The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 29, 1997 - AS A body to die for When food becomes an obsession By CRIS LEYKAUF *“{ STILL GET mad when I see really skinny girls.” For Ruth, (not her real name) every slim girl or woman . locks beautiful. They’re the ideal she’s tried to reach For 13 years, “Society says you have to be so friggin’ perfect.’’ And perfection was a long ways . off for Ruth. When she was 11 years old she was put into foster care. Her foster father sexually abused her, and she developed clinical depres- sion, though she didn’t know it a1 the time. When she was 15 years old she decided that if she lost weight, she might be more accepted by her peers, Ruth chose a drastic ap- proach to weight loss — eating and then throwing up. Called bulimia, the cating and purging cycle is self destructive and dangerous. Unlike most bulimics, Ruth knew exactly what she was doing. “I wanted to (lose weight) faster, And I could eal all] wanted.” She also tried starving her- self — called anorexia in its most harmful form — but says she didn’t have the willpower to continue. So she apted to throw up her meals instead. es the enamel off her The dentist recognized the likely cause of the problem, and referred her to an eating disorder clinic, At this point Ruth was living in Prince George, and she decided that she’d take her dentist's advice, since she didn’t want to wreck her teeth. Other health problems were starting to compound as well. Ruth was getting very bad heartburn and cramps, and her periods were very erralic and at times non-existent. But staff at the eating dis- order clinic told her she didn’! have bulimia. The problem was that Ruth didn’t fit the conventional model. She was overweight, and didn't overexercise. “But if you have bulimia you wan’t necessarily be skinny,’’ said Ruth, quoting information she’s learned from a nutritionist in Ter- race. A bulimic’s metabolism can gel be dramatically altered because of the wide- ly varying amount of food her body receives. And other complications, such as thyroid problems, which Ruth bas, can also cause a. bulimic to be overweight. Ruth finally started to make posilive changes in - her life when she moved back to Terrace, For thie first. time in her life, at the age of 27, she made a friend, “T threw up every single thing I ate or drank, [lost 15 pounds in two weeks — but I was also starving myself."’ Ruth also knew she could possibly die from what she was doing to her body, but says She didn’t care. Ruth made it down to 130 pounds by the lime she was 20 years old. She was un- derweight for her body height and frame, but thought she looked ‘‘damn good,”’ “Then I had this jerk come and tell me I still needed to lose 20 pounds.” For a girl with very fragile self-esteem, those words were incredibly cruel, ‘I started bingeing,” She stole food and ate it where nobody could see it. She would buy the small cylinders of Pringles, a per- fect size to hide in a purse. “tvs amazing all the lengihs you go through to hide what you’re doing. When I'd buy food, 1 would almost think (the cashier) would know why I was buying it.”’ By this time Ruth was throwing up three times a day. And that was having an effect on her body, BULIMICS BELIEVE they can ea! whatever they want, since they can throw it up later on. The disease has a dangeraus lure, particularly to young women trying to lose weight. But bulimia can result in numerous health problems. She also got counselling and support from health care professionals. . “T threw up every single thing I ate or drank. I last 15: pounds in two weeks — — but. { was. also starving myself.”’ freete ere coe " When she went to the dentist when she was 22, he discovered three cavities on the backside of her teeth. The hydrochloric acid from her stomach, which came up when she threw up, was Now she proudly reports ‘she hasn't thrown up since November. And she made it through the difficult Christ- mas period, “T can say no — I’m not going to do it It takes all There is no ideal shape THE BEGINNING of Feb- -mary is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. It’s a good chance for people to ask if the fear of fatness is ruling their lives. How do you relate to food, your body and your emotions? " One way to prevent eating disorders is to encourage people, particularly teens, to get beyond their jeans size, and to. put their energy into something more positive. If a parent is worricd 4 child has an ealing disorder, it.