Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by one�s refusal to maintain a minimally accepted body weight, intense fear of weight gain, and distorted body image. Inadequate calorie intake or excessive energy expenditure (over-exercising) results in severe weight loss.
Most individuals with AN don�t even relaize how underweight and undernourished they are despite what they are told by other people. Even after they loose a lot of weight, an anorexic will continue to �feel fat� and are convinced they need to loose more weight.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is an illness characterized by uncontrolled episodes of overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or other purging due to extreme guilt from having consumed a lot of food and from the fear that they will gain weight. The other methods of �purging� are mis-use of laxatives, dieuretics, or even over-exercising.
People with BN often experience a persistant or driving concern with their weight and shape even though they may be normal to slighly above normal weight. Dieting usually follows an episode of binging and purging often resulting in feelings of hunger and deprivation, which can trigger another �binge�
