TW Diet talk: Challenges with anti-dieting

[eponinepontmercy]

I recently discovered this podcast that might be interesting to some people in this thread. I've only listened to the first episode, but the host is delightful.

www.rebeleatersclub.com/starter-pack

[macmars45]

I was just talking to my therapist earlier this week about how unhappy I am in my body. I know I physically and mentally feel better at a lower weight. I stress eat and PMS eat lots of fat and sugar. It's been a rough two years so those two reason have spiraled my eating in a way that's never happened to me before.

(hugs) to everyone struggling.

[ESF]

I think there's a lot of very helpful advice here. But I want to add one point that might be getting lost in all this.

Society conditions us to believe that weight and chaotic eating are stand-alone problems, and that it's theexception not the rule that people's weight gain is the result of underlying health issues.  And I think even when we know that's not the case, our natural tendency is still to start from seeing disordered eating as the condition, and not a symptom of another condition. 

And to a large degree there's nothing wrong with that - good specialists in disordered eating, whether they be RDs or therapists - will go up the chain to get to what's causing the issues.   But the other path is to start at the top of the chain, and seek treatment for what is at the top that results in this.  For some people, this can be a distinction without a practical difference.  For others, it could really impact their rates of success.

For example, for me, I was a mess with food and while intuitive eating helped a little bit, it's clear now that the root of the problem was undiagnosed ADHD. I've made huge progress dealing with that now, and I've never seen an RD. Had I have gone to an RD and not known about the ADHD, I'd still be a disaster.

So while I think Velar Fricative is getting some amazing information here, I would also keep in mind that it's pretty early in the process.  You don't know if you have an eating disorder, or if you have severe anxiety or something else that is causing irrational patterns of eating, or if you have both anxiety and an eating disorder.   

So I think it's ok to just start with a therapist and not worry yet about the RD.  Look for someone who is good with BED and intuitive eating and all that, but if you feel off as a whole, you can start there.  You don't have to feel like you have to start off by cleaving the food issues away from other stuff until someone tells you they are related.  They can help you untangle it and help you figure out what professionals you need to support you.   But if you want to start with the food and work up, you have gotten great advice here for that too.  You know yourself best.  

[wanderingback]

Yep agree ESF! That’s why I suggested starting with a psychologist or psychiatrist first, after OPs updates. I know how hard it is to get mental health care, but it can definitely really improve things once you find a team that you work well with and understands you. Hope this thread has been helpful for some others also.