Knowledge is a beautiful and terrible thing. While enriching our lives and opening us up to all of the wonderful things that our world has to offer, it also robs us of our [sometimes] blissful state of ignorance and innocence. The things we learn can never be unlearned, and each piece of information that we pick up shifts our lives in some way, even if it’s only ever so slightly. Knowledge is powerful stuff.
But knowledge itself is neither good nor bad – it simply is. We can learn things that make us happy and learn things that make us sad, but at the end of the day, facts are facts – it’s how we interpret and react to those facts that makes all the difference…
Before my eating disorder, I was more-or-less ignorant to the majority of things relating to health and nutrition. I had a vague awareness of the fact that I should eat my veggies and exercise on a regular basis, but most of what I knew was what was being touted by popular media – and we all know the high quality of that information. Nevertheless, I was happy and relatively healthy. Ironically, it wasn’t until I became more interested in learning about health that my own health began to decline. Go figure.
I don’t want to go into too much detail here since I’ve already shared most of this in my story, but the CliffsNotes version is that all my hours of research eventually led me to raw veganism, and I became obsessed by the seemingly miraculous health benefits that it offered. I followed a 100% raw vegan for about 8 months, and that was pretty much the beginning of the end…
Long story short, the diet did me no good. It was during my time as a raw vegan that I believe my eating disorder really took flight because it was during that time that I learned to fear food. Anything that wasn’t 100% raw was toxic to my body and harming me in ways that I wasn’t even aware of. Or that’s what I believed back then anyways…
Now, I’m certainly not trying to attack raw foods here. I think they’re wonderful and an essential part of any healthy diet, but I wanted to show you an example of a situation where a seemingly good thing that I learned did me a lot more harm than good, simply because my mind was in a bad place and used that knowledge in a bad way. I used to wish that I could go back to the days where I was ignorant of all things related to calories and micronutrients, but like I said… you can’t unlearn what you already know. You can change how you feel about it, though.
When I started getting more serious about recovery, one of the first things I did was cut myself off from all of my sources of information about raw foods. No more forums; no more books; no more websites. Cold turkey. They were far too triggering and I wasn’t strong enough to resist the temptation to return to habits that were doing me a considerable amount of harm and preventing me from moving forward. I needed that distance to start seeing things objectively, and over time, raw veganism began to lose it’s appeal.
So why am I bringing all of this up? Well, a big portion of my studies with IIN involves exploring different dietary theories, and as luck would have it, one of the first ones we looked at was raw veganism. Womp, womp. Up until this point, I’ve more or less approached any mention of raw foodism with an “in one ear and out the other” mentality, but it’s a little different when you actually have to retain some of what you learn. So I sat there listening to people talk about the miracles of raw foods, and found myself thinking “hmm… maybe I need to try juicing, or sprouting, or un-cooking, or…” you get the idea. I found myself being serenaded, yet again, by the sweet siren song of raw veganism and the health benefits that it promised.
Thankfully, past experience has taught me otherwise, and aside from that initial thought of “heyyyy, maybe I should…” I have no real desire to ever get back into that kind of lifestyle. That’s not to say that it’s a bad one, or that it doesn’t work for some people, but it doesn’t work for me – and that little bit of knowledge is what keeps me on the straight and narrow.
I love learning about health and nutrition, and I love experimenting with my own diet and tweaking it based on what I learn, but at the end of the day I need to remember that not everything I learn necessarily applies to me, and that I need to follow my own food rules if I want to feel my best. It’s good to be open to new concepts and ideas, but incredibly important to be secure in your own beliefs – otherwise it’s far too easy to get lost with all the information out there.
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No questions today, but I’d love to hear your thoughts or personal experiences!
(And happy Friday!)
