FATorexia

'My name is Sara Bird and I have FATorexia,' says author of FATorexia: What Do You See When You Look In The Mirror? (Sara Bird). 'I have been fat and thin all of my life,' she says. 'My wakeup call came when the doctor told me I was obese. I really had no clue. I thought I might be a little overweight, but certainly not obese.'

Bird came to the conclusion that she was suffering from anorexia's evil twin, describing her condition as life-threatening. 'The best way I could explain it to myself was that I had the opposite of anorexia, only in this case, I didn't see the fat.

'You can't see the fat, so you just get bigger and bigger. From clipping labels from your clothes to pretend you're smaller and eating secret meals to using small mirrors so only your face is visible, these are just some of the embarrassing things we do to hide the fact that we are getting bigger by the day.'

Bird is convinced that FATorexia is a bona fide condition and believes it should be medically recognised as such. 'FATorexia can help because it highlights a problem and gives it a name and a reason.'

Our experts disagree.

Johannesburg-based psychologist, Dr Janne Dannerup thinks 'FATorexia is not a disorder, merely a new lay-man's term used to describe an incongruence between the physical size and weight of a person and how the person perceives herself.

'The word FATorexic actually doesn't make sense at all,' she adds. 'The term anorexic denotes an eating disorder marked by an extreme fear of becoming overweight. If FATorexic is the exact opposite, as the author of the book suggests, then the sufferer should have an extreme fear of becoming thin, which is clearly not what is indicated.'

Clinical nutritionist, Jill Fraser Halkett agrees. 'It seems someone has decided to make money out of overweight people, by putting a trademark on FATorexia and encouraging people to focus on some kind of disease. Eating disorders are a complex subject and there are no quick fixes.'

Bird believes her book helps you take the small steps towards recovering from FATorexia, including looking at your body and seeing what it really looks like, understanding what and when you eat and working hard to keep your weight stable. 'My book aims at finding the trigger not to get bigger,' she says. 'FATorexia is here to stay. It will not go away and I will not let it.'

While Bird has received a lot of press coverage since releasing her book and is convinced that FATorexia is the real deal, Fraser Halkett believes it is only with the guidance of a fully trained nutritional therapist with experience in helping overweight people through their problems, that one will be able to see any progress.

'This is where you should begin, not with a fad carrying a trademark. Like anyone else with a health problem they are trying to overcome, overweight people need assurance.'

Author: Lindi Brownell