Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

anorexia nervosa
A severe eating 
disorder in which people may refuse to 
eat while denying that their behavior 
and appearance—which can become 
skeleton-like—are unusual.
bulimia
A disorder in which a person 
binges on large quantities of food, 
followed by efforts to purge the food 
through vomiting or other means.
Despite looking skeleton-like to others, 
people with the weight disorder 
anorexia nervosa see themselves as 
overweight.
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dietary changes (Wilson, Grilo, & Vitousek, 2007; O’Brien & LeBow, 2007; Cooper & 
Shafran, 2008). 
If you or a family member needs advice or help with an eating problem, contact 
the American Anorexia Bulimia Association at www.aabainc.org or call [phone]. 
You can get more information at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eatingdisorders.html. 
Although 60% of the people in the United States say they want 
to lose weight, it’s a losing battle for most of them. Most people 
who diet eventually regain the weight they lost, so they try 
again and get caught in a seemingly endless cycle of weight loss 
and gain (Newport & Carroll, 2002; Parker-Pope, 2003; Cachelin 
& Regan, 2006). 
You should keep several things in mind when trying to lose 
weight (Gatchel & Oordt, 2003; Heshka et al., 2003):
• There is no easy route to weight control . You will have to make permanent changes 
in your life to lose weight without gaining it back. The most obvious strategy—
cutting down on the amount of food you eat—is just the fi rst step toward a 
lifetime commitment to changing your eating habits.
• Keep track of what you eat and what you weigh . Unless you keep careful records, you 
won’t really know how much you are eating and whether any diet is working.
• Eat “big” foods . Eat fi ber and foods that are bulky and heavy but low in calories, 
such as grapes and soup. Such foods trick your body into thinking you’ve eaten 
more and thus decrease hunger.