SUPER SIZE ME
Award winning production by
Morgan Spurlock
VitaMINDS: Day 4 Summer.
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D.I.E.T. (Discipline In Eating Thing)
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Eat to live Don’t live to eat.
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You are what You eat!
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You are what You Ate!
Eating Disorders:
From Diet to Disorder to
Disordered Eating
Where does it all start?
Let’s talk about
Body Image…
What is Body Image?
The perception,
imagination,
emotions, and
physical
sensations of and
about our bodies.
About Body Image
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Sensitive to changes in
mood, environment, and
physical experience
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Psychological in nature
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Takes on positive and
negative forms
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Influenced more by selfesteem than by actual
physical attractiveness
Some people with negative body image may
develop disordered eating patterns.
People with disordered eating patterns may:
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Engage in compulsive and excessive exercise
Manipulate medications to lose weight
Have a fear of certain foods
Obsessively count calories, fat grams, and other
nutrients
Allow themselves to eat only organic, healthy
foods
Fear eating in public or with others
Continually look for and follow the newest “fad
diet”
The Prevalence of Disordered Eating
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1 in 5 women struggle with disordered eating
Disordered eating is not simply a “female issue”
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Men
Minority men and women
24 million Americans and 70 million people worldwide
struggle
42 percent of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade girls wish to be thinner
2 out of 5 women and 1 out of 5 men would trade 3 – 5
years of their life to reach their “goal body weight”
Those who diet are 5 TIMES more likely to develop an eating disorder…
Anorexia Nervosa: the relentless pursuit
of thinness and an attempt to maintain
strict control over food intake.
The defining features of this eating disorder are
(a) an intense and irrational fear of body fat and
weight gain, (b) an iron determination to become
thinner and thinner, and (c) a misperception of
body weight and shape to the extent that the
person may feel or see "fat" even when emaciation
is clear to others
Anorexia Nervosa:
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These psychological characteristics
contribute to drastic weight loss and defiant
refusal to maintain a healthy weight for
height and age. Food, calories, weight, and
weight management dominate the person's
life, and they become angry or defensive
when someone tries to disrupt this private
system.
Person refuses to maintain normal body
weight for age and height.
Weighs 85% or less than what is expected for
age and height.
Is terrified of becoming fat.
Person denies the dangers of low weight.
Anorexia Nervosa:
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Is terrified of gaining weight even though
she/he is markedly underweight.
Reports feeling fat even when very thin.
In women, loss of three consecutive
menstrual periods.
Young girls do not begin to menstruate at
the appropriate age.
In men, reduced libido.
In addition to the above, anorexia nervosa
often includes depression, irritability,
withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as
compulsive rituals, strange eating habits,
and division of foods into "good/safe" and
"bad/dangerous" categories.
Anorexia and Bulimia may coexist.
Anorexia and Bulimia may coexist.
Many bulimia nervosa patients
have a history of anorexia
nervosa; others may subsequently
lose weight and become
anorexic. Approximately half of
anorexia nervosa patients engage
in binging and purging behaviors
associated with bulimia.
Bulimia Nervosa:
Bulimia Nervosa: the diet-binge-purge disorder
This eating disorder is characterized by selfperpetuating and self-defeating cycles of binge-eating
and purging. During a "binge," the person consumes a
large amount of food in a rapid, automatic, and helpless
fashion. This may anesthetize hunger, anger, and other
feelings, but it eventually creates physical discomfort
and anxiety about weight gain. Thus, the person
"purges" the food eaten, usually by inducing vomiting
and by resorting to some combination of restrictive
dieting, excessive exercising, laxatives, and diuretics.
Bulimia Nervosa:
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As with anorexics, bulimics may have a distorted
body image, an intense fear of fat, and the
conviction that a slender body shape is absolutely
crucial for self-acceptance.
Person binge eats.
Feels out of control while eating.
Vomits, misuses laxatives, exercises, or fasts to get
rid of the calories.
Diets when not bingeing. Becomes hungry and
binges again.
Believes self-worth requires being thin.
May shoplift, be promiscuous, and abuse alcohol,
drugs, and credit cards.
Weight may be normal or near normal unless
anorexia is also present.
Bulimia Nervosa:
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Like anorexia, bulimia can kill. Even though
the person puts up a cheerful front, she/he is
often depressed, lonely, ashamed, and
empty inside. Friends of bulimics may
describe them as competent and fun to be
with, but underneath, where they hide their
guilty secrets, they are hurting. Feeling
unworthy, they have great difficulty talking
about their feelings, which almost always
include anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and
deeply buried anger.
