On Wednesday May 6th 2020 Suffolk County Legis. William R. Spencer (D-Centerport) announced a new initiative about putting the Town of Huntington on Long Island, New York on a “voluntary diet” in an effort to avoid weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that diets are not the answer to the collective anxiety and trauma we are all experiencing surrounding this pandemic. We simply can’t shame people into being healthy. A diet may give us something to do and it may feel good for awhile, but inevitably the diet will end and the weight will come back and the negative feelings will return.
Check in with your friends (and especially your kids) using this time during lockdown to get “healthier”.
This intention, while usually innocent, can very often lead to disordered eating or even eating disorders (or relapse of an existing ED).
What does it say about our society that some people are more afraid of gaining weight during a deadly global pandemic than they are of actually getting sick? I don’t know about you, but if I survive this pandemic with my health and all of my loved ones and I also happen to gain some weight, I’ll consider myself very lucky.
How are you doing in this time of uncertainty during the Corona Virus (Covid-19) Pandemic? If you’re having a hard time with food and body image or with your eating disorder recovery, you are most definitely not alone.
Beginning today, 3/16/20, I will be shifting all of my 1:1 nutrition counseling services at my Centerport office to virtual in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Sessions will be conducted via HIPAA compliant video conferencing or telephone without video.
Your eating disorder is valid even if you don’t have dramatic before and after pictures.
Your eating disorder is valid even if you didn’t lose weight.
Your eating disorder is valid even if no one noticed you were struggling.
Your eating disorder is valid if you recovered into a fat body.
