Your Physical Health and Wellbeing
Diet Culture, Eating Disorders, and What You Can Do
What is an eating disorder?
- Websters dictionary defines an eating disorder as "any of a range of mental conditions in which there is a persistent disturbance of eating behavior and impairment of physical or mental health."
Eating Disorders Impact Anyone and Everyone.
BUT, they can be sneaky.
- Not always readily "seen"
- Normalization of behaviors such as dieting and exercising in our culture
- People are often functioning well in other areas of their lives, outside of eating disorders
- Denial, secrecy, lying, and shame can accompany eating disorders
Source:
ALL INFORMATION IS FROM THE RENFREW CENTER
What is Diet Culture?
- Diet culture is a socially constructed value system
- Equates weight loss with health and happiness
- Weight loss as means of higher status
- Thinness synonymous with health and wellness
- Thinness = moral superiority
- Marginalizes those who do not fit narrow ideals of "health" or "fitness"
This is not a healthy lifestyle.
Diets work. Unitl they don't...
Research suggests that:
Rapid weight loss can slow your metabolism, leading to a future weight gain, and can deprive your body of essential nutrients.
Crash diets:
Can weaken your immune system and increase your risk of dehydration, palpitations, and cardias stress as well.
Regaining the "lost" weight:
Most people will regain the weight lost (and more) with 2-5 years.
Now the question might be, "Now what can I eat?"
Eat ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits
Eat ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits
Eat ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits
Eat three meals a day AND snacks throughout the day.
Pay attention to your body and you can tell what it wants.
Announce coming events
Eat ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits
Eat ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits
Not eating throughout the day increases the likelihood of eating until extreme fullness/painfully full, which can increase shame in eating
It's more useful to focus more on body appreciation and what your body is able to do for you than trying to perfect how you think your body should look.