We all want to look our best but sometimes this scenario plays out in a much different way. If your family members and friends notice something that does not warrant a change in your body, you need to take a good look at yourself and not give in to the absurd remarks from friends and family members. Anorexia is a serious disorder that can leave you in a damaged health condition.

Understanding Anorexia and Its Symptoms

There are two different versions of anorexia.

• The restricting version is brought about by consuming an extremely low amount of calories. This could be from following bad diets, not eating at all and excessive amounts of exercise.
• The purging form of anorexia is achieved through vomiting your food as well as taking diuretics and laxatives.

No matter which type of anorexia you have, eating or not eating becomes equally stressful. Your mind is constantly on what you can or cannot eat. And it's never enough no matter how thin you look. Below are some distinct symptoms that will tell you how the differences of anorexia before and after occur.

Behavior Signs and Symptoms of Anorexia

• Following an extreme diet that restricts calories to the point of being unhealthy. Not eating certain foods because they are labeled "bad for you" such as fats and carbohydrates.
• Becoming obsessed with all things that have to do with dieting and food restriction: keeping a log of calories and fat grams, measuring out your food portions, and constantly reading diet books.
• Making excuses about eating or even lying about it so you don't have to worry about eating at all.
• Food rituals that take over your life, such as not eating in front of other people, chewing your food and then spitting it out, or only eating off a specific plate.

Signs and Symptoms of an Anorexic Appearance

• An extreme weight loss that is not due to a medical illness.
• An obsession with feeling fat when your body is clearly not.
• Focusing on the way you look all the time. Weighing yourself all the time to see if your body weight has fluctuated during the day, which is normal.
• Not feeling happy with the way you look. Constantly looking in the mirror to find things wrong with your body.
• Finding ways to cover up how thin you really are. Wearing larger clothes or consuming lots of water before weighing in.

Signs and Symptoms of Purging

• Overuse of anything that can be used to rid the body of solids or liquids in order to lose weight, such as appetite suppressants ipecac syrup, and diuretics.
• Vomiting after mills and trying to cover it up with mints or mouthwash so no one will know.
• Excessive exercising which is undertaken through illnesses, inclement weather, and injuries. Extra focus on exercise occurs after the person believes they overate or ate foods that they shouldn't have.

ADVISORY

Even though it seems as though the focus on anorexia is about food, the underlying reasons people become anorexic in the first place is much more serious. Many of the reasons include loneliness, depression, loss of control, and the need to be perfect all the time. Until these issues are addressed, any adjustments to eating or exercise are going to be futile.

Cases of Anorexia Before and After Pictures

Most people who have anorexia do not believe they have a problem. There is no denying the results of this deadly disease when you look at the before and after photos of these people.

1.    Jeremy Gillitzer

It’s hard to imagine that this good looking male who relied on his looks to earn a living could look in the mirror and not realize that his body image was completely out of proportion. Jeremy Gillitzer used starvation, excessive exercise and endless vomiting in his approach to anorexia. He battled these demons throughout his adult life until there was hardly anything left of his picture perfect image. He passed away in 2010. At the time Jeremy was 38 years old and 66 pounds.

2.    Lauren Bailey

This is one story that has a happy ending. After struggling for 10 years to keep her weight down, Lauren Bailey finally achieved her goal and ended up weight as little as a five-year-old. She would walk up to 12 hours each day, from 6am in the morning until 6pm each night, to avoid gaining even an ounce. After an 18-month stint in a hospital that specialized in this disease, she was able to return to her normal healthy self.

3.    Maggie Baumann

It’s bad enough being anorexic and denying your body its natural state but to try to hide your pregnancy is even more dangerous. This young mother, Maggie Baumann looked at her growing belly with horror. She exercised obsessively – an hour and a half each day – and only gained 3 pounds before giving birth. Her first pregnancy was normal but the second was a different story. She almost miscarried but still wouldn't stop exercising. It wasn't until the doctors in the emergency room told her that her organs were beginning to shut down that she sought treatment in a facility in Arizona. She currently maintains a healthy weight and enjoys her two children.

The following anorexia before and after pictures show there is hope.

4.    Rachael Johnston

This attractive 20-year old became obsessed with having the perfect body as the women in all of the fashion magazines do. Once she realized they were not real but rather photo shopped, she decided to stop and help other women to not make the same mistakes.

5.    Meg

When faced with having to spend a year in a hospital to recover from her anorexia, Meg decided to change her habits on her own. She worked with a dietician and went to therapy and within a year she returned to a healthy weight.

6.    Matthew

When Matthew Booth saw how much his anorexia upset his mother when his heart stopped, he stopped. He made up his mind and got his body back on track, which you can see from his picture of anorexia before and after. He currently exercises at a normal pace and maintains a healthy weight.