Overcoming Eating Disorders
"You are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an eating disorder?
There is a commonly held misconception that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.Eating disorders can affect people of all ages, racial/ethnic backgrounds, body weights, and genders. Eating disorders frequently appear during the teen years or young adulthood but may also develop during childhood or later in life. (NIMH >> Eating Disorders)
What are some common eating disorders?
1. Anorexia nervosa: a condition where people avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. They also may weigh themselves repeatedly. Even when dangerously underweight, they may see themselves as overweight.
2. Bulima nervosa: a condition where people have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. This binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors.
3. Binge-eating disorder: a condition where people lose control over their eating and have reoccurring episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food. Unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. As a result, people with binge-eating disorder often are overweight or obese.
It it a sin to have an eating disorder?
Seeing as According to Catholic answers, to the extent that the person has free will to choose to cause harm to his body, he can be culpable for sin. That freedom of the will can be compromised as an eating disorder (such as bulimia, for example) progresses, so a person might not be as culpable later as he might have been during the initial stages. In any event, such a person would be well-advised to go to confession. Whether or not the sin is mortal, the graces of confession—along with the proper medical treatment—can heal a person of the temptation to abuse his body.
What can I do to overcome my eating disorder?
It is important to seek treatment early for eating disorders. People with eating disorders are at higher risk for suicide and medical complications. People with eating disorders can often have other mental disorders (such as depression or anxiety) or problems with substance use. Complete recovery is possible. Please let a trusted source such as a doctor, priest, parent, or friend know if you are struggling. You can also reach out to one of the two therapists that the Newman Center has on site throughout the month!
Does God hate me for having this problem?
Absolutely not, you His beloved son/daughter. You are LOVED and you are certainly not alone in this journey. Jesus hurts to see you in pain. He wants the fullness of life for all persons. Here is a testimony from a woman who struggled to see her worth amid her eating disorder.
There is a commonly held misconception that eating disorders are a lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.Eating disorders can affect people of all ages, racial/ethnic backgrounds, body weights, and genders. Eating disorders frequently appear during the teen years or young adulthood but may also develop during childhood or later in life. (NIMH >> Eating Disorders)
What are some common eating disorders?
1. Anorexia nervosa: a condition where people avoid food, severely restrict food, or eat very small quantities of only certain foods. They also may weigh themselves repeatedly. Even when dangerously underweight, they may see themselves as overweight.
2. Bulima nervosa: a condition where people have recurrent and frequent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food and feeling a lack of control over these episodes. This binge-eating is followed by behavior that compensates for the overeating such as forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, or a combination of these behaviors.
3. Binge-eating disorder: a condition where people lose control over their eating and have reoccurring episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food. Unlike bulimia nervosa, periods of binge-eating are not followed by purging, excessive exercise, or fasting. As a result, people with binge-eating disorder often are overweight or obese.
It it a sin to have an eating disorder?
Seeing as According to Catholic answers, to the extent that the person has free will to choose to cause harm to his body, he can be culpable for sin. That freedom of the will can be compromised as an eating disorder (such as bulimia, for example) progresses, so a person might not be as culpable later as he might have been during the initial stages. In any event, such a person would be well-advised to go to confession. Whether or not the sin is mortal, the graces of confession—along with the proper medical treatment—can heal a person of the temptation to abuse his body.
What can I do to overcome my eating disorder?
It is important to seek treatment early for eating disorders. People with eating disorders are at higher risk for suicide and medical complications. People with eating disorders can often have other mental disorders (such as depression or anxiety) or problems with substance use. Complete recovery is possible. Please let a trusted source such as a doctor, priest, parent, or friend know if you are struggling. You can also reach out to one of the two therapists that the Newman Center has on site throughout the month!
Does God hate me for having this problem?
Absolutely not, you His beloved son/daughter. You are LOVED and you are certainly not alone in this journey. Jesus hurts to see you in pain. He wants the fullness of life for all persons. Here is a testimony from a woman who struggled to see her worth amid her eating disorder.
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