Eating Disorders

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We're bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity 'epidemic'. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.

Many myths surround eating disorders - that they only affect young women, for example, or they're a modern phenomenon, but what are the realities?

Living with an eating disorder is a miserable, lonely experience. For most people, food is one of life's pleasures and an important social event. So if your feelings about food aren't relaxed, an important part of life becomes extremely stressed. This stress may add to other enormous stresses that may have led to the eating disorder in the first place.

When someone you know and love develops an eating disorder, it's easy to feel confused about what to do, and even threatened or angry.

Unfortunately, many health professionals are just as much at sea. Although eating disorders are increasing, we still know very little about their causes. Worse still, there aren't any quick or easy treatments.

A few things are clear. People with eating disorders aren't:

Bad or being defiant
Going through a 'teenage phase'
The result of poor or inadequate parenting
The product of modern stresses and obsession with weight
Able to snap out of it

What is known about eating disorders?
Many things about eating disorders aren't fully understood, but we do know the following:

Eating disorders have been around for centuries

Diets don't cause eating disorders, but research has shown young women who diet at a severe level are 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who don't and those who diet at a moderate level are five times more likely

Severe psychological problems, such as obsessive compulsive behaviour and depression, increase the risk of developing eating disorders

How common are they?

The most common form of disordered eating is obesity

Eating disorders include a range of different conditions where people have an abnormal attitude towards food, altered appetite control and unhealthy eating habits that affect their health and ability to function normally. The most common form of disordered eating is obesity, which affects more than one in ten people.

Bulimia nervosa, or binge eating and purging, is twice as common as anorexia.

Men and boys also have eating disorders, but less often than girls or women.

What are the causes?
Families often blame themselves, but they shouldn't. None of the research shows much difference between the ways that families of anorexics work compared with other families.

The causes of eating disorders are complex. They're probably the result of several factors, including:

A genetic tendency
Learned responses and habits, especially to stress
Cultural and social pressures, for example to be slim
Psychological factors, such as perfectionism and lack self-esteem, although it's not known whether this is a cause or effect of disorders

What can families do?

treating eating disorders usually involves years of hard work

The first thing is to accept that there's no quick fix - treating eating disorders usually involves years of hard work. During this time, there can be huge tension and communication can be terrible, but families can play a critical role in helping their relative through the worst.

Families need expert help for this, so talk to your doctor or contact one of the organisations given in our links.

How to help:

1. Help the person affected recognise they have a problem. Try to avoid head-to-head confrontation because it will only end in rebellion, tears and failure.

2. Be prepared to raid all your reserves of optimism and enthusiasm.

3. Try to remain sympathetic, no matter how bad the person's outer expression of their inner turmoil becomes.

4. Don't forget other members of the family and their needs, and don't let your own life, career and enjoyments become swamped or you'll become unable to give support.

5. Keep communication going with the patient and health professionals. What your loved one needs is a cohesive team supporting them.

It's a long road to recovery. After five years, about half of people with eating disorders have recovered, although many remain preoccupied with food, eating and their weight for many more years.

Advice and support
For information about national organisations, visit the Women's Health section on eating disorders.

Children's Weight

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We're bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity 'epidemic'. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.


In the UK, the number of obese children continues to rise. Currently, just under one in five children between the ages of two and ten is obese.

Obese children tend to become obese adults. This increases the risk of developing certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

If you think your child might be overweight or obese, check with your GP. They'll be able to advise you on how to provide the right support for your child to help slow or halt their weight gain and allow them to grow into their weight.

Even if your child doesn't have a weight problem, it's important to establish healthy eating habits early on so they don't gain any excess weight.

Good nutrition in childhood is vital for growth and development. Establishing healthy eating and activity patterns while children are young can lead to life-long habits that will help to determine whether or not they're healthy as adults.

What's a healthy diet?
Children need a varied diet that provides enough energy and protein for growth and repair, and contains all the essential vitamins and minerals.

Encouraging by example
The best way to improve your child's diet is for them to see you enjoying healthy food options.

Introduce new foods from an early age. It's normal for children to reject new foods at first, but this doesn't mean they'll never like them. Research shows most children will eat them if you try again a few days later.

