1. It's a liar
Your weight fluctuates during the day (even if you refuse to eat all day) so the number at 10am is almost certainly not going to be the same as at 10pm.

2. It does not tell you anything about your well-being
Your weight is not necessarily an indication of health because there are many other factors involved.

         Every Body has its own agenda. We are born with a genetic roadmap. Just as our genes tell us the color of our eyes, hair etc. they also decide the shape of our body. Every Body has it’s own personal point of equilibrium, a place were our body is comfortable and healthy. It is essential to understand that one person’s equilibrium is not like another’s. Even if the weights are the same, we have different heights, different body types etc.

        In our disorder we have the notion that we are in control of our bodies. When really we aren’t. Yes, we decide when to move or what to eat but our body decides how to deal with what we have just put it through. If we starve it, our body will go into survival mode, shutting down one organ after the other. Each body dealing with this survival mode differently. If we constantly binge and restrict our body also goes into survival mode, since the amount eaten is not constant. All your body wants to do is return to its unique equilibrium and it will try to do so until it completely shut down. You cannot change your genetic makeup through food!

Let's be real. Media representations of woman are way messed up, man.

Women in the media are most commonly tall, white and emaciated (or nearly so). The resulting outcome is a world in which only a very small (miniscule!) group has the luxury of seeing themselves reflected in the media. This elite group has become even smaller with the advent of Photoshop and other digital editing software.

Many people are aware of the effects of Photoshop but don't realize how prevalent its use really is. Below are some examples of just how much the pictures in magazines are altered.

Dear ED,

I can't be with you anymore. It's been years and at first I was so glad that I found you. You were my savior, my escape. When I was with you I didn't have to think about how lonely I was, how much I felt like an outsider. You told me that you could make me happy, that you could teach me how to be lovable, and it worked for a while. Finally I was getting the attention that I desired from all of those people who I thought truly mattered.

As of 10/3/12 I am 90 days free of eating disordered and other related behaviors.

Although I'd love to stand on top of a mountain to shout "I never thought something so wonderful could happen" and "Now my life is great!" I cannot honestly say either of those. Don't get me wrong, I feel so much better than I did when I was acting on impulses to binge, purge, restrict, or self-harm. SO MUCH BETTER. However, I still have struggles just like anyone else.

*Eating Disorder (ED) voices can take many forms for different people and may change as the disorder progresses. For some, ED may take the shape of the caretaker who has to put everyone else's needs first, the perfectionist who strives to achieve an unattainable goal or the one who habitually plays the victim.  This particular piece is about ED as the drill sergeant.

The Drill Sergeant

I used to believe that the only way I could get things done was through bullying myself into doing them. After all, I was a lazy person. I didn't want to clean my room or do the dishes, I would much rather lie on the couch and watch some TV. In college I became a master procrastinator. Don't get me wrong my grades were good, very good, ED would not allow anything but perfection. But I would bully myself into doing what needed to be done.