Controversial Topic Reply
BodybyPlants
Posts: 76 Member
I recently read a very controversial message board post that I has been on my mind and I feel I need to post my own opinion on it. The post stated that:
“They [woman with eating disorders] should weigh these girls before allowing them to enter the gym--they could collapse from heart failure and they're running 10 miles. I understand that exercise is about more than weight (heart health, fitness, etc.) but these girls are so frail that weight gain should be primary.”
While I honor that this individual is clearly stating her opinion and her intention is to hopefully help the women who suffer from eating disorders; however, I do not feel this is the way to do it.
I am currently recovering anorexia myself, and have also studied nutrition and the human body extensively at my local University. I feel that I have a lot of the facts about eating disorders.
There are many things wrong with this proposal, so I find it hard to address them all, but I will try. First and foremost, this proposal is not addressing the real issue: the eating disorder itself. Over exercise is just a piece of the puzzle, a small piece considering the disorder is psychological. Woman with eating disorders should not in any way be weighed before being allowed to enter a gym. This is taking away many freedoms an individual in the United States is allowed and refusing to give them access may not be helpful at all. If rejected it may add to the “I am not good enough” thinking of many eating disorder sufferers. This might be enough to cause restricting, overexercising, or purging to get worse.
If this were implemented and a woman were turned away from the gym, there are always other alternatives to burn calories. So, if she wants to burn calories that bad, she will find a way. There are DVD workouts, roads to run, bikes to ride, other gyms to visit. There are just so many other ways to burn calories.
Lets go a step further and say that this may be implemented but we need to decide who to weigh. Do we weigh just the thin woman or every woman? Should we weigh men? How would this effect each individual? If a heavier woman enters the gym and is not weighed she may then be upset with how fat she must be. If she is weighed she just might not come because she may be embarrassed by her weight.... So a woman who is trying to get healthy may be discouraged because she wants to avoid humiliation. I believe anyway you do it, it is degrading and humiliating.
There are benefits to allowing woman with eating disorders to come to the gym. For one, there is supervision. If they were to collapse there are people there to call an ambulance and deal with the situation. Lets say a woman was turned away because her weight was too low. Instead she went for a run on the trails and collapses. It could be hours before someone finds her.
This is just my two cents on this post. I felt it necessary to point of the flaws with this idea because it really upset me when I read it. I obviously did not address all dimensions of this proposal but I picked some of the bigger issues. I just feel there are much better ways to protect the health of woman who suffer from eating disorders.
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL WITH RESPONSES AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST !!!
“They [woman with eating disorders] should weigh these girls before allowing them to enter the gym--they could collapse from heart failure and they're running 10 miles. I understand that exercise is about more than weight (heart health, fitness, etc.) but these girls are so frail that weight gain should be primary.”
While I honor that this individual is clearly stating her opinion and her intention is to hopefully help the women who suffer from eating disorders; however, I do not feel this is the way to do it.
I am currently recovering anorexia myself, and have also studied nutrition and the human body extensively at my local University. I feel that I have a lot of the facts about eating disorders.
There are many things wrong with this proposal, so I find it hard to address them all, but I will try. First and foremost, this proposal is not addressing the real issue: the eating disorder itself. Over exercise is just a piece of the puzzle, a small piece considering the disorder is psychological. Woman with eating disorders should not in any way be weighed before being allowed to enter a gym. This is taking away many freedoms an individual in the United States is allowed and refusing to give them access may not be helpful at all. If rejected it may add to the “I am not good enough” thinking of many eating disorder sufferers. This might be enough to cause restricting, overexercising, or purging to get worse.
If this were implemented and a woman were turned away from the gym, there are always other alternatives to burn calories. So, if she wants to burn calories that bad, she will find a way. There are DVD workouts, roads to run, bikes to ride, other gyms to visit. There are just so many other ways to burn calories.
Lets go a step further and say that this may be implemented but we need to decide who to weigh. Do we weigh just the thin woman or every woman? Should we weigh men? How would this effect each individual? If a heavier woman enters the gym and is not weighed she may then be upset with how fat she must be. If she is weighed she just might not come because she may be embarrassed by her weight.... So a woman who is trying to get healthy may be discouraged because she wants to avoid humiliation. I believe anyway you do it, it is degrading and humiliating.
There are benefits to allowing woman with eating disorders to come to the gym. For one, there is supervision. If they were to collapse there are people there to call an ambulance and deal with the situation. Lets say a woman was turned away because her weight was too low. Instead she went for a run on the trails and collapses. It could be hours before someone finds her.
This is just my two cents on this post. I felt it necessary to point of the flaws with this idea because it really upset me when I read it. I obviously did not address all dimensions of this proposal but I picked some of the bigger issues. I just feel there are much better ways to protect the health of woman who suffer from eating disorders.
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL WITH RESPONSES AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST !!!
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Replies
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I don't think many would disagree...but why didn't you post this reply in that topic?0
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Thank you for sharing your two cents. I agree with you. It would be very wrong to weigh anyone before letting them into a gym.0
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I don't think many would disagree...but why didn't you post this reply in that topic?
Because I did not want to argue with this MFPer but I did need to share because I was very hurt by this.0 -
I totally agree. AND how do you know a person has an eating disorder really? People with eating disorders come in MANY shapes and sizes!!!! Weight is actually not even the best indicator!!0
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Opinions are like buttholes. Everybody has one, but you don't want to see it in the newspaper...0
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Wheres the TL:DR version?0
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I respect what you have to say. FYI. By posting this response in the original thread, you wouldn't be arguing with that MFPer. It would have been a discussion. Adults should be able to engage in real discussion. Point and counterpoint. Agree and disagree.I don't think many would disagree...but why didn't you post this reply in that topic?
Because I did not want to argue with this MFPer but I did need to share because I was very hurt by this.
Your statement is great. However, without being a part of the whole discussion, it's a little one sided.0
This discussion has been closed.
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