This blog comes from a recent Facebook post that got quite a big response on my profile page, so I wanted to share it, in service of anyone who is struggling and feeling misunderstood…
Time to bust a few myths that are hurting a lot of folks.
1. Not all food addicts are fat. And if I hear from one more person who, after asking me how I got into helping high achievers get free from food addiction tell me, “wow, well you look great NOW!” I’m gonna scream. How you look on the outside has little to do with the insanity that goes on on the inside when you’re struggling with addiction. Just ask any high functioning alcoholic. At the peak of my food addiction, I was actually a health and fitness expert, and looked like the picture of health.
Which brings me to the next myth I want to bust.
2. If someone who is not very overweight admits to having constant food obsession, not being able to be present, binging even though he/she knows better, feeling uncomfortable in his/her skin and struggling with anxiety all the time, you do not have permission to say, “oh quite complaining, you look fine!” Those words
, although they are meant to be helpful, are daggers to a person’s truth. That person is NOT fine. They are struggling. And from personal experience, being invalidated for your experience like that creates a whole new level of shame, make wrong, embarrassment and self doubt that can send you into deeper cycles of addiction.
N.B. this example above is not the same as that whiny, bratty, attention-seeking thing that women do sometimes when we look in the mirror and say, “I’m so fat!” while
secretly wanting someone else to tell us we’re not. That’s just manipulation. If you do that, stop it.
3. The next myth I want to bust is the idea that all people who are overweight or who struggle with food addiction are lazy or that they need more nutrition knowledge or discipline. For anyone who doesn’t know, listen to me loud and clear. I have NEVER met someone who struggles with food addiction who has not read countless nutrition books, tried all kinds of diets and who is not right now beating themselves up, feeling guilty and trying to get it right. In fact, they are so obsessed about fixing things that it’s all they think about. I even know PLENTY of food addicts who eat organic, buy only grass fed meat and cycle through cleanses like it’s the Holy Grail but who still struggle in spite of all of their efforts.
Point being, you have NO IDEA what’s going on for someone inside. The way they look on the outside is no indication of the level of freedom, happiness and peace they have.
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
In fact, don’t judge anything ever.
Even yourself.
In dedication of all of you,
xoDeb
p.s. if you relate to one or more of the scenarios above and want to speak with someone who gets you, let’s connect. Message me on FB at http://liveyourlight.today or schedule a call at http://freefromfood.today