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    The Skinny on Being Skinny: A Memoir
    The Skinny on Being Skinny: A Memoir
    The Skinny on Being Skinny: A Memoir
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    The Skinny on Being Skinny: A Memoir

    By Natalie Packer

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    About this ebook

    This is a memoir, a journey through a young girl's life, from infancy to maturity, from sickness to health, from darkness to light, from fear to freedom... in Christ. It illuminates the struggles our youth face and how a lack of true relationship with God contributes to the destruction of one's body image and self-esteem. As the author nears death, she comes face-to-face with a loving, forgiving, gracious God and hope springs anew. Miracles abound and a life spent in worship ensues. The story is realistic and relevant, demonstrating that having faith doesn't eliminate obstacles. However, faith provides the tools necessary to meet these challenges and overcome them. Literature on eating disorders is scarce, particularly in Canada, and practically unheard of from a Christian perspective. Originally written to inspire families of those struggling with eating disorders, its audience encompasses anyone from those fighting body image issues or addiction to those seeking a fresh perspective on faith. This truly is the skinny on being skinny, a plea for God to help each of His creations appreciate their uniqueness. About the Author: Natalie has degrees in pharmacy and nutrition consulting and has worked as a pharmacist for ten years. Her true passion lies in helping others attain positive mental health and she uses her experience as a recovering anorexic as encouragement and support. She has written this memoir as a means of increasing awareness of eating disorders as a true mental illness, as a source of hope for loved ones of those who are struggling, and as a way to raise money for local eating disorder programs. When not engaged in advocacy, Natalie enjoys spending time with her husband Andrew and their son Holden. She encourages feedback and is open to speak with anyone. Please contact her at theskinny@bell.net.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWord Alive Press
    Release dateJan 4, 2015
    ISBN9781770696501
    The Skinny on Being Skinny: A Memoir
    Author

    Natalie Packer

    Natalie Packer is an education consultant specialising in SEN and school improvement. Having previously worked for the National Strategies SEN team and as an LA adviser for SEN, as well as having been a head teacher, Natalie has a significant amount of experience within the education sector. She runs a range of professional development courses, carries out SEN reviews and is an associate consultant for nasen.

    Read more from Natalie Packer

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      Book preview

      The Skinny on Being Skinny - Natalie Packer

      the skinny on being skinny

      Copyright © 2012 by Natalie Packer

      All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

      All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked KJV are from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Copyright © 1977, 1984, Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers.

      EPUB Version ISBN: 978-1-77069-650-1

      Word Alive Press

      131 Cordite Road, Winnipeg, MB R3W 1S1

      www.wordalivepress.ca

      Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

      Packer, Natalie, 1978-

      The skinny on being skinny : a memoir / Natalie Packer.

      ISBN 978-1-77069-529-0

      1. Packer, Natalie, 1978- --Health. 2. Eating disorders--

      Patients--Religious life. 3. Eating disorders--Patients--

      Biography. 4. Self-esteem--Religious aspects--Christianity.

      5. Body image in women--Religious aspects--Christianity.

      I. Title.

      BV4910.35.P33 2012 248.8’627 C2012-901820-1

      This story could not have occurred without the grace of God, who allowed me to live to tell it. It has been extremely hard to write, for fear that it will hurt people’s feelings, when all I desire is for it to be informative. I am extremely sensitive and can grasp why people may be hurt by it, but I want to thank everyone for allowing me to be honest so that we can help others.

      I dedicate this book to the man who allowed me

      to see myself through God’s perfect vision:

      Andrew… thanks.

      And to our son, Holden,

      forever my love.

      For my days vanish like smoke;

      my bones burn like glowing embers.

      My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

      I forget to eat my food.

      Because of my loud groaning

      I am reduced to skin and bones…

      In the course of my life he broke my strength;

      he cut short my days.

      So I said: "Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;

      your years go on through all generations."

      (Psalm 102:3–5, 23–24)

      …and my heart is wounded within me.

      I fade away like an evening shadow;

      I am shaken off like a locust.

      My knees give way from fasting;

      my body is thin and gaunt.

      I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

      when they see me, they shake their heads.

      Help me, O Lord my God;

      save me in accordance with your love.

