Anorexia Symptoms How to detect if someone is becoming anorexic
Anorexia symptoms can sometimes be difficult to detect ... especially in the beginning. Technically, to be diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, you have to maintain a weight 15% below normal body weight. However, in the early stages of anorexic behaviors, the person may not have yet, technically reached an anorexic weight. That doesn't mean she isn't on the course of losing weight to the point of becoming anorexic and that she isn't already engaging in anorexia symptoms.
General signs someone is becoming anorexic
If you pay close attention, there are general signs that someone is becoming anorexic. There are unhealthy behavior patterns that develop, and while these behaviors can sometimes be subtle, if you know what you're looking for, they can be detected.
In general, someone who tends to develop an eating disorder has low self esteem, has a perfectionist personality, may have some obsessive tendencies or even OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), is usually a well-behaved person, does well in school (generally), seems to come from a "normal" family and might be quite well liked socially.
Despite the outward, positive traits, inside she feels isolated and alone. She feels not good enough. She feels like a failure ... like she is letting others down. She feels out of control. The anorexia symptoms develop as a way to control her surroundings ... to control her feelings of utter failure. They develop as a way to help her feel better about herself and about life in general.
At some point she loses all control over her anorexic behaviors. Eventually a shift takes place and while she may have had control in the beginning, the disorder takes over and gains control over her. Sometime after the onset of anorexia, the behaviors become a slow means of suicide.
What it's really like
At first being anorexic is awesome. You feel (secretly) like you're better than everyone else. You can be thin and everyone wants to be like you. There's this high you get from being able to control your hunger. But it's not like a high from purging, it's kind of a superior kind of thing. But at the same time you feel like a loser. You know you're weak, and every time you put something in your mouth, even if it's just a crumb, you torture yourself. "You're stupid!" "You're a loser!" "You're weak!" "You shouldn't have given in!"
And the hunger ... the emptiness in your stomach. You get addicted to that feeling. It actually makes you feel good about yourself.
At first the weight loss is great. You feel so good about yourself because you're losing weight. But then it's like it doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't feel good. Nothing feels good. And every time you look in the mirror you hate yourself. "You're fat." "You're ugly." "You're gross." And you hate yourself even more.
It doesn't matter what other people say. No one can convince you that you're too thin. There's no such thing as too thin! And if they start watching you - watching what you eat, you just get better and better at figuring out how to convince them you did eat, or you're going to eat, or making it look like you are eating. They have no idea how easy it is to fill a napkin with food and stuff it down your pants until you can get rid of it. And no one even notices if you do put food in your mouth, chew it a couple of times and then spit it out in your napkin.
But it gets really tiring. Sometimes you just want to lay down and never wake up. Because you're so tired ... tired of thinking about food all day ... tired of hiding from everyone ... just ... plain ... tired. -Sarah G., Pennsylvania
Variations
Just because someone doesn't fit the specific anorexia symptoms below doesn't mean she doesn't have anorexia. One woman I was in treatment with made sure she could still go out on weekends drinking. She obsessed over her caloric intake during the week and left "enough" to allow her to drink alcohol. Another woman did the same so she could eat pizza one time each week. So don't use the symptoms listed below as signs of anorexia that are set in stone. There is definitely variation.
The following are more specific anorexia symptoms broken down by appearance, behavior and medical issues that arise as a result.
Anorexia Symptoms
Appearance:
Lost a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time
Wears baggy clothes to hide weight loss
Appears frail, emaciated, gaunt or quite thin
Loss of muscle tone
Coloring is “off” – grey or yellow appearance to skin or like there is no color in the skin, especially the face
Has more hair on the face than normal - a fine, fuzzy, light colored growth called Lanugo
Skin is very dry
Hair is very dry with a fuzzy or frizzy appearance uncharacteristic of "normal" hair appearance
Excessive hair loss - like it's falling out
Nails are brittle and break easily
Behavior Anorexia Symptoms:
Obsessed with being fat - complains of being fat even though the opposite is true
Obsessed with food and the amount of fat, calories, carbohydrates, sugar in food
If she eats, will only eat certain foods
Avoids certain foods - especially fried foods, animal products, bread
Suddenly wants to be a vegetarian
Weighs food or obsessively counts calorie content
Weighs herself constantly
Avoids weighing herself at all cost
Moods are dependent on whether she has lost weight or not - lose weight = happy; no weight loss = NOT happy
Eats in secret
When asked, always says she ate, although you'll rarely see her eat
Refuses to eat in public or will only eat a piece of fruit or the like
Has rituals when she eats - like refusing to mix foods on the plate, cuts food into tiny pieces, will only eat certain colors of food, has to have the plate arranged a certain way, moves food around the plate, refuses to let lips touch fork
Prepares elaborate meals for others (but won't eat it herself)
Obsessively collects recipes
Hides food in odd places so she doesn't have to eat it
Frequently takes food up to her room to eat (so she can hide it and not have to eat it)
Chews food and then quickly puts a napkin up to her mouth (to spit out the food)
Hides laxatives, enemas, diet pills or ipecac (syrup that induces vomiting)
Complains of constipation
Obsessively researches and reads books on weight loss and eating disorders
Exercises obsessively and if she can't exercise, freaks out about not being able to
Constantly seems to have an immense amount of energy
Never stops moving or refuses to sit down (because she can burn more calories that way)
Is always cold
Complains of feeling dizzy or appears to get dizzy when she stands up
Frequently complains of headaches
Unable to concentrate like she used to (because she is always thinking about food)
Has mood swings - gets upset easily and is irritable
Doesn't sleep well - stays up late at night, has insomnia
Is a perfectionist - always has to have things "just so"
Appears anxious most of the time
Has withdrawn from activities she once enjoyed
Does not interact socially or does so on a much less frequent basis
Is constantly hard on herself for every little thing - negative self talk, especially after eating
Medical Anorexia Symptoms:
Appears short of breath
Amenhhoreic - lost her monthly period
Has low blood pressure
Low resting heart rate (weak pulse)
Heart rate spikes upon rising from lying to sitting or sitting to standing
Has osteopenia or even osteoporosis - brittle bones
Has heart palpitations
May suffer from panic attacks
These anorexia symptoms are not necessarily a complete list of symptoms. Please keep in mind that there are numerous variations in behaviors and personalities when it comes to people with eating disorders. If you think you or someone in your life is anorexic, you will probably see some of the behaviors and other signs above. You may see some variation of those anorexia symptoms, and you may see some completely different signs of anorexia. Go with your gut. Get help. There is hope.
