It sometimes feels like diet culture has permeated every aspect of our lives. We’re supposed to dress in ways that make us look thinner and work out twice as hard after indulging in a slice of birthday cake. If there’s a lower calorie option, it’s the right choice, regardless of how bland and unsatisfying it is!
But just because diet culture exists doesn’t meaneveryonewho wants to lose some weight is guilty of perpetuating toxic ideas. Below, you’ll find a story that one woman recentlysharedon Reddit, detailing how she had to shut down a friend’s girlfriend for making assumptions about her mental health, as well as a conversation with Registered Dietitian Kinga Balogh ofJM Nutrition.
This woman prefers to stay within a certain weight range to make walking on her prosthetic leg as comfortable as possible
Image credits:MART PRODUCTION (not the actual image)
But when she mentioned she wanted to lose a few pounds, a friend’s girlfriend decided she deserved a diagnosis
Image credits:Gary Barnes (not the actual image)
Image credits:[deleted]
“According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 35% of dieters become obsessive about their eating habits, and up to 20-25% of dieters eventually develop eating disorders”
To learn more about whether or not wanting to lose weight always means an eating disorder is present, we reached out toJM Nutrition’s Registered DietitianKinga Balogh, who was kind enough to have a chat withBored Panda.
While there are countless reasons for wanting to achieve weight loss, Kinga told Bored Panda that body dissatisfaction tends to be one of the main reasons. “Cultural influences, such as social media, have a massive influence on our expectations of ourselves. Today’s society propagates a social norm for acceptable and desirable body shapes and sizes,” she explained.
“Rigid eating habits and a sensation of food deprivation certainly make for a disharmonious relationship with food and eating in general”
“Weight science however demonstrates that 95% of people starting off on diets regain the weight they have lost within three years, where two-thirds regain more weight than they intentionally lost in the first place,” Kinga shared. “Bleak prospects for those wholeheartedly believing that weight loss only requires determination and willpower.”
In the case of this specific story on Reddit, Kinga acknowledged that the woman wanted to maintain her weight for financial reasons, but she is still placing restrictions on herself. “It is unfortunate that she needs to stay in charge of her body weight for fear of financial costs with a prosthetic adjustment,” the dietitian says. “As a result, she often forgoes foods that she may enjoy in a restaurant setting. Choosing salad and soup, while othersenjoy delicious back ribs at the restaurant, implies she is self-imposing dietary restrictions. Also, taking some ‘forbidden food’ from a friend’s plate to complement a light meal suggests feeling somewhat deprived.”
“It sounds like she is normalizing weight gain she would experience with an eventual pregnancy and legitimizes incurring a cost around prosthesis adjustment exclusively for that reason,” Kinga continued. “Truth of the matter is, that one’s body weight is not completely stable or carved in stone to remain unchanged over the years. Changes in health, mobility, hormonal levels, stress, sleep or starting certain medications can be some of the reasons why one cannot expect their body weight to stagnate indefinitely.”
Kinga says the questions to ask to gain further clarity around this specific case are: “Given that there were no financial repercussions to weight gain, would this individual still be concerned about maintaining her body weight? What makes weight gain in pregnancy acceptable above and beyond weight changes outside of pregnancy?”
“Rigid eating habits and a sensation of food deprivation certainly make for a disharmonious relationship with food and eating in general,” the dietitian noted. “Food preoccupation can set in, where decisions around when/what/how much to eat take up excessive mental capacity. The cost of staying true to one’s diet often involves foregoing social events, gatherings, trips and many more situations involving food. Such dynamics certainly can greatly predispose an individual to develop an eating disorder.”
“Being tactful, genuine, and empathetic are prerequisites to having an impactful conversation”
“Firstly, the family can gain confirmation of a diagnosis,” Kinga continued. “Secondly, studies demonstrate that interventions at the onset of disordered eating are more effective at achieving full recovery. This can help reduce the risk of life-threatening complications developed from untreated eating disorders.”
The dietitian also says that delivering an eating disorder diagnosis carries a lot of weight. “It takes extensive professional experience, genuine concern for the well-being of affected individuals, tolerance for complexity, need to collaborate with multiple health care professionals and on-going attention to maintaining a patient-provider relationship based on trust,” she explained.
If you’d like to gain more insight on this topic, feel free to visitJM Nutritionand reach out to their team of professionals. And if you’re looking for another Bored Panda article to read, we recommend checking outthis one next!
Many readers assured the woman that she was right to stand up for herself
However, some believed she could have handled the situation more delicately
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