Anorexia

For those of you who know me and for my readers who have seen my photos in my blog before, you know that I am definitely not anorexic! Nevertheless with so much fat oozing from my plump frame, it is always a constant reminder to me not to add on more weight for health reasons. I exercise constantly by destination walking, ie. walk to my office which is about two bus stops away; walk to the market; walk to the mrt and almost everywhere. Of course, not forgetting my daily walks with Chelsea in the mornings and evenings.

I am thinking of doing a project on "Anorexia" for my next toastmaster's advanced project speech. The photos of the anorexic ladies are frightening and I hesitate to post them in my blog. You can go into the internet to check out the photos. With bones jutting out painfully and eyes that are sunken for want of food, these models look pathetic. It is ironical that with so much food around them, these people have become like the malnourished poor in Africa. It is also ironical that while the poor are struggling with insufficient food and horrendous living conditions, we are spending millions of dollars every year on slimming products and programmes!

Of course, we blame the media and society. Almost everyday, the newspapers and magazines shout with loud advertisements by slimming and pharmaceutical companies!
They use well known actresses who in the first place, have never been plump or overweight. Why would Fann Wong bother with Xanado? Why would Sherry Tan (Chen Xiu Huan) bother with Expressions? When I was marketing Sherry Tan's condominium, I kept looking and analysing her figure, and I could not see an ounce of fat in her!

I remember some years ago, a friend asked me to help her niece who was losing weight too drastically. As it was the first time I was counselling someone with eating disorders I had to confess I did not quite know what to do. I only knew how to pray and asked God to help her. Later I cooked some delicious Penang koay teow and asked her to eat with me. It was followed by some Chinese tea. I told her that she could still enjoy food and she could drink tea so as to help cleanse out excess oil. Although initially hestitant and reluctant, she gradually ate the koay teow. Serene gradually overcame her eating disorders. Thank God that He helped to pull her back from the brink of starvation.!

In the journal of one of my students, he wrote how he started dieting after his classmates nicknamed him "Fatty Bom Bom". He decided to shed 35 lbs in just 3 months and he did it by not bringing food to school and rejecting all the nice home cooked food. It was fortunate that he did not become anorexic as he started eating normally again, albeit in lesser quantities, after his target loss. Today he is a successful doctor and because of his experience, he is quite effective in helping his patients with eating disorders.

We should always be careful with our speech and not poke fun at others for their less than perfect physical condition. Parents should not label their children as
"Fatties or Pooi Pooi". Let us all look at the more positive sides of everyone and encourage them on their strengths. Let us all edify one another for there are more important things in life than just external beauty.