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So, I saw a documentary on eating disorders today. It made me think a lot. {As everything usually does, haha.} Anyway, I noticed that majority of the people being interviewed on the show had some lame excuse for their disorder. I will acknowledge that you can inherit the genes for compulsive behaviour from your parents, but that doesn't mean that just because they were anorexic, then you will be too. No, that's not how it happens. And "like omg but this model/actress/whatever is so thin & beautiful, I want to look like her." No, that's not how it happens either. An eating disorder is NEVER something you WANT! It chooses you. That's why it's called a DISORDER, not a DESIRE. Ok? Thanks. It's a control thing. Sometimes it comes in a time in your life where eating is the only thing you feel you have control over. Sometimes it comes from a deep hatred of yourself or a distorted body image. But now it's becoming a trend these days. It's like something you hear about everywhere. It's sickening. Turning someone's disease into your new trend is just ridiculous. And you wonder why the youth is so fucked up?
I think people need to learn to appreciate themselves & their bodies more. There are so many bad points to eating disorders. With anorexia, you run the risk of heart problems & malnutrition. Your body starts to devour your muscles when it feels it's eaten enough fat cells. And news flash - YOUR HEART IS A MUSCLE! You can develop extreme cases of anemia, which results in many blood problems, weakness & fainting spells. And a whole crew of other problems. Bulimia can cause just as many of the same problems and more. This would include: deterioration or collapsing of the esophagus, rotted teeth, stomach problems, digestion problems, ect. Overeating can lead to many problems, including obesity & heart related issues.
Though you may be getting thinner, you're risking your health & your life. But the worst part about it all, is that an eating disorder is just like a drug addiction in a way. It's something that plagues your mind, every day of your life. It's something that completely alters your personality & your body & mind. It's something that is so bad, that even when you recover from it, you still think about it from time to time. And I can tell you this first hand. I have experienced & recovered from the three types of eating disorders - overeating also known as binging, bulimia & anorexia. Each of them as equally as controlling & deadly as the next. And all of them drastically change how you view yourself & your body.
At first, when the pounds are melting off of you like butter, you feel so great & so in control of yourself. People start noticing the pounds coming off & complimenting you on how "great" you look & how thin you're getting. This just feeds your disease even more. Soon enough, you've lost so much weight that you're fainting & turning pale. Your mind starts to believe that what your eyes see in the mirror, is really different than how you look. You actually trick yourself into believing that you've got more fat on your body than there really is, even with the weight you've lost. You set ridiculously dangerous goal weights & continue to achieve them with more & more sense of control & accomplishment & more positive comments. Until, eventually, you've taken it so far that you've made yourself look sickly. Your family & friends start to question you & the positive comments soon turn to concerned statements. Your mind tricks you into believing that they are just jealous of your "accomplishments" or that they are just trying to get you fat. You start to resent them thinking that they want to take your control away or see you unhappy. Your world spirals downward, even though you think you are going to make yourself feel better after you lose "enough" weight.
The whole truth is that you have NO control when you have an eating disorder, you just think you do. The disorder controls YOU. It changes YOU. You are the one who gets sick. You are the one that has the consequences. And yet, it seems so hard to break away from.
Life would be so much easier if we all learned to appreciate our bodies for how they are & take healthier actions towards losing weight or getting in shape. The same "accomplishment" you feel from not eating for a week should change to the real accomplishment you'll feel from working out & eating healthy foods. Though it may take more time that way, you'll be patting yourself on the back for it later. And in the process of changing your body, you should be thinking positively. Sure, you can think of so many things you DON'T like about yourself, but there has to be a few things you LIKE. Focus on those things. Focus on the people who love you & WHY they love you. Surely, it's not because you don't eat & you're "thin." It's because they love you for who you are. They look beyond your outward appearance. To at least one person in the world, you are BEAUTIFUL exactly the way you are. I wish everyone who has body images could just see what that person sees one day. I wish everyone could find the small beauty in who they are & love themselves. I wish there were no fucked up standards of beauty, that young girls feel they have to live up to. The world would be much more of a beautiful place.
I think people need to learn to appreciate themselves & their bodies more. There are so many bad points to eating disorders. With anorexia, you run the risk of heart problems & malnutrition. Your body starts to devour your muscles when it feels it's eaten enough fat cells. And news flash - YOUR HEART IS A MUSCLE! You can develop extreme cases of anemia, which results in many blood problems, weakness & fainting spells. And a whole crew of other problems. Bulimia can cause just as many of the same problems and more. This would include: deterioration or collapsing of the esophagus, rotted teeth, stomach problems, digestion problems, ect. Overeating can lead to many problems, including obesity & heart related issues.
Though you may be getting thinner, you're risking your health & your life. But the worst part about it all, is that an eating disorder is just like a drug addiction in a way. It's something that plagues your mind, every day of your life. It's something that completely alters your personality & your body & mind. It's something that is so bad, that even when you recover from it, you still think about it from time to time. And I can tell you this first hand. I have experienced & recovered from the three types of eating disorders - overeating also known as binging, bulimia & anorexia. Each of them as equally as controlling & deadly as the next. And all of them drastically change how you view yourself & your body.
At first, when the pounds are melting off of you like butter, you feel so great & so in control of yourself. People start noticing the pounds coming off & complimenting you on how "great" you look & how thin you're getting. This just feeds your disease even more. Soon enough, you've lost so much weight that you're fainting & turning pale. Your mind starts to believe that what your eyes see in the mirror, is really different than how you look. You actually trick yourself into believing that you've got more fat on your body than there really is, even with the weight you've lost. You set ridiculously dangerous goal weights & continue to achieve them with more & more sense of control & accomplishment & more positive comments. Until, eventually, you've taken it so far that you've made yourself look sickly. Your family & friends start to question you & the positive comments soon turn to concerned statements. Your mind tricks you into believing that they are just jealous of your "accomplishments" or that they are just trying to get you fat. You start to resent them thinking that they want to take your control away or see you unhappy. Your world spirals downward, even though you think you are going to make yourself feel better after you lose "enough" weight.
The whole truth is that you have NO control when you have an eating disorder, you just think you do. The disorder controls YOU. It changes YOU. You are the one who gets sick. You are the one that has the consequences. And yet, it seems so hard to break away from.
Life would be so much easier if we all learned to appreciate our bodies for how they are & take healthier actions towards losing weight or getting in shape. The same "accomplishment" you feel from not eating for a week should change to the real accomplishment you'll feel from working out & eating healthy foods. Though it may take more time that way, you'll be patting yourself on the back for it later. And in the process of changing your body, you should be thinking positively. Sure, you can think of so many things you DON'T like about yourself, but there has to be a few things you LIKE. Focus on those things. Focus on the people who love you & WHY they love you. Surely, it's not because you don't eat & you're "thin." It's because they love you for who you are. They look beyond your outward appearance. To at least one person in the world, you are BEAUTIFUL exactly the way you are. I wish everyone who has body images could just see what that person sees one day. I wish everyone could find the small beauty in who they are & love themselves. I wish there were no fucked up standards of beauty, that young girls feel they have to live up to. The world would be much more of a beautiful place.