Eating disorders are biological based illnesses that are affected by emotional and cultural influences. It is any compulsion to eat, or in many cases, avoid eating that has a negative impact on a person's physical and mental well being. These complex conditions arising from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors carry with them a stigma, the guilt of which causes many people facing these challenges to suffer in silence.

Due to insufficient information, or a lack of awareness, many people fail to recognize the dangerous, and sometimes fatal consequences of an untreated eating disorder. The use of food, or the feeling that one is "controlling" food, is often used to compensate for emotions or feelings that would otherwise seem overwhelming. While dieting, binging or purging may begin as a defense mechanism to cope with painful emotions, it inevitably damage that person's self esteem, and their physical and emotional health.

In the pages that follow, Serious Weight Loss has compiled information on some of the more common eating disorders. While the goal of many is to simply lose weight; the goal of Serious Weight Loss is to educate people so that they can safely lose weight while developing healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

If you suspect that you may suffer from one of the eating disorders described in this section, please contact your physician or mental health professional so that they can help you find a healthy path to embrace. We have also compiled links to authorities on the topics and other web resources where more information can be obtained.