I am “Overweight” and in Recovery from an Eating Disorder

abstract, curvy shapes resembling flowers in a neutral colour on a black background.

I am in recovery from an eating disorder. Also, I am “overweight.” Just typing that sentence brings up an avalanche of mixed emotions. I am now what I feared and tried to avoid for decades of my life: “overweight.” At the same time, I am also in recovery: something I have fought for relentlessly.

My body has not changed significantly over the past few days, the past few weeks, or even the past few years. Yet, I suddenly became acutely aware that I fall among the millions of Americans categorized as “overweight.” All because of COVID 19 vaccine eligibility. 

What does “overweight” even mean?

What does it even mean to be “overweight”? It means if you use an archaic formula derived by a mathematician, astronomer, and statistician in the 19th century (that was never even designed with health in mind) and plug in my height and weight, you get a number that is above 25. Period. It doesn’t mean anything else. BMI is not a valid way to measure health.

Yet, bringing attention to this number and distinction as “overweight” threw me for a loop. It knocked me to the edge of a steep dark stairwell that took me years to climb out of. One misstep and I might easily fall down the path of destructive behaviors from my past.

As someone who struggled with an eating disorder for over two decades, the acknowledgment that I qualify as “overweight” felt jarring. For years my goal was to get UP TO and stay at a number that was high enough when it comes to BMI. Any time I had life stressors (good or bad) the eating disorder crept back in, and my weight slid down while my life spun out of control. 

Suddenly I found myself on the other end of the weight dilemma. Instead of “under” I am now “over.” It feels like my recovery consisted of walking on a tight rope with “too thin” on one side and “too big” on the other. And I just realized I fell into the other side. 

The real deal

Here’s the deal. My weight has been relatively stable over time. I don’t even know what my weight is. But my clothes have fit for several years. When doctors insist on weighing me, I ask to do it blindly. I smashed my scale with a hammer years ago. (And I highly recommend you do too!)

I have been trying to live my life disconnected from my body’s weight and size.  

While I do not know my weight, I saw my BMI on a form at an appointment last year and was shocked to see I fall in the category “overweight.” After wrestling with this awareness for a few days, I attempted to get on with my recovery and my life. That went well for a while. Until the state where I live started rolling out the COVID 19 vaccines. Initially, I was impatient, wanting to get the vaccine, wondering when my age group would qualify to get the shot. Then my state announced- you can get the vaccine if you are “overweight” or “obese.”

Suddenly focusing on weight and BMI, my mind raced down all too familiar roads I thought I’d permanently blocked off. For so long, I had resisted the impulse to even go down this line of thinking. Of numbers and ranges, categories and labels. In a moment of panic, I logged onto a BMI calculator. Entering my height I frantically put in various weights, trying to determine where mine must be now. 

What to do?

Questions ran through my head. Should I get the vaccine? If I do, will I have to tell people why I was able to get it? Will they weigh me at the appointment? If I pretend I don’t qualify can I somehow stop obsessing over this? But I want the vaccine.

I re-read an email from Christy Harrison where she answered a listener’s question about this exact subject. She advised anyone who qualifies to get the vaccine as soon as they can. For the second time, I read Emily Duke’s article about her experience getting the vaccine because of her BMI.

A heavyweight sat in my chest and my stomach tied up into knots. There was very strong resistance to getting the vaccine based on my BMI. I had encouraged my friends who were caregivers to older adults to get the vaccine. Why wouldn’t I allow myself? 

The stigma of the word “overweight”

The answer is simple; what stopped me was the stigma.

The pressure of the word “overweight” feels like a brick on my chest.

Suddenly the old parts of myself I hoped to have finally put to rest woke up. Not quietly or gradually. But more like when a fire alarm startles you from a deep sleep. My old inner critic screamed angrily at me. “You’ve let yourself go.” “You have taken this recovery thing too far.” “You’re a fraud.”

For days I walked around feeling like a black cloud covered me. Old doubts and insecurities crept out of the woodwork. Well, more like they came barreling towards me like a speeding train. Imposter syndrome followed these intrusive thoughts. They hit me hard. Who was I to write about and talk about recovery? Here I was, five years into it, and still hating my body. A body that is now labeled “overweight.”

The story you tell yourself matters

As I spiraled downward in my thoughts, thankfully the words of body image coach Isabel Foxen Duke rang in my head. Silently willing myself to eat breakfast, I heard the question in my mind, “What is the story you are telling yourself about this situation?

Admitting to myself the current story I was telling was difficult. Shame welled up as I acknowledged the script running in my mind has been: “I am fat, I have let myself go, and I am disgusting. And I only qualify to get the shot because I am a failure of a human being.” No wonder I felt like shit for days.

