Anorexia

• There is intense fear of gaining weight and feelings of being "fat" no matter how underweight. Denial of the seriousness of the low body weight is very entrenched.
• How the anorexic sees and experiences their body weight/shape is very distorted and at odds with how others perceive them. Feelings about their weight or shape play a huge role in the anorexic's sense of self.
• Loss of menstrual periods often occurs.

• Not only is there intense preoccupation with weight, but also calories, fat grams, dieting and food in general. Often anorexics pore over recipes and cookbooks, plan, cook and even serve food to others all the while refusing to eat.
• Hunger is denied.
• Refusal to eat particular foods usually grows to include whole categories of food (as in "no carbohydrates," "no animal protein").
• A variety of food rituals are evident such as moving food around the plate to give the appearance of dining and eating foods in a particular order.
• Consistent excuses are used to avoid mealtimes or any situations involving food.
• Isolation and withdrawal from family, friends and activities.
• Often there is rigid and excessive exercise (despite fatigue, illness, injury or weather) in order to "burn off" calories; this escalates the more that food is eaten. In later stages of the illness the anorexic can be too exhausted and depleted even to push exercise.
• Weight loss and control of food are the primary factor in an anorexic's life and this becomes evident in their behaviors and attitudes.

• Heart rate is slowed drastically and blood pressure declines as the heart muscle weakens due to lack of protein and other vital nutrients; risk of heart failure rises
• Calcium is leached from the bones in order to be used for other more urgent needs; this leaves bones depleted, weak, dry and brittle resulting in osteoporosis even at a young age
• Muscle is lost due to lack of protein and other nutrients; not only does the skeletal structure have muscle (biceps, hamstrings, etc.) all the major internal organs (such as heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract) are muscle and they waste away as the body robs protein from muscle in order to use it in more urgent ways; organs are at risk for failure
• Severe dehydration from malnutrition can lead to kidney failure
• Overall weakness, fainting and fatigue occur
• Hair and skin are very dry and hair loss is common
• A downy layer of fine hair called "lanugo" grows all over the body, including the face, in the body's effort to stay warm since it has had to "turn down the furnace" of its metabolic processes and doesn't have the energy to keep itself warm