Eating disorders

The writing of this report on eating disorders is a very personal journey for me. From the age of six until I finished high school at the age of seventeen I was a competitive gymnast who trained a minimum of three hours a day, six days a week. Because the sport of gymnastics is one where a competitor is given a score by the judges appearance plays an important part in the sport. The first time I ever experienced an issue concerning my weight was when my parents sent me to a sleepover summer training camp for gymnasts at the age of ten. I was by no means even slightly overweight but all of the girls at the camp were put on strict diets. I remember clearly how pleased I was when one day I looked down at myself and saw that my leotard was too big on me and baggy where my stomach should have been. Even at ten this gave me a feeling of control over my body. When my parents came to visit me one weekend they were horrified by my condition and took my home that same day. When they took me to the doctor it turned out that not only had I lost too much weight, but I was dehydrated as well. This was the last time my parents sent me to a summer camp for gymnastics. When I reached junior high school I became a cheerleader, which also

One study reported that two thirds of high school students were on diets, although only 20% were actually overweight. Although 90% of reported cases are in women, the rate in men appears to be increasing. Bulimia has increased at a greater rate than anorexia over the past five years. It is reported that 2.7% of girls and 1.4% of boys engage in bulimic behavior. College age students are at even higher risks. Some people claim that the estimates are grossly underestimated because many people with bulimia are able to conceal their purging and do mot become noticeably underweight. Some studies report that 80% of female college students have binged at one time. Young people who occasionally force vomiting after eating too much, however, are not considered bulimic, and most of the time this occasional unhealthy behavior does not continue beyond youth. Anorexia Nervosa is the third most common chronic illness in adolescent women. It usually occurs in adolescence, although all age groups are affected, including elderly people and children as young as six. Between the mid 1950's and the mid 1970's, the incidence of anorexia increased by almost 300%. Indications are, however, that the rate may be stabilizing.

„h awareness that eating patterns are not normal