Healthy Doesn't Always Mean Skinny - June 2010

    According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 67% of Americans age 20 and older are overweight or obese. With statistics like these, it's clear why many articles about staying healthy, including those published here in The Edge, focus on exercising more and weighing less. However, we haven't forgotten that at the other end of the rope are millions of Americans who are struggling with an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or a binge-eating disorder). While the statistics show that the prevalence of these eating disorders is only a fraction of that of obesity (according to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 0.6 percent of the adult population in the U.S. will suffer from anorexia, 1.0 percent from bulimia, and 2.8 percent from a binge-eating disorder in their lifetime), the consequences of being severely underweight as well as over-exercising can be just as serious as the opposite problems.
    Moreover, it appears that our focus on helping American adults shed pounds may be adversely affecting our young people. If we look at the adolescent population, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness, and a startling 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight (as reported by the South Carolina Department of Health)—even though the CDC reports that only 18% of teens age 12-19 are overweight.
    Eating disorders can affect most organ systems, and problems related to anorexia nervosa and bulimia range from tooth decay to heart rhythm irregularities. Most sobering, though, are the mortality rates: according to the South Carolina Department of Health (see www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm), 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years of diagnosis, 18-20% will die within 20 years, and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover.
    With all of this in mind, we have chosen to focus our attention on a Basin woman whom we can consider healthy—at least in part because she has fully recovered from anorexia and bulimia.
    Nikki Berrett of Roosevelt remembers forcing herself to vomit as early as age 8, but she acknowledges that at that point, her eating disorder had little or nothing to do with body image. Instead, Nikki reports that her purging was "a manifestation of how [she] felt inside." Nikki had faced some traumatic experiences as a child (which are too personal to share) that resulted in her "feeling sick inside."
    Later, Nikki did develop body image issues, and she cycled through periods of self-starvation and binging and purging (either vomiting or excessive exercising to burn calories). "I was never crazy thin, though," Nikki stated. "I'm 5'7", and my weight fluctuated between about 103 and 115 pounds. People who saw me walking down the street never stopped and said, 'Wow! She must be anorexic.'"
    By age 20, though, Nikki knew she was "sick"—that her health and even her life were in danger--and she wanted more than anything to overcome her eating disorders so that she could pursue her dreams.
    Today, when Nikki counts her blessings, she still considers her parents' (her mother, Jacoy Richens, and her "Poppy Sherm", who later adopted Nikki) ability to pay for an inpatient program one of her greatest blessings. "I knew it was a lot of money," she said, "and I wasn't going to waste it. When I consulted the treatment center, they wanted to admit me that day, but I knew I wasn't quite ready. I went home for the week end, contemplated the decision, and on Monday I checked myself in. There was no looking back. I did everything I needed to do to get well. I am a very stubborn person, and in this situation, that was good thing!"
    Nikki's inpatient treatment lasted 60 days, and she left the program 11 years ago in May. "My relationship with food will always be a battle, but it gets easier over the years. I can't just avoid the problem—food—when I'm having a hard time, like an alcoholic can avoid the bar. Fortunately, my husband, Scott, has helped me through the hard times. I am open and honest with him always, and talking with him has dissipated the desire to purge when I've faced that."
    One success that Nikki celebrates is that she no longer obsesses about her weight. She said, "My weight still fluctuates by 10 or 15 pounds, especially with stress, but I don't panic when I'm at the higher end of the range; I know I'll lose it with time."
    Nikki is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Social Work, and she works part time as a Prevention Specialist (her prevention articles are often featured in The Edge magazine!). Nikki and Scott are raising 2 boys: Tyson (5) and Dillon (18 months). Factor in church and civic responsibilities, and you can see why Nikki rarely has time to work out for an hour or more each day like she did in the past. "I have higher priorities at this point in my life," she said. "But I certainly don't ignore my health. Scott and I both eat primarily fresh, unprocessed foods, and I still watch my fat intake. And while I don't have time to go to the gym, I consider myself active. I like to play with my boys: turn on music and dance, jump on the trampoline, ride bikes, and wrestle. As a family, we watch very little TV. We're usually too busy working or playing for that."
    As the National Institute of Mental Health clearly states, and as Nikki has proven, "Eating disorders are treatable diseases!" For more information on eating disorders, visit their website at www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/index.shtml.