It's never too late to recover from an eating disorder

Until recently, Dianne Levy considered her eating disorder as something she'd just have to live with. Her 5′8″ frame had once dropped to an alarming 108 pounds in 1999, but since then, her weight has returned to her physician's acceptable level. At 63, her love-hate relationship with food had turned into an almost comfortable norm – one that had evolved since the age of 17.

“I had absolutely no idea how disordered my eating was,” Dianne says. “I was constantly looking for ways to restrict my calorie intake during the day and by the evening I would lose control and binge.”

Dianne Levy
Photo: Dianne Levy

It wasn't until Dianne caught a television piece on binge-eating disorder that she realized she had a serious problem. “It really hit home and a light went on,” she remembers. “I immediately saw myself in the story. I knew I had to do something.”

She quickly sought help from her physician as well as started attending a local support group. It was at this support group Dianne learned about the North York General Hospital Eating Disorders Program, a partial day hospital program that requires a physician referral. The program's interdisciplinary team consists of two social workers, a psychologist, a mental health clinician, a dietitian and a psychiatrist. Patients attend the group-based program three days per week from 3–8 p.m. for approximately 12 weeks.

Making the call for the initial assessment was difficult. “I marked a date in my calendar and forced myself to call,” Dianne says. Facing her eating disorder wasn't the only thing that caused her anxiety: “Because of my age, I was worried as I thought I'd be the oldest person in the program. You quickly realize that everyone is in the same boat, no matter what age.”

In the beginning, Dianne admits she followed the program haphazardly, finding it difficult to stick to the meal plan the team provided. “It was hard to commit,” she says, “but by week six I smartened up. These people desperately wanted me to succeed. It ultimately came down to my commitment, but their commitment to my recovery gave me strength. The North York General team was truly amazing.”

Within several months, Dianne's eating disorder slowly waned and she began to see food differently: nourishment instead of either “good” or “bad.” She also made a decision to accept her body, both its beauty and its flaws. “That was the hardest part, accepting myself, and it's something that didn't come overnight,” she says. “I still hear voices telling me that I should be this way or that. But I've learned to ignore them. They may never go away, but they no longer have the power they once had.”

“If there's one thing I want to share, it is that recovery is possible, even later on in life. I never knew there was another way to live. Without this team, I would not be where I am today… a happy, healthy individual who continues to thrive.”

 

This article first appeared in the May 2016 issue of The Pulse.

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