Anorexia nervosa is a eating disorder that affects millions of individuals throughout the world. Anorexia has no lines it will not cross and will inflict itself upon young women of all ages and races, as well as men. Anorexia is a disease, classified as an eating disorder, where individuals will starve themselves on purpose.

There are many theories on the cause of anorexia and weight loss is the most common side effect of anorexia. However, weight loss is not the only effect anorexia will have on an individual.

Suffering from anorexia, an individual most likely will develop drastic changes to their personality. An individual who is normally outgoing and considered to be an extrovert will suddenly withdraw into themselves and become more subdued.

They may suddenly have a difficult time concentrating and are in constant fear of gaining weight. Their diet becomes the most important aspect of their lives and the one thing they can control.

The massive weight loss that happens with anorexia can cause many changes to the body. Due to a lack of vitamins and proteins, the fingernails will become fragile, hair will become dingy and brittle, and the skin may turn a yellowish, pale color.

Also due to the massive weight loss, the body temperature will drop. This will make the anorexic more prone to cold. Once the body becomes too thin, it is common for menstruation to stop, as well.

One of the first systems in the body to be damaged from anorexia is the skeletal system. Most commonly, anorexia is found within young women at the time they are still developing. The effects of anorexia can lead to osteoporosis later in life.

In more severe cases of anorexia, there may be liver damage, as well as kidney damage, and an irregular heart beat. Cardiac arrest, as heart muscle deteriorates and weakens with anorexia, is one the leadings cause of death among those diagnosed, as well as pulmonary and renal damage.

While anorexia is a serious illness, it can be treated and it is reversible. One of the issues with anorexia is the fact that the damage can start even before weight loss becomes apparent.

In young girls who have been diagnosed, it will often have long-term effects on their fertility. If diagnosed early in the onset of anorexia, treatment tends to be successful. There are many individuals, however, that do not get treatment early enough and the results can be fatal.

Woman make up for the biggest majority of people who go on diets by a variety of means such as joining diet clubs, trying quick fixes and fad diets; they also account for the main bulk of low calories and diet foods buyers. So what are the main causes of weight gain and what can a women do to lose the weight and ensure that is stays off?

The causes of weight gain

There are numerous reasons why we gain weight and very often there is more than one factor as to the reason why we put on weight, listed below are some of the main reasons for weight gain.

Eating too much

This of course should be common knowledge, the more we eat then the more exercise we need to burn off the calories; otherwise they just help to pile on the pounds. While the numbers of calories that we take in have to amount to less than those we are burning off we also have to take into account the actual calories themselves and what type they are, for example if they are fat, carbohydrate or calories from protein.

Dieting

As funny as it sounds dieting also can put on weight, this is because if you restrict yourself too much then your body will go into starvation mode and it will start to break down muscle in order to keep its fat reserve.

The type of food you eat

A lot seems to depend on the type of food you are eating, obviously if you are eating a lot of fast food with very high fat then you put on weight more than if you were eating a healthier diet which includes plenty of fresh vegetables and all the necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Under active thyroid gland

Sometimes weight gain isn’t all about what we do or don’t eat or the amount of exercise we have, a person with an under active thyroid gland can put on weight and if you suspect this might be your problem then a doctors advice should be sought.

Prescription medication

Some medications that are prescribed for other conditions might be a contributing factor to your weight gain, medications such as HRT, the contraceptive pill and steroids could all be a cause. You should always ask your doctor about this if you are taking any medication as this could be the main reason why you are putting on the pounds.

Allergies to foods

An allergy could be behind your weight gain; this type of allergy is called a delayed reaction or intolerance and one of the symptoms is weight gain.

What you can do to help yourself

If you think you are gaining weight due to medication or think that a condition you have might be contributing to the cause then seek the advice of your doctor. If however you are putting on the pounds through bad diet then of course you should change your lifestyle to a healthier one. The best way to achieve this is by sticking to a sensible calorie controlled diet and getting into an exercise routine daily.