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RBI focuses on using expressive writing, design-oriented work, photography, media, research, and community input to fuel fat positive, body acceptance, discussion, and outreach. Our goal is to redefine the way we view and think about body image, size, fat, discrimination, health, fitness, wellness, mental/chronic illness, stigma, and other related topics.

We are constantly redefining our own perspectives, and therefore tend to write a lot about our personal experiences. Many followers and contributors are living with anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, depression, and a variety of other body image disorders or mental illnesses, so please be respectful and remember that health applies differently to everyone. Any and all potentially triggering content will be prefaced with a trigger warning.

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We are not health professionals. Any and all advice provided on this blog is supported only by our own research, studies, and personal experiences; nothing more.

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Q: i have a friend that's trying to starve herself to get skinnier. she has health problems, unrelated to weight, that she doesn't take medication for, i understand medication can be scary and there can be natural alternatives. & she doesn't try to eat healthier. i don't understand how i can just sit and watch her develop an eating disorder w/o commenting on how unhealthy it is. how do i begin to tell her that there are other ways to losing weight and that it's putting a strain to our relationship

Asked Anonymous

[TW: eating disorder]

First, I would not recommend bringing “other ways of losing weight” into the discussion at all. What your friend needs is support in who she is right now and always - she needs to own her body and herself. She needs help.

But she also needs to want to help herself. You can’t make that decision for her.

It is hard to watch someone you care for head toward a path of destruction. I know the feeling very, very well. After dealing with it in many ways and many different situations, I’ve determined there is absolutely nothing to do except show support, explain your thoughts, express your feelings, and urge that they seek help.

I am obviously not a professional but if she is starving herself to lose weight and denying care for medical conditions, that tells me she may have a mental illness. If she has an eating disorder or is mentally unstable, she is ill, and needs treatment.

Passing judgement on her for making unhealthy habits (not to imply that you are, but you might be, I don’t know) is not what she needs. She needs to know that she’s a good person - she is worthy of love, health, and happiness, and she deserves to be good to herself. And she can do that by getting help, because she doesn’t deserve to take it all on herself.

If she doesn’t respond well to the conversation and refuses help, you have to let her make her own decisions. Be there for her as much as you can, but not at the expense of your own mental health and well being.

It is hard. I wish I had a better answer.

7 notes

\This was posted 8 months ago
zThis has been tagged with: Anonymous, Q&A, eating disorder, advice,
  1. redefiningbodyimage posted this

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