Next month, from February 1-7, Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) will be a focus for many people. As the new decade and semester begins, people are susceptible to extreme dieting, new fitness routines and unrealistic expectations. New Year’s resolutions pressure people to change aspects of their lives and themselves. Reading more books about diets and exercise is one thing, but trying to drastically alter our bodies is a dangerous route to follow.
“New Years itself can be a challenging time where there can be a mentality around changing oneself, setting number-specific goals or feeling a need to compensate for holiday eating. So it could be a time [when] people are more vulnerable to focus on weight change” said Ali Eberhardt, a registered dietitian working in the Provincial Adult Tertiary Specialized Eating Disorders Program at St. Paul’s Hospital. According to Eberhardt, weight cannot be controlled by behaviour. Weight has many factors which are not in a person’s control. “If someone focuses on weight as an outcome they can often feel discouraged and rely on more restrictive diets to try to achieve change.”
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