting exercise videos, joining exercise classes, etc. But really, how thin is too thin? To eat too much is irresponsible; but to eat too little is just the same. We need to [...]