I always say that I am burdened by what I know regarding food/nutrition and our food supply that sometimes I wish I knew less. I feel bad on occasion that I know this much because I feel it affects my son – it isn’t that I don’t allow treats and “fun foods” but I am much stricter on the food and snacks we keep in the house based on knowing now about the ingredients and artificial colors. There was a time when knowing the calories were enough. Not anymore lol. I try to find balance though because the last thing I want is to create a monster. I don’t want him to feel I ever truly denied him of anything. Everything in moderation – to the best of our ability.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to avoid junk foods that are loaded with artificial colours and flavours, especially since they’ve been linked to so many health problems. And to make sure your son doesn’t feel deprived, you could always take some of those junk foods and try to make healthier versions at home. Get him to help you in the kitchen, maybe? That way, being healthy gets associated with having fun spending time with mom, and he’s more likely to carry on with those habits as he gets older.
I loved this post and I agree so much with what you said about doing what works for you. I know that living my life at 80/20 works for me and I have made a lot of changes in my diet over the last 10 months and I now know some of the things that work and some of the things that don’t.
I am currently trying to work on the causes of my bloating which is annoying me at the moment – I have tried changing dairy for soya milk and yoghurt but found that not to be the answer so now the hard part -I think it’s the carbs 🙁 So next week begins the low carb trial see how that works out for me.
x
I love the food pyramid you posted! That’s 1000x more helpful than the USDA one!
I love how you can look back on things and realize what works and what didn’t, and not to go back to that route. it takes a lot to not only open up about these things, but to follow through with them. I love reading your posts because you are such an inspiration to everyone who might be dealing with the same thing! Keep following your rules and do what feels right for you. I know that things that work for me aren’t necessarily what the craze is in the world, but if it makes me feel my best, it works!
Loved the first para, so deep. Knowing too much robs you of innocence, for sure. But I suppose it’s better to be informed than naive, right? You are better prepared, stronger, smarter.
I lost 20 pounds starting on weight watchers and then atkins. it taught me about portions and what foods are good for you, not atkins, of course. i don’t believe in extreme dieting, but i believe in eating healthy and enjoying all things in moderation and loading up fruits and veggies instead of junk food.
Amen to this whole post. I am so, so proud of you. To be completely honest, I am tired of labeling myself as ANYTHING. I just want everyone to associate me as being a LAURitarian and leave it. I have learned I can go one day of eating something to completely not eat it for a couple of days and I have to justify it to no one. I’m so tired of putting myself into a position of having any kind of food “rules” so instead of calling myself a pescetarian, I just simply want to reply “I don’t eat chicken/meat/etc,” because maybe there will be one day I will want it just to not want it again… And that’s okay, but not when you have labels floating around. Sorry, rant. Lol, but I love you and I am proud of you for your progress!
You’re my favourite Lauritarian <3
I’ve been in the trap of obsessing over health fads and it’s been a very hard habit to break. Distraction has been key for me. If I surround myself with positive influences – that is, family members and friends who eat at restaurants, try samples of food at the grocery store , and god forbid eat a slice of cake on someone’s birthday – I am less focused on my living my life as some sort of health saint and am able to put everything in perspective. (Should I have a salad at dinner tonight? Sure, but I’m at a restaurant with this really cool guy and they don’t offer any. I’ll have a big one tomorrow!)
I learned in treatment that it’s very common for past anorexics to become nutritionists, chefs, and dietitians in their future careers, even after they’ve recovered, so I’ve tried to avoid going down that route in order to preserve my sanity. Honestly, I would love studying nutrition or cooking for a living, but I know that would be playing with fire. I don’t want my life to revolve around food anymore – there is a lot more out there I can enjoy!
Knowledge can definitely be scary, especially when there’s so much misinformation out there. You read one thing and then you’re convinced it’s the end all be all and everything else is wrong. You’re right in that you have to take a step back when you start to get pulled in. It gets to be very overwhelming, especially with nutrition. There are so many conflicting views and you have to sift through which ones you believe and which ones you should chalk up to just plain stupidity. Thank you for this reminder! We’re all so wrapped up in the healthy living lifestyle that I think we sometimes go too far with it, causing unhealthy habits and mentalities that we never intended and may not realize are occurring. It’s always good to keep things like this in check.
