Do you think you are overweight or need to lose weight –  even though people around you think you are thin? Do you spend a lot of time worrying about how thin or fat you look? Does how much you weigh affect your mood? Do you feel guilty when you eat, or think you haven’t exercised enough? Do those who are close to you express concern about your eating habits?

If the answers to any of the above questions is yes and/or if people around you, be it family or friends, are concerned about your eating habits, then you probably have an eating disorder.

How do I know my loved one has an eating disorder?
Telling the difference between normal concern regarding how one looks and what one eats and an eating disorder could be challenging, especially during the early stages. Additionally individuals with eating disorders will often deny and try to hide their problem. However there are certain behaviors/warning signs which indicate that your loved one could have an eating disorder. If you suspect your loved one has an eating disorder but are unsure, you might want to look out for the following behaviors:

• A preoccupation with body, weight and/or food: You find your loved one is always concerned or talking about about their food intake, calories and weight. Alternatively, your loved one could express unnecessary concern about putting on weight, being fat or needing to lose weight.
• Restricting Food or Dieting: Your loved one is perpetually on some diet or other in an attempt to lose weight, when there is really no need. Your loved one often makes excuses for not eating, does not sit with you during meals or disappears during meal times to avoid eating. He or she may eat only certain types of food or may suddenly claim to dislike food, sweets, etc., that  earlier were their favorites. When they do eat, they may eat small quantities, play with the food on the plate rather than eat it, etc.
• Binge Eating: If you find lots of empty food packages and wrappers in the dustbins or find high calorie food like chocolates, cookies, chips, etc., stashed away in your loved one’s cupboards or drawers – these are sure signs of binge eating. People suffering from bulimia and binge eating disorder often do not eat in front of others but secretly binge eat at night or in private.
• Purging: Your loved one goes to the bathroom a lot after meals and/or you’ve heard your loved one vomiting after eating. Your loved one is always buying and excessively using laxatives or diet pills. Some individuals might go on fasts or exercise excessively after a binge eating episode.
• Compulsive Exercising: Your loved one cannot do without exercising even when sick or fatigued.
• Sudden Weight Loss/Gain or Fluctuation in Weight. Your loved one has lost weight drastically, or is already thin but still talks about how fat he or she is, or how much weight he/she needs to lose. Alternatively it could be that you find your loved one has suddenly gained weight, even though you’ve never see him or her eat (Binge Eating). Constant fluctuations in weight could also signal an eating disorder.
• Weakness, low energy and/or mood: Your loved one often complains of feeling low on energy or low mood, is easily tired or has mood swings. Your loved one might even appear pale, might bruise easily and may complain of feeling cold more than usual. Not being able to take the cold could be a symptom of being weak and underweight. He or she might be more prone than before to passing out or fainting.
• Your loved one is extremely sensitive and defensive about his or her eating habits or weight.

While some of these symptoms could be caused by other conditions, we suggest you do not ignore them. If your loved shows some or all of the symptoms listed above, you should consult a professional to help you find out if your loved one is the victim of an eating disorder.