Don't pressure your child to clear their plate. Encouraging them to eat when they're not hungry can result in them eating more calorie-rich foods.

It may also lead weaken your child's innate ability to respond to signals of hunger or fullness, so that they overeat.

Small children need to eat regularly, but keep snacks to defined times rather than allowing continual grazing. Snack foods don't have to be sweets or biscuits. Try slices of fruit or vegetable sticks instead.

Portion size
Portion sizes have increased over the years, especially when it comes to ready meals and snacks. This means children have become used to eating more calories than they need.

High nutritional quality is more important than large quantities. Small children don't need as much food as adults. Think twice when serving meals and make sure theirs is smaller than a typical adult serving.

Avoid the supersize, kingsize and '25 per cent extra' foods. Seek out mini and fun-size foods instead.

Treats
Snacks during the day should be planned rather than spontaneous, so children can establish feelings of hunger and fullness.

Offering a sweet pudding as a reward when your child eats their greens reinforces the idea that vegetables are unpleasant and something to be endured, while desserts are a treat. Try offering non-food rewards, such as a story or trip to the park, instead.

Foods such as cakes, sweets, crisps and sugary drinks should be kept as party or holiday foods, not everyday items.

How many calories?
The following table shows the estimated average daily calorie requirements for young children. The figures assume the child is of average weight with reasonable physical activity levels. It should be used as a guide only.

Encouraging activity
Children are naturally active, so don't stop them tearing round the house even if you're craving a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Some sedentary behaviour, especially watching TV, is linked to increased intake of food, especially those high in fat, salt and sugar. If your child demands snack foods, try plain popcorn, vegetable sticks or slices of fruit instead.

Better still, turn off the TV or computer and get them out riding their bike, playing in the park or doing any physical activity they enjoy.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We're bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity 'epidemic'. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.

Losing weight is half the battle, but keeping it off in the long term is a struggle for some people. Our advice, tools and strategies will help.

Maintaining your target weight
Lyndel Costain

For many people, losing weight isn't the really tricky part but keeping it off. Here are some tried and tested strategies for maintaining your weight.

Long-term change
If, once you've reached your realistic target weight, you go back to your old eating habits and activity levels, you'll put the weight back on. It's as simple as that.

This is usually the problem with quick-fix diets, they don't help you to make changes that you can maintain in the long term.

Stay realistic
Beware of 'how to be even skinnier' media messages that lure you into feeling dissatisfied. You have a life to live and enjoy, so hang on the satisfaction of being at a comfortable, healthy weight you can sustain.

Flexible restraint
Many slim people who stay that way by 'watching their weight', show flexible restraint, rather than following rigid all-or-nothing rules. They make healthy choices most of the time, but no foods are seen as forbidden.

This means enjoying small amounts of favourite foods without feeling guilty. And if you do over-indulge, or have a big night out, cut back a bit or do more exercise the next day to balance things out.

Eating healthily
Learn how to choose, prepare and enjoy a balanced diet. Low-fat cooking skills, understanding food labels and having the ability to judge portion sizes all help with this.

So does eating regular meals, taking time to really taste them and indulging yourself occasionally.

How to maintain weight loss
Continue to eat a balanced, lower fat diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables
Don't avoid any foods, just watch portion sizes and limit the amount of certain foods
Have three regular meals a day at regular times (starting with breakfast), and fewer snacks
Eat out occasionally, but limit fast food
Sit down to eat your meals, take time over them and pay attention to what you're eating
Keep 'self-monitoring' to stay conscious of your new eating and activity habits

Stay active
Getting regular physical activity is one of the strongest indicators of long-term success. Not only does it burn calories and increase metabolism-boosting muscle, it also boosts self-esteem and beats stress.

Studies show that just walking for 30 minutes or so each day, plus some other activities during the week, may be enough.

Learn to deal with stress
For many people, food is a quick and effective way to deal with stress. If this sounds like you, take some time to think about the stresses in your life and how you respond to them. A food and thoughts diary can be helpful.

Think about how you could manage stress differently. Things that help include regular exercise, breathing techniques and challenging negative self-talk that spirals into anxiety.