I experimented with raw veganism for awhile too, in an attempt to improve my health. I was experiencing severe burnout and sick all the time and I thought if I just ate perfectly and ingested all these nutrients in raw foods that I would get better. But guess what? All that happened was that it wrecked my digestive system and my metabolism. I became more sick and tired than ever.
Then I began studying acupuncture and traditional chinese medicine and everything started to make sense. In TCM theory, raw foods are very “cold” and cold things can damage your spleen which, in TCM, is the organ that deals with the absorption of nutrients. (This is different from your ACTUAL spleen – it’s confusing but bear with me). My general body constitution is to have a deficient spleen, so I need to eat lots of warming foods to keep myself healthy. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how many nutrients I ingest, my body can’t process or use them! No wonder I get stomach aches when I eat too many salads! On the other hand, someone who naturally has lots of “heat” in their system might benefit from some colder foods, or at least be able to tolerate them.
All this is to say that western nutritional science tends to break down food into nutrients that our bodies need and teach us that every body needs the same thing. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing (hey – vitamin C cures scurvy, after all!) it ignores the fact that we all have different constitutions and not only that but we change throughout our lives. What nourishes one person isn’t necessarily going to nourish someone else. We aren’t the type of machines where the same input gives the same result every time.
Anyway, sorry that was a long comment! I don’t know if you’ll be looking at chinese or other forms of traditional medicine as part of your program, but if not I would really encourage you to look into TCM. It can provide a different and, I think, complimentary perspective on diet and health.
I’ve actually come across this approach before and definitely believe that it has its merit! I’m someone who does better on warmer foods too, so it’s no wonder my health suffered eating everything completely raw. Thanks for sharing, Stephanie!
Thanks for the post! And you are so strong to be able to hear about raw veganism and be in the place you are now 🙂
I can relate to your journey so closely! Over a year ago, I started incorporating more whole, healthy foods into my diet, and decreasing the amount of processed foods I ate. Sounds great, right? Well then I started cutting out carbs and meats because I was reading so many articles meant for people that were trying to lose weight. I thought I was one of those people when in reality, I was at a healthy weight. Slowly, I would decline everything that was perceived to be “bad, unhealthy food.” I would be over-aware of when I was full and truly hungry, and sometimes, I would let myself be hungry. At the same time, I was increasing my exercise. I thought I was just improving my lifestyle, but I was actually withering away. Thankfully, my family and others that care about me noticed before my disorder got really serious. I’ve always had trouble finding a happy medium in many aspects of life. My personality likes to swing to the extremes, but I thank God for such supportive, loving people and bloggers like you that motivate me and can share similar experiences!
I have the same problem with wanting to swing from one extreme to the other, but I’m slowly working on trying not to view things with such an “all or nothing” mentality. Work in progress 😉 And I think that one of the scariest things about it is that we truly -do- want to do what’s best for us, and a lot of the disordered habits we pick up hide under the label of “healthy.”
Could not agree more 🙂 As my dad tells me, “It’s a process.” Always.
I did that “lifestyle” as well. It wasn’t good for me mentally at all! Party on for those who live it and love it but it simply wasn’t for me. The same thing with Juice fasting… there’s all types of positive things about both but the fact is… they’re not good for me personally.
