Taking a Bite Out of Life

Written by Molly Warren

With it now being June, I’ve finally completed my junior year of high school! Throughout the last month of tests, projects, and events, I’ve heard many of my peers define their accomplishments. While many of them described ambitions and future aspirations, some chose to define their year by weight loss and development of disordered eating habits.

2 years ago, I would just has easily have described a year plagued by anxiety, isolation, and restrictive behaviors around food. As most of my close friends know, I still resort to my desires for a small lunch every now and then, clinging to carrots and cheese like a safety blanket. Although I had begun on my journey to recovery back then, I didn’t learn the most important aspect of my journey until recently: give the good as much space as the bad. In mind, in body, we must embrace the parts of us beyond our disorders and struggles.

So today I choose the good instead of the bad and give you a list of 5 things more important to me than my eating and weight:

1. Being ranked first in my class (due to my grades)

2. Finding strength and pride in my body through movement

3. Building close relationships with my friends and teachers

4. Finding happiness and comfort in social experiences

5. Becoming a leader in my school and community through organizations I value

Now, this list is very particular to me and my personal struggles. But as we all wrap up this season, year, or leg of our journey, I encourage you to take a moment and think of 5 things you’ve achieved thus far that don’t involve your weight or eating. Whenever you’re feeling down, remember that these are only a small subset of your lifetime accomplishments. Fixation on food and weight should never overshadow the thousands of other things you’ve done thus far.

~ You are limitless and no amount of struggle can smother your flame. ~

About Molly

Hi, I’m Molly and I study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC. I am pursuing my undergraduate degrees in Nutrition Science & Research and Mathematics, with hopes to pursue graduate school. In her Body Banter column, Molly discusses her experiences as an eating disorder survivor, a public health student, and a social justice advocate. 

I am an executive board member of the Embody Carolina, an organization on UNC’s campus which shares Body Banter’s goals of debunking diet culture and embracing food freedom. I also serve as a Social Justice Advocacy Board Member on campus, where I work to promote awareness of eating disorders and mental health struggles amongst college-age students. I also helps to develop content for Banter Basics modules, which serve as introductory curriculums for Body Banter discussion groups.

I Banter because as many as 1 in 4 college students will experience an eating disorder while in college, a trend driven by widespread diet culture and fatphobia on college campuses. I aim to reshape the narrative around health for college students, encouraging food freedom and intuitive exercise over strict diets in fear of the “freshman 15”. A holistic view of health, framed by body neutrality and food freedom, is essential to address the impact of eating disorders among college students.