It can be horrifying if you think a loved one has anorexia. However, there are some signs you can look to as you try to help them. Remember that the best way to approach this is to talk to an expert about your concerns before approaching your loved one.
They Express Compulsive Weight Concerns
It’s natural for someone who is obese to want to lose weight, so don’t think someone happy and focused on their new weight-loss plan automatically has anorexia. Learning to eat a healthy way can sometimes look compulsive to those of us who aren’t doing it. However, if it becomes so routine that they cannot enjoy eating even a healthy salad, there may be a problem developing.
They Exercise Obsessively
A person who is anorexic is often concerned with burning off every calorie they eat. They tend to know the caloric makeup of every morsel of food that they eat and know how to work it off. What makes this dangerous is if the person isn’t eating enough food for their basic metabolic rate and are losing weight too fast or past the point of what is healthy for their body type.
They Become Unusually Interested in Preparing Food for Themselves Only
Someone who was never that interested in what was in the food before will often become very interested in preparing their own food. Usually, they’ll fix their own food along with someone else’s to distract from the fact they’re not eating as much.
They Get Emotional When They Cannot Control Their Food Environment
When your loved one acts in an unhealthy emotional way when they cannot control the food environment, they’re likely heading for some sort of eating disorder. A student might skip anything to do with food, a mom might never want to go to parties or eat out, a soccer player might never eat the snacks after the game or get anxious and emotional that it was even offered.
They Display Strange Behaviors before, during, and after Meals
Many anorexics approach food in a very ritualistic way. They may want to only eat at certain times, eat after they have drunk tons of water, or eat out of a special dish only. During meals, they may pick at their food and even hide it in their pockets, or under bread or something. After meals, they may want to be alone so that they can purge or think they need to exercise for two hours.
They Experience More Mood Changes around Food
Many people with eating disorders get very anxious when they are around any type of meal or food. While most anorexics do eat, they may only want to do it when they’re alone and get very unhappy and emotional when this plan is foiled.
They Look Unhealthy and Appear Sick
While many anorexics people can look healthy for years due to makeup, proper styling of clothing and the fact that our society praises thin people for nothing more than being skinny, if your loved one looks sick with poor coloring and bags under their eyes or even with their hair falling out, this is a bad sign.
They Have Very Low Energy in Every Way
Due to the lack of nutrition common among anorexic people, they may not have much energy. Other than obsessive movement during waking times, an anorexic person might spend a lot of time sleeping to both rest and avoid eating due to their extreme hunger pains.
These signs don’t always point directly to anorexia, but a combination of these, along with drastic weight loss (especially if the person is underweight) can all be signs of an eating disorder like anorexia.
The best way to deal with it is to ask the person directly if they’re having issues, while offering your support. However, don’t judge them or make accusations; just let them know you’re available if they need to talk.
“Skin & Bone” by Richard George Davis is licensed under CC BY-ND