Once more you wrote an amazing post with a great message that everybody should remember [note to self!]. It’s so true that not the facts alone are good or bad but the way we use them., implement them in our lives. If we decide to use the information at all or be – as you said – blissfully ignorant. Even though I’m not following every trend – raw veganism? Paleo? fat-free everything? Not for me, thanks – I was tempted [for a day or two] by some of them before. I wish I was ignorant more often and not as easily influenced. Blogging – as much as I enjoy it – can still be a slippery slope for me. There are so many upsides to it, awesome people out there – yet also some ideas of diet and fitness that I feel I ‘should’ try but know deep down won’t bode me well. The guilt that comes with not following the trends, not abiding to rules every “good” and “healthy” person seems to live by is something I could do very well without. It’s about trying to find a way to look at this kind of information when I find it and simply dismiss it if I feel it won’t do me well. Still quite tricky for me.
I’ll go a step further and say that I *do* think that raw veganism is unhealthy. I, too, got entranced with it a few years back. I never did it full-force (or even close) but I got sucked into reading all about it and restricting a lot of foods. In the end, I felt crappy.
Like you said, raw fruits and veggies are wonderful and should be a big part of anyone’s diet. Raw veganism has a sort of cult-like following, though, that really tells me that most that follow it are probably also disordered.
Ahhh so much relatibility in this post. While I never did the raw vegan thing, I think my eating issues really started when I did the South Beach diet back in the day…that suddenly started a huge carb fear (umm, I wasn’t ‘allowed’ to eat any complex carbs for two weeks, how could I not think that they were terrible for me?) that took me years to get over. It’s hard not to get caught up in current trends when it comes to nutrition – every time I read something Paleo or Whole 30-esque I start thinking to myself that I should try it out, or I should have an omelette instead of oats for breakfast the next day, even though time has taught me that carbs and whole grains do my body well. In the end, there is no ‘one diet’ that works best for everyone. Some people function best on a high protein, low carb diet, but that doesn’t mean that I should do the same thing when experience has taught me that that really doesn’t end well for me. I’m happy that you’re able to take what you’re learning with a grain of salt and stick to what you know works best for you.
Happy Friday dearest!! <3
The Paleo thing has been a hard one to ignore for sure… but I’ll be the last one eating oatmeal with you 🙂
Totally chiming in on your little convo over here. But honestly, I just do. not. get. this Paleo fad. Yes, I’m called it a fad. It’s based off of what cavemen used to eat, right? I’m pretty sure our digestive system and basically every other “system” in our body has progressed since then. It just frustrates me so much seeing bloggers AND people I know being drawn in to all things Paleo. Food is for our bodies and our souls, and no offense to people who DO follow a Paleo diet, but I truly don’t think they are fueling their souls.
Just my opinion though =)
You are so awesome 🙂 Keep following your own food rules, I know I do! You are so right about knowledge. Now I am kinda driving myself nuts about GMOs… so I definitely can relate. But at the same time we do have to remember to be secure. While our beliefs may change, it is not something to drive ourselves crazy over. xo
Have you ever thought about being a teacher? Your open mindedness and caring manner are what we need in education 🙂 When I really got interested in health, mine ironically started to decline too. I thought I was smart enough to know what I was doing. I would try everyone else’s diets, but I would never try to figure out what worked for me best. Now I’m trying my best to constantly listen to MY body and do what’s best for ME. It’s hard but so so worth it.
p.s. I have a friend who’s going through ed recovery, and I referred her to your blog. She was in tears after reading your story and posts. Thank you SO much for just being you and helping me help her. You are a beautiful soul!
Awwr girl… you just put the biggest smile on my face. Thank you <3
I think especially in the blogging world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest health trend. We often forget that while yes, the majority of bloggers are healthy and could use the extra serving of whatever or dessert…they might be “too healthy” or too restrictive. It baffles me when I hear people (not you just in general) giving out health advice without the proper credentials…ect. I have a four year degree in health science and I’m in no means saying I know everything at all but I think it gives me a strong back bone for all parts of the spectrum. I don’t know I have a lot of thoughts about this working in the public health field.
There’s definitely a lot of people giving out bad advice out there, and the scary thing is that it’s not even limited to those who don’t have the proper credentials. I’ve come across more than a few RDs that left me wondering who on earth certified them. People are just prone to being fallible in general.
I think it’s way too easy to get caught up in diet fads and forget what works best for you. I went through a period where I was listening to a lot of paleo podcasts and before I knew it I started eliminating grains, eating wayyyy too much sweet potatoes and a whole lot of meat. While I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with this lifestyle I just felt like it wasn’t working for me but kept trying to make myself adapt. Then I realized if I just stopped listening to Robb Wolf or Diana Sanfilipo I probably wouldn’t think about it so much. Obviously that worked and thank goodness because “fauxatmeal” just doesn’t cut it…I like my oats and my bananas that aren’t just green tipped thankyouverymuch! Another wonderful post Amanda!
I totally get being triggered by information. That was exactly how I started my vegan diet years ago – I just started reading and researching and became so convinced that this was the only possible way to eat and be healthy and live happy. And though plant-based foods, as well as raw foods are great for you, I doubt that everyone could be healthy sustaining just on them alone. I am also a very social person who enjoys to go out and try new restaurants or cook with others and I truly believe that part of my happiness is not to restricting myself from certain foods that studies claim to be unhealthy and since unhappy people are unhealthy people and get wrinkles and nobody wants to have that, in the end I think not restricting yourself from anything is the healthiest way to live. Luckily this believe is deep enough to fight the temptation of dietary information and new studies out there.
I really love this post. And you too, of course. I never tried the raw vegan thing, mostly because my brand of restriction was totally calorie related. I was a BIG fan of diet everything, packaged frozen meals, and anything loaded up with Splenda. My obsession was with numbers, and I didn’t like eating anything that didn’t have a nutrition label. In fact, I preferred to buy my fruit pre-packaged.
I think that everyone needs to do what is right for his or her body and mind. I’m sure raw veganism, or low-carb, or whatever other cool new diets out there would be great for my body, but the entire pizza I’d binge on after a week on either diet probably wouldn’t be.
i think your title sums it up perfectly (though i did read the rest of the post, i swear 😉 )…it really is important to recognize that there might be benefits to certain diets/lifestyles/etc. but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will totally benefit us. for instance, i understand on a cognitive level that eating lots of leafy greens and lots of raw things is probably great for my body. however, it’s not great for me mentally to eat that way all the time because 1. i don’t have time for that and 2. i don’t LIKE those foods all that much. sure i like them enough to incorporate them into my diet but not to make them my entire diet. also i get fiber babies real easy and it makes me not that pleasant to be around when i’m constantly bloated. so maybe it’s not great for me physically either…who knows. i don’t subscribe to any food rules except try to be healthy and recognizing that healthy for me leaves a little (a lot) of wiggle room for cupcakes and cheeseburgers.
The distinction between what’s good for you physically vs. what’s good for you mentally is definitely a good one to be aware of. I know a lot of people don’t believe that cupcakes and cookies are part of a healthy diet, but for me they’re an essential one. I’d argue that the happiness and freedom they bring do me way more good than a bowl of steamed broccoli 😉
I definitely think it is important to listen to YOUR body and do what is best for it. One person’s experience and diet isn’t going to be great for you just because it was great for them. It is hard to make your own judgments about food sometimes because we are constantly bombarded with new info about what to eat and not eat.
This post pretty much sums up why I took a while in starting up K Weigh despite being qualified to do so 3 years ago! I used to be easily swayed with different dietary approaches and always wanted to try out different approaches which others had success with. While some did provide me with benefits, others left me feeling miserable. That being said, I don’t think I would go back and change anything- it’s made me who I am and also reinforced the notion that there truly is no “one size fits all” diet. Along with helping clients reach their goals, I hope to impart the same kind of wisdom to them and also help them to find their “perfect” diet, even if it might not be anywhere near mine!
