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Disordered Eating and the Dieting Game

The "Thin" Line Teens Cross When Abusing Diet and Exercise

By Laura Paul

When Nancy Clark became a sports nutritionist, she thought she was going to be counseling athletes about sports nutrition. Instead, she found her one-on-one counseling sessions centered on eating disorders. "It was called learn by fire," says Clark, who lives in Boston, Mass., and works with renowned clients including members of the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics.

Before these elite athletes reached the pinnacle of their sports, they were teens, probably very similar to yours. As teens, the drive for perfection can sometimes take a wrong turn, beginning as disordered eating and ending with a full-blown eating disorder.

"The same characteristics it takes to be an athlete – you need to be dedicated, a hard worker – are those same characteristics that are needed to be anorexic," Clark says. "It's hard to be anorexic. It's hard to be so dedicated, compulsive and disciplined."

Disordered eating is sometimes referred to as the gateway "drug" to an eating disorder, just as marijuana is often called the gateway drug to harder drugs. "Disordered eating is under-consuming," Clark says. "It's often not eating much during the day and then getting carried away with frozen yogurt at night time. It's a very limited diet."

Clark says eating disorders begin with what seem like harmless disordered eating habits. Maybe a teenager insists on eating turkey sandwiches every day or having meal replacement drinks. Maybe they suddenly decide to become a vegetarian, which Clark says may be just a politically correct way of eliminating a food group perceived to be fattening. Other red flag behaviors can include social withdrawal and constant complaining about body weight.

Research shows children as young as 5 years old are obsessed with their weight. At the same time, obesity rates are increasing for teens. To make a positive impact on these statistics, Clark recommends limiting children's exposure to television and magazines with stick-thin fashion models.

Want to see more?

• Walking a Thin Line: Recognizing and Preventing Eating Disorders
• Turning Points for Better and Worse: Facing Anorexia, Dishonesty and Separation
• The Perfect Imperfection: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Fatal Trend: Pro-Anorexia Web Sites
• Talk about it!

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