Extreme Diets

Posted by Lori Henry Oct 24, 2006

How do you define when a diet has gone too far? Remuda Ranch, one of the most prominent centres for women and girls with anorexia and bulimia, has some answers.

"A diet has gone too far when the restrictive calorie level or limited foods on the diet lead to episodes of binge eating; a diet has gone too far when a person purges calories by self-induced vomiting," said Juliet Zuercher, registered dietitian and the director of nutrition services at Remuda Ranch.

"If these binging and purging behaviors increase to multiple times per week, for three months or more, that's considered a full-blown eating disorder."

When the individuals mind starts believing that more weight loss is required in order to be happy, they are on a slippery slope to disordered eating. The mind will begin obsessing over food and exercise as it loses control from erratic nutrition.