How many of you gained weight during your child’s journey to recovery?
In my experience, in an attempt to demonstrate good eating behaviors, releasing control around food and the obsession around how we look, I gained weight. I wish I could tell you by how much, but the scale is locked in our safe box, as ironic as that may sound. My best estimate is that I went up by three sizes.
One year after our journey started, I decided to take a pause, and ask myself if this was the right strategy. By all means, the answer is, “Yes!” . Some people may argue that each individual has their own dietary needs. Therefore, a diet suitable for a teen is not a diet suitable for their middle-aged parents. This is all true, but when dealing with an eating disorder, role modelling is more powerful than empty words.
I realized that by being a role model, the eating disorder can be alleviated to some extent by taking the following actions:
- Exhibiting self-care, and self-love
- Establishing three meals a day as a life standard
- Showing that good health can be achieved without food restriction
- Not labelling food as “good” or “bad.” Eating foods like brownies, ice cream, or pizza is allowed.
- Not feeling guilty after eating, or needing to exercise to earn or burn food or calories
- Accepting others in all body shapes and all body sizes – fat is not an insult
- Not complaining about excessive food, weight gain, or diets
Learning to feel secure in your own body, no matter its state, can assist your child in their recovery.