sarahmichigan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sarahmichigan) wrote2005-10-05 11:14 am
sarahmichigan) wrote2005-10-05 11:14 am
Entry tags:
Race, weight, diet
This Big Fat Blog post is mostly about being appalled that some journalist is saying that Fat Acceptance is "disempowering" and that higher body self-esteem in minority populations is misplaced and dangerous. However, the very long discussion in the comments about eating disorders, dieting, and the "intuitive eating" approach were incredibly fascinating to me.
Many people hear about the Overcoming Overeating Approach, or even try parts of it, and think it doesn't work because they still overeat, even after they "legalize" all food and stop dividing food into "good" and "bad" columns. They feel the MUST have some food restrictions, calorie-counting, etc. in place or they'll overeat. My contention, and that of several other commenters, is that you're not seeing the full picture if you believe you'll be "out of control" in your eating habits without outside, arbitrary limits. "Legalizing" foods is just part of the process-- you also have to understand when you're eating for emotional reasons rather than for hunger. You need to examine the politics about weight, fat, food, and gender in this country (Fat IS a feminist issue). Legalizing all foods is just one of many steps to undoing all the sick cultural conditioning we all have pounded into us about food, fat, weight, and morality.
The comments by the registered dietician working with eating disordered clients who was a binger herself are incredibly touching.
http://www.bigfatblog.com/archives/000488.php#comments
Many people hear about the Overcoming Overeating Approach, or even try parts of it, and think it doesn't work because they still overeat, even after they "legalize" all food and stop dividing food into "good" and "bad" columns. They feel the MUST have some food restrictions, calorie-counting, etc. in place or they'll overeat. My contention, and that of several other commenters, is that you're not seeing the full picture if you believe you'll be "out of control" in your eating habits without outside, arbitrary limits. "Legalizing" foods is just part of the process-- you also have to understand when you're eating for emotional reasons rather than for hunger. You need to examine the politics about weight, fat, food, and gender in this country (Fat IS a feminist issue). Legalizing all foods is just one of many steps to undoing all the sick cultural conditioning we all have pounded into us about food, fat, weight, and morality.
The comments by the registered dietician working with eating disordered clients who was a binger herself are incredibly touching.
http://www.bigfatblog.com/archives/000488.php#comments
no subject
I might really enjoy eating a whopper, but I know that it's horrible for me and that it will actually cause me to feel more moody than I already am
Yes, this is the SECOND step, after legalizing all food. You are allowed to eat what ever you want, but you also should listen to what your body says about what you're eating. Does it make you feel strong and healthy, or does it give you indigestion? Does it make you feel groggy or awake? This is why I refereced legalizing all foods being just one of several steps. They include: assessing which foods have emotional significance for you, listening to what your body says about how those foods affect you, assessing whether you're eating out of hunger or out of emotion/boredom/etc., and NOT beating yourself up when you eat for the "wrong" reasons or eat the "wrong" foods.
Americans are way too hung up on guilt over sensual pleasure, and I think that plays a big role in disordered eating. and I would say that anyone who diets chronically qualifies for disorded eating, which is one step below the threshhold for a full-on ED.