Being Body Positive When You Have Binge Eating Disorder

Staying body positive when you have binge eating disorder can be difficult. I have binge eating disorder and it has hugely impacted what my body looks like and how I feel about it. I have starved myself to 160 pounds, I have binged myself to 315 pounds, and I currently sit at a comfortable 210 pounds after gastric sleeve weight loss surgery and a lot of education about health and self-acceptance. I'm doing my best to be body positive in spite of binge eating disorder.

What Does It Mean to be Body Positive with Binge Eating Disorder?

What does it mean to be body positive when you have binge eating disorder? For me, it means taking ownership of my body and my eating disorder. It means finding empowerment in the fact that I am living and dealing with a disease and always striving to be healthier and more comfortable in my own skin. It means not hiding what I have or who I am or what my body looks like for fear of body shaming or body policing.

I have a body and I have binge eating disorder and the latter greatly affects the former. Binge eating disorder is something I will have for the rest of my life, as is my body. As I triumph, grow, and struggle with my disease, my body will change along with it. Whatever form I am currently in is okay. I reject my natural inclination toward toxic thoughts about my body. My body is not "good" if it gets smaller or "bad" if it gets larger. It doesn't need the approval of other people or to be objectified as attractive to others.

How Can You Be More Body Positive?

It's not easy to be body positive when you have binge eating disorder or any other eating disorder. I started by ending the war I was waging on myself. I told myself my body is not my enemy. It doesn't deserve punishment for gaining weight and punishment to lose weight and rewards only if it is accepted by other people.

I accepted that my body has physical limitations and genetics play a massive part in what my body looks like and how it reacts to things. I allowed my body to be human and have flaws and not only accept the flaws, but love them. So often the message sent through popular culture is that it's okay to love your body only if your body is conventionally attractive. It takes a lot to see beauty in what society announces it's not acceptable.

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