Finding a healthy relationship with food when you are surrounded by messages promoting weight loss is the challenge faced by a young woman who had lost more than 15 kilos in three months due to an eating disorder.
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“The hardest part of recovery is realizing that beyond the disorder, it is society that is sick in relation to food,” said Camille de Dorlodot, 25, who finished a eating disorder assistance program a few weeks ago.
Since adolescence, Camille has had a difficult relationship with food and low self-esteem linked to her weight. But a year ago, her obsession with pounds took a dangerous turn during a depression, to the point where she almost stopped eating.
“I weighed myself and looked in the mirror several times a day, I ate very little, for example steamed vegetables, very unnutritious things which did not meet my needs at all,” she said. explain.
Camille is not the only one in this situation. In Quebec, at least 10% of women between the ages of 13 and 30 suffer from a significant eating disorder, according to the University of Sherbrooke.
A psychology student, the Quebec resident very quickly understood that she had a problem, but did not find the courage to talk about it. She waited more than three months before seeking help.
“I didn’t want to talk about it because, in a way, I was comfortable with my eating disorder,” she admitted. It responded to the need for control and social pressure to lose weight and look healthy.”
PASCAL HUOT/ QMI AGENCE
A mountain to climb
In three and a half months, the young woman lost nearly 15 kilos. She ended up having the strength to talk to her psychologist, who referred her to Maison l’Éclaircie.
The organization, which helps people with eating disorders, advocates weekly group meetings. An approach that changes everything, according to Camille.
“Without that, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she said. “I felt a huge openness and kindness, I felt validated in my suffering.”
Organizing group dinners, where everyone had to accomplish goals to restore their relationship with food, such as eating a certain amount of protein, was decisive for the young woman.
“It’s all relearning. Where the average person sees a plate and says “I’m going to eat”, we see it like a mountain,” she illustrated.
Still a long way
After more than four months of meetings, Camille’s cohort ended last December. She is still in contact with a psychosocial worker from the organization and waiting for nutritional monitoring.
Her eating disorder continues to live within her and, if she feels a risk of relapsing at any time, she knows she is supported by her counselor. The most difficult thing, however, remains the view of society.
“I’m trying to heal my relationship with food and I’m told that I’m healthy and that I’ve lost weight. It always, always, always reactivates the voice of the eating disorder which says that losing weight is good,” she testified.
Helplines, such as that of Anorexia and bulimia Quebec (ANEB), are available for people affected by an eating disorder and their loved ones who are looking for help.