Desperately wanting relief from the weight of my inner critic, I began considering a new story.

Our stories affect our perception and well being

The responsibility to change our story lies within us. So I began working on a new story. It goes something like this: I have fought my way back from an eating disorder that I battled for over two decades. I was never healthy emotionally or physically when I was at a lower weight. I was not present in my relationships, and I lost my joy in life. 

Gaining weight has been a challenge that required me to become courageous enough to stand up against fatphobia. And to reject the cultural norms because I refuse to continue living in agreement with a false system of beliefs that oppresses so many human beings. Beautiful, amazing, caring, creative, loving, giving, joy-filled humans who just happen to be in bodies over a certain BMI.

I believe in my heart and soul that all humans are worthy of love and acceptance no matter their shape, size, gender, sexual orientation, or race. And I am one of those humans.

My story continues: I have been patiently waiting for a very long time to get the vaccine. And I desperately want to return to a more “normal” way of life. I want to eat in a restaurant, and shop in a store without an underlying panic to get in and out as quickly as possible. To enjoy Taekwondo without worrying if the person sweating next to me has a virus that could kill my parents or my children’s teachers.

The truth about my BMI

The truth is: my BMI has only been in the “acceptable” range momentarily. While I struggled with the eating disorder, my BMI was below the “healthy” range. I know, from experience, that I cannot safely control my weight to keep it in the 20-24 range. Because the moment I start “cutting back” on food, I tread a very slippery slope that leads me to a dark and unhealthy place. Alternately, the moment I nourish myself freely, my body goes to its natural set point weight. Which is above 25 BMI.

My overall health cannot be defined by a single number.

It includes my mental health. When I am listening to my body and caring for it with kindness and compassion, it naturally falls into a BMI range classified as “overweight.” But I am healthier mentally and arguably physically. At that weight, I can function. Able to be mindful and present, I find joy in life. At my lowest BMI, I did not even want to be alive.

By working to accept my body, as it is, I am standing up to a system that harms people.

I get to be vaccinated because I have chosen RECOVERY over the thin ideal.

Now I am a recovery warrior whose story is helping others around the world. No longer drowning in an eating disorder, I’m more alive than I ever was when starving and harming myself. I’ve found a job that is consistent with my life purpose and I am thriving

So… this is the story I am choosing to focus on.

To read more from Lisette and learn about opportunities to work with her in private coaching please visit her website here, or follow her on instagram here.

(Last Updated: May 10, 2022)

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28 Comments

  1. says: Shannon

    I love reading your articles. They are so well written and inspiring. I can’t wait to read your book!!

  2. says: Annonomous

    Amazing to read. I’ve had a ED for 11 years. I wish I had the courage to face and defeat it, but I feel trapped to not allow myself and enjoy life because I am in the mindset that I must stay underweight for others. I live food and wish to eat freely and not care about others opinions of me and my weight but can’t break the cycle. I’m soo tired of spending every moment thinking about the right food to eat and the bad ones to ignore that I have missed out on living and happiness

    I hope one day I can say I’ve recovered too.

    I’m glad you have and wish you continued success in your journey

  3. says: Tara

    Very well-written and I’m so glad you are “overweight” and get to enjoy life! I agree, BMI is total BS. As someone who has also been at various BMI’s/weights throughout my 34 years (22 of them in some version of eating disorder hell), the best times of my life have been when my BMI is in the “overweight” category- because I got to focus on LIFE not my weight or shape or calories. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so damn sad that our society continues to use BMI as a way to deem health with an arbitrary number and subsequent label.
    Anyway, I digress 😉 I loved this article. Thank you. I can imagine many people are also struggling with this right now!

  4. says: Anonymous

    Thank you for your kind words. I am struggling and at 33 years old I want to start LIVINING. I know I can just need to find the strength to ignore trying to fit in and just do what makes me happy

  5. Thank you so much Tara! You are so right- I have been the most unhappy at my lowest BMI and happiest at my highest. It is insane and almost laughable except at the same time it is mind-blowing just how messed up our society has all of this. Wishing you continued freedom ??

  6. says: Annonomous

    Thank you for the motivation. Who knows maybe one day I will write on here, detailing my recovery and hopefully inspire others too, how it feels like for a male dealing with ED

    Can’t wait to read what you write next

  7. says: Anonymous

    I have re read this article, and have decided that I will now start my recovery journey. I have the support of a amazing family and a small but supportive group of friends. Need to live for myself, and enjoy life. No more starving myself to sleep, hurting myself just for ‘acceptance’ from an ill minded society. It’s my life and I will be happy

    Once again love the article. I will start a blog and I hope you read it one day

    Stay amazing

  8. says: Carolyn Davis

    My fourteen year old granddaughter is experiencing an eating disorder. I was wondering if you can suggest any thing I can do to help her, as I feel so helpless. I have been writing her letters and including things that I feel are encouraging and helpful from this site, and I text her every morning and evening to let her know I am here for her; but am willing to do any and every thing I can do to help her.

