about the bbc and eating disorders
tw - eating disorders
the other day i heard about a new tv show called 'the restaurant that burns off calories', which caused quite the backlash on the internet so i decided to see for myself what the fuss is all about. looking back i'm not sure why i thought this would be a good idea considering the title of the programme, but curiosity killed the cat, i guess.
the concept is rather simple - customers visit a restaurant and order whatever they want from the menu, as they normally would. however, next door there's another group of people in a gym who have to burn off the calories consumed in the restaurant. the amount of calories and how long it took to burn them off is then shown to the restaurant group before they leave.
right. so. the whole idea of this is just so incredibly irresponsible and dangerous, i honestly couldn't believe my eyes. the fact that a whole team of producers and whatnot came together to develop this and thought it was a good idea to broadcast this show is beyond me. all it does is send a wrong and toxic message to its viewers.
the thought of having to earn your calories is a widespread issue for people with eating disorders and nowhere near healthy or worth promoting. exercise becomes a punishment instead of a healthy and enjoyable activity, and food is no longer fuel that our bodies desperately need to exist, but a burden instead.
i've struggled with anorexia up until a few years ago, and although i'd now classify myself as recovered, even i got extremely triggered and had to turn the programme off because it upset me too much. especially in times like these, where there's an increase in mental health problems because of isolation and the pandemic, this show sends an irresponsible message to viewers that can become very dangerous very quickly. many people are on their own with no one to help, talk to or check up on them, and with no access to their usual treatment or even medication.
even after turning it off, i could feel myself spiraling back into my old habits - is it really worth having this meal if it'd mean i'd have to run for 45 minutes? do i really need to have dinner every day? do i deserve this chocolate bar even though i've not exercised all week? suddenly i was back to being my 19 year old self, running up and down the stairs for hours until to the point of passing out when her parents weren't home, only to burn off the family dinner later that night.
it took me days to get back on track and not relapse completely, and i'm still struggling to this day. recovery is such a long and difficult road, and it's so easy to fall back into old habits, especially when the outside world seems to be completely out of control at the moment and you're alone with yourself and your thoughts.
i've sent a complaint to the bbc which I'm sure they will do nothing about, but the whole thing disturbed me so much that i still wanted to talk about it somewhere.
the pandemic turned pretty much all our lives upside down - people are worried about their future, their financial situation, their health, their loved ones, their lives. airing a programme like this, not only right now, but also in general, shouldn't be allowed and i genuinely hope that it won't be continued after the backlash it has received so far.
and to everyone out there struggling - even though your mind might tell you the opposite (and trust me, i know how loud and convincing these thoughts can be), recovery is worth it. it's not linear and it's more than okay to fall down, but it's always worth getting back up and trying again and again.
if you or someone you know is suffering from this - Beat is the UK's leading eating disorder charity and it's there for you.
the other day i heard about a new tv show called 'the restaurant that burns off calories', which caused quite the backlash on the internet so i decided to see for myself what the fuss is all about. looking back i'm not sure why i thought this would be a good idea considering the title of the programme, but curiosity killed the cat, i guess.
the concept is rather simple - customers visit a restaurant and order whatever they want from the menu, as they normally would. however, next door there's another group of people in a gym who have to burn off the calories consumed in the restaurant. the amount of calories and how long it took to burn them off is then shown to the restaurant group before they leave.
right. so. the whole idea of this is just so incredibly irresponsible and dangerous, i honestly couldn't believe my eyes. the fact that a whole team of producers and whatnot came together to develop this and thought it was a good idea to broadcast this show is beyond me. all it does is send a wrong and toxic message to its viewers.
the thought of having to earn your calories is a widespread issue for people with eating disorders and nowhere near healthy or worth promoting. exercise becomes a punishment instead of a healthy and enjoyable activity, and food is no longer fuel that our bodies desperately need to exist, but a burden instead.
i've struggled with anorexia up until a few years ago, and although i'd now classify myself as recovered, even i got extremely triggered and had to turn the programme off because it upset me too much. especially in times like these, where there's an increase in mental health problems because of isolation and the pandemic, this show sends an irresponsible message to viewers that can become very dangerous very quickly. many people are on their own with no one to help, talk to or check up on them, and with no access to their usual treatment or even medication.
even after turning it off, i could feel myself spiraling back into my old habits - is it really worth having this meal if it'd mean i'd have to run for 45 minutes? do i really need to have dinner every day? do i deserve this chocolate bar even though i've not exercised all week? suddenly i was back to being my 19 year old self, running up and down the stairs for hours until to the point of passing out when her parents weren't home, only to burn off the family dinner later that night.
it took me days to get back on track and not relapse completely, and i'm still struggling to this day. recovery is such a long and difficult road, and it's so easy to fall back into old habits, especially when the outside world seems to be completely out of control at the moment and you're alone with yourself and your thoughts.
i've sent a complaint to the bbc which I'm sure they will do nothing about, but the whole thing disturbed me so much that i still wanted to talk about it somewhere.
the pandemic turned pretty much all our lives upside down - people are worried about their future, their financial situation, their health, their loved ones, their lives. airing a programme like this, not only right now, but also in general, shouldn't be allowed and i genuinely hope that it won't be continued after the backlash it has received so far.
and to everyone out there struggling - even though your mind might tell you the opposite (and trust me, i know how loud and convincing these thoughts can be), recovery is worth it. it's not linear and it's more than okay to fall down, but it's always worth getting back up and trying again and again.
if you or someone you know is suffering from this - Beat is the UK's leading eating disorder charity and it's there for you.
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