Running on Empty- Disordered Eating

I want to highlight an article I've been reading in Runner's World magazine.  You can find the article by clicking on this link:  http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--14203-1-1X2-3,00.html

I feel as though this article highlights some of the principles I have tried to point out in this blog, namely the dangers of over obsessing about weight and food intake.  The dangers of under-eating are almost the same, if not worse, than overeating.  We need to be careful about drastic calorie reduction in trying to manage our weight, and we need to recognize that weight fluctuates up and down throughout the day and over several days.

Drastic calorie reduction just to hit a target weight goal can actually cause more harm than good.  Step on the scale and notice that you've gained a pound, you feel compelled that for the rest of the week you're going to only eat lettuce and drink water, in addition, you are going to ramp up your exercise routine by another hour or two per day to shed that one pound.  At the end of the week, you feel sluggish, you're snapping at everyone who crosses your path, but you lost 3 pounds.  So, you go back to a "regular" diet, deciding to cut 200 calories from the normal diet.  The next week, another 5 pounds have been gained- so you put yourself on another restrictive diet and repeat the cycle.

Keep doing this and injuries, health complications, and other problems will abound.  You might even find yourself in the hospital- then what?  There's a really great picture in the magazine that shows a small protein bar on one side that reads In (representing the fuel you have taken in) and on the other side shows a sandwich, glass of milk, apple, and carrots that reads Out (representing the fuel you have burned).  That's a big difference!  It's OK to burn a little more than you take it, it's not OK to lose too much weight.  This obsessive behavior is called Disordered Eating and has damaging physical and psychological effects that need to be considered.

Remember, my advice is that you seek out a doctor and tell him/her exactly what you want to do; then to talk to a nutritionist; then, potentially, to even talk to a therapist.  I am not saying this because it seems right to say, I am saying this because doing these things might just be what you need to not just lose some weight, but to completely change your lifestyle to live and eat healthy.  Food is fuel, do not forget that- with proper fuel, your body will perform at its best, but if you mess around, you're going to get hurt.

I'm going to stop here, because I want you to read the article.  Even if you're not a runner, it still might offer some good insight.

I'll be praying for you.  God Bless!