It all starts with a scale, a few friends, and being the heaviest one there. Then there’s a fixation on body type and the need to lose weight that comes into play. Habits begin to form that soon become a more serious and dangerous problem: extreme dieting.
Methods of extreme dieting include fasting, skipping meals, and crash diets, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine.
In the same study, researchers found that 36% of female adolescents who were a healthy weight began dieting because of their distorted body image that made them “feel fat.”
Students rely on extreme diets in order to fit into the “typical” body standard that comes with being “normal.” Little do these students know about the dangers that come with extreme dieting.
While the idea of losing weight isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the way a person loses weight is crucial to both their physical and mental health. Extreme dieting would be on the negative end of the spectrum.
According to Nemours KidsHealth, students who fear gaining weight eat extremely small amounts to lose weight, even when they don’t need to. This unhealthy lifestyle is actually an eating disorder called anorexia.
People with anorexia tend to have symptoms such as electrolyte imbalance, change in blood pressure, change in heart rate, kidney damage, tears in the esophagus, loss of menstruation, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Students are already under high pressure to do well in school, but with the side effects of eating disorders like anorexia, students risk compounding existing stress with serious health issues, wearing down their physical and mental health.
Think of it as a growing plant. A plant needs a healthy water supply to grow strong and tall, just as our bodies need a balanced diet. If we want the plant to grow smaller, we can’t just cut off the water supply completely, or else the plant would shrivel and die. Similar to this, students who want to lose weight can’t simply stop eating, or else they could develop severe health issues.
However, many students believe that skipping meals will help them lose weight quickly, but this concept is wrong.
Yes, skipping meals can cut calories, but our bodies need a sufficient number of calories in order to function. Our bodies break down calories and convert them into energy to power everyday activities.
Skipping meals reduces calorie intake, making the body feel like it’s starving. According to a report published by the Centre for Clinical Interventions, this is called “starvation syndrome,” which refers to the psychological effects of dieting restrictions.
“Starvation syndrome” will cause the body to show symptoms like the heart muscle reduced by 25%, dizziness, blackouts, depression, impaired concentration, withdrawal from society, and many more symptoms.
Instead of starving our bodies in order to meet specific weight goals, it’s important to first talk with a doctor or dietitian to set up a healthy plan.
Starting small is important. According to Nemours KidsHealth, changing small eating habits, like giving up soda, is much safer and easier to maintain than cutting out all sugar.
Students could also set healthy food goals that won’t harm their bodies, like eating cleaner foods. This could look like eating fruits instead of chips, or whole grains instead of processed grains.
Exercise also plays a big role in weight loss. Not only does staying active help us lose weight, but it also builds muscle and strengthens our metabolism, which processes and burns calories.
Of course, this doesn’t mean students have to join a school sport in order to get exercise. Simply walking around is a way to stay active.
So, before jumping into dangerous diets that could lead to eating disorders, students should take the right precautions to ensure a healthy and balanced diet.
