An estimated 200,000 people in Austria are affected by eating disorders at least once in their lives. Thousands of girls and boys suffer acutely from anorexia and bulimia, and many have to be hospitalized. Eating disorders are on the rise, especially among young people. We present you with books that will bring you closer to a self-determined approach to eating.
A first step into bulimia is usually unhealthy crash diets, which often do not bring the desired success and are therefore often the first step into an eating disorder. On social media channels such as Instagram, false ideals are also often conveyed and access to questionable lifestyles made possible, which are imitated above all by children and young people. Eating disorders (such as bulimia) are not actually a nutritional problem, but attempts to solve deeper problems, such as repressed feelings and needs. What is bulimia? Those affected usually deal very intensively and obsessively with nutrition and their own appearance, but keep their illness secret from those around them. Bulimia is often accompanied by anxiety and depressive moods. In contrast to other eating disorders such as anorexia (anorexia nervosa), binge eating disorder (loss-of-control binge eating in which no weight-loss measures are taken) or obesity (obesity), people with bulimia are usually of normal weight, even if there are sufferers who have so-called mixed forms and often also show typical symptoms of other eating disorders – such as anorexia. Many of those affected also suffer from impaired self-perception. Up to 10,000 calories per (Fr) binge eating Regular, recurring binge eating and (weight) balancing measures (e.g. by vomiting, purging) are typical features of bulimia. Binge eating involves ingesting large amounts of food, which is then flushed out by countermeasures, usually vomiting, for fear of gaining weight. Others resort to laxatives, exercise or thyroid medication. Eating under stress, binge eating disorder Some people react to stress with the proverbial “eating under stress”. Psychologists from the University of Salzburg investigated how many actually do this as part of a five-year research project in 2018. According to her analysis, there are about as many “frustration eaters” as people who eat less when they are stressed. For this purpose, the researchers have developed new questionnaires that distinguish between stress and various negative emotions such as sadness, anger, anxiety and positive emotions as many people report eating less when stressed as people who report eating more when stressed. Of course, many also report that the amount of food they eat does not change as a result of stress. The same applies to eating when people are happy,” says project worker Adrian Meule. On the other hand, when people are sad, the majority tend to eat more. “The fact that most people eat less when they are angry and anxious could be related to physical arousal, which suppresses appetite,” said Meule. It is striking that those who say they eat more when they are in a bad mood often already have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). Slimmer people, on the other hand, stated more frequently that they “dig in”, especially when they were in a good mood Disorder (characterized by binge eating and increased weight) affected. The majority are very young. Not only women are affected: Almost 15 percent of male adolescents are therefore at risk of developing an eating disorder. The risk of an eating disorder is also high in boys and girls with a very high BMI. The frightening thing about this is that only a quarter of those affected seek treatment. Friends and families often suspect nothing In addition to the fear of gaining weight, those affected also suffer from feelings of shame resulting from the loss of control. Outside of the binge eating, however, many of those affected limit themselves or seem to have their lives under control, so that those around them usually have no idea of the disease. However, food cravings often encourage a new binge eating, often thousands of calories are “crammed in”. It often doesn’t matter what and how much you eat. For the most part, however, it is high-calorie foods that people usually try to avoid. Who Does Bulimia Affect? Although bulimia is still almost exclusively an issue for young women, men are increasingly suffering from this eating disorder. Birgit Satke, head of Rat auf Wire, in an interview: “Young women in particular often define their self-worth through their figure. But a perfect body is also increasingly an issue for male adolescents. Muscles and washboard abs are needed and people often train hard for them.” The Consequences of Eating Disorders The list of the consequences of eating disorders is long and worrying: those