Why I'm trying to recover
I'm tired of numbers controlling my life. I don't want to count and calculate everything. Everything in my life revolves around being as small as possible, no matter what it takes.
I'm so terrified to deviate from what I do every day because I'm afraid any small thing could ruin it. But then I end up in a plateau, binging, isolating myself in shame, and/or burning out and needing to lay in bed for two weeks because I'm doing the most and giving myself the least and I don't get what I'm looking for anyway.
I push myself to do things I don't want to do, and I'm afraid to do things I do want to do. I can't go out with friends, I can't eat with my partner, I can't have a CARAMEL FUCKING MACCHIATO because I'm scared of how the sugar will affect my weight.
It's exhausting, I'm miserable, my health is garbage, and everyone keeps looking at me like I'm hopeless. My hair is brittle, my skin is angry, I'm a fall risk, my digestive process is unpleasant, and my periodic binges are cutting into my food budget-There Are So Many Reasons. The biggest reason is that I want to LIVE.
I just had top surgery last month, and I am so happy. I feel at home in my body and don't want to punish it anymore. At this point, it's compulsory. I do it because I feel like I should. It's been like 10+ years.
It's so hard to let these habits go. I'm still counting calories in my head, avoiding certain food and ingredients, and I'm still bodychecking. Every time I go to the mirror, I check everything. I stand there for way too long, looking at myself. I still want all the same things I wanted before I decided to recover. I still want the body I idealized in my head all these years. But I also know that it's not about the number on the scale or whether or not I can wrap my fingers around my bicep; it's about reaffirming my control over myself. But I have lost control of the situation. So I'm not going to frantically grasp at control anymore.
I'm going to (try very hard to) accept that I can not have complete and total control over everything all the time. Or even most of the time. Unpredictability is part of life, and starving myself will not protect me from future pain nor make up for what happened in previous situations where I didn't have control. Neither will substance abuse or self-harm. I have to find safety in other ways. I have to comfort myself in other ways. And figuring that out is hard, but worth it.