When your life revolves around a strict meal plan, it can easily slip from a healthy intention to an obsession.
For some, following a daily meal plan is essential for their health condition, but many others develop a rigid nutritional regime because of their fear of gaining weight or their fixation with losing it. Society supports their theory that thin equals fit and fat is bad- this is a dangerous way to measure health.
If someone has become obsessed with eating only certain foods, now allowing themselves to eat others, and working out excessively, they believe they are keeping themselves fit, when in reality, they may be doing more harm then good.
When a person isn't diagnosed with an Eating Disorder, they can still suffer from Disordered Eating. The spectrum is wide and encompasses many behaviours and thought patterns. Dieting sits comfortably along the continuum near Eating Disorders because of its controlled nature- trying to modify your shape can only lead to disappointment, as our bodies don't like to be controlled.
Constance Rhodes lived through many years with a sub-clinical disorder, replacing anorexic behaviour with bulimic tendencies. But because yo-yo dieting is considered normal in our society, she didn't admit she had a problem for years. She was, like so many others, just "watching what she ate," not doing all of the extreme things that people with Eating Disorders do. So she thought nothing of her adopted lifestyle and continued on her way.
Constance now works to educate and inspire people to break free from Disordered Eating. She has founded FINDING balance, an organization "dedicated to helping people achieve balance in the areas of eating, image, and lifestyle management." Her book, Life Inside the "Thin" Cage (Shaw Books), succinctly reveals the thought-patterns of those who are concerned with staying thin. She would repeat to herself, "I don't have an Eating Disorder. I just watch what I eat," and thought it normal and praiseworthy to be so concerned about her figure.
The book has a wonderful insight into the mind of a chronic dieter and is a beneficial read for those who believe they just might have taken their diet a bit too far. You can read more about Constance and her excellent organization at: www.findingbalance.com, and well as information about purchasing her book.
