Eating thoughts

The trope of a girl refusing to eat, constantly in a state of warding off the devils main sin (carbs) and exercising helplessly bound to a higher power is out dated. An eating disorder does not mean not eating, to put it simply there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Difficult relationships with food come in many levels, forms and formats. There is no stereoptypical behaviour nor archetype. All difficult relationships with food, exercise or any other format which relates to an eating disorder is valid. I am not here to discredit them. I will abstain from listing different behaviours or types, to avoid stereotyping, triggering or creating a label which people must adhere to. That is not my point.

What I am trying to say in a round about way, is that eating disorders come in many forms, effecting people of all ages from different walks of life. These people don’t need to aspire to a certain level of sickness to qualify. That is wrong and fundamentally cruel.

As someone who had a food and exercise dependancy, I strongly believed I did not have an issue because I was not ill enough, I was not in hospital. The mentality of not being good enough is toxic for someone who thrives on hurting themselves and feeds the insatiable mental restriction cycle.

So what other misconceptions of eating and exercise disorders are there? Let’s find out.

You have to be medically diagnosed. Hell no.

If everyone with an eating disorder was medically diagnosed, then very few people would be considered ill in that respect. Creating a standard which must be met, criteria fulfilled, to qualify as sick is fundamentally flawed. Sick people shouldn’t be made to get sicker to access help.

I’m not saying there shouldn’t be criteria or diagnosis for eating disorders, but perhaps there needs to be a more open dialogue around accessing help and when people may require intervention. Increasing public knowledge and awareness of signs and symptoms of eating disorders, would generate a more open conversation surrounding their compulsive behaviours and symptoms. If my friends had seen the signs, I might have listened to them more than my parents who I thought we’re trying to sabotage my bid to get ‘healthy’. Intervention may have happened sooner.

It’s a good way to loose weight.

The fact of the matter is having an unhealthy relationship with food and or exercise is never a good way to loose weight. Being obsessed with either of the above does not bring joy to the soul or make your body smaller in a healthy way. To anyone who says an eating l disorder has been a blessing, I’m sorry you perceive the pain to be worth it. For many people they will gain weight too. You don’t have to be smaller to be ill. You can be bigger, the same volume or smaller. You don’t have to do anything to be valid.

People with disordered eating don’t eat. 

They do. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here. They’re just very picky and particular. The slightest adjust or additional ingredient to a meal may tip them over the edge. It’s not their fault, it’s just the way their brain has been conditioned to think.

There’s a quick fix to disordered eating; it’s a matter of choosing to eat or not.

If you’re heard the phrase you need to learn to walk before you can run, then you’ll know this myth cannot be true. Healing and changing behaviour, mindsets and patterns takes time, a hell of a lot of time. Don’t rush people before they’re ready. The rate of relapse is high and progress is not linear, there’s no quick fix.

This is just the tip of the ice berg. Follow along for more.