-is best to encourage honest discussion. Adults need to let children know they they come in ail shapes, sizes, and colours, with a wide range of physi- cal abilities. ‘Parents: and teachers can also talk to kids about society's unrealistic ideals of beauty. But it is crucial 10 avoid power struggles around food and eating. Trying to force or tempt a child to eat may cause more problems, as will limiting a child’s_ in- iake, Food should not be of fered as a reward or taken away as a punishment, since it becomes laden with emo- tional meanings, The Terrace Women’s Resource centre is showing a series of videos to mark Eating Disorder Weck. Ad- mission. is free, and the videos show at noon at the centre, at 4542 Park. On Monday, Feb, 3 ~they’re showing ‘The Fam- ine. Within.”? Tuesday's ~. movie is “Thin Dreams.” On Wednesday, the centre is showing ‘Adolescent Physical §Development,”’ and on Thursday, Feb. 6, it’s ‘Fear of Fat.”’ The end of the ‘week is DO YOU HAVE a pair of thin jeans you've been trying to get into for years? Well on “Fearless Fri- day,” Feb. 7, why not cut yourself some slack and throw them away? Or better yet, donate those im- practical thin clothes to the women's centre. Darlene Westerman found It easy to getin the spirit. being termed Fearless Fri- day, and the women's centre is asking people to celebrate it by not dieting. On this day, try not think about dicting, weight and body size. Try to be more’ accepting of yourself and experience what life what life might be like when your self-esleem is not based on what the bathroom | scale reads, A greal way to cclebrate the day might be to stop put- ting your life on hold, wait- ing to get into those ‘‘thin jeans.” Instead, donate those thin jeans. and other clothing 1o ihe women’s cetitre that day, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, For more information, call the - Eating. - - Disordet Resource Centre of BC al 1- 800-665-1822 or the women's ‘centre at 638- 0228. my willpower not to throw p.” pointing out svelle Kathy Bates, Oprah ‘ models out there, she says, the not-so- Ruth bas adopted coping lactics to stop the bingeing and purging cycles. At hight, when she feels like hitling the snacks, she plays computer games, which keep her hands’ busy, .o reads books, During the day she’ll go for walks. And she’s trying to finish her high school diploma, taking . a few courses, Images of dcautiful women on TV and in maga- - zines still bother her, but nat quite as much. And now , Winfrey, -Raosie O'Donnell. - Roseanne, and “They're not society’s y y _ Standard, but they are ac- cepted anyways.’ I's a small accomplish: ment, she says. But Ruth’s biggest battle is learning self-acceptance. “Of course, I hate myself,’ she says, matter- " of-factly. And even if she manages ta keep the food * down, she doesn’t think the ‘bingeing will end vatil that changes. there’s a few positive role Anorexia Nervosa AN OBSESSION with being thin can lead to this potentially fatal disease. Those who have it suffer from drastic weight loss, which is the resull of self-imposed starvation or extreme dieting in an effort to be thin. While anorexia can affect people of all ages, the average age of onset is 12 years. Anorexia is an overwhelmingly female problem; statistics suggest between 90-95 per cent of people with anorexia are girls, Reasons behind anorexia are numerous. They in- cludea desire to conform to society’s idea of beau- ty, family problems, violence and abuse, and a difficulty expressing emotions.. Anorexia may be the way a child copes with feelings of inadequacy, The physical or emotional effects of starvation on the body are: Wf Loss or delayed onset of menstrual periods Wi Weakened muscle and bone tissue @ Constipation and bloating alter cating i Lowered heart rate and energy levels @ Dehydration Wi Thitwing hair on head and growth of fine hair on body Mi Sudden death from heart problems. Bulimia Nervosa BULIMIA IS another route people may choose in a drastic effort to lose weighl, It’s usually charac- terized by changes in body weight and cycles of dicting, binge cating and purging to rid the body of unwanted food. People with bulimia often ex- ercise excessively, There are many ways to purge the body of un- wanted food. Those include vomiting, fasting and/or the use of laxatives, diuretics (water loss pills), certain herbal teas and dict pills. The average age of onset for bulimia is 18, and like anorexia, it usually afflicts girls or women. The causes arc similar to thosefor anorexia. Some of the effects of binge eating and purging on the body are: , Bi Loss of sodium and potassium wi Muscle cramps i Stress on stomach, throat and heart W@ Puily cheeks (caused by vomiting) W Dental problems . @ Dehydration and bloating: i Heart attack - CORAESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag School fights overblown Tam writing to you about the article you had in your news paper on January 16 titled “School tries to tame rowdy girls.” I had your article read to me in my so- cials class, and honestly ] was disappointed, You made my school sound like a reform school. You told the people of the city that we had fights in our open area, and