It probably won't come as a surprise that research shows body checking in those who struggle with eating disorders reinforces negative emotions. In fact, while many people believe that body checking will ease their anxiety around their bodies, it does the complete opposite.
Checking provides a false security blanket.
The thought might be, "if I can check my weight, or see what my body looks like, I will feel better about eating!" But after you do it, you either hate what you see or like what you see. Whichever way you experience it, you will feel more anxiety. If you body check and you are dissatisfied with what you see in the mirror, on the scale, or which ever way you are body checking, you will be disappointed and anxious. This may encourage your eating disorder symptoms. If your eating disorder mind likes what it sees, it creates anxiety that you have to keep going, need to keep losing.
So you may be relieved at whatever the number is or what the mirror reflects back but you will probably begin to feel that competitive drive to do more. The more you engage in your eating disorder behaviors, the more you will feel the need to "check" and over and over the cycle continues.
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