Anorexia Athletica Symptoms
Although many of the signs of Anorexia Athletica tend to mirror other eating disorders, there are some unique sign that pertain specifically to anorexia athletica. One of these signs is an obsession with exercising. This obsession takes such a toll on the personal and social life of the sufferer that they begin to exercise instead of seeing friends and family.
Other signs both unique to anorexia athletica and also shared with other eating disorders include the following:
- Exercising beyond the requirements for good health
- Obsessive dieting; fear of certain foods
- Obsessive or compulsive exercising; overtraining
- Individual won’t eat with teammates, tries to hide dieting
- Stealing time from work, school, and relationships to exercise
- Focusing on challenge and forgetting that physical activity can be fun
- Defining self-worth in terms of performance
- Rarely or never being satisfied with athletic achievements
- Always pushing on to the next challenge
- Justifying excessive behaviour by defining self as an athlete or insisting that their behaviour is healthy
- Desire to keep losing more poinds despite already low body weight
- Mood swings; angry outbursts
- Mentrual periods stop
Health Consequences of Anorexia Athletica
- Loss of bone density and osteoporosis; stress fractures
- Digestive problems and ulcers
- Slowed heart rate and low blood pressure
- Dehydration
- and possible kidney problems
- Dry hair and skin; hair loss
Eating Disorder Self Test. Take the EAT-26 self test to see if you might have eating disorder symptoms that might require professional evaluation. All answers are confidential.