Obesity and Eating disorders (This is about final exam)

You see their photos everywhere: skinny models showing off the latest fashion, thin celebrities dinning in expensive restaurants and unhealthy looking young stars having their pictures published in magazines. It is not surprising that American women seem to be obsessed with their weight. Over the past few years, the media have been filled with the tragic stories of famous women whose abnormal eating behavior led to serious health problems and even death. At the opposite extreme, excessive overweight or obesity, while rarely deadly in itself, increases the risks of life-threatening medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.



Both this problems represent normal dieting gone wrong. Women suffering from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia starve themselves to get thin or induce vomiting after they eat a lot. On the other hand overweight women-defined medically as those who are more than 20% over their ideal weight- are often obsessed with eating large amounts of food.



While eating disorders may begin with obsession with food and weight, they are most often about much more than food. People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to deal with emotions that may seem over-whelming. For some, dieting may begin as a way to cope with painful emotions but ultimately, these behaviors will damage a person’s physical and emotional health.

Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. Factors that affect obesity might include your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods and not being physically active. Obesity is a complex issue in which a person’s weight gain seriously endangers their health. Obesity and weight related issues are a global problem that is becoming the number one reason why people seek help.

The media, family, and friends may be sending women mixed messages about food and weight that encourage disordered eating. Today's society promotes thinness and does not promote fatness, but high-calorie foods are widely available. At the same time, levels of physical activity are low as television and computers have become popular, travel by car has replaced walking, and many communities do not have space for walking.