I'm sitting on my couch, laptop in lap, thinking about why I feel so unsettled that the WCBS-TV story labeled me "Orthorexic." And I'm realizing that the reason it doesn't sit well with me is because I shed that label many years ago. My entire philosophy and message in my book is that just because you once suffered from an eating disorder does not mean that you always will. I am living, breathing proof that you do not need to carry that label around with you for the rest of your life.
Perhaps the producer(s) at WCBS-TV think of an eating disorder as a disease that comes with a lifelong membership and/or label. But that's not true. My own experience has taught me that is not the case. My sole purpose in writing Eat When You're Hungry and spending nights and weekends authoring this blog and answering emails from people all over the world about intuitive eating, and recovery from lifelong diets, is to help people shed these labels they have given themselves.
I actually just got home from a wonderful dinner with my family to celebrate my mother's birthday. I enjoyed a delicious lamb ragu pasta followed by a fabulous chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter ice cream. I worked hard for many years to be able to get to a place where I could actually enjoy a meal like that guilt-free and data-free (un-learning the calorie and fat count of all of those foods), and yes -- I was successful, and you can be too!
Today I am Maggie Miller, mom, wife, mother, daughter, sister. I eat real food and I don't feel guilty about it. I eat real food and I don't calculate calories, fat or fiber. I'm about as "normal" an eater as you could possibly find now, with virtually no disordered thoughts about food left in my psyche. So to see that title "Maggie Miller, Orthorexic" on screen tonight really surprised me.
Please know, if you are currently suffering with an eating disorder, or simply a seemingly never-ending struggle with body image and/or food, that you can be free from it -- you DON'T have to carry that label with you forever (even if a TV station mistakenly places it next to your name).
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3 comments:
I haven't seen the story yet, Maggie, but I totally agree with you in regards to labels. Your reaction to being labeled that way is understandable and I admire your determination to process it and not simply just react or ignore your reaction.
Your commitment to transcending labels and transforming yourself is one with which I identify.
Keep on writing and sharing!
-Steph
Thanks, Steph. I appreciate your support and enthusiasm for my work. I'll definitely keep writing and sharing. And you do the same!!
As a Nutrition Therapist/Registered Dietitian in private practice for almost 28 years, I often hear the anguished question, "Can I ever be recovered from my eating disorder?" My answer is, "Absolutely--complete healing is not only possible, but I see it happening for most of my clients who are willing to challenge the distorted thoughts and myths about food and body image that have been plaguing them for many years." When people begin to follow the intuitive wisdom that has always been within them but has been buried under the debris of the diet mentality, including an obsession with nutrition as a way to feel control in a world where they feel disempowered, they are freed and healed from their eating disorders. Unfortunately, in our culture, others are often unwilling to acknowledge the healing that has taken place and continue to label them with eating disorder titles, including orthorexic. Let's honor anyone who has worked very hard to put any eating dysfunction in the past and congratulate him or her with our recognition of this triumph!
Elyse Resch, M.S.,R.D.,F.A.D.A.
Co-Author, Intuitive Eating
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