Saturday, July 9, 2016

HELP! I’m midnight snacking! | HOW TO EAT INTUITIVELY

"Just have some pie/pizza/[insert other food type here] and it will be ok." Well, that's not really how it goes. I'm sure you've all heard similar thoughtless comments in anorexia/bulimia/eating disorder recovery, but if it was all so simple I don't think so many would be struggling with the process of recovery!

The truth is, it takes time to regain control over one's eating and to again get into the habit of regular and sufficient meals. That's why people rely on intuitive eating. But what exactly is intuitive eating, how do we do it, and how do we interpret our body's signs? Watch to find out!



To the outside, eating disorders may seem like a healthy diet gone wrong. The solution? Just eat a bit more to put it all right. From the inside, however, it is far from this. It's so much more... and naturally this makes the recovery journey a whole lot more complex too!

I remember sitting, slumped over and bawling my eyes out, in an oversized jumper and on a chair I could feel bruising my spine and my sitting bones as I stared at a mushroom and my parents stared at the wall, everywhere but at me, hoping that this would ease the pressure and entice me into eating. 

The truth is, eating disorders aren’t a choice, but a coping mechanism. By telling individuals to ‘just eat’, nighttime or daytime, you aren’t asking them to make a decision between illness and health, but between a coping mechanism that may well have saved their lives… and the unknown. And that is damn difficult, especially when you have no hunger cues and have no idea *how* to ‘just eat’! Eating, at first, may make things worse before they get better, with horrible side effects and a great deal of psychological stress. In combination with the mind-blowing diet culture we live in… it’s an incredibly difficult and brave thing to do for yourself (and the last thing I felt at that point in my life was brave). 

The eating disorder was safe, and it was the easiest option. ‘Just eat’ wasn’t ‘just’ eating. It was damn hard! If you are struggling with this, know that you are not alone. Know that it does get worse before it gets better. But also know that you can make it through this time, and come out stronger. It does get better.

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