Each day, we are bombarded with messages that tell us our bodies are not good enough. Magazines, television, movies, and advertisements are constantly selling us unreal, air-brushed images of girls and women we are supposed to emulate. Let's throw out those make-believe messages and talk about reality.

Many of you go through periods where you feel too fat, or sometimes, too thin. Eating well and exercising - not dieting - are the best ways to maintain a healthy weight. But sometimes, people can become obsessed with body fat or losing weight. This can be a sign of stress or depression, and can develop into an eating disorder. Here are some definitions of eating disorders to help you determine whether you or someone you know needs help:

* Anorexia can be a fatal disease that usually begins with a girl trying to lose weight through a restrictive diet. Ultimately, she ends up eating very little, even though she is thin, and has an intense fear of body fat or weight gain. Girls with anorexia suffer many serious side effects: their hair starts to fall out, their periods slow or stop all together, they may start to grow unsightly body hair, and in extreme cases, they die.

* Bulimia affects more girls than anorexia. People with bulimia will get rid of food they have just eaten by vomiting or taking laxatives or diuretics, and have a fear of body fat, even though their size or weight may be normal for them. Many bulimics will binge - eat a large amount of food in a short period of time, usually alone - before vomiting or taking laxatives. Side effects include bleeding in the mouth, gum disease, tooth decay, dehydration, imbalance of body chemicals, malnutrition, and kidney problems.

* Binge eating means eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, usually alone, without being able to stop. People with the binge eating disorder don't try to get rid of the food they have eaten, but may feel disgusted with themselves or feel depressed or very guilty after overeating.

* Over-exercising is when someone feels driven to exercise as a way to burn calories from food that she has just eaten. People with anorexia or bulimia may over-exercise. Girls who over-exercise go beyond the amount of exercise that is healthy and may refuse to miss a workout.

Eating disorders are serious diseases that must be treated. If you think that you or someone you know has an eating disorder, get help.

Binge Eating Disorder

The following is a listing of help resources:

Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc., the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted to the awareness and prevention of eating disorders
Tel: 800.931.2237
http://www.edap.org

Girlpower!, a national public health education campaign sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services
Tel: 800.729-6686
http://www.health.org/gpower

The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders
http://www.somethingfishy.org

My Struggle With Bulimia
By Crystal, 16

I struggled with bulimia for one year, and I overcame it. I used bulimia as a way to deal with the stress in my life. When I got stressed I would overeat (bingeing), then make myself throw up (purging). This cycle ruins your teeth, disrupts your stomach's natural ability to digest food, and can eventually lead to death.

The truth is, every person needs a way to deal with stress. Some people just choose to deal with stress better than others. Many girls play sports or have a job. My crutch used to be bulimia. Now I deal with stress by playing volleyball and working out several times a week.

After struggling with bulimia, I finally began to realize that throwing up doesn't take away pain or stress, it just postpones it for later.

- Source: Girls Know Best 2: Tips on Life & Fun Stuff To Do