Theory: Fats suffer from the ED of "Reverse Anorexia" & Why they want to be Anorexic After reading another thread about a fat trying to get diagnosed with anorexia in relation to people who actually have EDs this idea popped into my head that I figured would be best discussed on its on thread. First, I would like to thank everyone on this board who shared their stories about battling EDs, and wish them all well on their roads to recover! There is a running theme on this board that fats must suffer from some form of mental disorder, especially the absolutely huge ones(how do you let yourself get to 300+ pounds?). I thought about it for a bit and came up with this theory. Now, I'm not a doctor, even though I occasionally play one in real life, but I would love to hear from some of the medical professionals in the room if this theory holds any water. Could it be that fats suffer from an ED for lack of a better term be called "Reverse Anorexia"? They are desperately afraid of being too skinny, just like an anorexic is desperately afraid of being too fat. Let's look at the facts: People suffering from ED exhibit a lot of behavior similar to fats, but in reverse. Their caloric intake is constantly on their minds, they know what it is doing to their bodies, but can't stop. They lie about what they eat and their behaviors: "Oh. I had a big lunch today so I'm not really hungry," or "Oh yeah...I threw up I've been battling a stomach virus all week. I didn't think you heard me in the bathroom." They think people are judging them and trying to get them fat by eating more. They seek validation for their issues not related to it being a medical problem. Such as find pro anorexic support groups, "You're not too skinny. You're just fine. All you need to eat is a carrot a day." They don't want outside help. And, when they do get outside help they are shunned from the group. Now, let's look at fats. All fats think about is food and how much or how little they are eating. They know what it's doing to their bodies and choose to ignore it. They lie about how much they eat "This is my only meal today so I deserve 3 cheeseburgers," or "You don't understand I was at the gym and needed this milkshake." They think people are judging them for how much and how they eat. They think that friends and relatives are purposely trying to make them lose weight and any mention of food is a slight against them. They seek validation for their issues not related it being to a medical problem. And, they find support groups such as HAES to back them up, "Honey, you're just big boned," "Set point weight," "My blood work is fine. There are skinny people with bad blood." Fats likewise are considered "sell outs" if they do lose weight, because not everyone can do it and they're forcing social norms onto other fats. There's an additional layer here with fats(and not just adipose tissue) about their relationship with weight. If you talk to a fat all their woes can be contributed to under eating. "I starved myself and lost 50 pounds in one month! It's not healthy!" Meanwhile they're just as fat as they were. Or, "I put on 30 pounds because I was only eating a 1000 calories a day and entered into starvation mode. Now, that I eat right I stopped gaining weight." In their mind weight loss is seen as bad and unhealthy, it and everything associated with it is always negative. They are literally afraid of losing weight and being skinny. How does this tie in with anorexia and fats desperately trying to be classified as anorexia? As we discussed, most anorexics know they have a problem. They know what they're doing is unhealthy but they look for validation. This is very much the same for fats. Imagine for a moment if there was a disease that completely prevented you from gaining weight. No matter what you were stuck at 90 pounds. Anorexics would all be clamoring for a diagnosis as a validation. "It doesn't matter what I eat. I will never gain weight. So don't judge me." Fats have this disease. It's called anorexia. Fats know they are unhealthy, they know what's happening, but because they suffer from "Reverse Anorexia" they are seeking validation. Fats envy the anorexic. Fats want to be the anorexic. In their ill minds the view anorexia as a plus because the anorexic isn't judged for eating food. The anorexic is praised for eating and putting on weight. to the "Reverse Anorexic" this is the diagnosis they need. They crave it. It's the perfect validation. For someone that is terrified of being skinny, a disease whose very treatment is eating more and weight gain makes it the ultimate trump card. They can never be judged again while also discounting their own very serious eating disorder. Anorexia becomes their rock, it's their excuse for being fat even though deep down they know they have an actual crippling eating disorder. They can use it mask their own "Reverse Anorexia" Honestly, I really think this theory pans out. The idea of "Reverse Anorexia" hits every point with disordered eating it just reversed. Instead of a fear of getting fat their is an intense fear of getting skinny. And, considering what we see with some of the Fat Activists and the HAES movement it could very likely be a group of mentally ill people who genuinely have a terrifying fear of being skinny, yet know something is wrong and seek desperately for the validation that they're fine and everyone else is wrong. Thoughts?