Do you like your body?

Are you constantly dieting and wishing you looked like someone else?

Do you spend your days thinking about food, weight and your body?

Do you count calories, weigh yourself multiple times a day, and feel “fat” no matter what you weigh?

Are you uncomfortable eating a regular meal?

Do you make judgments about yourself based on what you eat?

Do you think others are judging you by what you eat, and do you feel anxious eating around other people?

If you answered, “Yes” to these questions, you may be suffering from an eating disorder. Up to 30 million people of all ages and genders struggle with eating disorders in America today (ANAD).

Anorexia is a form of self-starvation that can cause severe medical complications including death. This disorder usually begins around puberty and involves extreme weight loss. Young girls and boys become obsessed with food and weight as a cover for other emotional struggles.

Bulimia involves eating large amounts of food and then ridding the body of that food by vomiting, abusing laxatives, exercising excessively, taking diuretics or diet pills, and/or using enemas. This cycle, known as the “binge-purge” is usually done in secret and may cause serious medical complications. People with bulimia are usually normal weight and ashamed of their behavior.

Compulsive and binge eating occurs when you consume large amounts of calories and feel as if you’ve lost control over eating. Most people continue to eat even though they are uncomfortably full. The major consequence is weight gain and obesity.

To be free, you must admit to the problem and get help. Confront your hopelessness through the Scriptures. God will help you if you trust Him and ask for His help. The recognition of dependence on Him is a big step toward healing. Next, you must correct your faulty eating habits and develop and appropriate view of food as a nourishment. Stop dieting, and learn to eat healthily. Finally, you must work through whatever self, family, and other interpersonal issues exist.

The difficulty overcoming an eating disorder is found in Romans 7:16. Paul says we do what we hate (starving, bingeing, and purging) and don’t do what we should (eat healthily). So we must trust God to help us correct our view of self, open our eyes to our true beauty, and develop as mature people of God.

It’s National Eating Disorders Awareness week. Learn more about eating disorders and how to help those who struggles.