Diet dangers: What’s normal, what’s not?
All of the habits listed below can be disordered. “The litmus test is whether the behavior negatively affects your health or interferes with your daily functioning,” says clinical psychiatry professor Timothy D. Brewerton, M.D. If you’re worried, see “How to Get (and Stay) Healthy Again.”
 

• A very strong fear of gaining 5 pounds
• Following strict food rules
• Dieting for more than three-quarters of your life
• Use of diet pills or laxatives
• Fasting or juice cleanses to lose weight
• Overexercising
• Cutting entire food groups from your diet, except for religious reasons
• Eating the same “safe” foods every day
• Extreme calorie restriction
• Thinking about food more than 50 percent of the time     
• Obsessive calorie counting
• Intentionally skipping meals to lose weight     
• Bingeing or vomiting     
• Smoking for weight loss
• Lying about how much you’ve eaten     
• Weighing yourself daily, if it becomes obsessive. (See “Weight Debate.”)
• Consistently overeating when you’re not hungry
• Eating a lot of no- or low-calorie foods
• Having concerns about your eating or weight that interfere with your life (e.g., you won’t see the doctor)
• Considering foods to be good or bad
• Visiting pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia Web sites
• Adopting a vegetarian diet solely for weight loss

Can you stop eating when you’ve had enough?
Sure, everybody takes a bite or two (or three) too many now and then — but overdoing it too often may indicate disordered eating. In the SELF survey, we asked women to tell us how much their hunger levels have to do with their eating habits.

Healthy behavior
21% of those surveyed eat only when hungry.
18% rarely eat when they’re not hungry.
49% sometimes eat when they’re not hungry.
12% often eat when they’re not hungry.

Is getting on the scale daily healthy?
It may actually be a trap for some women. Sondra Kronberg, R.D., advises against daily weigh-ins. “The danger is that you may give up on healthy eating or binge if the needle doesn’t drop.” There are other ways to gauge weight and health — like how your clothes fit or whether you can walk 30 minutes without getting winded. But some experts say regular weighing is crucial to maintaining a loss.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to the individual. If small changes on the scale stress you out, focus instead on how eating well and exercising regularly make you feel. But if a daily weight check keeps you honest without causing angst, step right up.

A shocking rise in eating disorders
More than 10 percent of women ages 25 to 45 in our survey have a true eating disorder, separate from the disordered eaters discussed in this story. “This is a very high number, although we can’t compare it to other studies because there really isn’t comparable research,” says Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D. “But when we included women who are just outside the diagnostic boundaries, we found that many more are struggling than we knew. The definitions need to be expanded so women at risk can be treated.” New terms from the American Psychiatric Association aren’t expected until 2012; the current ones are below. (Many of the symptoms are similar to those for disordered eaters but more extreme and/or frequent.) To find a referral to a therapist in your area, go to NationalEatingDisorders.com.

Anorexia may be diagnosed in women who weigh 15 percent below normal for their height and age and who starve their body and do not menstruate because of low body fat but still believe they’re heavy.
Bulimia is defined by binge eating at least twice a week for three months while feeling out of control, followed by self-induced vomiting, starvation or purging.
Binge eating is ingesting an unusually large amount of food very fast while feeling out of control at least twice a week for six months. Binge eaters don’t purge.

How to get (and stay) healthy again
More than one in four women cling to restrictive diet rules (never eating after 6 p.m. or eating only nonfat foods, for instance), fearing they’ll gain pounds without these guidelines. Reality check: “In my practice, relinquishing rules often leads to permanent weight loss,” Bulik says. The formula for success is to add healthy foods and habits rather than restrict or force yourself to overexercise. The payoff will be both psychological (you’ll be happier) and physical — if you treat your body well, chances are it will naturally settle at a healthy weight.

Even out your eating
Disordered eating is all about extremes (too few or too many calories, hating your body when it’s big and loving it when it’s skinny), so a moderate approach can head off unhealthy choices. Step one: Eat breakfast every day, Bulik says. “It’s key to avoiding bingeing later.”

Separate mood from food
The next time a bad day sends you to the cookie jar, walk into another room and set a timer for five minutes, Bulik suggests. While it ticks, talk to yourself: What is bothering you? Is there a better way to deal with it? Even if you do go back to the snacks, you’ll at least have begun examining how your feelings drive your eating, an important first step.

Think differently
Focus on whether you’re getting nine small servings of veggies and fruit every day rather than what you think you need to cut out of your diet. “It’s the difference between having an attitude of self-care and one of punishment,” says Sondra Kronberg, R.D.

Take it slowly
If you do need to lose weight, make doable changes one day at a time: Add a veggie to dinner; take a walk after lunch. If you want help eating healthfully, consult a nutritionist. (Find one near you at EatRight.org.)

Embrace change
“No matter how fit you are when you’re young, your body will be different when you’re older,” Kronberg says. “If you don’t value who you are besides that body, you’re in trouble.” Instead of trying to reclaim the thighs of your youth with brutal workouts, buy clothes that make you look amazing right now.

Find relatable role models
Victoria Beckham? We’re sure she’s a nice person, but as a body type to emulate, she doesn’t make the cut. Choose someone who reflects your values, such as a friend or a more down-to-earth celeb.

Do it for the girls in your life
When you announce in front of children how fat you feel, think about this: Do you want them to hate their body, too? Kids pick up on everything, and you can be a positive role model. Try saying things such as, “I really like the way this dress looks on me,” and unapologetically enjoy a variety of foods around them. Your confidence will send the message that it’s possible to love your body at any size. 

More from TODAY Gourd-zilla: 1,900-lb. pumpkin still grows |    Shock! Lightning hit him at gas pump |    Jim Cramer: Get out of stocks |    How Maria Menounos dropped 10 sizes |    Fake babies ease women's anxiety, sadness A-plus! Makeover for math teacher   See haunted destinations (if you dare)   The Week in Pictures | More photos

 

MORE FROM HEALTH

Health Section Front

How Maria Menounos dropped 10 sizes   Organic veggies … at school cafeterias? 6 strategies to crush late-night cravings Emotional overeater: 'I was too young to die' Fat to fit: Joy Fit Club transformations Fake babies ease women's anxiety, sadness Study: Some cereals more than 50% sugar Johnny come lately? Tips to help your man Hoda Kotb: Life is better after cancer You’re sick. Now what? Knowledge is power Health Section Front   Add Health headlines to your news reader: