By B.ZniberWhen the pendulum swings too far
In some cases, an overweight teen becomes obsessed with losing weight and pushes the pendulum to the other end of the scale. The opposite side of obesity is anorexia and bulimia, which are more dangerous.
It is very difficult to understand how anorexia and bulimia affects people who may look healthy and a normal size weight. For many sufferers, they see themselves as fat and undesirable, and they usually lack self confidence and self esteem. They may feel this because they have been laughed at when they were younger, or it can be that they are just too shy or embarrassed to discuss how they feel.
Those suffering from either anorexia or bulimia are at risk. Their health will be compromised if their eating problems are not diagnosed early. What you need to do is get to the root of their problem and discuss how they feel about themselves. Find out why they feel that they need to lose the weight in such a manner. Then you can look at ways in which you can help them to combat this problem.
People who are suffering from anorexia or bulimia will most likely need professional help.
There are plenty of self help groups which assist with these eating disorders.
How do I recognize if my teen is suffering from an eating problem?
Unfortunately, most people, especially children, are good at hiding the symptoms related to eating problems. But here are some signs that should help.
1. The color of their skin. Does it have a healthy glow or is it dull and pale?
2. Eyes - are they bright or dull?
3. Hair – It is full and shiny or has it become dull, flat and thinning?
4. Legs and Arms – Have they got good tone, or do they look just like skin and bone?
5. Have their energy levels decreased?
6. Teenage Girls – Has their menstrual cycle altered in any way?
Discreetly watch your teen's bathroom habits. Are they constantly going to the bathroom after they have eaten in order to purge the food from their body? Do they have loose stools and stomach cramps because they are taking laxatives?
Teenagers who are suffering from anorexia will often play with the food, or say they are not hungry or that they ate earlier when they were out with their friends. Others may skip breakfast and just grab something on the way school, or they won’t take their lunch to school.
Discreetly check with the school to see if they are eating meals at school. Speak to their friends and find out what they are eating when they are with them. However, it is important that you do not pry too much, or it will lead to them only hiding the problem from you even more.
If you are able to, monitor what they are reading and logging onto on the internet.
If your teen losses a dramatic amount of weight in a short period of time, it could signal a larger issue. Weight gain is an issue, but critical weight loss is even more alarming.
