Weighing The Facts: Eating disorders and dieting

We have Mary Evans Young to thank for International No Diet Day. A recovered anorexic and director of the British anti-diet campaign, Diet Breakers, Mary Evans Young established INDD (International No Diet Day) in 1992 to raise awareness of eating disorders and combat the diet industry.

Mary Evans Young explains:

"I started INDD in the spring of '92 following two things. The first was seeing a television programme where women were having their stomachs stapled. One woman had split the staples and was in for her third op[eration]. And then a young girl of 15 committed suicide because 'she couldn't cope being fat.' She was size 14 (12 in US). I decided somebody had to stand up and try to stop this bloody madness and in the absence of anybody else, I decided it would be me. So I sent out a press release titled 'Fat Woman Bites Back'...and got some media attention. I was desperate to keep the anti-diet/size acceptance concept in the public eye. So, without really thinking about it, at the end of a live TV interview I said, 'Don't forget to celebrate No Diet Day.' ...Having declared it on prime time national TV I then set about organising a picnic in Hyde Park. Alas it rained, so we adjourned to my living room instead."

Take the INDD Pledge
INDD's Goals

Dieting often leads to unhealthy and dangerous attitudes towards food. Restriction, being the nature of dieting, places negative values on certain foods such as too many calories, too much fat, etc. The tension and stress of struggling over our food choices puts food in the position of enemy. A child/teen exposed to these attitudes in a dieting parent, sibling, or friend has an increased risk of developing an eating disorder. Anorexia and Orthorexia are two eating disorders to commonly result from dieting.

Some Interesting Stats

Women and Men:

The average American woman is 5’4" tall and weighs 140 pounds.
91% of college aged women have dieted in an attempt to control their weight
25% of American men are on a diet on any given day
40-50%% of American women are on a diet on any given day

Children:

42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner
81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat Over 50% of 10 year old girls wish they were thinner
51% of 9 -10 year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet
46% of 9-11 year-olds (and 82% of their families) are sometimes/very often on diets
90% of female high school juniors & seniors women diet regularly though 10%-15% are over the weight recommended by the standard height-weight charts

Overall:

95% of all dieters will regain the weight they lost in 1-5 years
35% of dieters will progress to pathological dieting.
20%-25% pathological dieters will progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders
Those who diet moderately are 5 times more likely to develop eating disorders than non-dieters
Those who diet severely are 18 times more likely to develop and eating disorder
1% of teenage girls & 5% of college-age women become anorexic or bulimic
Between 90% and 99% of reducing diets fail to produce permanent weight loss
15 percent of young women in the US who are not diagnosed with an eating disorder exhibit substantially disordered eating behavior and attitude
8 million people in the US suffer from an eating disorder
In your lifetime 50,000 people will die as a direct result of their Eating Disorder
The current media ideal of thinness is achieved by less than 5% of the female population
Americans spend more than $40 billion dollars a year on dieting and diet-related products (That’s roughly equivalent to the amount the U.S. Federal Government spends on education each year)
Quick-weight-loss schemes are among the most common consumer frauds
Diet programs have the highest customer dissatisfaction of any service industry
Girls develop eating and self-image problems before drug or alcohol problems
Drug and alcohol programs are in almost every school, but no eating disorder programs
A recent survey: only 30% out of 250 randomly chosen women 21-35 years of age had normal bone mass. It was concluded that women are so afraid of gaining weight from eating dairy products

The Big Deal About Dieting: What You Should Know

“Yo-yo” dieting has negative health effects such as increased heart disease, long lasting negative impact on metabolism, etc.
Dieting forces your body into starvation mode. In order to conserve energy your body slows it's normal functions.This means your natural metabolism actually slows down.
Dieters often lack important nutrients such as calcium which is needed for strong bones and to combat osteoporosis.

More Information:

Resources:

sources:
linked above and
http://www.eskimo.com
http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/eatingdisorders/a/eatingdisorder5.htm
blueribbon source:http://www.eskimo.com

Dieting, a 50 billion dollar industry, is risky business. Statistics show that those who diet are five times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who don't. The act of restricting food intake, and viewing certain foods as "bad,"make food the enemy. More often than not the weight lost from dieting is often gained back, bringing with it several additional pounds. The sense of failure from this has also been known to lead to eating disorders. Cycling weight loss and weight gain compromises health, too; blood pressure increase, decreased stores of necessary good fats, and increased risk of developing several diseases and health issues.

The renowned Eating Disorder treatment center, Remuda Ranch, has recently released this list of popular myths about dieting:

#1 -- Dieting will result in weight loss and thus improve health. Ninety-five percent of diets fail. A continued focus on weight loss as a means to health will in all likelihood only result in poorer health. A shift to wellness by caring for the body as a whole-mind, body and spirit-is more effective in achieving metabolic fitness. This means getting and staying active without turning into a compulsive exerciser and eating intuitively with balance, variety and moderation.

#2 -- If I don’t have rules around eating, I will be out of control. Part of normal eating involves trusting the body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you are hungry or have a craving. Choose foods that you believe will satisfy you. Stay connected to your body and eat with awareness and enjoyment. Stop eating when you’re full or satisfied.

#3 -- Anyone can weigh what he or she wants as long as they diet and exercise hard enough. Contrary to popular belief, one of the strongest determinates of healthy body weight is our genetic code that was configured in the womb. We can only alter this natural set point a small amount with diet and exercise. Fat doesn’t always mean unhealthy and thin doesn’t always mean fit.

#4 – Dieting means I have strong will power and I’m morally good. Labeling food as “good” or “bad” has dire consequences. What happens when an individual eats a food that is perceived as “bad” for them? They may feel guilty and want to get rid of or purge those calories by exercise or fasting for the next day or two. If there are limits about never eating “bad” food, when an individual feels emotionally vulnerable, what might be the first food that he or she seeks? The “bad” food, and usually not in moderate portions. Keeping food neutral is key. When food is kept in its proper place in life, with no inherent moral value, intuitive eating is a natural result.

#5 – Everyone diets, it’s just the way it is. Just because many people are stuck in the cycle of dangerous dieting, doesn’t mean it’s the best way or that you have to follow. The best thing one can do for overall peace of mind and wellness is to cease the cycle. Individuals on diets are often irritable, fatigued and have difficulty concentrating or engaging in enjoyable social settings that involve food.

“Because there are so many diet myths out there, the best resource for truth is a registered dietitian or medical doctor,” says Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and director of nutritional services at Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders. “Unfortunately, eating disorders often develop after dabbling with diets. Beware of the underlying dangers in this cultural phenomenon.”

See archives for related article:The Dieting/Eating Disorder Connection

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sources: http://www.remudaranch.com/index.php
picture source: MrsMenopausal

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