affected are constantly cold (low temperature), they have low blood pressure and girls are prone to amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) . In the worst case, this can lead to infertility. Patients also have an increased risk of bone loss (osteoporosis), combined with an increased tendency to fractures. Due to the constant vomiting, the electrolyte balance is disturbed, the esophagus gets cracks and dental problems such as tooth decay occur. Physical consequences of bulimia – often “normal weight” or normal BMI – tooth damage – chemical burns in the esophagus (caused by the stomach acid) – bone loss – tiredness – Skin changes (scaly skin) – Kidney damage and cardiac arrhythmia Mentally, it can make itself felt: – Anxiety, depression – Personality disorders – Substance abuse (laxatives, alcohol…) Where can I get help? Qualified specialists provide information about therapy options, etc., also anonymously. You can get help from Rat auf Draht, your family doctor or hilfe[@]essstoerunghotline.at. Important: You are not alone with your problems. A large number of specialist counseling facilities and special outpatient clinics are at your side throughout Austria! A book can be very helpful as a supportive measure, but usually does not replace therapy. These books can help you (further) with an eating disorder: Why do 95% of all diets fail? Because they only eliminate the symptom of being overweight, but not the cause! As long as the weight loss program is just a guide you stubbornly follow, we’re not going to get to the heart of the weight issue. Because that’s how we never change the emotional connections and our attitude towards food. ‘Your feelings weigh more than you think’ offers a tried and tested concept for everyone who has been struggling with being overweight for a long time, who wants to lose weight in a relaxed manner, develop a normal relationship with food and, above all, want to maintain the new weight permanently.Julia Sahm, weigh your feelings more than you think, 2022, copressWe eat out of stress, out of grief, to calm ourselves – often without really feeling hungry. The result: we gain weight and, in the worst case, develop an eating disorder. We often follow the same patterns over and over again. Kathrin Vergin has developed a food diary that focuses on “emotional eating” and in which not only the food is noted, but also routines, stress levels, feelings. All of this is reflected daily – for 12 weeks. In this way, one’s own eating behavior can be understood and a lasting change can be initiated without any prohibitions.Kathrin Vergin, Das Emotional-Eating-Diary, 2020, RoRoRo(Above all) In conflict and stressful situations, but also in ongoing life crises, many people tend to overeat attacks. Unrestrained stuffing, gorging on food, veritable “eating sprees” do not solve any problems, but become a clinical picture that requires treatment and therapy. Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder that is still underestimated and often just not recognized. The aim of this self-help program is to recognize, stop and permanently ward off pathological eating attacks. It leads back to normal, healthier eating habits. Christopher G. Fairburn, Stopping Binge Eating: A Self-Help Program Against Binge Eating, 2019, hogrefeUlrike Schmidt, Janet Treasure, June Alexander: Beating Bulimia – A Self-Help Program, 2016, BeltzWe eat out of stress, out of grief, to calm ourselves—often without really feeling hungry. The result: we gain weight and, in the worst case, develop an eating disorder. We often follow the same patterns over and over again. Kathrin Vergin, nutritional therapist and non-medical practitioner for psychotherapy, has developed a method that can be used to question and sustainably change one’s own eating habits, routines and habits – without prohibitions or even diets. This is how you learn to deal better with personal conflicts and to develop further.Kathrin Vergin, Emotional Eating: How you understand the background of your eating behavior and how to find inner balance, 2022, RoRoRoJennifer Taitz, When food doesn’t fill you up – recognizing and overcoming emotional eating behavior, 2012 , BalanceMaria Sanchez, Why we eat without being hungry – The real reasons for the urge to eat and being overweight, 2017, Königsfurt-UraniaNina Wolf – Back to life – In 12 steps out of bulimia, 2018, Tectum non-fiction bookMegan Jayne Crabbe – Body positivity – love your body, 2018, KnaurGeneen Roth – food as a substitute, 2005, RowohltMorena Diaz, love your body and make peace with yourself, 2018 TOPP/frechverlag (read the krone.at book review HERE!) Elyse Resch – lose weight intuitively: Back to natural eating habits, 2013 , Goldman
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