vent about your weight (if you want) - Anorexia Discussions (2023)

FAQs

What are the weight classes for anorexia? ›

That being said, a BMI below 17.5 in adults is one of the common physical characteristics used to diagnose anorexia. There are also different tiers of anorexia based on BMI ranging from mild (<17.5), moderate (16-16.99), and severe (15-15.99), to extreme (<15).

Background: Guidelines for anorexia nervosa (AN) inpatient treatment suggest weight gain of 0.5–1.0 kg per week, but it is uncertain if this aim is reached in ordinary clinical settings. Aims: To investigate weekly rates of weight gain and associated factors during tertiary AN inpatient treatment.

Extreme weight loss is a significant sign of anorexia, such as when body weight drops below 15% of the expected weight for a person of that age and height, or their BMI is less than 17.5.

It's only anorexia that BMI is considered important. This means that someone with bulimia could have a normal BMI, but could still be unhealthy because of the impact of bulimic behaviors on their body. It's important that diagnosing and treating eating disorders isn't based on BMI or weight.

One Place for Treatment

Admission criteria require that patients be less than 70 percent of their ideal body weight, or have a body mass index (BMI) below 15. In a woman who is 5 feet 4 inches tall, that's about 85 pounds.

More than 50% of anorexics use calorie-burning exercises such as running, bicycling and aerobics classes as part of the self-starvation process that characterizes the occasionally fatal disorder, during which women lose at least 25% of their ideal body weight.

It is not uncommon for daily caloric needs of people recovering from anorexia to reach 3,000 to 5,000 daily calories for a sufficient 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week weight gain until achieving goal weight. This is especially true for adolescents who are still growing and young adults.

So often early in recovery, people worry that the midsection is getting bigger. Rest assured, the fat accumulation redistributes over the course of a few months. The body gets stronger under the influence of improved nutrition, so muscle development improves, and fat cells redistribute more evenly throughout the body.

In males, a BMI of around 13 appears to be fatal. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the BMI is 8.7%. In contrast, females survive to a lower BMI of around 11, although with greater index variability (CV 14%). Several females had BMI's as low as 9 and 10.

Is a BMI of 17.5 too low? ›

The Skinny on Underweight

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) defines the ideal body mass index (BMI) as between 20 and 25. Thus, anyone below that range would be considered underweight and those with a BMI from 18.5 to 17.5 extremely underweight.

for hospitalization:

BMI < 13 is an indicatior for certification under the Mental Health Act if the patient refuses admission although BMI < 13 alone is not enough for admission.

A person does not need to be underweight to have anorexia. Larger-bodied individuals can also have anorexia. However, they may be less likely to be diagnosed due to cultural stigma against fat and obesity. In addition, someone can be underweight without having anorexia.

The exact causes of anorexia nervosa are unknown. However, the condition sometimes runs in families; young women with a parent or sibling with an eating disorder are likelier to develop one themselves. Then there are psychological, environmental, and social factors that may contribute to the development of anorexia.

The disorder is diagnosed when a person weighs at least 15% less than their normal/ideal body weight. Extreme weight loss in people with anorexia nervosa can lead to dangerous health problems and even death.

What is Severe Anorexia Nervosa? Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a highly lethal mental disorder manifested by marked food restrictions, resulting in a very thin body habitus, an abnormal focus on body image and a host of medical complications which progress as the malnutrition worsens.

Severe Anorexia Nervosa is defined in weight terms as an individual with a body mass index (BMI) of <15 (BMI – weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared).

The causes that may contribute to a person developing anorexia nervosa include: Psychological factors, such as a high level of perfectionism or obsessive-compulsive personality traits, feeling limited control in life and low self-esteem, a tendency towards depression and anxiety and a poor reaction to stress.

Eating disorders are behavioral conditions characterized by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function.

What Is Atypical Anorexia? The atypical anorexia definition refers to an intense fear of weight gain and an extreme restriction of food and energy intake without extreme weight loss or very low body weight. This means that people with this eating disorder can have a normal or above-average body weight.

What happens when a starving person eats? ›

Refeeding syndrome appears when food is introduced too quickly after a period of malnourishment. Shifts in electrolyte levels can cause serious complications, including seizures, heart failure, and comas. In some cases, refeeding syndrome can be fatal.

Timing for Hospitalization

2 Patients may require hospitalization if they are severely malnourished and/or have lost a great deal of weight and are at risk for refeeding syndrome. Although hospitalization can be scary, it is also a very necessary component of treatment for many people.

Most people report a “redistribution” of weight within six months, although many report they begin to feel more comfortable within a few weeks.

Results from this study suggest that the likelihood of continuing to gain weight after recovery from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa is actually very low – lower than the rate of weight gain in people without histories of eating disorders in the population.

To be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa according to the DSM-5, the following criteria must be met: Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental trajectory, and physical health.

Outpatient Nutritional Rehabilitation

It is not uncommon for daily caloric needs of people recovering from anorexia to reach 3,000 to 5,000 daily calories for a sufficient 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week weight gain until achieving goal weight.

Results: The weight criterion used for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa corresponds to BMI values between the 5th and 10th centiles in both populations. In epidemiological terms the lowest BMI values in individuals aged 10 years and older occur during adolescence.

Biologically appropriate weights (BAW) are weights that are easily maintained without the practice of dieting or other inappropriate food and exercise behaviors. A BAW reflects pre-morbid weight, normal physical and psychological function, genetic predisposition (ethnicity), gender and family history.