People with anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight and becoming fat. A person with this condition has a distorted image of how their body looks. Even if they were as thin as a skeleton they would still believe that they were fat. They lose weight by avoiding many foods, especially fatty ones. They often deliberately throw up after meals, exercise to the max and use laxatives or pills to reduce their appetite. A person with anorexia may also demonstrate unusual behaviour towards food like collecting recipes, preparing impressive meals for other people, or cutting their food into little pieces and then pushing it around their plate. They may also be very secretive about eating and exercising. Menstrual periods stopping are also a common occurrence. Weight loss by these methods can lead to harmful and potentially life threatening conditions including starvation, heart problems, brittle bones, and may affect females' ability to have kids. If you are concerned that you or someone you know may have anorexia and you want to find out what you can do, click here to get some information about people who can help.