News Release

Heard on campus – the dangers of eating disorders

March 3, 2009

“I once worshipped at the altar of Skittles,” says comedian Michelle Garb.

This type of self-effacing humor set the tone for Garb’s discussion about eating disorders entitled “Fat Brain, Skinny Body” February 26 on the Gallery Lounge at Penn State Harrisburg. A former anorexic and now a professional comedian, Garb sprinkled humor into her more serious and candid profile of her 15-year struggle with the eating disorder before involving the audience in a discussion of the causes, symptoms, prevention, and cures.

With a family emphasis on not gaining weight, Garb was only 12 when she became “obsessed” with her body image, living on candy while running and exercising incessantly. Her family crest, she laughs, says “No Fat Chicks!” Her anorexic behavior continued for three years until she spent a year in France at 15 as an exchange student and began to eat normally. “I gained 30 pounds, but when I returned home to Los Angeles, the disorder returned.”

She became a champion competitive runner, began a new career in New York, continued to exist on candy, married, and told herself she did not have an eating disorder until physical problems at age 27 took her to a clinic where she realized she was running from her feelings and situations in her life. “I returned home, got a good divorce lawyer, and changed my life,” she adds with a wry smile.

In educating those in the audience to the dangers, she emphasized that “a food disorder is a bona fide disease, but it’s not about food. Food is the first thing we learn to control. As infants, we cry when we are hungry. Food quickly becomes a control device and reward system.”

She profiled the most common eating disorders—anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating – and stressed that although food is the common theme, it is “triggers” which prompt the problems. “Bad grades, a bad hair day, computer crashes, roommate troubles, death of a loved one – are all triggers which could send you spiraling out of control,” she told the students in attendance. “The best thing is to deal with things when they come up. Healthy people don’t obsess, they move ahead.”

But what should you do if you think you have an eating disorder? “See a professional immediately. See a doctor, dietitian, or a nutritionist, but get help,” she stresses. And if you feel a friend has an eating disorder? “Learn all you can about the disorder, move past denial, don’t be accusatory, don’t discuss weight or body issues, set an example of healthy behavior, present the person with a list of resources, and share your concerns with an authority figure,” she advises.

“No one has to go through life like I did – with a fat brain and a skinny body. Learn to love yourself,” she said in concluding her discussion.