Trigger warning: binge eating, abuse, trauma.
After I’d finished yet another secret binge.
After I’d made myself feel sick from the vast quantity of food I’d eaten.
After I’d told myself how weak and pathetic I was.
After I’d hated myself with utter conviction.
As I sat alone in physical and emotional pain, this is the question I would ask myself over and over again.
“I’m just one of those people who hates exercise”.
That’s what I used to say. And I believed it.
Man, did I hate exercise.
I felt angry (and guilty and ashamed) at the mention of the word and I’m worried you may stop reading for the very same reason, but I hope not.
Uh-oh, it’s January.
The time of year when, even if you’ve been doing really well finding autonomy with food, you can suddenly find yourself bingeing again.
Why? Because in January it’s impossible to escape the barrage of adverts for slimming clubs, weight-reduction schemes and meal replacement products. Social media is abuzz with the latest celebrity eating plans, while endless newspaper and magazine articles try to convince us of the new wonder diet “that really works”.
Excluding how you look, who are you?
Take a minute to think about it – even if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Are you drawing a blank? If so, you’re not alone.
Generally, people with overeating issues have little or no idea who they really are. They’re so focused on what’s outside of them – their appearance – that they rarely consider what’s going on inside. They’re also very quick to dismiss their positive qualities and yet are world champions at identifying their supposed “defects”.
Trying to heal your relationship with food can feel like a mammoth undertaking, especially if it’s been dysfunctional for as long as you can remember.
I try to keep it simple.
Continue reading “How Do You Heal Your Relationship with Food?”
It’s my job to help people find autonomy with food.
I’m a psychotherapist who works exclusively with people who overeat. I use the term “emotion-driven overeating” to encompass the overeating spectrum that includes compulsive eating, emotional eating and binge eating disorder.
But why is it important to have an autonomous relationship with food? After all, some would argue that most people have a dysfunctional relationship with food, that there is no “normal”. So what’s the big deal?
Julie de Rohan 