#i have been in therapy and worked through it
my new roommate said that her last roommate had an eating disorder and then talked to me about her clean eating and weight loss goals and how she buys clothes that are a little snug to motivate her to lose more
and like honestly? i have anorexia but this is why i constantly talk about the dangers of the “health and fitness” industry and diet culture bc we have essentially normalized certain symptoms of disordered eating but it’s ok if it’s under the guise of health i guess???
like how is calling it “clean” eating NOT a way to moralize food
how is intermittent fasting NOT the same thing as skipping meals
how come when i buy clothes that don’t fit, it’s something i have to tell my therapist about because it means i am putting pressure on myself to fit into them, but if a “normal” person does it then it’s just motivation for them?
where is the fucking line???
and more importantly when are we going to start acknowledging that the entire world is pro-ana but that’s too harsh of a description so we slap some health buzzwords on it to make it palatable
when are we going to take responsibility for encouraging disordered behavior instead of labeling those of us with EDs as the crazy/imbalanced ones
your fucking Whole30 or keto or whatever “clean” diet you’re on is just as restrictive as the diets we create for ourselves due to our disorders. but we are the crazy ones, right
I’d like to hear the opinions of my followers (and anyone else who sees this).
I personally see what OP is saying…but I’m also currently in a kind of bitter place right now, so I’m ready to admit that I’m quite negative towards society’s views and actions regarding weight and beauty and whatnot.
Oh, I know this one!
There is a difference between mental illnesses and symptoms! Everyone gets anxious sometimes, but that doesn’t mean that everybody has anxiety. Many people feel unsatisfied with their bodies, many feel fat and decide to control their diets, but that does not mean that they have eating disorders.
The truth is that it is indeed incredibly important to eat healthy, and maintain an active lifestyle. This means eating from all the different food groups, getting exercise, but also getting sunlight, enough water, and all the important vitamins and nutrients your body needs!
Yeah, I won’t pretend we don’t have corporations trying to sell us stuff at every possible opportunity, like fast food advertisements right beside the next big fad diet: the irony is obvious. But you need to keep in mind that these things on TV, in magazines, online articles, commercials, billboards, labels, are advertisements. Their main purpose is to sell you products, no matter how shit they are. But that’s besides the point.
There’s a big difference between average people trying to lose weight, or alter their lifestyle in any way to get healthy, and people with eating disorders. First of all, any mental illness is constant and consuming. They may vary in severity, but but the main thing that contrasts a healthy mind from a sick one is the obsession (in context of ED here). I’m going to compare two imaginary girls here: Sally and Ana, using a couple common symptoms and comparing them.
Sally:
- wants to lose her muffin top tummy, chubby cheeks, arm/thigh fat.
- looks forward to healthy meals
- snacks when hungry
- feels slightly guilty about having high-calorie meals like a burger or cake
- talks about weight loss and feels proud to show her progress to friends/family
Ana:
- wants her collarbones, rib cage, spine, and hipbones to show.
- skips meals, throws out some of her portions, sometimes purges
- chugs water and tea when hungry instead of eating
- can have panic attacks and cry over eating a slice of toast
- hides her weight loss because she knows that friends and family will be concerned
Obviously I didn’t go in depth here, but the difference is very clear. With an eating disorder, there is a very different mentality about food, weight loss, and body image. No, not everyone with anorexia will have ALL the symptoms of anorexia (there are so many more that aren’t listed here, I barely skimmed the surface). No, not everyone who is trying to lose weight in a healthy way will be perfectly healthy about it. Sometimes, people like Sally DO have unhealthy thoughts about food and their body, just as people like Ana have good, healthy thoughts about their body. If Sally starts showing some symptoms of anorexia, that is definitely a cause for concern. Sally’s friends and family may want to bring this up with her, and discuss her struggles. However, that doesn’t immediately mean that Sally is anorexic. If you know somebody who is encouraging extreme and unhealthy weight loss, or pro-ana, they’re just a shitty/ignorant person!
We should all be encouraged to take care of our bodies, eat healthy, and exercise. Eating disorders aren’t healthy, anorexia is not a diet.
TLDR; anorexia = bad, taking care of your body = good.
