Eating Disorders

The Problem

• an excessive or compulsive consumption of food (bingeing)
• and/or getting rid of food (purging) It may also be characterized by
• self-induced starvation and excessive and unhealthy weight loss It may also show itself in any combination of these extreme eating behaviors, bringing with it strong feelings of being completely out of control. We may manifest inappropriate behaviors to compensate for our unhealthy eating behaviors, including, but not limited to:
• excessive use of laxatives and/or enemas
• frequent dieting
• an overall unhealthy obsession with body weight and shape

We may have believed the lie that our bodies define who we are, and that changing our body image to fit an imagined standard would bring fulfillment, peace, and acceptance into our chaotic lives. We may have jeopardized our relationships, health, jobs, morals, and values to ensure we meet these imagined standards. We may have used food as a means to control. We felt our circumstances and relationships were unmanageable. We compulsively obsessed over food as the one thing in life that we could bring order to. We may also have rationalized our addictive behaviors, justifying our unhealthy relationship with food as “health conscious.” We may be living a double life, secretly acting out, ashamed of our lack of control, ashamed of our bodies, ashamed of our destructive and irrational behavior.

We became disconnected from reality making true intimacy with God or other people seemingly impossible. Some of us cling to the false sense of control and power our behavior gives us. Some of us sink into despair as we cycle through the endless shame and pain that the disordered eating brings us.