From Eating Disorders to Intuitive Eating

Chapter 15 of Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole.

Eating disorders are not just a fad or a phase. They are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person's emotional and physical health.

The book made a reference to a number of eating disorders especially comments about how dieting has been found to be one of the most provacative and powerful catalysts in the development of an eating disorder. Eating disorders do not start off with thoughts like "I want bulimia". They start with thoughts of "I want to lose a few pounds". Which evolves into dieting, to disordered eating and finally to full syndrome eating disorders. In fact, 35% of so called normal dieters progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25% progress to partial or full blown eating disorders. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated there are 5 to 10 MILLION girls and women struggling with some type of eating disorder. These are conservative estimates because not everyone seeks help for their disorder.

This scared the crap out of me when I first read it. I felt so guilty for dieting in front of my daughter for all these years. Of course, after seeing my years of dieting and self obsession with food, she would go down the same path. I hope I am changing things in time for her. I hope I am getting her the help she needs in time. I have made a call for her to see a therapist on eating disorders also. My daughter binge eats like I do. She sneaks food and eats it. I rarely buy junk food for the house because I will eat it. But then she eats coffee creamers and sugar. She eats large quantities of food in hiding. This has got to be the hardest post for me because of the guilt I feel for passing this onto her. I have taught her that certain foods are bad. That she is bad for eating them. Of course, these were messages I meant for me not her but our children hear our messages loud and clear whether we want them too or not.

I have learned from this chapter and my therapist that Intuitive Eating comes way later in eating disorder therapy. This is because I have lost touch with my hunger, fullness and taste perference. I have become accustomed to eating quantities of food that are larger than one's normal needs that my interpretation of fullness is highly skewed. My first step is mechanical eating. Which means, eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper and snack. These meals and snacks need to happen if I am hungry or not. I feel like I am eating a ton of food but I have realized my cravings are gone. And the other new thing I am trying is that if I want something I need to eat it. No more deprivation! I need to give up dieting forever which I am working on also. I have a long road ahead of me.

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