tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post6156924126346753099..comments2024-03-17T03:22:22.674-04:00Comments on ED Bites: Walking the line between health and obsessionCarrie Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569839838912988783noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-64897343945865612932008-12-18T13:08:00.000-05:002008-12-18T13:08:00.000-05:00In some ways, I think that society has always been...In some ways, I think that society has always been the arbiter of these things. We're social animals - we're pack animals. <BR/><BR/>We are programmed to respond to the messages around us - and it takes great insight - or, ironically something wrong with our connection with others - to stop listening to others.<BR/><BR/>And we live in a society without upper boundaries on "good" for many things: achievement, ambition, appearance consciousness, greed, even being "good."<BR/><BR/>Surrounding ourselves with healthy, grounded, well-rounded people is probably the best aid to sanity, right?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17219492984914810944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-70834158682253560552008-12-13T03:28:00.000-05:002008-12-13T03:28:00.000-05:00"But really, exercising more because you ate more ..."But really, exercising more because you ate more is really a form of purging. A socially acceptable (and even admired!) form of purging, but that's what it is."<BR/><BR/>I'm not denying that. I had a form of bulimia where I used exercise to purge. My point was that it seems normal at first and, yes, admired. If I were to say, "I ate a bit more than I should yesterday so I'm going to the gym today," people would go, "Good for you," and it all seemed sensible. The problem is, it's a gradual slope from there into disordered behaviour. I never noticed the transition that left me at a stage where I'd think, "I ate half the contents of the kitchen last night, I'd better spend three hours in the gym this morning and not eat anything all day." <BR/><BR/>One end of the scale is sensible and admired, the other end is obviously disordered. I don't think there's a fine line between them. I think there's a very broad grey area and no markers to let you know when you've passed beyond normal behaviour.fighting_foreverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03474931848950148066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-67359371738764922692008-12-11T23:32:00.000-05:002008-12-11T23:32:00.000-05:00It *IS* hard, and for me personally it often takes...It *IS* hard, and for me personally it often takes a 3rd party to point it out. I've been struggling with these issues so long (two decades now) that I've become very good at self-rationalization. I can't trust the voice inside my head so I need someone else to be the "voice of reason".Crimson Wifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254830856234479999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-11577094125859899282008-12-10T15:34:00.000-05:002008-12-10T15:34:00.000-05:00FF,But really, exercising more because you ate mor...FF,<BR/><BR/>But really, exercising more because you ate more is really a form of purging. A socially acceptable (and even admired!) form of purging, but that's what it is.<BR/><BR/>I don't have all of the answers to what's healthy vs. what's obsessive, even for me. Maybe especially for me. And our current climate just makes it that much more difficult. Grrr.Carrie Arnoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02569839838912988783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-71558511256348111812008-12-10T14:21:00.000-05:002008-12-10T14:21:00.000-05:00Anonymous Fan: I believe that although there may b...Anonymous Fan: I believe that although there may be some general guidelines that can indicate things i.e. up to this point ____ would be within the realm of normal verses this point & beyond ___ indicate a problem, compulsiveness, disordered, etc. However, I tend to believe that it is a very personal fine line. What is normal for me might be considered compulsive for you or vice versa. It's the general guidelines that tend to promote some people seeking perhaps compulsively that "normal" ideal. I hope that you find the synthesis for you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-51383309764340387612008-12-09T23:21:00.000-05:002008-12-09T23:21:00.000-05:00the funny thing with an ED is that it can start to...the funny thing with an ED is that it can start to get very confusing. . .<BR/><BR/>Do I like this meal because it is "safe" or because I honestly like it -- how to differentiate? <BR/><BR/>Do I actually ALWAYS like the flavours with less calories -- or are there times when I enjoy that 20 calorie difference.<BR/><BR/>Do I "hate" this food because it is disgusting to my ED, or simply a taste I do not prefer.<BR/><BR/>These are actually questions I have in recovery that are not black and white. I actually have no idea how ti distinguish my preferences from my ED symptomaolgy (sp!)<BR/><BR/>I think it shows how deep these disorders run in altering perception/behaviour<BR/><BR/>AAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-71035729266539472742008-12-09T23:11:00.000-05:002008-12-09T23:11:00.000-05:00Great post. I ask myself these questions quite oft...Great post. I ask myself these questions quite often. I can very easily cross the line with "eating healthy" and exercising. I'm always wondering, "Do I REALLY like yoga?" or "Do I REALLY like fruit that much?" It's hard to find out what I want when society is constantly praising discipline and "longevity-promoting behaviors." I guess there's no "right" answer. Some days, a walk feels like a nice walk; some days, it feels like an obligation. Maybe what matters is being conscious of intention.Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12524913753671188764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-25497759849653399902008-12-09T16:13:00.000-05:002008-12-09T16:13:00.000-05:00I've wondered the same thing on many occasions. Th...I've wondered the same thing on many occasions. There's no magic number of minutes on a treadmill where you go from "healthy exercise" to "overdoing it." <BR/><BR/>I think my problem was that what I was doing was perfectly logical when I started. If you eat more one day and then go to the gym the next, there's nothing wrong with doing a couple of extra minutes to make up for the day before. It makes perfect sense. There's no day when you go from being a perfectly normal person doing normal exercise to being someone disordered who exercises compulsively as a compensatory behaviour. <BR/><BR/>Everything's gradual which makes the problem so hard to see when it starts.fighting_foreverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03474931848950148066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-43372472989576709982008-12-09T15:49:00.000-05:002008-12-09T15:49:00.000-05:00I think that that was the biggest problem that I h...I think that that was the biggest problem that I had. On Saturday mornings when the rest of my friends were tailgating for a big game, I was at the gym. And I constantly heard: "You're going to live a lot longer than those other kids." Really? But like so many other people, I can't seem to figure out that line between healthy and obsessive...that line really is just "too thin."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561748834204284315.post-90399486618604386502008-12-09T14:53:00.000-05:002008-12-09T14:53:00.000-05:00Carrie - I loved this post, I ask myself the same ...Carrie - I loved this post, I ask myself the same questions every day. Am I eating this because its healthy or because I actually like the taste? Do I enjoy this exercise or is it just to burn calories? Am I deluding myself that by being healthier I will be happier? I would love to find that line between healthy and obsessive...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com