Often you see articles on obesity and the health risks associated with being severely overweight. Carrying an extra 20, 50, or 100 pounds or more can put great strain on your back, your muscles, your heart, and even your mental health. You might think it stands to reason, therefore, that if being obese is bad, then the extreme opposite - being very skinny - is good.

Not really. We have discussed on this site the dangers of being underweight, and the health risks associated with starvation. When you develop an eating disorder, however, those risks can be magnified, to say nothing of being fatal. One well-known case of an eating disorder that led to an untimely demise is that of singer Karen Carpenter. Fueled by self-consciousness and a desire to escape remarks of "chubbiness" that plagued her teen years, Karen literally starved herself, avoiding food and binging on laxatives and other over-the-counter medications to lose the weight more quickly.

As it happened, Karen did not need to lose the excess weight to be considered trim and healthy. Sadly, the excess took a toll on the perfomer's heart, and she died of cardiac arrest at the age of 32. If anything positive had come from Karen's death, it brought the plight of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders to mainstream consciousness.

Now, one might think since Karen's death over twenty years ago people may have a better understanding of such disorders and work to avoid them. Unfortunately, we still find reed-thin actresses and models gracing the covers of fashion magazines. We still read tales of women and young girls who put their bodies through hell for the sake of attaining an ideal of beauty that few are able to achieve naturally. It is as if we have learned nothing.

Two of the more known eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Where a person who is anorexic strives not to eat, relying perhaps on mostly liquids and diuretics to lose weight, a bulimic engages in the very dangerous practice of eating, then throwing up everything before the food has a chance to digest. These eating disorders are usually brought on through a feeling of low self-worth or body image. Like Karen Carpenter, a person who develops such a disorder may have it in mind that he/she is fat, when in fact he/she may be at a normal weight/frame ratio or only a few pounds over. Taking a diet to such extremes will erase weight, yes, but will gain health problems, including:

* decreased blood pressure

* ulcers

* loss of menstrual cycle in women

* blood poisoning

* increased mental problems like depression

* serious heart problems

* decayed tooth enamel (from continuous vomiting)

When a person doesn't eat, the body starves for nutrients, and will search within for anything to keep the body moving. As a resul, other systems in the body may eventually shut down as a result, resulting in death. In short, anorexia is not healthy, bulimia is not healthy. Though some people are genetically disposed to being thin, not every body is meant to be that way. It would be ideal, however, for every body to be healthy.

Weight loss is not about being thin, but being healthy

A sound weight loss program like the Compuslim program should not be designed to help people become super-thin, but to help people achieve their ideal weight/frame ratio. If you choose to take dietary supplements to aid your weight loss, it is important to adapt with it a nutrition and exercise regimen that will take off the weight sensibly and safely. To take supplements means you must also eat, and follow directions on the labels. Never take more of any supplement than is prescribed or recommended, and always pair supplements with good food.

Lastly, never be disheartened by the pictures you see of ultra-thin models or celebrities. A positive outlook and personality is essential to make weight loss a success, so remember that the ideal glamorized by TV and film may not be your ideal. With patience and diligence, you can achieve your weight loss goals.