Short answer - NO! For the longer answer, keep reading... No shock here from those that know me -come from a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach to understanding and treating eating disorders; this is an evidence-based approach that is absolutely key when working with binge eating disorder, as these folks frequently (though not always) live in larger bodies. The medical community that is uninformed of the dangers of eating disorders and the underlying issues of what drives them, will frequently take a caloric-restrictive approach and attempt to just to produce weight loss without tackling the underlying issues of toxic shame and often abuse history in this population (1/2 of women will acknowledge an sexual abuse history as opposed to 1/4 women without binge eating). Taking an approach to reduce weight as the cure or use bariatric surgery in individuals living in larger bodies supports weight stigma and the idea that a larger body presumes a lack of health and should be changed. Instead, us CEDS-S folks will take a non-weight approach. We will focus on healing the trauma of the individual and normalizing eating patterns through the work with a CEDS dietitian. Once the eating patterns are normalized one of three things can happen to the weight - it can go up, down or stay the same. Point being that this is a side effect NOT the focus of actual evidence-based treatment. Focusing simply on weight management is a culture mentality that has largely gotten the person to be where they are in their eating disorder. If a weight management focus is taken without healing the underlying wounds, the person will frequently shift their symptoms which can look like turning to substances, acting out sexually or other such things. That is called symptom swapping and is widely seen in the treatment setting as a result of someone getting surgery to "fix" the binging without understanding that binging is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition, a larger body is not a symptom of lacking heath - that's a myth. People come in all shapes and sizes - that's a fact. Ultimately, people with binge eating disorder/symptoms are people first and they are suffering and misunderstood by the medical community. When they go to receive help, they are frequently shamed for weight issues and the 'solution' is weight loss products or diets. Dieting is not the answer and people with binge eating have often tried this dozens of times before they ever talked about it with their provider. Also - never assume you know what behaviors a person does based on weight. I have know people with dangerous restrictive eating disorders who live in larger bodies and those with serious binge eating issues that live in smaller bodies. You don't know a person based on their appearance. Assuming that is weight bias and dangerous! Contact KML for treatment that understands weight bias issues and focuses on you, the person and your behaviors - not your weight.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
OPEN DISCUSSION REGARDING TODAY'S HOT TOPICS!Dr. Kelsey explores the actual science behind today's "hot topics". She also explores deep dive behind some of her featured media topics. Come aboard to see the simple solutions to complex problems! Categories
All
Archives
December 2023
|