Eating Disorders are NOT Captured in B&A Photos
Today is day two of seven dedicated to raising awareness about eating disorders. I’m here for it.
And Eating Disorder Awareness Week is contentious for many of my clients. A lot of them have strong feelings of dislike for this week.
Generally, this is about the global oversimplification of eating disorders. It’s about stereotypes. And it’s also about the omnipresent pre-and-post photographs that might flood your social media feed.
The fact is, most people with eating disorders don’t “look” as though they have an eating disorder. (Because it’s not a look) Bodies may or may not change as one heals their relationship with food. There may be no appreciable visual shift at all.
And if you are someone who has struggled, or is in the process of recovery, or who has recovered into much the same body as the one you had before your eating disorder, know that you represent the norm. And if your body has changed dramatically in the process of healing, know that you are welcome here, too.
The purpose of this week is to raise awareness. Of the most lethal of all mental illnesses. This is worthy of a week of dedicated effort. It is quite literally the least that we can do.
And if you get caught in a comparison trap, consider ducking out. Maybe skip searching for the pre/post photos. Consider protecting yourself first.
I am going to post about eating disorder awareness week, because I want to raise awareness, but am with you in being aware of these conditions, everyday.
Be gentle with yourselves and know that
YOUR STORY MATTERS.
#edawareness #edaw2020 #nedawareness #nedawareness2020 #eatingdisorderawareness #eatingdisorderawarenessweek2020 #neda #recovery #edrecovery #eatingdisorderdietitian #beforeandafter #eatingdisorderrecovery #comeasyouare
Your Eating Disorder is Real
Your eating disorder is REAL.
Your eating disorder is VALID.
You don’t need to be at your worst, your weakest, your most vulnerable, your most distressed or in the most pain to be recognized. Or worthy of attention and care. If you have access to care, please accept help. If you don’t, I’m sorry and I see you and I’m glad that you’re here.
Pain is not a contest.
Be gentle this weekend, lovelies.
#eatingdisorderrecovery #recovery #healing #support #BingeEatingDisorderRecovery #BingeEatingDisorder #OSFEDRecovery #OSFED #Bulimia #BulimiaRecovery#Anorexia #AnorexiaRecovery #ARFIDRecovery #ARFID #intuitiveeating #Orthorexia #orthorexiarecovery #Selfcare #eatingdisorderdietitian
Body Talk is Only Damaging
Body talk is ONLY damaging.
It might feel like lifting someone up, but that is only reaffirming the message that getting smaller, or larger, is the goal. That changing a body, is the goal. We can accomplish more than temporarily altering a body. Aim higher.
It might feel like an innocuous water cooler conversation. Just the thing that you do with your pals, casually. And this might be a thing that you have done for years. Decades, even. And in real life, it has done nothing good for any of the humans engaged in the conversation.
And you may have whispered, under your breath, about a human who you observe and feel inclined to pass judgment on. You may believe that human is unaware of your dissection. I assure you, they are not.
Body talk is only damaging.
It misses a struggle.
It perpetuates weight bias.
It is not about you.
And it can do REAL harm.
Body comments are helpful for no one.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
#bodyimage #bodytalk #body #health #healthyliving #weightbias #weightloss #weightgain #weightneutral #weightstigma #haes #fatpositive #fitness #wellness #fatliberation #eatingdisorderrecovery #bodyautonomy
Calories Are Good
Here’s the thing, it’s alright to choose a lower-calorie item.
Diet culture might encourage this choice. An eating disorder might encourage it.
Sometimes this will be reflective of what is available to you. Sometimes this will be reflective of the way you feel about eating in a given moment. Maybe you’re eating with a human who has a lot of energy about food. Maybe you’re eating in a way that feels self-protective. Maybe you’re eating in a way that will limit unwelcome input from friends and family and strangers. Maybe you’re eating in hopes of changing your body.
No matter the reason, not getting enough food, energy, will lead to food preoccupation, seeking out of food, ultimately, eating. Usually in a way that does not feel comfortable or is reflective of body desires.
Calories are good. You need them. And likely, many more than you believe you do.
