My sister asked me if I was going to write a blog post about fasting on Yom Kippur and whether it might not be the most appropriate thing to do for people who suffer or are in recovery from an eating disorder. I thought this was a really interesting question. While I haven’t read literature on this sort of topic or spoken with other professionals, my initial answer is to proceed with caution, especially for someone in early recovery. Fasting can trigger old thoughts and behaviors, and breaking the fast is most often a “binge-worthy” meal (SO much good food after fasting for 24 hours!). So while I want to look into this topic more, there are a couple things I can tell you with confidence:

1) You do not need to feel guilty for how much you ate last night (or any night for that matter) ❤️

2) You should not “make up” for it today by trying to “be good” and “undo” last night’s large meal

3) You didn’t gain weight, ruin progress, or change the way your body looks overnight 👀

4) You should eat regular meals and snacks today just as you would any other day 🍞🍌🍪

5) You should not go to the gym today SOLELY to “work off” last night’s meal

Remember that trying to compensate by doing the above (other than #4) can contribute to an unhealthy cycle of restrict, reward, guilt, and regret! Doesn’t sound like fun, right? To those who took part in the holiday, I hope you all had an easy fast, a delicious break fast, and lots of leftovers to take home 😋