Hi, my name is Hannah and I am currently in recovery from anorexia. My eating disorder involved calorie obsession and counting, but when i went into recovery I stopped counting calories and this was made easier when I went to restaurants (a bigger challenge for my eating disorder but it helped me recover) as it was completely unknown calories. 

Calorie labelling on food is bad enough: it enforces the idea that you have to restrict and calculate your intake to be healthy, which is not at all true, your body knows best. But going out to restaurants or to drink is supposed to be a freeing experience; you shouldn’t be able to see calories or even think about them. I know that calorie labelling fuelled my eating disorder.

Also, this measure is supposed to prevent/“solve” obesity, due to COVID-19 apparently being more risky for people that are of a certain weight. However, it is much more dangerous to be even slightly underweight than any amount of “overweight”, so this measure does not take into account eating disorders AT ALL. 

Also, in terms of dealing with obesity (which in a sense is an eating disorder in itself- comfort eating and binge eating can cause this) calorie control will NOT help. 97% of calories based diets fail. What will possibly help is therapy to help their minds become healthy, which will ultimately lead to the same happening to their bodies. We also must bear in mind ‘Healthy At Any Size’- some people can be ‘fat’ and this is where their body is happiest.

So, I have created this petition, speaking for the  1.25 million of us in the UK with eating disorders, and those who may suffer in the future, to beg the government NOT TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS. The amount of eating disorders this will fuel and trigger is astounding and needs to be prevented.

The amount of people being diagnosed with eating disorders is increasing. One in five will die. We can’t let this increase any more. Think more carefully about how you try and deal with other issues, and consult anyone that it could affect. I am speaking for the 1.25 million+ struggling with eating disorders in the UK.

Hannah @hannahishealing