"I’m too fat. I’m too thin. I’d be happy if I had clearer skin, a smaller nose, bigger muscles or straighter hair."

While these statements may come across as demeaning to oneself, issues with body image can be commonly found in adults and teens alike.

According to a study by Nikki Katz on about.com, over 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of eating disorders and problems with self-acceptance in one person’s lifetime.

People today, females specifically, face significant pressures to be physically attractive and have a "perfect body."

As a result, many of them feel dissatisfied with their bodies and are more prone to mental health problems.

"Because skinny is what everyone sees, that seems to be the normal way to be ‘pretty,’" nurse Jennifer Wing said.

"The reality is the media is affecting most of this," she added. "When computers can enhance photos to create unrealistic tiny frames, people try to maintain a similar image which is unhealthy."

The reality of the situation is not everyone can be a size two or have perfect skin. What some people are blessed with, many others are not.

Issues with one’s body image can lead to many problems that can affect a person’s body and mind.

A couple of the most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia.

Anorexics choose to starve themselves and limit their food intake when they already are quite thin.

Bulimics have a system of bingeing and purging, in which they eat a large amount of food in a short time and get rid of it by vomiting or taking laxatives.

According to a Mayo Clinic article, approximately 80-95 percent of anorexics and bulimics are women, although these disorders can also affect boys and men.

"These disorders can start with body image and self-esteem problems, but most often have to do with emotional issues," Wing said.

Although these problems can be very hazardous to a person’s health, once they are spotted, in time, they can be treated.

"It can be hard to just look and be able to tell," Wing said.

"It usually starts with patterns like playing with food and going to the bathroom right after eating," she said. "They also might become more secretive eaters in addition to behavioral changes."

She explained that some of these signs can be physically visible.

This includes someone wearing baggy clothes all the time and excessively talking about their weight and clothing sizes.

"It’s important to tell someone if you or a friend has an eating disorder," Wing said.

She stresses the importance of finding support in those who can help work through these disorders.

"Someone is always there to help you. It’s also vital to be supportive of someone with this issue."

As cliché as it may sound, people should be worrying less about external features and remembering that beauty truly does come from within.

"Be realistic. Instead of looking at images on TV, take a look at the people around you," Wing said. "We’re all different sizes. Eating nutritious foods and being active lead to a healthy lifestyle all-around, instead of for the sole purpose of dropping weight."

Though it is important to recognize when someone has a problem, not all people cutting weight have eating disorders.

For some, the reason may be to simply fit into that skin-tight dress or, for many teens, to perform at high athletic levels.

Although many sports like gymnastics and ballet require one to be in tip-top shape, others like wrestling specifically involve weight classes. These are to match competitors against others of their own size and reduce the exclusion of smaller athletes where physical size gives a significant advantage.

Thus, the practice of weight-cutting is common. It’s generally considered an advantage to be the largest individual in a weight division; therefore, many athletes work hard to lose weight through dieting and dehydration before weigh-ins to meet the required weight limits.

"You want to have a bigger body frame than your opponent so you have a lower weight but maintain your muscle mass," senior wrestler Stephen Jones said.

While he says coaches here are good about teaching safe ways to cut and gain weight, there are some athletes who take the unsafe route. "It’s not good if you’re making yourself throw up or taking laxatives just so you can make your weight requirement," Jones said.

Ultimately this creates failure for the athlete because when they don’t have the fuel to perform, they won’t be at their best to achieve that win.

"(Athletes like that) aren’t smart and it shows through loss of performance and strength. Our wrestlers are pretty big and you can tell that they’re healthy," wrestling coach Eric Morrow said. "Cutting weight is a process and you can’t be at the top of your game when you’re starving or dehydrated. You can’t be active when you feel at your worst."

Modern regulations at the state level try to make sure cutting weight is as safe as possible.

"We take a body composition test that measure fat percentage," Jones said. "You need at least seven percent body weight and you can only lose 1.5 percent of your body weight in a week."

Wrestlers like Jones are required to take the healthiest routes in order to prepare for weigh-ins.

"I eat healthy foods like fruit and lose my water weight first because it’s the easiest to lose," Jones said. "Then, I rehydrate myself as much as I can after my weigh-in. It’s also good to eat foods with simple carbs because they break down faster."

He explains that the coaches advise them to lose weight slowly to get better results.

"(Coach) Christenson says it’s like building a fire: you can start out small, but gradually build up and throw on the big logs later," Jones said.

While great athleticism creates major pressure to have the right body, sometimes it just comes down to having good self-esteem. Many teens think they need to change the way they look or how they act in order to be satisfied with themselves, but really, all a person needs is to change the way they view themselves.

According to a kidshealth.org article, it’s important to realize everyone has things about themselves they can’t change. Other changeable factors can be accomplished by making goals. For example, if someone wanted to be fit, they could make plans to exercise every day and eat healthy.