There Is Freedom In Food

February 14, 2016

 

"In fact, worry is a sign that you are trying to impose your will on the world, to oppose fate.  That is a fruitless expenditure of energy.  It is to turn your back on freedom. It is to never quite live. Instead, trust providence, reach for the divine." (Mark Vernon, Plato's Podcasts: The Ancients' Guide to Modern Living)

  February is eating disorders awareness month, so I have been posting more body positive posts on Facebook than usual.  Here are my highlights. 

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 Funny how most people don't consider eating disorders a mental illness or a feminist issue.  Most people don't even believe me when I say that eating disorders are the mental illness with the highest mortality rate.  But we all know that if a phenomena is mainly experienced by women then it's not considered important.
 One of the most important factors in my eating disorder recovery was to immerse myself in the fat acceptance culture until I no longer viewed fat as the enemy. 
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 Underneath a fairly good article about Health At Every Size, someone asked a question and I responded: 
  HAES - Health at Every Size - the New Diet Movement 
 Question: At the moment, I'm counting calories and closely monitoring my macronutrient levels daily, but I'm afraid once I reach my goal, I might overeat again, even with healthy snacks. It raises my anxiety, but I don't want to count calories forever! I'm fairly good at determining portion control, but this is my second weight loss journey... and I don't wanna anticipate a third! Any advice? 
@Commenter Yes!  See a nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders.  Most of them are actually advocates of HAES and will teach you how to eat mindfully and intuitively.  It's a journey worth taking.  It will not be quick and your goal will be to reach your body's own natural weight instead of something off a chart.  Each body is unique and has its own natural rthymn and set weight that can be found when one learns how to listen to their body.  Once you learn how to do this, you will never have to count calories again or feel restricted because you will be in tune with yourself, instead of fighting or trying to control yourself.  Shoot for freedom, not society's flawed image.   I am in recovery from an eating disorder and despite my slightly larger size I will never diet again.  I am healthy, my weight is stable and I experience freedom. 
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 I am more than beautiful.  If you have a daughter don't tell her she's pretty.  Society tells us our worth is in our appearance - she needs to know better. 
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 I don't believe things can be fixed, as in, returned to way they were before, but I do think they can be transformed.  I don't know the word for it, but it seems life afterwards has a persistent joypain - joy at the new  life, pain at what was lost and both are always present and must be appreciated And acknowledged.

     

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