also that the only students doing it were female. We have had an increase in violence siace the school year of 95/96, but our school staff together with the students have taken control of the problem. As for fighting in our school, any fights that have had to do with our students have happened off of our school property. By saying the things that you have said, you have given people in our city the opinion that cur school is filled with violence, when really it is filled with people who care for the students and wish them no harm. You have given my school a false face. You have showed it as a place where the staff do not do their job and do not care. You have given the impression that because we have had small problems with some girls in our school, we have had no problems with boys in our school. I have seen what you have written and it is incorrect. You interviewed our teacher Mr. Anaka over the phone and it was nothing like the article. He said to you that we had had problems in the past with violence and you tumed that into fights in our Jocker area, I rely on the newspaper to bring me information about my city and events that are taking place in it. If I cannol trust what is being said, then the reporters are not doing their job. Kyle Dowse and Sirena Lowe, Grade 9, Thornhiil Jr. Secondary, Terrace, B.C, Proud to teach at school Dear Sir The recent article by Cris Leykauf entitled ‘School Tries to Tame Rowdy Girls’’ needs some clarification. This story may give one the false impression that there are often fights going on at Thomhill Junior Secondary School. This is certainly not the case. Since I am the teacher who was interviewed for the story, [ must state that I have never said that there were fights going on between the lockers. I said thal there “(may be some physical contact between the lockers.’ Talso told this reporter which she failed to report, that fights had occurred ‘‘behind the store or in the woods” and there had not been ‘‘any fights for the past couple of months.” My final comment which I emphasized to ‘this teporter, but was also not printed, was my belief that there is a good level of discipline within our school. I said this not only as a teacher but also as a parent, I think that the image of our school presented by this reporter could have been a clearer and more positive one if she had gotten her facts straight and printed all of the relevant ones. I must say that I am very proud to be a teacher at Thornhill Junior Secondary School. I believe that our staff is providing a quality education for our students. The vast majority of our young people are responsible and enjoyable to teach, I wish to thank all of the parents of these teenagers who are raising them that way. Keep up the good work! You are doing one of the most important jobs in society today. . Daryl Anaka, Terrace, B.C. Drivers slow down Dear Sir: May I remind drivers on Old Lakelse Lake Road that this is a residential area. It is zoned that way and this is what we pay taxes for. The speed limit is 50 km/hour. We have had a person take a trip across our front lawn. The previous owner lost ornamental trees form’ this property by a person doing the same in a vehicle. This morning we lost our family pet to this road. Pre- vious owners also Jost a pet as well as each of my neighbors. It's only a matter of time before a person may be hit, and God I hope it’s not one of my children, as they use this street to walk to school. I have asked the Terrace RCMP to patrol this area, so I am pleading with motorists to please slow down! D. Cobbs, Terrace, B.C. Column not fit for birds Dear Sir: I’m tired of the rude and insulting weekly column’s Claudette Sandecki writes. It’s always a surprise to find out which group of people she’s going to bash next. As for her Dec. 18 column, titked. ‘Column writing for the birds’’ in which she mentions some people may be using her article to line their bird cages — in my opinion her columns aren’t even suitable for that use. I have more respect for my bird than to line his cage with her weekly garbage. Her narrow-minded opinions aren’t ever:ssuitable to be published. Frankly, I’m very disappointed at The Terrace Standard for continuing to publish them. Are you proud of your column? It sure sounds like you are from the way you write ‘*Wow! Talk about ia- fluence.” Well Mrs. Sandecki, get in touch with teality. That’s not influence — that’s angry people voicing their opinions toward your narrow-minded weekly words. ] have respect for people that I’ve never met until they prove otherwise and you have definitely lost any shred of respect I may have ever had for you, Sarah Greenwood, Terrace, B.C. The Terrace Standard welcomes fat- ters by mall to 3210 Clinton St, Ter- race, B.C, V8G 5R2, by fax to 250-638- 8432 or by e-mail to standard@kermoda.net An ee tee