High School Should Be The Four Best Years Of My Life

“Dying to be Thin,” produced by PBS, is a documentary that examines the troubles that persons who are affected by eating disorders go through and the constant, daily struggles they face with health and body image. The film tells the story of a number of young women who battled mainly anorexia and bulimia and mixes a variety of ages to give a “during” and an “after” perspective. Many of the women in the video were ballet or some similar type of dancer. Dancers, by their own account, are encouraged to be thin. The issue really came to the forefront after a young ballet dancer from Boston died of heart failure at the young age of 22, with an eating disorder deemed to be the cause. The narrator goes on to introduce more young women and detail the potential illnesses that their eating disorders can cause. Chronic low blood pressure, kidney and liver damage, severe early osteoporosis, and heart failure are all common things seem in patients who suffer from eating disorders. Most patients have dangerously low body weights, body fat percentages, and, often, young women will experience amenorrhea, which is the loss of menstruation. All of the people in the video wanted to be better and were seeking a road to recovery. The video showed though, how difficult that can be since the eating disorders can be so wide ranging and have a number of different root causes. Often patients develop eating disorders as something that they have control over, in a world that they feel is out of their

During my three-day food intake I learned about myself. There are many benefits of good nutrition. ”Medical Online” states “besides helping you maintain a healthy weight, good nutrition is essential for the body and all its system to function optimally for a lifetime.” A healthy diet promotes good sleep, gives the body what it needs to stay healthy, and provides energy. According to “Mealtime Memo” Good nutrition means getting the calories that we need for energy and the nutrients we need for proper growth. I’m learning that variety, balance, and moderation are the key to healthy nutrition. As I am learning what I should and should not eat I will like you to invite you to take a look at my food intake. This essay will converse about my

Eating disorders have been a topic of controversy for numerous years. I myself have struggled with an eating disorder for three years, not only as an individual but as an athlete. Being a competitive cheerleader for fourteen years has opened my eyes to many different experiences and primarily developing an eating disorder. The last three years, I was apart of one of the most prestigious all-star cheerleading teams in the world. My team was known for winning numerous national championship titles and four world championship titles. My team was raised on a pedestal by other coaches, teams, athletes, and judges; therefore, my teammates and I were expected to reach a certain expectation. I am known as a flyer, the one who gets thrown in the air,

I decided to analyze the heath documentary, Hungry for Change. There are two reasons why I chose this particular documentary, which are, my education and health, and my family’s health. Personally, I am very interested in nutrition, health, and overall well-being. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I began to make better food choices and do moderate exercises. Now that I am in college, where I’m forced to make my own food, I’ve grown to love cooking and eating with organic and whole food. While I am in college, where there is daily access to a gym, I have all the reasons to be healthy and fit. To be a little serious about my health decisions, I decided to take a Nutrition course this semester to enhance my understanding about the

Boys with eating disorders have stated that their father has often pressured them into excelling in sports and there are often very high expectations in this arena. (Romero, 1994) As a result of this obligation to succeed the boy may have low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. He needs to control his life in some way, and he sees an opportunity in controlling his bodies. By taking their previously obsessive behavior in academics and sports and expanding that obsession into eating as well.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

For someone whose goal in life is “normalcy” they may turn to unhealthy behaviours to achieve their goal. While bulimics are not at a physical extreme, their self-destructive behaviour of binging and purging displays their confused relationship towards their environment. They seek to fulfill the cultural expectation for thinness and consumption at the same time (Bordo, 201). As a result, their quest for the good life is as muddled as their dietary patterns. Someone who suffers from obesity, yet tries to lose weight, but consistently fails may develop a negative attitude towards their life. As a result, the dream for the good life is deteriorated if not destroyed. Anorexics who feel that their body is bulging in disgusting ways (Bordo, 189) feel as if they are out of control of their bodies, and no matter how hard they try they can never get rid of their unwanted flesh. This points to the anorexic's mental state of inadequacy, that no matter what, they will never reach their life goals. If someone has a toxic attitude towards their physical appearance, their quest for the good life will be hampered. They will feel that their efforts are never enough and that the good life is impossibly out of

I woke up one Friday morning hearing the early birds chirp and the sounds of my mother rummaging around the kitchen for breakfast items. I rubbed my tiresome eyes and got out of bed feeling as if I just left the Bahamas. I glanced at the time and I noticed it was 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave the house; 6:20. I began to frantically run around my room trying to get ready as fast as I possibly could. I managed to finish at 6:30 and as I was about to collect the warm, toasted poptart from my mother’s hand, I quickly realized that today was the first day of our deprivation week. I glanced at the delightful looking cookie and as if I was struck by lightning, a sudden wave of determination came by and I was motivated to push through. I decided that I would replace every unhealthy food with something actually nutritional. I mostly ate salads, home cooked meals, and organic snacks. Since school kept me busy, the thought of eating junk food barely crossed my mind and I got through the rest of the day with ease. When I went to my swim practice, I was hoping that my initial hypothesis would be correct. As I was swimming, I noticed that I didn’t have the same amount

