Sixty percent of all models and ballerinas have eating disorders. It is predicted that from one to three percent of the female population will have anorexia or bulimia at one time in their life. A high incidence of eating disorders is found among serious athletes. Dr. Charles Tipton, professor in the department of physical education, physiology and biophysics at the University of Iowa, says that in a study of 582 wrestlers who were certified for competition, he found that on the average seven to eight pounds were lost the day prior to a match. The weight slash came as a result of rigid exercise, strict food deprivation, fluid restriction, and exercising in a hot environment.
Dehydration is by far the quickest and probably the most frequently used method of weight loss.
Food deprivation is second. Before defecting to the U,S. in 1981, Bel Karolyi was head coach of Romania's gymnastic team and mentor to its star performer in the 1976 Olympics, Nadia Comaneci. As a result, athletes who have a difficult time with rigidly controlled dieting are resorting to self-starvation, induced vomiting, and laxatives. There are as many stories as there are people who have eating disorders. But there are some common threads in their experiences like social pressure.