Unhealthy Weight Loss Eating Behaviors
There is no discrimination in unhealthy eating behaviors.
According to a new survey by Self Magazine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, it doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Latino, Asian, or any other racial or ethnic group.
If you’re an American woman between 25 and 45 years old, you have a 75% chance of having an eating disorder or what is known as disordered eating behavior (which means you have symptoms consistent with eating disorders).
Yes, three out of four American women engage in unhealthy eating behaviors. The online survey got responses from over 4,000 women.
Here’s how their answers break down:
• 67% are trying to lose weight (not including women with actual eating disorders)…
• 10% more than the above 67% have symptoms of actual eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder…
• 53% of women who diet are already at a healthy weight, but they continue to try to lose weight anyway…
• 31% have tried to lose weight by vomiting or taking diuretics, laxatives, or diet pills at some time in their lives (with over 50% of these women purging from a few times a week to everyday)…
• 16% have gone on diets of 1,000 calories per day or less (that’s not enough, ladies)…
• 13% smoke to lose weight…
• 37% skip meals regularly to try to lose weight…
• 26% eliminate entire food groups to drop the pounds…
• 39% admit that their happiness can hinge on what they eat or weigh…
• 12% often eat when they’re not hungry and 49% sometimes do…
According to the experts, eliminating carbohydrates, skipping meals and sometimes even extreme dieting may be symptoms of disordered eating.
So if you’re engaging in any of these unhealthy weight loss eating behaviors, you should see your doctor for help and a healthy diet.
Technorati Tags: dieting, weight loss, eating behaviors, eating disorders, disordered eating