  9. says: Anonymous

    As someone who began restriction for the purpose of losing weight from being morbidly obese my entire life this hit so close to home. I’ve been struggling in recovery for about a year and per BMI am still considered obese even after losing 170 lbs in a years time from anorexia. My therapist and nutritionist often tell me how much BMI is not realistic but I struggle to break free from the stigma that I’m still the fat girl and always will be if I stay in recovery. Thank you for helping me feel less alone

  10. Thank you so much for reading and for commenting. Recovering in our weight obsessed and fatphobic world is so incredibly hard…. it’s even harder when you recover into a body our society deems as “too big.” It takes so much strength to choose recovery. I’m so glad you feel less alone in this. Sending you warrior strength and love. ❤️

  11. says: Bazoocam USA

    We reread this article and decided that we need to support those who are just beginning their journey of recovery. To be one family and make sure everyone can live for themselves and enjoy life without the need to starve themselves and hurt themselves just for the “recognition” from a bad-minded society. We need to become the kind of society that will support rather than oppress.

  12. says: L

    I saw my weight for the first time in about three years today and learned that I’m “overweight” – and almost twice what I weighed at the low point of my anorexia, which nearly killed me. I feel so impossibly isolated with this experience. Reading your story, I’m crying so hard I can’t see, and I feel relieved about everything.

  13. says: Lisette

    I’m so sorry that you saw your weight and had such an intense reaction. I can relate so much to the fear and panic at realizing how much larger your are now than when you were sick. I’m so glad that you found this article and that it helped to read it. Recovery is so worth everything it takes to get and STAY here. Since my writing resontated with you- please feel free to check out my website: http://www.lisettehoschek.com 💖

  14. says: Natalija Fijacko

    Thank you so much for sharing your story! I’ve gone through a very similar struggle and needed to read this today as a reminder that I’m going great, despite how I feel about my body. I too struggled with anorexia, I was unhappy with many aspects of my life, I felt lost, anxious, scared, disconnected, and didn’t really know me at all. Four years later and I’ve healed tremendously in all areas of my life. I found a career I love, I have a beautiful life, I’ve set much-needed boundaries with families and co-workers, I’m more present than ever, and I’m technically considered overweight.

    My mom is anorexic and when I was skinny (and sick) she would always complement me by saying I look good. Now that I’ve gained weight, she tells me (and all of our family) that she’s constantly worried about me and thinks I might be depressed, even after I’ve let her know repeatedly that I’m happier and more content than ever. It’s no wonder I (and many others I imagine) struggle with their weight and self-acceptance when we have a barrage of messages telling us thin = good, thin = healthy, thin = happy. Of course, I’d love to lose a bit more weight so that I can feel a bit lighter physically and have a bit more energy. I’m working on that. But it’s a dangerous mindset for me to want to lose weight because I need to in order to be loved and accepted, and I feel for those still in that struggle…myself included. I look back at pictures of myself when I was sick, and I barely recognize myself. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and wish my mom would complement that, instead of worry about my weight gain. But she’s in her disease and I recognize that.

    Thank you for breaking the mold and sharing so honestly!

  15. says: Lisette

    Thank you so much for reading and for your comments Natalija. You’re so right- it can be incredibly difficult to recover into a body that is “larger” while living in such a fatphobic world. I’m so sorry to hear that your mother is still in it and not able to see your truth- that you are in a much healthier more free place now. It sounds like you have done a tremendous amount of work on your healing journey and that’s amazing.

    I can totally relate to the feeling of wanting to “lose a little weight to feel lighter.” It’s so interesting to me how deep our fatphobia runs. I rarely ever hear anyone talk about the ways they felt uncomfortable when their body was under it’s set point weight (myself included). Never have I heard someone say “I need to gain some weight so my anxiety will calm down, so I won’t be cold all the time, or so my bones don’t hurt when I sit in a wooden chair.” But the truth is our bodies have so many discomforts when we’re starving ourselves. Because of fatphobia we tend to ignore or brush those off because thinness earns us privilege. Yet any discomfort we feel when we’re in a larger body we immediately blame on our weight. Recovery is such a long process with so many layers. Working through them leads to real deep true recovery. Because the truth is- we can’t fully heal and stay in real recovery until we let go of trying to control our body size in any way.

    If you haven’t already, please check out my website. You can click on my picture next to my name above to get to it. Sending you tons of warrior love and strength as you continue this journey. 💖

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