So yes, you can choose a lower-calorie something. And trust that you will eat more, later. This is not a mistake, but rather your body accommodating your food choice and reestablishing homeostasis.
Often, this process of reestablishing homeostasis leads my clients to feel pretty crummy about themselves. I don’t know if that’s part of your story. And as I say in session, this is not a reflection of your humanity. This is biology. This is your body having your back.
Want to be a little less obsessed with food? Think about choosing meals and snacks that are satisfying. In my book, satisfaction can only come with adequacy. This won’t work perfectly. Because nothing about eating is supposed to be perfect.
Experiment with what works for you.
This process is not about getting it right on the first go.
BE CURIOUS.
BE GENTLE.
BE KIND.
#intuitiveeating #foodhacks #energy #nourish #eatingdisorderrecovery #bodytrust #lowcaloriemeals #antidiet #wellness #dietitiananna
My Wish For You
My wish for you is that your interaction with food be gentle.
That it leaves room for both nutritious food, and delicious food, not assuming they are mutually exclusive.
My wish for you is that your interaction with food be self-directed.
That is rooted in body trust and preference and curiosity.
My wish for you is that your interaction with food be functional.
That it is used to calm and soothe, as well as to energize and concentrate and perform.
My wish for you is that your interaction with food be a bit rebellious.
That you break an eating disorder rule, or a diet culture rule, or a rule that was passed down from someone else, carried on without examination, and is now being questioned.
My wish for you is that you hold food as only one, of many, parts of self-care and health promotion.
Yes, food is important. And if you have access to it, it is nowhere near as precious as wellness culture attempts to convince us all that it is.
My wish for you is that food be conceptualized with a wide lens.
Your body is not looking at every item you eat, putting it on a good or bad list, or analyzing anything in a binary fashion. Allergies, notwithstanding. I am far more curious about how a human interacts with food over the course of several weeks than I am about how a human interacts with food in a single day.
My wish for you is that you forgive yourself for any perceived missteps in eating.
Your body can manage all of it.
Leave a food wish for you, your younger self, or a being you love.
#food #eat #Wellness #HealthAtEverySize #yourbodyisgood #Nutrition #Nourish #orthorexia #exerciseaddiction #allbodiesareworthybodies #intuitiveeating #nourishnotpunish #EatingDisorderRecovery #mindfulness #diet #osfed #arfid #bingeeating #bulimia #anorexia #WellnessCulture #DietCulture #AntiDiet #antidietdietitian #disableddietititian
Please Let Yourself Cry
Watery eyes? Not releasing stress hormone.
Teary eyes? Releasing stress hormone.
What a beautiful system, and another reminder that your body is on your team. That in any moment, more is going right in your body that is ever going to be wrong.
Crying does not make you less anything. And while it may not change your scenario, it will change your physiology.
I think that’s brilliant.
PLEASE LET YOURSELF CRY.
#selflove #selfcare #Cry #Crying #Heal #Healing #Grief #Anger #Feelings #AllBodiesAreWorthyBodies #BodyTrust #BodyWisdom #eatingdisorderrecovery #chronicillness #osfedrecovery #bulimiarecovery #anorexia #anorexiarecovery #arfidrecovery #bingeeatingrecovery #mentalhealth #depression #anxiety #bodyimage #science
You Can Stop
You can just stop.
You can leave a class.
You can stop a video.
You can decide to lay down.
You can put down the weight.
You can cancel a membership.
No pain, no gain, it’s a stupid expression. And certainly, if you are competing, against yourself or others, you might want to push. And if that competition is coming from a healthy place, then, by all means, get it. And if that competition is coming from an unhealthy place or a place that leaves you feeling yucky, you can leave it.
You can just stop. Come back when it feels better. Reevaluate the nature of your relationship with movement. Get curious about how you want to feel.
AND, YOU CAN JUST STOP.
#Movement #Exercise #Fitness #Wellness #personaltrainer #athletes #Coach #Fitspo #HealthAtEverySize #yourbodyisgood #Nutrition #Nourish #orthorexia #exerciseaddiction #EatingDisorderRecovery #mindfulness #WellnessCulture #DietCulture #AntiDiet