That’s how I look at it as well. In a way I’m happy I went through all those ups and downs because it taught me so much about myself. Still, it’s nice to have all that nonsense behind me 😆
I definitely know what you mean by wishing you could unlearn some knowledge. Throughout my recovery, I used to find myself (and still do, sometimes) tallying up calorie counts in my head–now that I know how many calories are in this or that, it’s so hard to just throw that information away and completely disregard it.
For me whenever I have labeled my eating habits in the past as I always felt constricted. I felt like I was only eating these healthy foods and every other food was bad. When I started adding meat back into my diet, I felt like I was cheating on my diet. Even though I felt horrible being a vegetarian, I fully didn’t want to give up. When I starting eating meat, my body felt so much better. I had more energy, put on muscle, and felt 100% better.
When I became obsessed with nutrition and fitness, that’s when I was at my unhealthiest. The sad part is, I knew it all along…. I wasn’t one of those people that was in denial about what was going on. I knew I was losing weight very quickly, I knew that I was starving all the time and that it’s not normal to feel hungry 24/7 and yet never quell your hunger, and I knew that I was basically living each day as a prisoner. What’s scary is that although I knew what I was doing was wrong and stupid, my mind somehow made it seem like if I didn’t still follow those terrible and stupid rules then something EVEN worse would happen. It’s hard to believe it got to that point. I’m so glad I’m past all of that, but at the same time, it saddens me to think I spent over 4 years living like that when my life could have been so much simpler and nicer…
I know exactly what you mean. There were times where I literally felt like I was watching myself from the outside thinking “this isn’t what I want to do,” but I still couldn’t stop. Scary and sad, but I like to see it as a learning experience.
I love how relatable this post is on so many levels! I personally haven’t had an eating disorder, but I have had times in my life where information and knowledge and certain topics (not related to health!) dictated my feelings, attitude and ultimately my life. It must feel really liberating to be able to sit through your class and be able to resist those temptations that you once had!
I totally get the trigger thing. I need to avoid some blogs or websites, because reading them makes me think I ‘should do that too’. On the other hand, the more I read blogs, the more I realized, that we are all different and that there is no need for me to compare. Facing the triggers actually mad them lose their domination ad influence on my behavior.
I am so happy that you know how to deal with your knowledge and that you don’t let any triggering information pull you back into bad habits! Happy Friday love!!
I love your posts. Your always so honest and don’t hide anything.
The situation reminds me of the times when I believed I was a vegetarian because I thought that it could be my a good excuse for my avoiding meat and eating nearly only vegetables and groats. I’m aware of that it was terribly stupid and sick but at least I know I have an comparsion. I know healthy vegans and vegetarians and I can realise that there’s an enormous difference between avoiding animal products and avoiding food.
*you’re
“I can realise that there’s an enormous difference between avoiding animal products and avoiding food” <-- I love how you put this!
I totally agree with everything you just said. {obviously…] 😉 Anyways, yes, I think it is fine and should be 100% acceptable for each person to have their own food rules and rules for their own life. No two bodies react the same to foods or to nutrients so it is important to do what is best for you but without negating others’ beliefs!
Great post Amanda! Congrats for coming so far!
It’s definitely easy to get caught up in these fad diets or these supposed health food items, especially when they’re in your face all the time. I’ve definitely find myself getting caught up in it from time to time. When that happens, I stop and remind myself that sometimes those things aren’t for me and I need to do what’s right for my body, and not do what society is telling me to do.
Have a great weekend!
I think the title of your post sums it up perfectly. Every healthy thing isn’t for every healthy body.
I couldn’t agree with you more – it is indeed how WE react to whatever knowledge we aquire that makes all the difference!
In my late teens, I used to be obsessed with what I put in my body-counting calories and focusing on only foods that were supposed to be good for me-the “Cleaner” the better! I managed to stay a vegan for almost 2 years…but it just wasn’t for me – I became severly anaemic, was exhausted beyond comprehension and ended up having to spend a couple days in the hospital… I lived and learned…while I eat mostly healthy now and workout, I do have dessert and listen to my body and entertain it’s wants.