      Let them know that it is your hand,

      that you, O Lord, have done it.

      (Psalm 109:22–27)

      table

      of contents

      Foreword

      Prologue

      1: A Charmed Life

      2: Charmed or Harmed?

      3: The Great Rejection

      4: And the Genes Have It

      5: The Bitter Pathway to Success

      6: Coping…

      7: Still Coping…

      8: Hoping…?

      9: Moping…

      10: Fate?

      11: Not Fate, God

      12: Our Hurricane-Free, Ed-Free Honeymoon

      13: A Period: The End of the Beginning

      14: My Wise Man Didn’t Bring Gold, Frankincense or Myrrh

      15: Freedom in Faith

      Epilogue: One Year Later

      Photo Album

      Resource Guide

      A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

      —Ecclesiastes 3:7 (KJV)

      Foreword

      Anorexia nervosa—a hot topic, a Hollywood trend, a deadly disease. For those who are afflicted with the illness, it consumes them—physically and mentally. For the families who are battling to save their loved ones, it torments and taunts them. For friends of the affected, it isolates them and renders them powerless to help. For the medical community, it confounds and evades their efforts to cure. It is an illness that goes against our very instinct to live and nourish ourselves and aims to starve its victims to death.

      These are the harsh realities of an illness that has a prevalence rate of approximately one percent of the population. The target of this disease is predominantly young women who are competitive, goal-oriented, and perfectionists.

      I have worked with young men and women affected by this illness for the past fifteen years. I have met so many talented, intelligent, and wonderful people battling for their lives against this deadly disease. Approximately ten percent of individuals with anorexia nervosa will die within ten years of onset of the disease. This is the highest mortality of any psychiatric illness. The battle waged by the medical profession, the family and friends, and ultimately the patient spans many years. According to statistics from the National Eating Disorder Information Centre of Canada, the average duration of an eating disorder is 8.3 years. This timeframe takes immense tolls on the loved ones of an individual with the eating disorder, not to mention what it does to the individuals themselves.

      I met Natalie in the spring of 2001. She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman of twenty-two years. She had already been battling her eating disorder for three years. She recognized her illness and acknowledged that she needed help in her battle. She had suffered many of the physical symptoms of an eating disorder. Her problems included thinning hair, constipation, easy bruising, palpitations, insomnia, chest pain, mood swings, and depression. She struggled to accept help but knew it was necessary. She fought a battle that saw her weight go up and down, often bringing her emotions with it. She saw specialists for the more serious medical problems that began to appear. She was often afraid of where she was heading, but would then be dragged down again by the stubborn demons of her disease.

      Natalie’s story is honest and revealing. It gives the reader a look at the power and terror of this disease. Natalie shares her darkest moments, her inability to break away from the power of this disease in her life, and how she struggled to rebuild her body and relationships to a healthier place.

      There is no one moment, no particular circumstance that causes an eating disorder to happen to an individual like Natalie; rather, it is the collision of many factors of personality, genetics, environment, and life stressors. The cure, and especially the road to cure, is much more personal. This part of the story is about Natalie’s desire to be well, her support systems, and the treatment facility that rekindled the role of spirituality in her life. Her story is one of hope and success. She has brought herself to a better place and the journey, although painful and treacherous, has an uplifting ending.

      —Dr. Andrea Steen, MD, CCFP

      prologue

      On my most recent birthday, I was given a gift. It might not have seemed like much to some people—just a book with a scattering of handwritten passages throughout. But those handwritten words marked a milestone in my journey.

      In the words of the author, You had the courage to face a demon that was eating you alive. It took a strong woman with much spirit to travel those miles and stare down that demon and come out stronger. While I agree there was a demon eating me alive, I cannot take full credit for overcoming my battle against anorexia.

      My story is not one boasting of my success in defeating anorexia, nor one speaking of my perfect life in recovery. It is a story of honesty and humility and the grace and forgiveness that allowed me to fill the empty hole inside, to gain the courage to face every day anew.

      This is the skinny on being skinny.

      a

      charmed

      life

      My life growing up was what every child would dream of. My parents were both teachers—my dad taught full-time, selling real estate on the side, and my mom was a substitute teacher, allowing her to spend much of her time with us kids.

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