Compulsive overeating is
characterized primarily by periods of
impulsive gorging or continuous
eating. While there is no purging,
there may be sporadic fasts or
repetitive diets. Body weight may vary
from normal to mild, moderate, or
severe obesity.
Compulsive overeating
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The person binge eats frequently and
repeatedly.
Feels out of control and unable to stop
eating during binges.
May eat rapidly and secretly, or may
snack and nibble all day long.
Feels guilty and ashamed of binge eating.
Has a history of diet failures.
Compulsive overeating:
Tends to be depressed and obese People who
have binge eating disorder do not regularly vomit,
over exercise, or abuse laxatives like bulimics do.
They may be genetically predisposed to weigh
more than the cultural ideal (which at present is
exceedingly unrealistic), so they diet, make
themselves hungry, and then binge in response to
that hunger. Or they may eat for emotional
reasons: to comfort themselves, avoid
threatening situations, and numb emotional pain.
Regardless of the reason, diet programs are not
the answer. In fact, diets almost always make
matters worse.
Compulsive exercising :
Compulsive exercising is not a recognized
diagnosis as are anorexia, bulimia, and binge
eating disorder. We include it here because
many people who are preoccupied with food
and weight, exercise compulsively in attempts
to control weight. The real issues are not
weight and performance excellence, but rather
power, control, and self-respect.
Compulsive exercising :
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The person repeatedly exercises
beyond the requirements for good
health.
May be a fanatic about weight and diet.
Steals time to exercise from work,
school, and relationships.
Focuses on challenge. Forgets that
physical activity can be fun.
Compulsive exercising :
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Defines self-worth in terms of
performance.
Is rarely or never satisfied with athletic
achievements.
Does not savor victory. Pushes on to
the next challenge immediately.
Justifies excessive behavior by
defining self as a "special" elite athlete.
Can You Tell?
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There is no certain ‘look’ to
someone with disordered
eating practices or negative
body image.
Images in the popular media
do not account for everyone.
In order to be sensitive to
those with disordered eating
habits or body image issues,
it is crucial to know that
ANYONE can struggle with
these things!
Things we can’t control…
Genetic predisposition to
eating disorders- If a
immediate family
members has been
diagnosed with an eating
disorder, studies show
that individual is 4x more
likely to develop one.
Things we can’t control…
Scientists are still researching possible
biochemical or biological causes of
eating disorders. In some individuals
with eating disorders, certain chemicals
in the brain that control hunger,
appetite, and digestion have been
found to be imbalanced. The exact
meaning and implications of these
imbalances remains under investigation.
Things we can’t control…
Psychological Factors that can
Contribute to Eating Disorders:
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Low self-worth.
Feelings of inadequacy or lack
of control in life.
Depression, anxiety, anger, or
loneliness.
Things we can CONTROL
#1- MEDIA
The average person sees
between 400 – 600 ads
per day, with one out of
every 11 having a direct
message about beauty.
#2- What you say…
“do I look fat?”
Stop Diet Talk!!!
#3Bust Diet Myths!
Myth # 1: Fat is Bad.
 Fat is NECESSARY for the body to
function properly.
 Fat should make up 25 percent of your
daily caloric intake.
 Fat is an important energy source.
 Fat is imperative to maintain hormonal
balance and regular menstrual cycles.
#3Bust Diet Myths!
Myth # 2: Low Carbohydrate Diets Work.
 The
body needs carbohydrates, as
they are the body’s main energy
source and are stored in the
muscles.
 Carbohydrates provide fiber, B
vitamins, and iron.
#3Bust Diet Myths!
 Myth
# 3: Protein is Not Important.
Protein is the building block of major
organs.
 Protein is necessary to build and repair
muscles.
 Enzymes and many hormones are made of
protein.
 Protein is crucial to maintain hormonal
balance and regular menstrual cycles.
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What Can YOU Do?
Know How to Help Someone!
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Know the warning signs.
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Express your concern in a loving, non – threatening way.
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Choosing “good” and “bad” foods.
Significant weight loss or weight gain.
Excessive worry and talk of numbers, shape, and size.
Use “I” statements.
Avoid “You” statements.
Avoid giving simple solutions.
Do not comment on the person’s weight, size, or food rituals.
Be firm and caring in what you are saying, without being mean.
Tell someone else.
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Counselor.
Parent.
Teacher/Coach.
What Can YOU Do?
Know How to Keep Yourself Healthy!
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Do not weight yourself or count calories or fat
grams in your food.
Do not diet – this will only make you want and
think about food more often.
Listen to your body – it can tell you when you are
hungry and full.
Learn better ways to cope with feelings that lead
you to over eat, under eat, and use other negative
behaviors.
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Accept your body and appreciate it for allowing you to
function.
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Do not compare yourself to others.