Question: How was the issue of food and weight discussed in your home? Was it ever a control issue or a point of conflict for you? How much influence do you believe your family has onbn the way you feel abut food and your body today?
Growing up in the Deep South (Alabama) in a single parent family with five children, we rarely talked about nutrition. We relied on fruits and vegetables from my grandparent's farm (which we helped to plant and harvest), and rarely did my mother or grandparents talk about health and nutrition. The basic, accepted way of cooking any kind of meat was "fried." The typical Sunday breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, homemade bisquits with butter, homemade preserves with tons of sugar, etc. As a result, I was somewhat of a "chubby" child, but never gave much thought to this until I reached adolescence, when most young women begin to think about their body image and begin to compare themselves to their peers.
My near-anorexia experience began at the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. I decided to lose some weight because I saw how popular and happy the cheerleaders and majorettes seemed to be, and I chose the then-popular "grapefruit diet." I was quite successful in losing weight (approximately 25 pounds), but by the time Thanksgiving arrived, I was having fainting episodes and had become severely malnourished, dangerously anemic, and near kidney failure. My mother still tells the story of how I sat down at the table to share Thanksgiving Dinner with the family, and then simply fainted at the table. Back then, in the 1970s, anorexia was a word rarely heard or understood, but, still, eating disorders existed at that time. I do recall my mother encouraging me to eat more, but I was so busy with school and work, and we rarely had family sit-down dinners at that time. She had no idea how to deal with an eating disorder, and I certainly had no idea that my attempts to lose weight would cause physical damage. I recovered well after several months of iron supplements, rest, and good nutrition.
When raising my own children, I always tried to stress the importance of a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Even though they resisted and still wanted to indulge in the popular fast foods, I still insisted they at least try the healthy choices first.
For any parent who notices a change in eating behavior: do not ignore the signs and symptoms of potential eating disorders. Even though anorexia, bulemia and other eating disorders are discussed much more frequently and openly now, versus 30 years ago, many families are unaware that a problem exists until the disorder is very far advanced. This is one reason I believe sharing "family dinner time" is so important.
Carol Martin
cmartin18@twu.edu
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Carol,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story. I am glad you were able to overcome your eating disorder and are now able to share your new eating habits with your children.
I have a fifteen year old sister who is currently at that same stage you were in High School. She is 5’3 and probably weighs 105 lbs. She appears pale and ill, however, she assures me that she is fine and thin not by choice, but rather because it runs in our genes. Yes, my mother is a freak-of-nature!!! She is 44 years old, 5’6 and weighs 110 lbs. She has given birth to 4 children and has no stretch marks.
I constantly talk to my sister and feel that she is being honest about not having an eating disorder. She is a smart girl who understands risking your health to look great is simply not worth the trouble. After listening to stories like yours I am reminded that communication is always key to help prevent serious consequences.
Monica L.
I grew up in Georgia where biscuits and gravey flow like water, I understand your food temptations when you were younger. It was great to hear you had family support while going through your issues with eating. Also, it's nice that fast food places have a healthful options for children too.
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