Signs and Behaviors to Look Out for

• Refusal to eat, or a dramatic decrease in amount of food normally eaten
• Denying oneself to eat food that was normally liked—some common excuses are that it’s full of fat (or fattening), unhealthy, or that he/she is trying out a new “diet”.  Many times vegetarianism is a catalyst for disordered eating.
• Binging on unhealthy amounts of food in a sitting—this is more difficult to see as most individuals who engage in this behavior will do so in secret.
• Hiding food/hoarding
• Disappearing after eating (to purge food eaten)
• Dramatic weight loss (especially in teenagers) in a short amount of time
• Lanugo (soft, fine hair on the body where there wasn’t any before)
• Low body temperature (will often complain of it being cold)
• Brittle, dry hair and nails
• Yellowed skin
• Puffy cheeks or swollen glands (from continual throwing up)
• Scratches/cuts on knuckles or fingers (from causing oneself to throw up)
• Bloodshot eyes from continual throwing up—veins in the eye have actually been known to rupture from violent purging
• Lethargic
• Difficulty concentrating
• Secluding from family and friends
• Spending copious amounts of time exercising and feeling he/she “has to” exercise in order to eat
• Eating only “safe” foods (foods that the individual believes will not cause him/her to gain weight)
• Amenorrhea in females
• Low blood pressure
• Slowed heart rate—those who compulsively exercise may claim that their low heart rate is an indication of their “health”.
• Cognitive distortions, such as “If I eat this I will balloon up”, “I am grossly overweight”, “I don’t deserve to eat”, etc.