Fatorexia and the rejected self, why does it occur?

Sara Bird explained her unique experience with fatorexia to the media. At one of his medical check-ups, the doctor asked him to get on the scale. When she did, she was shocked when she saw that she went over three figures. I could not believe it. His overweight – that evidence that he could not see – was seriously affecting his health.

However, she still couldn’t accept what they were telling her. What’s more, for a moment she thought that a much larger person had entered the room and, at one point, she had gotten on the scale in her place. There could be no other explanation. So she went home, disturbed and even indignant. She took off her clothes and looked at herself in a full-length mirror.

He was unable to recognize himself, There was something in her mind that prevented her from identifying with that woman who was reflected before her. She was a stranger, an unknown version of herself that gave him back an altered physical image. What was happening? Why couldn’t she perceive the reflection of her own body as her own?

Fatorexia affects 2.7% of the population and appears in middle age.

Fatorexia: definition, characteristics and cause

Fatorexia is another manifestation of eating disorders (ED). Just as there are people who are extremely thin and in front of the mirror perceive someone as overweight, this condition has the opposite phenomenon. And obviously, the health risks are also high.

On the other hand, it is hard to believe that there are those who are not aware of their extra kilos. In a society that associates beauty with thinness, it is difficult to discover that there are men and women who buy their clothes without knowing that their size does not fit with the “supposed” and always dangerous canon of the “normative body.” However, it happens, and The incidence is more common after 45 years of age.

Fatorexia is a type of dysmorphophobia, and nothing is as complicated as the distorted perception of one’s own body. Being unable to see one’s own obesity, while the person perceives themselves as thin, is a very delicate psychological phenomenon that is worth delving into.

What type of psychological condition is it?

Fatorexia does not appear, at the moment, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Despite this, we can define it as a distorted perception of one’s own body, in which people see themselves as thin and healthy. When it’s not like that.

There is an unhealthy diet that causes diseases associated with being overweight. This condition would fall under eating disorders (ED) and, in many cases, it can be as serious as anorexia itself. The health risks are as follows:

Appearance of diabetes. Cardiovascular problems. Sleep apnea. Hypertension. Dyslipidemia (increased levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.).

Sara Bird, the British woman we talked about at the beginning, wrote a very interesting book titled Fatorexia, what do you see when you look in the mirror?. In it he explains that for 20 years he was unable to see his love handles and the fat accumulated on his body.

How does it manifest?

Fatorexia is a recent condition that has not yet been precisely defined clinically. However, doctors and patients describe this disease as follows:

People with fatorexia avoid looking at their body in the mirror. They only pay attention and observe their faces in small mirrors.They don’t know how much they weigh.They always wear loose clothing. According to themselves, it is to feel more comfortable. They deny that they are overweight. If someone makes a comment about their kilos, they deny it completely or do not give it any importance. They usually justify that “they are strong”, never that they have a few extra kilos. The most dangerous thing is that they eat compulsively. They eat unhealthy, resorting to high-calorie foods rich in fats and sugars. It is a way to relieve your anxiety, your stress, your worries…

What is the cause of fatorexia?

The Italian auxological institute IRCCS conducted research in 2021 on fatorexia. In this case, they talked about the theory of allocentric blockage. That is to say, Patients apply a strong defense mechanism because they cannot tolerate this image of the physical self.

In many cases, We are looking at people who 5, 10 or 20 years ago had a correct weight. However, often, due to work, stress or anxiety, their eating habits changed. This resulted in a drastic change in their body image, an alteration that they did not want to accept and that they proceeded to deny and underestimate.

People with fatorexia need emotional support.

Which is the treatment?

Behind fatorexia, on average, there is someone who began to feel bad a long time ago. Work or lack thereof, family, a relationship breakup or even life dissatisfaction, made his eating habits worsen. Thus, Something that experts recommend is not to insist on that friend or family member who has gained weight.

The best thing is to ask them how they are and if we can help them in any way. In disorders such as fatorexia, the therapeutic objective will not be to make the person lose weight. The purpose is to address the reason why your eating habits changed at a given time.

Thus, It is essential that the person with fatorexia attend psychological therapy. Only when the emotional triggers that led to inadequate nutrition are addressed, will the next step be taken: seeing a nutritionist to start a healthier life.

Let’s never leave aside that friend or family member who suddenly begins to relate inappropriately to food…

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