The scariest and most difficult phase of recovery which I had and still am having to face. Reactive eating is NOT binge eating. The latter is a symptom of an underlying emotional issue or addiction (which I will post an article about later on), whilst the former is a phase which every restrictive eater has to face when on the road to recovery.
Reactive eating is the over consumption of food experienced due to periods of undernutrition. Anorexia and bulimia cause a lot of physical and psychological stress. The body would need a lot of energy to “fix” the damage. Food is what provides the body with energy. No food, no energy thus no “fixes”. Damage upon damage upon damage leads to deterioration of bones, organs and neurological pathways amongst other complications.
Reactive eating is the over consumption of food experienced due to periods of undernutrition. Anorexia and bulimia cause a lot of physical and psychological stress. The body would need a lot of energy to “fix” the damage. Food is what provides the body with energy. No food, no energy thus no “fixes”. Damage upon damage upon damage leads to deterioration of bones, organs and neurological pathways amongst other complications.
Denial of sufficient energy, leads the body to go into a confusion state. Think about all the processes which the body has to perform each day. Let’s start with the basics; breathing, moving, cell growth and repair, hormonal control, thinking and talking. That already requires an amount of energy, so try to think about how much energy the body would require after years of food denial! Think about all the DAMAGE done by starvation and purging!
But the body is very very wise. Biologically, our bodies are adapted to survive. The human thrives to live and thus after years of suffering, instinctive behaviours kick in and the sufferer starts “hunting” for food. This is where reactive eating comes into play.
Imagine this; you wake up late and leave the house without having breakfast. Four hours later and still no food yet, but your stomach is growling, all you think about is food and if your boss assigns you another task you will burst with anger in front of him or her. You grab your keys and drive to the supermarket and grab as much food as you can. Back at the office you have just finished your last bite of sandwich. You sit back on your chair and you start feeling a bit uncomfortable because you have eaten so much in a short period of time. Now, imagine someone who barely eats a sandwich each day and exercises like a maniac or purges what he or she eats. Imagine what would happen if that someone is able to eat food!
But the body is very very wise. Biologically, our bodies are adapted to survive. The human thrives to live and thus after years of suffering, instinctive behaviours kick in and the sufferer starts “hunting” for food. This is where reactive eating comes into play.
Imagine this; you wake up late and leave the house without having breakfast. Four hours later and still no food yet, but your stomach is growling, all you think about is food and if your boss assigns you another task you will burst with anger in front of him or her. You grab your keys and drive to the supermarket and grab as much food as you can. Back at the office you have just finished your last bite of sandwich. You sit back on your chair and you start feeling a bit uncomfortable because you have eaten so much in a short period of time. Now, imagine someone who barely eats a sandwich each day and exercises like a maniac or purges what he or she eats. Imagine what would happen if that someone is able to eat food!
Reactive eating is not a lovely experience. It drains the sufferer emotionally and leads to a lot of discomfort. If the sufferer continues to restrict after the reactive eating episode, he or she will continue to experience such situations. I have been seriously trying to recover from my ED for about three months and I can reassure you that I still experience such episodes even though I look weight restored. I am still recovering and so I still experience water bloat, discomfort and weight fluctuations. Yes, during recovery bodyweight tends to fluctuate A LOT but it will reach a set point after the body feels comfortable to do so. It may take months, a year or even two, but it will even itself out.
Reactive eating is a symptom of ongoing restriction, so it is important for the sufferer to address the restriction in order to even out (and later, stop.) reactive eating episodes. If you are on the road to recovery and are experiencing such issues, never think of such episodes as binge-eating episodes. You are genuinely hungry for energy and all you can do at this point is to respond to the body’s request. It is also important to continue with your daily tasks such as, work, studies, socialising and exercising/training (under medical guidance). Do not let these episodes take over your life. Everything will be fine and as long as you respond to your body’s signals you will be able to enjoy life even more so keep on struggling. :)
______________________________________
If you enjoy this post and would like to know about my blog's updates, please check out my FB page and click like! https://www.facebook.com/echoesoffreedomblog
If you enjoy this post and would like to know about my blog's updates, please check out my FB page and click like! https://www.facebook.com/echoesoffreedomblog