Great post Amanda! Hope you have a GREAT weekend!
I really love this post because it is SO versatile!! This can be applied to anything in life and it’s SO true! I really do admire you so much for all the things you have overcome and the way you came about to doing it. I also love your attitude towards the ED things that have happened and you have a positive outlook without having the “woe-is-me” mindset!! SO refreshing!! Keep on keeping on you knowledgeable girl, you’re an inspiration!
I know exactly what you’re talking about. In so many ways I feel as though my year as a vegan (not raw) was just my own way of ‘justifying’ my food restrictions. When I would go out to eat, or to a family get together, I could easily say, “I am vegan and therefore do not eat what you made” without anyone realizing that I was actually going through an ED.
I HAVE to go cold turkey, or I can’t do it. It is scary, but if I gradually stop doing X or Y, I crave it more, I find.
I also do this thing (in terms of working out and diet choices), if I can’t come up with a good reason why I do or don’t do something, I have to change it or stop. Like, I stopped being able to give a good reason for my choice to be vegan, so I started to eat me.
Recovery is a long process and I think diet restriction is just another way to deepen yourself into an ED.
Good on ya girl.
C.
As much as I hate to admit it, being vegan was my justification for restriction as well. Good for you for making self-aware decisions, Caitlyn.
Ahhh, love this Amanda. One of my family members is convinced that a raw FRUIT diet is going to cure them of all their ailments and I’m so, so worried about them. They educated themselves on the internet and are now trying to cleanse themselves on a “cellular level”. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Seriously though, what should I say to them? They keep brining up nutrition topics with me, but it’s more like they want to convince me that raw is the way to go, whereas my view is that, when you’re stressed out about what you’re eating, no particular diet is going to “cure” anything because it’s the stress that’s making you ill! Plus, the lack of healthy fats, EFAs and amino acids must be frying their brain! I just want to hook them up to an IV of fish oil and destroy their computer. Hahaha. If only it was that easy…
Gah! That sounds exactly like me back in the day. I wish I could give you some advice on what to say to them, but if experience has taught me anything, it’s that most people have to learn from their own mistakes and experience for themselves that something doesn’t work. Keep an eye on them and try to show them that you can be perfectly healthy with a BALANCED diet… Or just go with the fish oil IV 😉
First off, I really love this post. I think it’s great for you to share where you have been before and what your current views are. I, too, have had distorted ideas of what is ‘healthy’. After I really got serious about my health and decided that being obese was NOT the life I wanted for myself, I started studying up on dieting, exercise, healthy eating, etc. It was then that the obsession started and I really lost control…turning the desire to be healthy into being disordered. There was so much information to take in, so many tips on what to eat, when to eat and food to avoid. It was an overload of information and convinced me that I needed to try those suggestions if I wanted to be ‘healthy’.
Now that I’m working on recovery, I’ve had to avoid magazines, articles online, or websites that promote these ‘healthy’ suggestions because I know just how skewed they really are. Choosing to turn a blind eye to these types of articles and websites has been so essential for me to really get my head out of that mentality. Now I know, just as you, that my version of healthy is far different than that portrayed in those types of articles. (And that is OK!)
I couldn’t agree more about the importance of finding your own version of healthy. The thing about all of the info out there is that is that all of it will work for someone, but not necessarily for everyone. It’s fine to try new things to figure out what works for you, as long as you don’t get stuck clinging to something that doesn’t do you any good.
I completely understand! i’m the type of person that needs to go to cold turkey on my bad habits and just obliterate those factors (whatever they may be) out of my life 110% and focus on other things. its just how i move forward. it must be pretty difficult to have to face your triggers once again. it sounds like your head is in a good place though. like you said, its just knowledge. and you have more power than it does 🙂
good for you for coming so far! thanks for being so open and honest! 🙂