Dieting Myths

There are a lot of dieting myths that float around on ProAna sites. Being someone who knows a lot about nutrition (despite my eating habits), it really makes me angry that these things get perpetuated.


Negative Calorie Foods
The concept is that if you eat foods that are harder to digest, your body will burn more calories to digest them than the foods contain. The goal is to make losing weight faster.

Think about it: if you ate nothing but celery, onions, and apples, would you die of starvation? Of course not! There's no such thing as a zero or negative calorie food.

The trouble is, without calories, you're not going to be able to burn them anyway! Why not just stop eating? Oh wait, we're already doing that.

If you're trying to lose weight, using a list of "negative calorie foods" to replace the sugar and carbs and junk you're eating is a really effective way to diet. But don't think that eating them will make weight-loss any faster.


Diet Pills
Do some research before you start buying diet pills and powders, because most of them are Bogus Crap. In general they are filled with herbs and chemicals that "might" help you, but have little to no actual proof backing them up. The rest is just caffine.

There are two kinds of diet pills that actually work. Sort of.

One type of diet pill is used for appetite surpression. They are stimulants like amphetamine, to lessen fatigue and hunger. The idea is to combat over-eating. However, because they affect seratonin and dopamine levels in the brain, they can cause or worsen depression symptoms. The stimulant affects can also cause high blood pressure, faster heart rate, addiction, agitation, and insomnia. None of these things are good for anoretics, who are already prone to depression and heart attacks!

The other type of diet pill blocks absorbtion of fat or carbs. They all have adverse gastrointestional side-effects including diarhhea (which can lead to dehydration) and stomach pain. I've heard it said that fat-blockers work really well for losing weight - not because they're blocking fat, but because the patient is so miserable with the shits that they stop eating fatty foods! Since some intake of fats and carbs is necessary, they may also lend to malnutrition. Again, more things an anoretic doesn't need.

Pills, ultimately, pale in comparison to changing your eating habits, and are unlikely to make you lose weight any faster if you've already changed them.


Laxatives
Laxitives barely work. The number of calories they get rid of is nominal. The reason? Calories are absorbed by your intestines. A laxitive works in the colon. It's too late.

Any weight loss you appear to be seeing after using laxitives is water weight, not fat. Besides, laxitives cause dehydration, colon damage, infection suceptability, and eventually organ failure.

Now, many anoretics use laxitives for reasons other than getting rid of calories. Many feel uncomfortable with food of any sort inside of them, physically or conceptually. I understand this feeling. Please educate yourself about the dangers of laxitives before you do this, and make the decision of whether you think it's worth it to take them or let nature take its course.


Veganism is healthier for you!
Balls. It is extremely difficult to maintain proper nutrition through veganism, if not impossible. There have been multiple infant deaths due to starvation and malnutrition, because you cannot live healthy this way. Traditional vegetarian diets from countries like India include dairy and eggs to get the protein, essential fats and vitamins necessary for health.

It is simply a fact that many anorexics (some without knowing) become vegans simply to avoid calories and fat. It's easy to lie to yourself - and others - by claiming "vegan!", because people won't question your motives when you eat nothing but leaves (or nothing at all). Don't think you can trick everyone, though - psychologists know about it.

There are also a lot of studies about the damages of high soy-intake, and the environmental devestation any type of large-scale farming does, rendering many pro-vegan arguments pointless. Do your research.

The bottom line: Just admit it - Veganism is an excuse.


Anorexia is a Diet!
This, of course, is the biggest myth ever about ProAna. "But if I'm eating low calories, doesn't that mean I'm on the anorexic diet?" No. It means your restricting calories. Sure, that can be a diet, even a lifestyle. But it's not anorexia.

You're goal with dieting isn't just to be thin, but healthy, and the purpose of being healthy is to live longer, right? Most people are not willing to lose their hair, teeth, fingernails, friends, family, and eventually die of starvation, heart attack, or organ failure, simply to be "thin". That's the difference between a crash diet, a long-term lifestyle diet, and an eating disorder.

There is some evidence that calorie restriction can help primates and other mammals live longer, but there is currently no evidence in humans. The idea is to eat high amounts of vitamins and nutrients, but a very low amount of calories (yes, it's possible!). Try looking up "calorie restriction" for information.


Basically, ladies and gents, educate yourself before you go off on some wacky diet to lose weight quick. Even people without EDs know that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to develop two permanent habits: lower your calories and exercise to burn off what you've got. If you want to stay healthier for longer, learn about nutrition. If you don't care, well, that's the rub, isn't it?