Fact: Fatphobia Perpetuates Eating Disorders And Impedes Recovery

By Danceswithfat @danceswithfat

The eating disorders community has a serious fatphobia problem and it's harming people of all sizes. The Academy for Eating Disorders recently made that abundantly clear.

Moving to a Size Acceptance and Health at Every Size paradigm is required if we truly want to prevent eating disorders and allow for full recovery.

I recently wrote about the need to end Fatphobia in Eating Disorder Treatment and Recovery for The Mighty, so I wanted to share it here. Here's an excerpt:

"We prescribe to fat people the same things that we diagnose and treat in thin people."

The first time I heard this statement was from Deb Burgard, PhD, FAED, a psychologist who specializes in eating disorder treatment. As someone who is both fat and has recovered from an eating disorder, it resonated immediately. Even when I was being actively treated for my eating disorder, doctors were suggesting I engage in the exact same behaviors that those treating me were trying to help me stop.

There's a grave misconception in the medical community that weight-loss behaviors are a path to health for fat people...

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Published by Ragen Chastain

Hi, I'm Ragen Chastain. Speaker, Writer, Dancer, Choreographer, Marathoner, Soon to be Iron-distance triathlete, Activist, Fat Person. View all posts by Ragen Chastain