http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5739648
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/
Here’s the link to the article on ABC’s site:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/
Thanks to everyone who watched me on 20/20 Friday night and for all the supportive comments you left! Over all I was pleased with how it turned out. I didn’t really like how they linked me to the raw foods movement as, funnily enough, that’s one diet I’ve never tried. I also didn’t like how they made it sound like it was still a problem for me (“what will happen to Charlotte NEXT!??!!”) when it is mostly in my past. True I still have eating issues but considering where I was a couple of years ago, I’m so much better. Not perfect, but better:) The last thing that bugged me was how extreme they made Orthorexia sound. It’s not just people who do raw foods or macrobiotics. It’s people who take any “healthy” eating to the extreme.
My favorite part? The squirrel!!! Ah, that made my whole night:) Also, I really liked how they ended with that quote from me. That was the ONE THING I really hoped they’d include from me and they did. So yay! I really do believe that orthorexia is an eating disorder – separate and apart from anorexia or ED-NOS. For me it was closer to OCD and once I started CBT it cleared up fairly quickly.
I am planning a blog to talk about the whole “behind the scenes” aspect of filming this piece but for now, I wanted to just tell you all thanks again for watching me and supporting me (and still loving me!).
Thats so exciting that you did this! Completely agree with you about the seriousness of orthorexia. Can’t wait to take a look at those links; thanks for posting them up!
Thank you very much for posting the links (pt. 1 was already moved, but I just searched on the program title and found it). I was bummed when I got your post Saturday morning and thought I had missed it.
I agree with you. I love your final quote. Squirrel was funny too : )
Lastly, I’ve said it before and it bears repeating — thanks so much for this blog. It really is informative and entertaining and has made a positive difference in my life.
Thanks for posting the links! We don’t own a TV (gave it away when we moved), haven’t had cable in nearly 7 years, so I couldn’t watch it otherwise. Now I’ll watch it later!
thanks for the links! i read your entry about it too late so i didn’t get to see it.
i agree with you that it does kind of sound like you were almost linked with the raw food diet. HOWEVER, the journalist in me understands why as it does help the story flow together.
i’ll check the video links later when the boy leaves on his trip and we’re not watching football. 😉
dang, i missed it but watched the clips. good job! and very brave.
http://www.groundedfitness.com
After I watched it, I was like “gosh, I hope my mom doesn’t see this.” Well, sure enough, yesterday afternoon my mom calls me up to ask “do you ever watch 20/20?” I replied “oh, you saw the orthorexia piece?” She is now CONVINCED that I have orthorexia. That’s the biggest thing that worries me about this piece – orthorexia is a serious illness, and simply eating healthy is NOT the same thing. I agree with the commenter on the last post who said they feared that people might be discouraged from eating healthy at all – I’m currently fighting an uphill battle convincing my mom that the 10 mins/day I spend on Daily Plate is NOT obsessive, and that although I’m on a partial raw foods diet, I’m not letting it take over my life. So frustrating!
Now that I’ve seen the video links, I can comment more sensibly!
Like you, I didn’t like the way they didn’t make it clear with their narration until the very end that this was a problem in the PAST. However, from the intelligent and insightful way you talked about it throughout the interview, it was clear you’d already overcome it.
And I share concerns about this label being given to anyone who makes the effort to avoid eating the crap that most of America eats. “Normal” eating in this country is profoundly unhealthy, and often one has to go to great lengths to find reasonably healthy choices. So to label these efforts “unhealthy” because they’re not “normal” is sort of ironic.
That said, it sounds like what you were suffering from was much more debilitating and I’m glad you were able to overcome it and end up in a balanced place!
Hey girl, wow, I’m so proud of you! Talk about brave.
It’s an important issues and I think you are amazing for being so willing to talk about it and share your experince with everyone.
I have beeen there and there are quite a few people I know that get caught up in the latests fad diets.
You rock!
Thanks for posting this! It can be so hard to tell where health conscious eating becomes an unhealthy obsession. I remember my younger sister eliminating entire groups of food beginning in middle school for so-called health reasons. For her it was really just a way to eliminate more calories from her diet.
I love the quote at the end by the way!
Am I a dork? I tried watching parts 2 & 3 and it kept going to Whoopi's segment. Anyway. I was a proud friend watching you… and also a bit heart-sickened as it describes my brother & sister-in-law who are now raw foodists. I'm all for anyone doing what feels right and doing what makes them healthy but when it consumes them to the point that it's all they can focus on? Spending 3-4 hours a day preparing their foods? Spending the rest of their time meeting up with other "foodists" and neglecting their family? Mm… I have a problem with it. I could go on, but I won't. Not here anyway. 😉 I'm proud of you for being so open about it and working through it. Love you!
I was able to get home early to watch the show. First, it took great courage to put yourself out there like that. So kudos for helping to educate others on what orthorexia is and how it can impact people’s lives.
I wished they had spent more time at least a minute talking about your blogging efforts and how you are using the web to help others. This is key about who you are TODAY and how you’re using that experience to expand both yourself and others.
Thanks for posting the link, I finally watched it. I’m glad it ended on a positive note- loved the squirrel;)
Just watched parts one and two finally, you did a FAB job, you came across in a very articulate, intelligent way which is great.
I agree with you and others re: how they seemed to portray it as a current issue – particularly with the cliff hanger in part one (what will happen to Charlotte next, bah bum bah!).
I also think that the health foods expert (can’t remember his name) sounded VERY intense, and was more than a little scary, particularly when talking about that poor woman who had died, he said something like ‘well at least she was cleansed’. Hmmm right.
Great job anyway!!
I was finally able to sit down and watch this. Well worth the effort of practicing your line as it was perfect for a closer.
As someone who works a lot in the health and fitness community I see this a lot. Similarly many folks can veer into obsessive behaviors around exercise (which was always a bigger issue than food ever was) without it necessarily being anorexic or bulimic.
For me the key with clients and instructors and myself is to emphasize that if you can’t laugh at yourself, goof up and forgive yourself or if there are no exceptions to a labyrinthine set of rules – that it is time to step back.
I feel like making light of the situation is always a good remedy. Luckily I have plenty of help.
I need to go to bed. Seriously I cannot type. When I said, “(which was always a bigger issue than food ever was” I meant that obsessing about exercise was always a way bigger deal FOR ME than food.
Thanks Anon- you just made my whole day:)
…please where can I buy a unicorn?
“Although Orthorexia is not recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and it is not listed in the DSM-IV[11] or planned to be included in the DSM-V to be published May 2013,…”