14 DAY TRIAL // Anorexia, among other things, also means that sufferers see only the pounds they need to lose whenever they look in the mirror. Oppositely, a woman who has fatorexia only sees how beautiful she is whenever she stands in front of her own reflection. This, in turn, leads to increasing weight gain and health issues, Sara Bird says in her new book, “Fatorexia: What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror?”
The British businesswoman says that she spent many years of her life avoiding large mirrors or other surfaces that might have revealed her “vastness.” Instead, she only used a small pocket mirror, where she’d examine her face and focus on her impeccable makeup and coiffure. She’d also see that she had her manicure done constantly, and that she only wore designer shoes that flattered her leg no matter how painful they were. She bought large-sized clothes, of course but, then again, sizes are not what they once wore, she told herself.
Understandably, Sara did not weigh herself – and it was the scales that forced her to face the reality of the fact that she was grossly overweight. Her GP told her to get on the scales and, then, very bluntly informed her of the sad reality of things: “You are obese.” Of course, she says, she never imagined herself to be a size 0 catwalk model, but she didn’t even think she might be obese either, she says in the book. Motivated by her own example and her new-found dedication to lead a healthier life, Sara wrote a book, one that she hopes will help other women in the same situation as her.
“When I looked in the mirror I saw a confident, thin person, when in actual fact I was obese. […] Therein lies the problem – I had convinced myself that I was slim and in control, when in fact I was clearly the opposite. I realised that being stressed about your weight is as bad as being fat. But I can do something about being stressed, and that has to be better for me and for my body,” Sara, 44, says.
“I believe that if diets don’t work, then a person needs to resolve the situation in a way that makes them happy. For me, that resolution came with accepting who and what I am whilst making sure, by conquering FATorexia, that I don’t get any fatter. Coming to terms with FATorexia is about control, moderation and choice. I don’t want to spend endless hours in the gym. I just want to be as healthy as I can be and enjoy my life to the max! Knowing I was a FATorexic helped me to find my ‘trigger’ – identifying the point where I won’t allow myself to get any bigger. I’m in control now,” the writer and self-confessed fatorexic writes.