Year after year, losing weight and getting in shape are among the most common New Year’s resolutions. However, these goals aren’t easy for most people to keep. In fact, about 25 percent of folks abandon them within a week and return to the previous year’s habits. Within a few months, more than half of all New Year’s resolutions are old news. Of course, some people do manage to stick with their new habits. And some people even take things too far.
[See: How to Know If You’re Exercising Too Much.]
My friend — let’s call her “Ann” — is an example of good intentions gone too far. A few years ago, as the clock struck midnight, she vowed to improve her diet and exercise habits. She jumped on the latest low-carb bandwagon and began to lose a pound or two a week in the first months of the year. Then, she added a few cardio classes per week at her gym to try to speed up the process.
But, as is often the case, progress remained slow and Ann wasn’t patient. (Who is? We all wish for weight loss — yesterday.) It wasn’t long before Ann was at the gym for a couple of hours on most days and had managed to cut out everything from her diet but veggies, some fruits and lean meats.
At this point, it was clear Ann wasn’t simply admirably committed to improving her health; she was spiraling into behaviors that were actually harming her mental and physical health. In fact, this sort of extraordinary dietary restriction and excessive exercise classifies as an eating disorder by most clinicians’ standards. While habits like Ann’s may not be classified as the more commonly known anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, they are likely to meet criteria for ” other specified feeding or eating disorder.” This diagnostic category is used to explain maladaptive eating behaviors and thoughts about food that don’t neatly fit into other categories, but still warrant some form of treatment.
[See: The Eating Disorder Spectrum — from Pregorexia to Drunkorexia.]
No matter how they’re labeled, disordered eating and exercise patterns can lead to malnutrition and even death, not to mention they rob victims’ of many of the joys of daily life. Ann, for example, became disconnected from her family and friends because she no longer enjoyed going out to eat, and her energy level and mood took a turn for the worse. She may have lost weight, but soon enough, she began to realize that she had also lost a whole lot more.
So, how do you know when your eating and fitness goals have taken a turn for the disordered? Here are some questions I’ve used with patients that can help you identify a maladaptive take on getting in shape:
1. Do you avoid social situations that involve food?
2. Do you spend more time at the gym (or otherwise exercising) then you’re willing to admit to some people?
3. Are you worried about gaining weight (even though you have recently lost weight)?
4. Do you feel guilty after you eat?
5. Do you ever feel like you can’t stop eating once you start?
6. Do you feel guilty if you skip a part of your usual exercise routine?
7. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about food?
8. Have friends or family expressed concern about your habits or your weight?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you may be at risk for the development of an eating disorder. This is not to say that you necessarily have a clinical disorder right now, but that your resolution to lose weight and get in shape may have become a maladaptive preoccupation.
So, what should you do next? A more thorough screening tool for eating disorders can be found through the National Eating Disorders Association. And, you may want to consult with a therapist or medical professional who specializes in eating disorders. Perhaps most importantly, keep in mind the other New Year’s resolution that tends to top the list year after year — and should: “Enjoy life to the fullest.” Spending too much time or energy on food and fitness makes it pretty impossible to achieve that goal.
[See: How to Find the Best Mental Health Professional for You.]
For Ann, the road back to good health started with the support of caring friends and family members, and weekly visits with a counselor who specializes in eating issues. She began to see the toll that her new habits were taking on her well-being and acknowledged that they had become counterproductive to her goals of looking and feeling good. She set healthy limits on her exercise time and met with a registered dietitian to work on a balanced way to think about her eating habits. Like many women, Ann still struggles a bit with her body image, but she’s much happier these days and can move onto more satisfying resolutions for 2017. Her goal: to find one way each week to make the world a better place.
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Is Your New Year’s Resolution Healthy — or a Disorder in Disguise? originally appeared on usnews.com
