3 things that did not happen when I ate a burger
This evening I decided to go grab a burger with my friend Allie - something that would’ve been unimaginable to me just a few years ago.
I realize that a lot of the fear that I felt around eating certain foods was rooted in a series of unchallenged assumptions, which I found were incredibly flawed when I looked closer.
In this post, I share a few of the things that did NOT happen when I faced my food fears - assumptions that had prevented me from fully living life, but that I know I will no longer allow to hold me back.
1. THE “FOOD POLICE” DID NOT ARRIVE.
During my disorder, my mind was constantly plagued with fears of judgment. Today I have acknowledged that cruel voices do not belong in my mind, and judgmental people do not belong in my life.
2. MY BODY DID NOT FEEL TERRIBLE.
It is so important to realize that many of the negative outcomes that we have come to associate with the consumption of “unhealthy” foods is ALL IN OUR HEADS. More and more studies have discovered the “no-cebo” effect, which describes negative sensations that we may feel purely because we EXPECT to feel to feel bad. Preparing myself for a FREAKING AWESOME experience provided me with just that: a freaking awesome experience 😉😉
3. I DID NOT FEEL FULL ENOUGH AFTERWARDS (so I had a snack 😛).
What we eat and how much we eat at a given meal has no impact whatsoever on what we are allowed to eat later. Realizing that my body might need more than I thought I “should have” and wholeheartedly accepting that reality has been incredibly healing for me. Our bodies are not machines. They don’t play by society’s rules. They’re rebels, and that’s pretty cool 😎 (There’s an impromptu poem for ya!! 😜😂) .
**Final note: Building up to facing this fear was not an overnight feat. It took countless meals with loved ones, many journaling entries and numerous moments of unlearning. But what matters is that this day came, and I’m living proof that recovery from an eating disorder is 200% possible. Commit, and go for it! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🥳🥳