Did I Forget To Mention That...

So, one of my biggest fears regarding recovery is symptom migration. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about....it's basically swinging from one end to the other. That being said, it basically boils down to me being terrified of becoming a binge eater. It does not happen to everybody but it isn't exactly uncommon either. However, in my attempts to stay on track and not swing that way...I've started swinging a different way. Towards what is now known as Orthorexia. (See definition below).

"Orthorexia – an unhealthy fixation on eating only healthy or "pure" foods – was originally defined as a disordered eating behavior in the '90s, but experts believe it has been gaining steam in recent years, fed by the profusion of foods marketed as healthy and organic, and by the media's often conflicting dietary advice. Like anorexia nervosa, orthorexia is a disorder rooted in food restriction. Unlike anorexia, for othorexics, the quality instead of the quantity of food is severely restricted.

"Orthorexia starts out with a true intention of wanting to be healthier, but it's taken to an extreme," says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson Marjorie Nolan, MS, RDN, CDN, ACSM-HFS, who specializes in working with eating disorder clients. "If someone is orthorexic, they typically avoid anything processed, like white flour or sugar. A food is virtually untouchable unless it's certified organic or a whole food. Even something like whole-grain bread – which is a very healthy, high-fiber food – is off limits because it's been processed in some way."

Orthorexics typically don't fear being fat in the way that an anorexic would, but the obsessive and progressive nature of the disorder is similar. Orthorexics may eliminate entire groups of food – such as dairy or grains – from their diets, later eliminating another group of food, and another, all in the quest for a "perfect" clean, healthy diet. In severe cases, orthorexia eventually leads to malnourishment when critical nutrients are eliminated from the diet."http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471029

 I am not claiming in anyway to be orthorexic. Just that I've recently become much more hyper-vigilant about the healthiness of what goes in my body.. Which is evidently concerning to my dietitian. In a way, I am relieved. Yes, it is a slight migration. Which is what I wanted to avoid but it isn't one that will make me relapse. I may just end up with more fear foods to work on. Yay... 

Today is the first day in ever that my dietitan said she actually thinks I am "in recovery", today even though my weight kinda sucked she still had faith in me because I am trying. So hard. And this just means that I have to work a little harder. AND TRY NOT TO CUT OUT MORE FOODS. (Sorry that's in caps lock as a reminder to myself.) 

I can do this....At least I hope so....

Stay Strong

xo Aria