At the age of fourteen, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which is an imbalance of reproductive hormones, in short. PCOS makes it very difficult to use insulin to convert carbohydrates into energy. A common characteristic of PCOS is obesity. Even then, eight years ago, I knew I needed to maintain of lifestyle of healthy eating and daily physical activity. But, during a self-assessment period, I realized I would eat unhealthy meals multiple times per week. My choices were your typical “hot and ready” meals, fast-food items, or just unhealthy snacks supplemented for lunch or dinner. With the stresses of school and work, quick-grabs were very convenient and oddly satisfying. These environments not only limited physical activity, but required prolonged sitting. Consequently, a lifestyle of inactivity resulted. I knew that too much stress, too much eating, and not enough exercise would soon lead to a sedentary lifestyle, but I did not have the discipline, interest, or time to make the necessary changes. I thought I reached the point of no return when I began eating just because I had access to it or in response to stress. Guilty and ashamed, I realized I was not eating because I was hungry, but because of stress and availability. Overtime, I recognized I

Anorexia has been described in many ways, ranging from a fatal mental disorder to simply a Western trend. However, only from experience can one fully understand the dangerous situation resulting from this diagnosis. In the winter of 2015, after the conclusion of the cross country season, I began to struggle severely with my weight and overall body image. I began to enforce dangerously low calorie limits on myself; my total caloric consumption would stay below 500 calories each day. Furthermore, I began to run for winter conditioning in preparation for the upcoming track season, thus continuing to lower my overall energy. My personal battle with anorexia continued until the beginning of track season, but even from a period as short as four months, the damage caused to my overall mental and physical health was immense.

I found out that by blogging my anxieties about weight-grain and uploading my intakes onto social media, others who shared similar stories and wishes would join me on my journey. My follower count expanded everyday as I suggested healthy ways to replenish an abused body. Before long, I began to receive personal messages, asking how I transitioned from consuming so little to nourishing my body with the right amount of macros, or how to handle the guilt that comes with eating after your body has gone so long without nourishment. For the next few months, I listened, suggested, uploaded, replied, advised- it was a never ending cycle. In a span of a year, I went from a malnourished teen to an influential figure within a social media-based eating disorder community. The joy and satisfaction that came with advising other teens who sought to become healthy and guiding people into a nutrient-dense diet sparked a new-found interest in psychology and nutrition. I wanted to understand what influences us to continue damaging our self-esteem as well as our health. I wanted to learn how to cope with the guilt that devours us alive when we try to eat something out of our comfort zone. I wanted to help others the same way I wanted to help myself. Through advising followers and friends who were

I decided my sanity was more important than attaining a body to the likings of a Victoria’s Secret model. My first step was to delete the app I used to track my calories each day. I forced myself to indulge in meals I would never even looked at and stopped myself from working out any more than my sports required. I taught myself to love every part of my body, even if it doesn't always fit into my skinny jeans. In just over a year I gained back all the weight I lost plus a few pounds. My outlook on life is positive and I take pride in having conquered this vicious disease. Every now and then I struggle with accepting weight gain but I refuse to let anorexia define me or even have a say in my

Imagine a disease eating its innocent victim alive, some of them being noticed and others not at all. The mental thoughts going on are making the body suffer and continuing to get worse and worse. The sufferer is mentally breaking down more and more each day. This diseases known as an eating disorder affects about 30 million individuals in the United States alone (Eating Disorders 101 Guide, 2003). This number is alarming and needs to be tremendously decreased. Athletes are the most dominant group that eating disorders prey upon, but the question is why. In most sports, athletes are required to be in perfect shape in order to produce excellence. Coaches will push the athletes as hard as they can, many times causing the sportsperson to break

I remember when I used to be anorexic. I was always worrying about my weight and what I ate. I would sometimes skip meals and not eat for days just so I could lose weight. I sometimes felt light headed and would also faint at times. I kept getting skinnier and weaker but I didn’t realize it. My friends kept telling me to go to a doctor and get some help but I wouldn't pay attention to them. I finally decided to do something about my eating disorder when I fell and fainted and couldn’t get back up again. The thing that helped me the most was all the support and motivation that I got from my family and friends. They were always there for me and kept pushing me forward so that I could get better and be the person that I am today. Now I feel dumb

One morning, the Dean of the Physical Therapy program called Amy into his office and told her she could no longer complete her Masters Degree at that time. In other words, he was expelling her. He stated, “Ms. Candido, the faculty are very concerned with you. This is a health profession, and if you can't help yourself, how can you help other people.” At that moment, Amy’s world fell apart. She was determined to be the best Physiotherapist anyone had ever seen. Feeling exhausted, tired, and devastated, Amy cried for days. She had reached rock bottom. After many years of stubborn denial, she was finally able to admit that she had a problem and was determined to do whatever it took to recover. This realization took years. Amy’s eating disorder