Finding The Time

Your weight
Expert advice to help you maintain a healthy weight

Dissatisfied with your weight?
We're bombarded with scare stories about weight, from size zero to the obesity 'epidemic'. But a healthy weight is determined by different factors for each of us. Our expert advice is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, life-enhancing weight.

Overweight or underweight?
Being the right weight has a positive effect on wellbeing but also on our health, as being the wrong weight can cause a range of medical problems.


Ever feel there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you want, including being more active?

For many people, the same computer-based jobs that have taken the physical element out of work also take up so much time that exercise is the last thing they feel like doing when they get home. The key to finding time to exercise is to realise two things:

It doesnot have to take very long just half an hour a day, in ten-minute bursts if necessary.
It can be built into your day-to-day life - it doesn’t necessarily have to be found as additional time.

If you're in employment
Despite advances in technology, many of us still spend more - rather than less - time at work. However, there are ways in which you can be more active:

Go for a walk in your lunch break.
Try to find at least three different walks and vary them throughout the week. It might even be possible to find an indoor walking route, incorporating stair climbing, for those inevitable bad weather days.
Talk to your employers about promoting health at work. If they don't already, ask if it's possible to provide showers and cycle racks to encourage people to cycle to work. You might even be able to encourage them to provide subsidised membership at a local gym where you could go at lunchtime.
Walk to and from work. If you live too far away, park further from the office or get off the bus or train one stop earlier – even a ten-minute walk will help as long as it is hard enough to get you slightly out of breath.

If you look after children
Having children can change everything about your lifestyle. Some parents find their activity levels drop and their weight increases as going to the gym or playing sport become more difficult. Here are some positive steps you can take:

Exercise with your child.
Take them to the local swimming pool or play in the garden or local park.
Find out which local sports and leisure centres have crèche facilities, so you can exercise while your child is being looked after.

Walk your child to school.
Not only will this help you to be active, it will also help your child develop an early pattern of physical activity that might stay with them into adulthood.
Find out if there are activities available at your child's school for the local community. Many schools use their facilities for sports and exercise classes in the evenings and at weekends.

If you're based at home
Plan your week so you have to walk to the shops frequently. By going often you'll only have to carry light bags of shopping back.
Look at ways in which you can be more active in and around your home. Use the stairs to exercise, work in the garden or – if you have the space and can afford it - install some gym equipment, such as a mini trampoline or rowing machine, for example. Failing that, invest in a skipping rope.
Look for community-based activity programmes in your local area. These don't have to be fitness classes, just anything that gets you moving. Conservation groups can be a great way to get involved in improving your local environment and being active at the same time.

The early bird
If your normal day really doesn't let you incorporate exercise, one option is to get up earlier. If you normally set the alarm clock for 7.30am, set it for 7am instead and use the extra half-hour to go for a brisk walk or even a swim if you have a pool nearby. We all experience exercise differently at different times of the day because of our individual biological cycle, and you might not be a 'morning person', but it's worth a try as exercise first thing can really wake you up and leave you feeling invigorated for the day ahead.

Night owls
Alternatively, if you're not an early bird, consider looking at how you could use any free time you have in the evening to increase your activity patterns. Most of us spend a lot of time sitting watching TV in the evenings, but you could buy some home exercise equipment and work out while you're doing it.

Experiment to find a time for exercise that suits you best.

Maximise your exercise time
Make an appointment to exercise - and write it in your diary. You could also record what you did in your workout, so you can keep track of your achievements.
You can extend this idea by making a real appointment with a friend, colleague or relative to exercise together. If you've arranged to meet someone, you're a lot less likely to skip it.
Keep some exercise kit handy in the places you spend most of your time. This might mean leaving clothes at college, work, with friends or relatives, or in the boot of your car. By having the right clothes handy you can exercise whenever you get an unexpected free 15 minutes or a sudden burst of enthusiasm.
Consider taking active holidays such as a cycle tour or walking holiday. You still need to get your exercise five days a week, but getting in shape for your holiday might be a good incentive, and if you enjoy it enough it might inspire you to keep it going when you get home.
If you own a car, leave it at home as much as possible and walk or cycle to the shops for those small things such as milk or a newspaper.