Eating disorders are sign of deeper, underlying problems
Anorexia, bulimia affect Soldiers, too
By Sgt. Kim Dooley/The Bayonet
FORT BENNING, Ga. (April 13, 2004) – “Abigail’s” parents were fat. Unhealthy, even. Her mother had a stroke, and her father had developed diabetes and was about to have triple bypass surgery.
She watched them struggling just to get out of the car or climb a flight of stairs, and she saw this as her own future.
“I decided to exercise and eat healthfully,” she said, recalling the day she first started down the path to anorexia nervosa eight years ago. “Although I wasn’t dieting, I lost 12 pounds. I thought I was eating plenty. ... ”
As the next few years passed, she would periodically lose her appetite and drop a few pounds. But once the weight was gone, she didn’t want it back.
“I felt powerful for being able to lose weight,” she said. “It’s something most people want but never achieve.”
About two years ago, though, it became more than a mild change in eating habits.
“At a particularly low point in my life, when I was feeling miserable and out of control, I made an active decision to see how much weight I could lose,” she said. “My body was the only area of my life where I felt completely in control.”
In the midst of fear and desperation to feel good about herself, Abigail turned to food restriction and exercise. She ate alone when she ate at all — she wouldn’t even chew a piece of gum for fear of the five calories she would consume.
Later that year, she was admitted to the hospital with only 95 pounds to her 67-inch frame. She met with an eating disorder treatment therapist and a nutritionist. She joined a support group.
But she wasn’t recovering. When she was released, she quickly shed more than half the weight she had gained during her treatment.
“I was absolutely terrified to give it up,” she said. “I knew all I had to do was put food in my mouth — hardly a challenge for most people — and yet I couldn’t fathom how that would become OK for me.”
Eventually, it did become OK. Abigail found her recovery through a second bout in a support group and the realization that her anorexia was a choice she had made and a choice she could unmake.
But for so many people — people in this community — that revelation seems out of reach.
An eating disorder is a coping strategy an individual uses to deal with deeper problems that are too painful or difficult to address directly, according to the National Eating Disorder Information Center.
There are three primary types of eating disorders, according to the Parenting Teens Website:
- Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense drive for thinness, intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, or a considerable misperception of body size and shape.
Anorexia ranks as the third most common chronic illness among teenage girls in the United States. Girls and women account for 90 to 95 percent of individuals who suffer from anorexia.
- Bulimia nervosa is characterized by episodes of binge eating, followed by some form of purging or restricting. The purging usually takes the form of self-induced vomiting, but it can also consist of excessive exercise, fasting or abuse of laxatives.
It occurs in as many as 2 percent of all adolescents and young adults.
- Binge eating is the consumption of unusually large amounts of food in a brief time period.
Studies suggest that 25 to 50 percent of obese individuals eat in binges.
And although it is difficult to judge exactly how many servicemen and -women are suffering from eating disorders, it is known that members of the military community have a higher rate of eating disorders than their civilian counterparts, said Jennifer Rogers, a dietitian at Fort Benning’s Army medical center. In fact, “for bulimia, numbers appear about 15 percent higher for military personnel,” she said.
And Fort Benning is no stranger to eating disorders. The post’s Chaplain Family Life Center deals with the issue somewhat regularly, said Chaplain (Maj.) Stephen Hawkins, chief of the CFLC.
Eating disorders are complex, Hawkins said, and usually mask a deeper, underlying problem.
“There are two main trains of thought with an eating disorder,” Hawkins said. “It’s primarily an issue of power and control. And there’s the issue of family dynamics and structure — the individual is still searching for that family balance.”
The common thread, Hawkins said, is that most people suffering from eating disorders are searching for something.
“For whatever reason, their needs are being met through choosing an eating disorder,” he said. “It’s serving a purpose for them.”
The question is what is that purpose, he said. Be it acceptance, unconditional love, feeling valued or popular or esteemed — eating disorders fulfill some need that is otherwise not met.
Whatever lies beneath the surface, many disorders are triggered by things we are bombarded with every day, Hawkins said.
“Where wouldn’t people get the idea (that it’s so important to be thin)?” Hawkins said, pointing to television, movies, music, books, magazines, even parents.
“It’s a powerful message and comes from every direction — life is for the thin, svelte and beautiful. To have the life worth living, you have to be good ... you have to be perfect,” he said.
For some, though, it isn’t just about being perfect — it’s about being merely “good enough.”
Being heavier than one’s peers, struggling to shed weight after a baby, maybe even failing a tape test — these situations can all lead to the negative self-image associated with eating disorders or borderline eating disorders.
Borderline disorders are evident in people who constantly complain about their appearance, think about food obsessively, constantly count calories or severely monitor their intake daily, said 1st Lt. Paula Wedel of nutrition care at Martin Army Community Hospital.
“Often, individuals use food to cope with personal situations or various societal pressures — both seen in overeating and in severely restrictive eating,” she said.
The impact of these eating habits — whether borderline or full-blown — can be detrimental to an individual’s health.
“Short-term impacts could include fatigue, irritability, etc.,” Wedel said. “Long-term consequences include poor hair and nail texture and strength, growth failure in children, swelling, apathy, skin lesions, diarrhea, anemia, tissue wastage, hypothermia, hypotension, amenorrhea (loss of monthly period), reduced digestion, increase in sleep, slow heartbeat, weakened immune system and ability to fight infection, slowed metabolism and many other problems.”
So how can all this be avoided?
It’s not easy, Hawkins said, but the most important thing is not to ignore the problem. Whether it’s you, your child or another loved one, take action.
“Hope is not a method,” he said.
If it’s your child, think prevention, Hawkins said.
“Children are getting messages from so many other sources, parents have to control the messages they send in their homes,” he said. “Teach them to question the messages they’re getting (outside the home).
“When you see a message that acceptance is about what you are on the outside as opposed to who you are inside, use it to start a dialogue — ‘Can you buy that? Is that really what we believe?’”
Another important lesson is to be aware of the messages you send as a parent, Hawkins said.
“Doublecheck the message you’re sending — are you saying derogatory things about something external, someone else’s physical appearance?” he said. “Because it’s not fair to judge — that’s not where our value is.”
If it can’t be prevented, seek counseling for your child — look for help at the CFLC or at MACH’s behavioral-health office.
Meanwhile, although adults are legally able to resist treatment or therapy, be supportive and encourage recovery.
“A healthy way to deal with these problems is to seek out mental-health or other professionals who will help the individual figure out the root of their problems and work through that,” Wedel said.
Individuals looking to lose weight in a healthy way can always seek help at MACH’s nutrition-care office.
“Dietitians are a great resource,” Wedel said. “Every post that Soldiers go to has nutrition professionals who work to assist them with sorting out the facts from myths that are out there.”
(Editor’s note: Abigail is a recovered anorexic who shared her story on a recovery Website.)