In this blog post, we will be talking about Meghan Trainor and her eating disorder (trial anorexia), we will also cover who is Meghan Trainor, what are eating disorders, Meghan and her struggles with eating, and also answer frequently asked questions
Does Meghan Trainor have an Eating Disorder? (trial anorexia)
Meghan Trainor has always been a little on the chubbier side and tried to give up eating and consuming only celery and ice but could not and returned to her normal eating habits.
She does not have an official eating disorder but she tried to have anorexia nervosa by eating almost nothing and trying not to gain weight.
We will talk about her trial at anorexia nervosa but before that, we should understand who is Meghan and what are eating disorders.
Who is Meghan Trainor?
Grammy-winning American pop singer, Meghan Trainor was born on December 22, 1993, and was raised on Nantucket Island where she spent her childhood surrounding herself with music, learning to play multiple instruments, and even penning her own songs.
At the age of 18, she self-recorded three of her own albums and signed a music publishing deal, which soon led to another famous record.
She co-wrote “Meghan Trainor: All About That Bass (2014)” which soon took to No. 1 around the world. Her next songs such as “Meghan Trainor: Lips Are Movin’ (2015)” and “Todd’s Pop Song Reviews: “Dear Future Husband” (2015),” also climbed to the top of the charts. Her early interest in music came from her family’s roots in music.
She tried making her own music since she was quite young and only a few years down the road she wrote her first song when she was 11 years old.
Her parents were always supportive of her interest in music and even bought her software which allowed her to compose and record her own music.
Best Female Artist Award Winner
In 2009, Trainor was named Best Female Artist at the International Acoustic Music Awards and even won the grand prize in 2010 at the New Orleans Songwriters Festival.
She was always ambitious and by the time she was 18 she had already recorded three albums on her own. After she turned 18, Nashville’s Big Yellow Dog Music approached her and she signed a publishing deal with them. Once the deal was in effect there was no stopping her as she realized that she could make a career out of her music.
The production company started sending Trainor-penned songs to Grammy winner Rascal Flatts, Sabrina Carpenter, and others. Trainor soon signed deals with Epic Records and recorded her first single which was the massive hit “Meghan Trainor: All About That Bass (2014),” released in June 2014.
What are Eating disorders?
Feeding and eating disorders are characterized by eating and feeding related problematic behaviors with disruption of healthy eating behaviours which may cause changes in absorption or consumption of food which has a negative impact on psychosocial functioning and/or physical health.
Types of eating disorders
Pica
Pica is an eating disorder in which people compulsively eat nonfood items. Dirt, clay, and flaking paint are among the most common items ingested. Less common items include glue, hair, cigarette ashes, and feces.
Pica is more common among children, affecting 10% to 30% of young kids aged 1 year to 6 years. It also occurs in children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID). At times, pregnant women also crave strange items, especially nonfood items.
For pregnant women, pica most commonly involves eating dirt and the condition may be related to an iron and zinc deficiency.
The symptoms of Pica include stomach pain, blood in the stool, irregular bowel movements, etc, apart from the obvious compulsive ingestion of any items.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating and feeding disorder. Children suffering from ARFID are extremely picky eaters and have little to no interest in eating food. They eat only a limited variety of selective foods, which leads to improper growth and not reaching the required nutritional levels.
It usually develops earlier than other eating disorders. Unlike in anorexia and bulimia, which are more commonly seen in girls, boys are more susceptible to ARFID.
People suffering from ARFID may not feel hungry or may be tired by the smell, taste, texture, or color of food. Some kids may also be scared of having any pain, choking, or vomiting when they eat.
When food restriction or avoidance is based on the your own sensory features such as sensitivity to appearance, texture, color, smell, etc., then behavior during these conditions can be described as “restrictive eating,” “selective eating,” and “food neophobia”
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa which is sometimes simply called anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight which is an unavoidable fear of gaining weight and also having a distorted perception of what healthy weight can be like.
People with anorexia nervosa put in a high effort on controlling their weight and shape, often using extreme and often threatening efforts that tend to significantly affect their daily lives.
To avoid weight gain or to promote weight loss, people with anorexia severely restrict the quantity of food they eat. They control their calorie intake by purging after eating or by using diuretics or laxatives.
They may also work out more than they are supposed to, so that they can lose weight. And no matter how much weight has been lost, the person would still continue to be scared of weight gain.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is commonly referred to as bulimia. It is a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder.
