Are You In “Quasi” Recovery?
“Quasi” recovery is a term used to describe the “in between” phase where you know you have made some progress in improving your relationship to food, your body and exercise…
However you are still stuck with many thoughts, beliefs and compulsive behaviors (via food/exercise) that you know deep down are not “healthy” to be doing. You don’t feel that you truly have food freedom and it can feel that you are “trapped” here.
If you aren’t sure what I am talking about, here are 7 of the most common behaviors I see with clients I work with who have been stuck in this place.
In your efforts to try to “eat intuitively”, you still find yourself:
Viewing certain foods as “good” and others as “bad”": This can also look like trying to maintain a “perfectly clean” diet and feeling superior when you are able to stick to this.
Compulsive movement: What and how much you eat is dictated by how much exercise you are able to do that day. You obsess about your step count, feel anxious resting and won’t let yourself take any time off working out.
Food occupies a LOT of your time each day: You also struggle being spontaneous with food and tend to plan out all your meals ahead of time. There often is a lot of overthinking, stress and fear when food plans change when you are not expecting it.
You are always body checking: Frequently checking your body in mirrors, stepping on the scale daily, taking “progress pictures”.... and this often dictates how much or what you eat that day.
You are in a subtle or extreme pattern of restricting/bingeing: Its not always a huge “binge”, but you are in a habit of eating less during the day to have a large amount of food at night. You have been doing this for as long as you can remember, and is a subtle restrict/binge cycle.
You live with a lot of “food noise”: You feel that you almost know TOO much when it comes to nutrition & health. You find yourself second-guessing what is “right” to eat and this leaves you feeling guilt from eating a lot of the time.
Being in denial that there is a problem: It can be hard to sit with the fact that you are struggling with this. You might also feel invalidated that these struggles are legitimate because you are at a “healthy” weight or have gained above your set point weight, compare your struggles to others who have it seemingly “worse” or surround yourself with people who don’t truly understand it (so it enables you).
How many of these do you resonate with? If you are struggling with any of the things above, I want you to know that these are REAL struggles that DO matter. This is very common to experience when you are trying to give up dieting or are recovering from an ED. In fact, I had a conversation about this with my past client Jessica and with another client Sarah - who both were in this messy phase of healing for a long time until they joined Nourished to Thrive with me.
The truth is, because we live in a culture that normalizes many of these things, just because something is common - doesn’t mean it is normal or that it won’t lead to both physical and psychological consequences the longer it goes on. If you ask me, another reason I see this being such a common issue for those who have a history of an ED or disordered eating is that many health professionals do not address the real things that need to be addressed to fully heal from this.
Improving your relationship with food long-term is not about just being on a meal plan, as it’s not just about the food. Sure, you could be on a meal plan or following a certain diet protocol as a safety net, but that will only get you so far until you realize how many food rules it left you with and how your entire day is now revolved around that plan.
The reality is…
It’s not “normal” to think about food all day.
It’s not “normal” to restrict your intake.
It’s not “normal” to binge eat or eat in secrecy.
It’s not “normal” to obsess about your weight.
It’s not “normal” to avoid social situations where food is involved.
It’s not “normal” to pre-plan your entire day around food.
Your relationship with food matters. The way you speak about food and your body matters. It affects you and everyone else around you too. And when you zoom out and take a look at your relationship with food, your body and exercise, it is worth asking yourself if this something you want to continue to be doing for the rest of your life?
I know what it’s like living with so much “food noise” and as someone who has lived through it and is now on the other side: eating intuitively without rules, having trust with my body to eat and enjoy ALL foods without bingeing or restricting to compensate, having true food freedom where I can be spontaneous with my family & friends again without food or exercise controlling my entire day - I want you to know that you too can overcome this.❤️
🌟If you are looking for more 1:1 support to making lasting improvements to your relationship with food, body image and exercise and feel like nothing has truly worked for you - apply for Nourished to Thrive and we can set up a 20 minute call to make sure that this will be the right fit for you!
