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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that MN is a haven for people with eating disorders.

154 replies

IPityThePontipines · 02/08/2015 12:44

On any food thread there are abnormal levels of fixation with certain food groups being "bad" or "poison" and an awful lot of people seem to have very unhappy relationships with food.

And before anyone pops up with "obesity crisis", I'd point out that we are seeing growing rates of anorexia and bulimia in the UK too.

OP posts:

Anniegetyourgun · 02/08/2015 12:45

Mm, chocolate.

unlucky4marie · 02/08/2015 12:47

q gaggels of people proudly declaring all the shit they've just eaten.

Original poster

IPityThePontipines · 02/08/2015 12:52

This is my point.

Why is food, any food "shit"?

The nutritional value of alcohol is pretty much zero, but I don't see it being referred to as "shit", the way certain types of food are on here.

OP posts:

SrAssumpta · 02/08/2015 12:53

You know what I actually agree with you, though I've been guilty of such posts threads myself. The obesity epidemic and general obsession with food and snacks IS actually a big deal but I do agree it's a double edge sword.

FennyBridges · 02/08/2015 12:54

I can't say I'd noticed. I do have rather a backstory with food as well.

Fauchelevent · 02/08/2015 12:56

Maybe it depends which sections you frequent because I've not really noticed this as someone with an eating disorder. I think eating widely, non-restrictively and having a good relationship with food is more favoured on the threads I've read but then I avoid the diet sections.

However the meal planning threads, especially Christmas meal planning threads are havens for my obsessive meal planning and hyperfocus on food!

SrAssumpta · 02/08/2015 12:56

Why is food, any food "shit"?

Well no I disagree with this, some "food" actually is shit and has no nutritional value whatsoever. It's absolutely fine to eat such things as part of a balanced diet but it doesn't make it less shit.

I agree with you in general though.

GGabcd · 02/08/2015 12:57

I think it's just a haven for people who like to moan. And brag.

About food, about activities, about life in general.

ghostyslovesheep · 02/08/2015 12:58

YANBU op - we need to be more interested in over all health not weight

I am about a stone overweight - I am however very healthy - I eat well and I exercise regularly

I know lots of thin people who chain smoke and eat badly - they are less healthy than I am

No food is 'bad' or 'naughty' - I speak as a recovered anorexic - the currently obsession with food and weight is toxic

HoneyDragon · 02/08/2015 13:00

Eating disorders are a serious illness. You are degrading the struggles sufferers have by saying threads were people express opinions on food are somehow enabling them or making it easier for them.

Spinningplates10 · 02/08/2015 13:01

Well I don't know about eating disorders but I agree there are a lot of posts on any thread about food from people who appear to have wildly misinterpreted something they've heard or read. Eg too much sugar in our diets is a problem gets interpreted as ANY sugar is bad so then you have people saying well, fruit has sugar and therefore fruit is bad. Uninformed and overly simplistic but unfortunately there are plenty of these people about both on MN and in RL...

squoosh · 02/08/2015 13:02

I don't know about being a haven for people with eating disorders but it certainly seems to be a haven for the competitively nutritionally aware. Someone will post about their kid's averagely healthy diet and will then be set upon by people tutting and giving dark warnings about the dangers of cheese sandwiches or digestive biscuits.

HoneyDragon · 02/08/2015 13:03

Totally agree with you there Squoosh.

PtolemysNeedle · 02/08/2015 13:04

Maybe reading certain threads isn't a good ditching for people with eating disorders, but what are we supposed to do - never talk about food, something that we all deal with every day, incase it has a slightly negative effect on someone? There would be no Internet forums if every topic that could be vaguely detrimental to someone had to be avoided. If there's a problem, it's the fault of the illness, not the discussion.

And some food is shit. It's just is. It's ok to eat shit food occasionally, but I can't see how it's helpful to insist that it's not shit if it is.

LilyMayViolet · 02/08/2015 13:04

I agree with you ghosty. When I was younger I was very slim and barely ate, I exercised constantly. Everyone used to say how healthy I was, I wasn't healthy at all I was just thin and I certainly had a dangerous relationship with food if not an actual eating disorder.

Wolpertinger · 02/08/2015 13:05

It's a haven for people with minimal understanding of nutritional science but absolute certainty that they are correct.

Totally agree with Squoosh

lastqueenofscotland · 02/08/2015 13:12

I agree

There are a lot of people on the weightloss threads who are very very light wanting to lose a lot of weight.
I think some people have no concept of what healthy is. I know loads of people who will just eat a plate of salad leaves with some shop bought, processed dressing for lunch and claim it's healthy.... Nope.

Viviennemary · 02/08/2015 13:12

I don't think this is true. But people are a bit judgemental over what children eat. And one thing that annoys me is when coca cola is referred to as 'full fat'. There is no fat in soft drinks or maybe a trace in some. And this lunch box policing is irritating with foods being confiscated from five year olds.

KittyandTeal · 02/08/2015 13:13

I have to say I agree. I avoid most food threads because I always find I leave feeling like 'shit, I'm eating terribly'.

As a recovering ednos sufferer I think I've finally hit a balance of good food, with treats and exercise.

Some threads with the carbs are the devil, fruit has too much sugar in it, juices are bad for you etc etc make me feel really twitchy about my diet.

I swear if I cut out all the 'crap' others think is bad for you I'd be back to full blown anorexia!

fuzzpig · 02/08/2015 13:14

I think a forum environment, especially such a busy one, can breed all sorts of obsessions. But I'll take the rough with the smooth, given how much support I've had from MN in tough times :)

Egosumquisum · 02/08/2015 13:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Spinningplates10 · 02/08/2015 13:19

Very true lastqueen many people equate eating minimal food for weight loss purposes with eating a healthy diet. Just not the same at all (and potentially dangerous if applying this to their children's diet).

Egosumquisum · 02/08/2015 13:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WorraLiberty · 02/08/2015 13:21

I often think that the holier-than-thou who can be found on every thread, telling people what they should/shouldn't eat and drink, are projecting their own 'dietary misgivings' on to other people.

I'll never forget the woman from a forum I used to post on. She crashed into every single thread, telling everyone they were eating wrong/exercising wrong and that fat always equalled lazy etc. In fact one or two posters left in tears because of her.

Then she posted a gif from her own photobucket account but didn't realise it wasn't set to private.

In all her photos you could see that she was at least a size 24/26.

I guess creating a slim online persona for herself was some sort of distraction.

Needless to say I take most of what I read online with a huge pinch of salt.

RealHuman · 02/08/2015 13:23

Saying "full fat" Coke is a joke... you know - humour?

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