Same Disease, Different Presentation

Last night when I was on my way home in the car I received a call from a  friend who was flabbergasted by a radio show's topic of conversation about people who are overweight. She urged me to turn on the radio and listen, which I duly did and caught the end of the segment. 

Basically what had sparked the 'call-in' conversation was the story of Kim Kardashian's brother not attending his sister's wedding due to a fall out over his weight gain and - if the media is to be believed (which is a hard one I know) - Kim told her brother he was fat and the whole family ganged up on him. (I seriously can't believe I am mentioning the Kardashian family in my blog, but there is a point to this!!)

The radio hosts of the evening time show asked listeners to call in and share their stories of being picked on by family members or anyone who considered it was embarrassing that they were overweight.  Of course there were a lot of calls and the hosts, while listening to the various answers, did interject with 'fat jokes' and derogatory comments about being fat, at the same time as making fun of Rob Kardashian (RK).

Now, while I couldn't care less today about people's opinions of me, my weight and my eating disorder, there was a time when I cared deeply and there was a time when I too would have done exactly the same as RK - disappear rather than be seen dead in public the size I was. In the world of compulsive overeating that is called isolating. 

This radio segment made me realise there's a massive misunderstanding and negative judgement that morbidly obese/fat people have to regularly endure. 

Does the world out there seriously think people like me CHOSE to be morbidly obese?  Do you think we woke up one day and set out to achieve being 200 pounds overweight? Do you actually believe that we welcomed the suffering and life threatening health complications that accompanied the extra poundage?  Do you really think that we are just lazy and greedy, or lacking in will power, weak as *ish people who couldn't care less what we look and feel like?  

I am writing to inform you in no uncertain terms - we are NONE of the aforementioned negative judgements.  

We suffer from EXACTLY THE SAME disease as the anorexic/bulimic/binge eater and we battle with the SAME emotional and mental demons that come with control or lack thereof around food.  We have the same horrific fear of food and what 'it' can do to us, yet we continue down the sad road of self sabotage, despite all the knowledge of the eating disorder's detrimental effect on us. 

Just like the Anorexic, Bulimic and Binge Eater - the Food Addict/Compulsive Overeater is compelled to indulge in their eating disorder against every screaming grain of common sense in their minds.  When we eat there is an instant triggering of negative internal dialogue and intense fear over the lack of control felt. It is utter insanity and it defies logic.  

If one of the biggest health concerns recognised in the western world is obesity and all its accompanying nasty companions WHY in society is the level of respect and concern for morbidly obese people not the same as those who suffer Anorexia/Bulimia?  

Why do we all hear 'fat jokes' but never 'skeletal jokes'? I have never heard nasty jibes about anorexic sufferers' body shape or size. I have never seen anyone pick on a person because they are too skinny. I have never known an anorexic person to be judged by society as stupid, lazy, lacking in will power or weak.  

I struggle to get my head around these questions because I know that I am exactly the same as an anorexic person when it comes to food.  I absolutely 'get' where they are coming from.  We suffer from the same disease.  

Isn't it bad enough that this media mad world drives women in particular to feel 'less than' with all those subliminal, negative messages telling us we are not okay, pushing us to strive for impossible photoshopped perfection on the pages of magazines, without crucifying one eating disorder sufferer over another because the media decides skinny is more socially acceptable than fat?    

A 600 pound morbidly obese patient is as sick as a 35 pound anorexic patient.  Both are fighting for their lives.  Both have dysfunctional relationships with food and both are suffering from a compulsion to self sabotage that will end in their death if their disease goes untreated.  

Educate yourself people: Compulsive Overeating/Anorexia Nervosa = Same Disease/Different Presentation.