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Eating Disorders and Weddings: ways to cope
by Caurie Anne Putnam
One in twenty American women have an eating
disorder. That means, that while it is not often discussed
publicly, many brides are eating disorder sufferers. I am
writing this article for these women, perhaps even you reading
this, because I have been where you are and I want you to
know you are not alone.
I developed anorexia and bulimia in 1996. When
I got married on July 7, 2001, I was in the best place physically
and mentally I had been in five years. This was due to the
love and support of my family, a wonderful therapist, a great
team of doctors, and medication. However, I found that the
stresses of my wedding planning thrust my eating disorder
back into the picture. Thoughts of food and weight became
constant on my mind. I even had one day when I told my fiance
I would not eat a bite of wedding cake at our reception for
fear of being fat for our honeymoon!
If your wedding is approaching and you feel
your eating disorder asking to be invited, realize this is
normal. Stress and life changing events, even for a woman
doing very well with her recovery, can trigger disordered
eating behavior and thoughts. A big wedding related stressor
is the wedding dress. It is very important to realize that
wedding dress sizing is bizarre. Almost every bride wears
a wedding gown at least one or two sizes above their regular
size. When I realized my size four body would need a size
eight wedding gown I freaked out! I felt fat. I felt like
a failure. I felt like I needed to starve myself again. Then,
I realized almost every bride on Ultimate
Wedding needed a bigger wedding dress then her normal
size! If this issue is upsetting to you, keep telling yourself
- It is the industry, not my body.
As your wedding approaches, be aware of your
disordered eating and monitor yourself closely, if you are
no longer in therapy, consider getting back in touch with
your therapist or doctor. Make sure you tell your fiance and
anyone else who is supportive of your recovery efforts that
you are struggling so they can be a source of help for you.
Remember to take your medications if you are medicated. Take
each day at a time and remind yourself that if you do not
eat, for example, you will not have the strength to get married
and could end up in the hospital.
As much as you can, try to stay on a normal
eating and exercise routine right before your wedding - DO
NOT restrict your food or over exercise. Exercise is in moderation
is excellent and is a great way to relieve your stress, but
do not go overboard. In all the hustle and bustle of wedding
preparations, do not forget to eat, even an accidental restriction
may trigger a restricting state for you. Contrary, if your
problem is overeating/binging, structure your situation so
you can't binge even if you wanted to.
My anorexia was definitely "around"
during my wedding preparations, however, I dealt with it by
depending on my loved ones for support and realizing I would
be okay. For example, I always carried a can of Ensure with
me during the days before the wedding incase I needed instant
energy.
It is now a year since my wedding and I am happy
to report that I am doing excellent. I love being married
and my recovery is going well. I even ate two pieces of our
delicious wedding cake on our anniversary with no guilty feelings!
Sure, I have my bad days every once and a while, but I don't
beat myself up over them. I am at a place of happiness and
health I never thought I could achieve, but I have. If you
are not quite here yet, hang in there, you can be and if you
already are, congratulations. You are all very special women
and I mean that from my heart.
For more help with your eating disorder and
your wedding, visit UltimateWedding's own eating disorder
support thread - click
here. And, for eating disorder support in general visit
somethingfishy.org
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About the Author:
Caurie Anne Putnam
Article Source - click
here.
Do you want to get in touch with the author?
E-mail me and I will forward your information to her.
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