Hi everybody!
I’ve started to write about eating disorders again on my SubStack platform so it reminded me to scoot on over to my very dormant blog and post again about the shift from here to SubStack.
In the very big likelihood that you don’t remember me. My name is Lindsey and I’m the author behind this blog about eating disorders, recovery and treatment which had a nice following from 2014-2020 … and then I bought a van, went freelance, ran about the world and honestly just stopped posting all together.
As so it goes.
Hopefully, some of you have been following along on my recovery Instagram, but for those of you who haven’t but still have any interest in reading/relating/sharing in my writing, I’m announcing again that I have moved on over to SubStack and I’d love for you to subscribe.
Free, paid, give a donation, I don’t care how you come but please join me in that community. (We’re already up to almost 400 followers and 350 subscribers!)
As part of the SubStack work I’ve launched a bi-weekly newsletter called ‘Food for Thought: Eating Disorder News You Should Know About‘
Moving forward, twice a month (bi-monthly) I plan to compile all the badass media that my eating disorder clients are included in — as well as articles I just find interesting and nuanced — and send them your way so you can stay informed.
That looks a bit like this:
THIS Huffington Post article by Ashley Broadwater on “The ‘Body Roundness Index’ Is Touted As The New BMI — And It’s Got A Big Problem”
Stemming from this recent New York Times article on “Time to Say Goodbye to the B.M.I.?” which speaks to how the Body Roundness Index” “BRI” has potentially become a keen replacement to the bullsh*t which is currently the Body Mass Index “BMI”.
In response to that article, the media has gone BANANAS with coverage. And in the linked Huffington Post article above, Ashley dutifully lays out how BMI has been criticized for oversimplifying health by focusing only on weight and height, while the newer Body Roundness Index “BRI” tries to add more data points, like waist and hip measurements, but still faces similar issues. Experts at Eating Recovery Center and Project HEAL and other eating disorder sources argue that both BMI and BRI are flawed, stigmatizing, and fail to consider the bigger picture, such as genetics, social factors, and overall health markers.
P.S. Don’t believe that the BMI is one big fat lie? (like how that rhymes?) Check out the following article on why BMI sucks, by Serena Nangia. And this Women’s Health article too, detailing the long, racist history of the Body Mass Index, written by Adele Jackson-Gibson.
Here’s a little “not too surprising” eating disorder research published on Nature via researchers King, J.A., Bernardoni, F., and Westbrook, A on ‘“Exaggerated frontoparietal control over cognitive effort-based decision-making in young women with anorexia nervosa”
This study in all its big words basically explored how young women with anorexia approach tasks that require effort, like restricting food intake or excessive exercise. Unlike most people who tend to avoid this kinda thing, individuals with AN seem to invest a lot of energy into these behaviors (ya don’t say?), even when they aren’t rewarding.
The researchers used brain scans to examine how these individuals make decisions about effort and rewards. They found that while people with Anorexia didn’t perceive effort as less costly than others, they showed increased brain activity linked to control during decision-making. This suggests that struggle with food and exercise is tied to an intense drive for control, rather than a lack of motivation.
For someone with an eating disorder, understanding this can highlight the importance of addressing these control issues in therapy, aiming to redirect that energy towards healthier goals and behaviors.
This Fortune article that I just can’t get out of my mind from August on “1 in 10 women are delaying motherhood because of disordered eating” by reporter Alexa Mikhail(side note: pls work with me Alexa, one day pls!)
Maybe it’s ‘cause I just went through egg freezing and a break up in which I thought I’d be preggo by now … but this one got to me as someone in recovery!
A survey from Equip, a virtual eating disorder treatment platform, revealed that 1 in 10 women are delaying trying to conceive due to disordered eating. Nearly a third feared how pregnancy will affect their bodies, with many feeling anxious about body changes and societal pressures. The survey, which included 700 women with a history of eating disorders or disordered eating, found that 61% struggled to nourish themselves during pregnancy. The findings also highlighted that nearly 50% of women with these conditions experienced infertility, much higher than the national average of 11% (ugh). This issue, as so many, remains under-researched and often goes unspoken, as many women fear disclosing their struggles to healthcare providers. Let’s change that.
Next up on the list is this week’s Women’s Health article on “Disordered Eating Vs. Eating Disorders: Experts Explain The Differences And When To Seek Help” by the fabulous Olivia Luppino
This one’s for all of you out there who know your eating is off but can’t put your finger just on why … or think to yourself “wellllll, it’s not as bad as X or X. I don’t do X behavior, so I’m fine.” (yes, I see you. I was once you.)
This article lays out some ways you can differentiate just what exactly is going on with your eating.
Frequency and criteria: Experts at Eating Recovery Center and Project HEAL note in this article that disordered eating behaviors (like purging) might occur, but not as frequently or severely as required for a formal eating disorder diagnosis, which follows the DSM-5 standards.
Impact on well-being: The article emphasizes that disordered eating can still have serious physical and emotional consequences, even if it doesn’t meet the threshold for an eating disorder. Both disordered eating and eating disorders can lead to emotional distress, but eating disorders often cause greater harm and life disruption.
Connection to eating disorders: It also explains that disordered eating behaviors, like extreme dieting or juice cleanses, can sometimes evolve into full-blown eating disorders if they escalate. (so keep an eye out on your silly coffee enemas…)
Here’s another I came across this week for TIME Magazine on “15 Things to Say When Someone Comments on Your Weight” from the lovely Angela Haupt.
Since we’ve all been there, I figured this one was apt. In the article, Haupt emphasizes the importance of not commenting on other people’s bodies, which duh. But it highlights the experiences of individuals like the beloved Tess Holliday and others who frequently receive unsolicited weight-related comments, sharing their strategies for addressing these situations.
Examples of what to say:
“I prefer if we don’t discuss my body.”
“That’s between me and my doctor.”
Outside of that, my intent is to pick up a bit where I left off. Except, well, I’m not really the same as where I left off. However, I’d like to write about the now and however that looks, which as of late is a little bit of this:
In 2024, I’m a van life, cat-loving, eating disorder, travel, and relationship PR lady & writer.
I’ve been ‘on the road’ in a van named Jolene since 2021 with my cat.
When not on the road, I’ve been living in and out of South America (where my Medellin lovers at?!)
I now enjoy writing essays and reflections on relationships, friendship, travel, badass ladies traveling solo, grief, and.. yes… eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, drunkorexia, ARFID, and more.
I plan to publish personal pieces on eating disorder news/research, expert source commentary (many of my clients are in mental health or outdoor fields) tips on to be a full time freelancer, and as always … a lot of snippets about the bittersweetness of breaking up & starting over.
For example, this week I wrote about how egg freezing this summer actually had a surprising (positive) effect on my eating disorder.
I’d love to see you over on this other side of the internet.
As always, thanks for all the years. I cherish each of you.
