Trigger Warning: this article discusses eating disorders.
While everyone preaches the idea of understanding and accepting all body types, it is rarely acknowledged how there are so many preconceived notions regarding people suffering from eating disorders. People believe that there is a certain extreme “look” for someone with an eating disorder; the person would either be as thin as skin and bones or overweight. However, this does not reflect the reality of it in any way whatsoever. The full spectrum of eating disorders goes beyond these stereotypes. Moreover, with eating disorders comes many issues that people do not want to talk about, believing it to be taboo and should be kept to oneself.
Eating Disorders Are Not Choices
Contrary to popular belief, a person suffering from an eating disorder cannot “just eat” and “get over it”. An eating disorder may be triggered by something as simple as starving oneself in order to fit into smaller clothes. Or eating less to look good in their swimwear at the beach. It may start so randomly and unexpectedly. It is not something someone plans to have. However, once the eating disorder takes hold of the person, it is no longer a choice to starve yourself, it becomes a must and need. According to Dr. Shawna Newman, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, “it is so challenging when you have an eating disorder because food is necessary. We do not get away from it. We have got to eat to live.” She also went on to explain how when a person reaches a point where their brain is effectually rewired to view how they look differently, it is extremely similar to trauma. So, letting go of an eating disorder is not as easy or as simple as people expect it to be.
Picking Up Food from The Trash to Check Calories
Unfortunately, for those suffering from eating disorders, this habit is one that is very common. It comes from the extreme and uncontrollable need to know the calories of the food a person has eaten. The person becomes obsessive and hyper-fixated on the calories they eat per day, thus limiting the amount of food they eat, consequently making their eating disorder habits even worse. The eating disorder mindset is extremely skeptical that even if the person has eaten that food multiple times, they just really need to see the numbers in front of their eyes to believe. Unfortunately, this results in the person going as far as to pick up their food from the trash just to double-check once again.
The Physical Consequences
Not only does an eating disorder rewire the brain as similarly as it does when experiencing traumatic events, but it also comes with many physical consequences other than the loss or gain of weight. When a person suffers from an eating disorder, they are often sick with the flu or other viral infections because their malnutrition decreases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. They may suffer from extremely dry skin and their hair will turn brittle and fall excessively. Dieting, starvation, and/or erratic eating deprive the brain of the energy it needs to properly concentrate and function, thus leading to a slowed brain function.
As uncomfortable as it is to discuss the extremely negative consequences of eating disorders, it is the only way we can ensure a change. There is no harm in acknowledging even the worst of habits that are generated from eating disorders because it helps the sufferer and the loved ones around them understand the disorder even better.