Eating-Disorder Dilemma: When Overweight Turns to Dangerously Thin

As a 300-pound teenager, Joslyn Smith was told over and over that she needed to lose weight. So she did.  Through a rigorous regimen of eating very little, vomiting routinely and taking dozens of laxatives a day, in addition to exercising for hours, Ms. Smith eventually lost more than 100 pounds, one-third of her peak weight. Her body became so starved that it started eating her heart muscle, doctors told her, leading to an irregular heartbeat.

Ms. Smith represents what researchers say is a disturbing trend of young people considered overweight or obese who try to diet down to a healthy weight, but along the way develop a severe eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia.

"I learned that anything goes in order to lose weight" for long-term health, says Ms. Smith, 35, a former Washington lobbyist who now lives in Ithaca, N.Y. and works with eating-disorder advocacy groups.  http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303448104579149441503019798