According to the International Journal of Eating Disorders, “more than 13 percent of women 50 and older have reported eating disorder symptoms.
There is a lot of pressure to look younger than your actual age, and you may feel that you will do anything to make it happen.
How does being on a restricted diet affect arthritis? Osteoarthritis is a condition that causes joint stiffness and pain. If you suffer from a binge eating disorder you may gain weight, which puts extra pressure on the joints.
I was diagnosed with an atypical eating disorder in my 40s. I didn’t throw up or take laxatives, but I did restrict food and got down to 129 pounds. My boss made me go get some bloodwork done to make sure my system was working as it should, but all my tests came out normal.
My co-workers were really worried and they would beg me to gain weight. Why would I do that? I wanted to be skinny.
Here are some signs that you may have an eating disorder:
Constantly Thinking About Food
I am not even finished with breakfast until I am stressing over what is for lunch or dinner. I know all the calorie counts and am an expert at reading the online nutritional information for any restaurant.
I love to watch the Food Network channel and see what new dishes I might try, and of course, any new cookbooks are a source of even more ideas.
Dressing in Layers
If you dress in layers, you can hide how much weight you have lost, and won’t have to listen to nagging people who advise you to gain weight.
Extra layers of clothes can also be used to keep you warm. People who aren’t eating enough run chilly body temperatures and lack a consistent flow of warm, calorie-heated blood to their hands and feet.
Sick Stomach
Have you ever eaten so much food that you feel like your stomach is going to pop? I was restricting food but there were some occasions where I went the other way and ate way too much. Pepto-Bismol is your best friend at a time like that.
Hiding Food
Have you ever stuffed food into the clothes hamper or somewhere in your house that only you know about? These may be sweet treats that you will indulge in later when everyone has gone to bed.
Eating Alone
Who wants to sit at the table with everyone else when you don’t want to eat? It feels better to eat in your room. You can eat part of the food, put it in the garbage, or binge and purge on the whole thing.
Feeling Guilty
Raise your hand if you have ever thrown something in the garbage and pulled it out later. Maybe that is just me. It’s easy to feel guilty especially if you are packing on the pounds.
Suffering from Vitamin Deficiencies
If you are not taking enough vitamin D3, you may have pain in the back and leg bones, joints, and ribs. This may be due to gradual bone loss.
Restricting calories can cause a deficiency of vitamin C. If you suffer from arthritis, you may develop severe joint pain. In severe cases, bleeding can occur within the joints, causing painful swelling.
I take magnesium to relax my muscles so I can go to sleep. Magnesium works by blocking pain NMDA receptors that send pain signals to the body. I have been taking it for at least 10 years and I really notice the pain if I miss a dose.
Summary
There is help for your eating disorder and the first stop should be your primary care doctor. This is especially important if you are vomiting or using laxatives. He can refer you to specialists who are trained in treating eating disorders.
Ask for a referral to a rheumatologist, who can evaluate your arthritis pain medication and make any needed changes.
Don’t wait to get the help that you need. You deserve to live life to the fullest.