People with bulimia might secretly binge eat large amounts of food with no control over the amount they are eating and then induce vomit, trying to get rid of the extra calories gained in an unhealthy way.
Similar to that of people with anorexia, to get rid of calories taken in and also to prevent weight gain, people with bulimia use different methods.
You may regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives, weight-loss supplements, diuretics or enemas after binging very similar to that of people with anorexia. Or periods of alternation can take place when you try to completely starve yourself.
When a person has bulimia, they are preoccupied with their weight and body shape. They may judge themselves quite severely and harshly as relating to their self-perceived flaws. Because it is related to self-image and not just about food, bulimia can be hard to manage. However, proper treatment can help a person feel better about themselves and therefore adopt healthier eating patterns and avoid serious complications.
Rumination disorder
Rumination disorder, also called rumination syndrome is a condition where people repeatedly and unintentionally bring up, that is regurgitate undigested or partially digested food from the stomach, rechew it, and then either swallow it or spit it out.
Reportedly it does not taste acidic because the food hasn’t yet been digested yet, so it tastes normal unlike how vomit tastes.
Rumination typically occurs soon after every meal. The statistics regarding the number of people suffering from this condition is not known. Treatment includes behavioral therapy or medications.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
Binge-eating disorder
Binge-eating disorder like other disorders is a serious eating disorder in which a person frequently consumes unusually large amounts of food and feels unable to stop eating.
Though many people overeat and it is quite common, people with the binge-eating disorder find it hard to stop even when they start feeling uncomfortable. They frequently avoid social situations because they fear that they may be unable to control their eating and feel embarrassed in front of them.
Causes and risk factors of feeding and eating disorders
The exact causes and risk factors that may be leading to the development of eating and feeding disorders are not known. There may be many causes like that of other mental health issues, such as: Genetics and biology and/or psychological or emotional health.
The risk factors however might include family history; that is, the eating disorder is likely to occur if someone in the family is suffering or previously suffered from any eating disorders.
People who have other mental health conditions are also at the risk of developing eating disorders, especially people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and Intellectual disability. Other risk factors include feelings of stress, guilt and failure in important life events.
Meghan Trainor’s trial at an eating disorder ‘Anorexia’
First, to answer the question of whether Meghan Trainor ever had an eating disorder, then the answer is no.
She never battled an eating disorder and even said so in the month of September, 2014 in an interview with entertainment tonight.
What created a problem was the statement she made when talking about whether or not she had an eating disorder. She said that she was always considered a ‘chubby girl’ and was even rejected by her school crush because of that.
While admitting that she never had an eating disorder, the statement she made raised many eyebrows, the statement is as follows; “I wasn’t strong enough to have an eating disorder…I tried to go anorexic for a good three hours. I ate ice and celery, but that’s not even anorexic. And I quit. I was like, ‘Ma, can you make me a sandwich? Like, immediately.”
The idea of ‘trying to be anorexic,’ though might not have been deliberate, was not something that can be dismissed. Demi Levato, who had issues of her own, was not happy with this comment and said that having an eating disorder does not show strength.
It is not that simple. But of course her song, ‘all about bass’ is about body positivity and comments say that a lot of girls found the song very reassuring.
Conclusion
We discusses who Meghan Trainor is, what are eating disorders, types of eating disorders,causes and risks of eating disorders, Meghan Trainor’s struggles with eating issues.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs): Does Meghan Trainor have an Eating Disorder? (trial anorexia)
What nationality is Meghan Trainor?
Meghan Trainor is an American. She was born in North Eastham, Massachusetts, in 1993.
Why did Meghan Trainor get famous?
Meghan Trainor rose to fame after her song ‘all about bass’ quickly climbed up to reach number 1.
Why do anorexics get feeding tubes?
Since severe anorexics’ life might be in danger due to their behaviors, in hospitals, in order to restore body weight and reverse cognitive deficits of prolonged starvation, feeding tubes are used.
What is ARFID disorder?
Arfid disorder is short for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, where people eat very limited food and even have a total loss of interest. Children with arfid disorder can be very picky eaters.
Is all about that bass problematic?
The song ‘I’m all about mass’ by Meghan Trainor has both good and bad in it. In somelines, there is uplifting body positivity and in some it destroys the ideals. However, overall, it talks about women’s unrealistic body expectations.
How to handle body shaming?
Remember that what other people talk about your body is what they feel and they actually have no right to tell you any of those things. Learn acceptance, love yourself, be grateful for everything your body does for you.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).