To us, there is a fine line between being thin and being healthy. Do we sacrifice some thinness at the cost of keeping our health? Or do we sacrifice our health at the cost of being as thin as we'd like?
Studies show that one can be underweight, even emaciated, and still be healthy. CR Society is one such organisation which proves this. Their philosophy is that, to achieve long life, one must restrict their calories by up to 60%. CRers tend to become underweight after a very long period of time following the CR diet.
The problem which arises when one has an eating disorder is that we cannot always objectively select the right foods (which tend to be things like avocado, apples, and nuts; things too high calorie for many of us to consider, or too bland for others) because our eating disorder chooses for us. That, therein, is the dilemma we afford in pro ana. We seek to control our eating disorders, and yet are always required to make plans for the fact that it does control us.
Food plans help keep us objective, by keeping food out of our sight when choosing the healthiest foods per calorie (what is known as “nutrient dense”), as well as only keeping the right foods in the house whilst simultaneously making sure one eats the same thing every meal or day.
This is not a health guide, so I will not be posting what to eat before a work out or how to lose weight the fastest. I will however leave you with one more thing: don't listen to the media. Don't let anyone tell you something is wrong or unhealthy without evidence to back it up. Always do your own research.
Think for yourself.
It's a difficult debate, isn't it? I agree with not listening to the media. BMI is a ridiculous indicator of 'health' in terms of bodyweight. My PT, an ironman and triathlete, is considered obese by BMI standards because he's short and weighs 85kgs. But it's all muscle.
ReplyDeleteI think it's about listening to your body's own cues as well. You know when you're sick. You know when you're pushing it in terms of health. Be pro-active, get your levels checked, and understand what your levels actually mean! Take an interest in your own body and how it's responding to the things you're doing.
And yes. Research research research!
xoxo
(Emily Ednos)