• It is a serious problem that affects your health, both physically and mentally. It can also be deadly.
• It can be very stressful and worrying for other Travellers like your family who might not know how to help you with these problems.
• We know eating disorders are more common in Traveller girls than boys but it is important to understand that both young Traveller boys and girls can struggle with their eating.

• BULIMIA – this means eating lots of food at one go ‘binge eating’ and then vomiting to get rid of the food so the person will not gain any weight.
• ANOREXIA – this means not eating a lot of food on purpose. The person will lose weight and although they might be underweight, they feel overweight. It is very extreme dieting and can be deadly.

It is sometimes hard to know if you have an eating disorder.

Here are some signs:

• Talking about and thinking about your weight a lot
• Eating alone so others will not noticing your eating habits
• Constantly dieting and not eating enough
• Vomiting after you eat food
• Use of diuretics or laxatives
• Exercising a lot and not eating enough calories
• Wearing loose clothing to hide your body changes or shape
• Weight going up or down very quickly
• Fainting, feeling very tired or weak
• Periods stop or are on and off
• Signs of vomiting a lot – swollen throat or jaw, calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles
• Evidence of binge eating – food disappearing from cupboards or hiding food.