(Photo courtesy of Katie Noyed)
The average American eats three meals per day with one or two snacks in between. Many people look forward to meal times as they provide a break from the hustle and bustle of daily activity, and allow relaxation and socialization to occur. Sadly, this comfort does not encompass everyone in our society and even excludes those suffering from eating disorders. I can personally attest to this.
When I was sixteen, I first developed my eating disorder. I was physically active and loved eating healthy and applying nutritional knowledge to my everyday diet. Like many people in Bend, taking care of my health became a priority, until one day it became an obsession. In a blink of an eye, my interest in wellness became a full-fledged eating disorder- and one I did not want. My thoughts suddenly revolved around what I ate… what other people ate… what I looked like….what I looked like in comparison to someone else…what I weighed at 7AM in the morning to what I weighed a few hours later…. and so on.
No matter what I did, my thoughts were consumed by my eating disorder and they wouldn’t stop.
In 2013, I was a freshman at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and my eating disorder was getting worse. That spring, I decided treatment was the best solution but was astounded by the lack of resources we have in Central Oregon!
Though our community continues to grow and flourish, there still isn’t a treatment center for those suffering from eating disorders. This forced me to seek treatment away from school, work, and home. Despite having to leave our community, I feel grateful to have gotten help because treatment saved my life and showed me that I was not alone.
According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), “30 million Americans will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some point during their lives.”
I learned that eating disorders can affect anyone no matter what gender, age, socioeconomic status or race they are; it is an illness that doesn’t discriminate. The final message I learned is that recovery is possible and prevention is powerful.
Today, I am an advocate for wellness and living a life free from the stresses of eating disorders. On May 13 at the COCC track and field, I will be hosting the second annual eating disorder awareness walk with NEDA.
This will be a family friendly event with guest speakers, visiting treatment center representatives, therapy animals, face painting, a photo booth, music, food and more! To register or donate to the cause, go to https://nedawalk.org/bend2017. On site registration begins at 9am and the opening ceremony starts at 9:30am. Come join the fight against eating disorders in Central Oregon, today!
