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00:00I am not going to spot you.
00:07That's every weight in the set.
00:11Dear Tim and Moby, I'm worried my friend might have an eating disorder.
00:15Can you tell me more about them?
00:17Signed, Anonymous.
00:20Thanks for writing in.
00:22First off, if your friend might have an eating disorder, they may need to see a doctor.
00:27So tell a trusted adult, like a parent, a school counselor, or a coach right away.
00:33You might be afraid you're betraying your friend's trust.
00:37But without treatment, eating disorders can become life-threatening.
00:42An eating disorder is an unhealthy obsession with food, body image, or body weight.
00:48They usually first show up in people's teens or early twenties, but they can stay with
00:53a person for a long time.
00:56Anyone of any age, race, or gender can have an eating disorder.
01:01And you can't always tell they're struggling just by how they look.
01:06Well, symptoms vary a lot, but there are a few different kinds of eating disorders.
01:11One of the best-known is anorexia nervosa.
01:15Anorexia often shows up differently in boys than in girls.
01:19Girls tend to become obsessed with being thin.
01:22Boys may focus on looking lean and muscular, like celebrities and sports stars.
01:27Either way, they starve themselves and often exercise way too much.
01:32Yeah, of course it's a good idea to watch what you eat and exercise.
01:37But people with anorexia take it to the extreme.
01:41Their body weight can drop way below what it should be.
01:45And even then, they're still convinced that they're fat and need to lose weight.
01:50So, how do they connect their happiness and self-worth to their weight?
01:54Well, they can't just decide to eat.
01:56It's more complicated than that.
01:59Eating disorders are complex mental health disorders.
02:02They may involve imbalances in brain chemicals that control hunger, appetite, and digestion.
02:09In the grips of an eating disorder, people may not see that there's a problem.
02:14Or they may know they're hurting themselves, but they're still not able to stop, even when
02:18their physical symptoms are severe.
02:21Well, when the body doesn't get enough fuel, it starts to shut down.
02:27People with anorexia have trouble reasoning, concentrating, and learning.
02:32They may feel cold all the time.
02:35Sometimes the hair on their head falls out, while fuzzy patches grow all over their body.
02:40Their immune system gets weaker, and their heartbeat slows down and can even stop.
02:47Well, no, that's different.
02:50That's another well-known eating disorder, bulimia nervosa.
02:54People with bulimia go on uncontrollable binges, eating way, way more than they need to.
02:59Then, to offset the amount they've eaten, they try to get rid of that food unnaturally.
03:06Like by forcing themselves to throw up.
03:09That's called purging.
03:11Over time, their bodies start to break down.
03:15They become malnourished and dehydrated.
03:17Plus, the acid from their stomachs can damage their esophagus and teeth.
03:22But people with bulimia are usually a normal weight, or can even be overweight.
03:27Actually, the most common eating disorder in the U.S. is binge eating disorder, or B.E.D.
03:34It's sort of like bulimia.
03:37People with B.E.D. will regularly eat huge amounts of food in one go, often very quickly,
03:42and way past the point of comfort.
03:45They can feel out of control, guilty, and disgusted at themselves.
03:50But people with B.E.D. don't usually purge.
03:53It can lead to obesity and complications like diabetes and heart disease.
03:58Yeah, you can't really tell if someone has an eating disorder based on symptoms.
04:04They vary too much from person to person.
04:07A better warning sign is how someone acts.
04:10They may work really hard to hide their behavior, like by trying to avoid eating in the cafeteria
04:16at lunch or joining family dinners.
04:19They may insist on working out, no matter what, even if they're hurt, for example.
04:24Pretty soon, the illness is controlling their entire lives.
04:29It gets in the way of relationships, work, hobbies, everything.
04:34Well, doctors aren't exactly sure what causes eating disorders, but they agree it's a mix
04:40of biology and environment.
04:43Genetics play a role.
04:44That's one reason they can run in families.
04:47And why they often appear with other mental health disorders, like depression or anxiety.
04:53Of course, what's going on in your life also matters.
04:56Traumas like illness and bullying have been linked to eating disorders.
05:00In fact, both bullies and their victims are more likely to develop them.
05:05Often, people who feel bad about other areas of their lives want to have control over something.
05:12The stuff we see in the media plays a role too.
05:15It's like a parade of perfect-looking people.
05:18But those images are enhanced and retouched in all kinds of ways.
05:23Real life doesn't have an editing tool, and most people can't get those results in healthy
05:27ways.
05:28But one of the biggest triggers is simply going on a diet.
05:33If you want to lose weight by eating healthier, talk to your doctor about how to do it right.
05:38The good news is, the majority of people with eating disorders get better with proper treatment.
05:43And their chances of a full recovery are really good if it's caught early.
05:54Do you even lift, bro?