The false premise of anyone with an eating disorder is that our mind can control our bodies. The truth is that our bodies always win.
The glorification of thinness and dieting is pervasive in our society. Many people are shocked when they realize everyone doesn’t ascribe to the philosophy of dieting and weight loss. In fact, many people consider other things more important than weight and usually live happier lives. The driving force for overvaluing thinness is industry, and the business model is based on the impossible goals set forth.
We can’t ever control our bodies. Survival is the only goal for us as humans, and the most primitive part of our brains drive the hunger instinct especially if our health is threatened. Thus, diets don’t work.
Long-term restricting almost always leads to extreme hunger and binging. And our bodies determine weight based on a number of biological factors that improve our chance of survival, not based on any thoughts or desires to attain a certain weight.
The comparatively rare person with chronic restrictive anorexia appears to have a genetic variant that allows interminable food restriction. The adaptation likely enabled a small percentage of the population to survive extremely long famines and gave them an advantage in a very specific setting. Due to the advantage, the genetic variant has persisted.
Recovery from an eating disorder means accepting that our bodies determine how and when we eat. There are many ways one can attempt to trick our bodies to continue to restrict or compensate for binging. But these behavioral changes solidify the grasp of the eating disorder because the hunger only intensifies and in the end only make people sicker.
Acceptance of body over mind is humbling, but it’s the only path to recovery.
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