Breakfast Club

Henry’s wife Allison had gone through episodes of anorexia, bulimia, and she also had a binge-eating disorder, where she would not eat anything, or purge what she ate, or consume unusually large amounts of food feeling that she was unable to stop eating.  Allison just got back home from an inpatient eating disorder treatment program.  The doctors, dietitians and nutritionists enforced the principal that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, because it breaks the overnight fasting period, and they told Henry to make sure that Allison always started off her day with food that would provide the essential nutrients required for good health.  In the program Allison was diagnosed as being a borderline, obsessive-compulsive, and avoidant personality characterized by her feelings of extreme social inhibition, inadequacy, and her sensitivity to negative criticism.  Henry needed to step in and become her coping mechanism to help his wife to establish healthy eating habits again.

Henry got up early every day so he could serve Allison a balanced breakfast with whole grains, protein, and fruit or vegetables.  He called his wife to the table and asked her how she was feeling this morning.  Allison replied that she was fine but not very hungry this morning.  Henry said, “You can’t skip breakfast, because it provides you with energy and it will help your concentration.”  He told his wife that he just read about a survey by the National Weight Control Registry, that found people who ate breakfast were more successful with long-term weight loss than those who regularly skipped the first meal of the day and besides breakfast helps your metabolism and can help prevent overeating later.  Henry told Allison, “You don’t want to end up back in that treatment program, so you must eat at least some of your breakfast or you’ll experience body weakness latter on in the day.  If you keep skipping breakfast then you will end up having a heavy lunch, so you gotta eat something right after waking up to boost your brainpower and mental performance throughout the day.”  Allison reached out for a waffle, took a bite, and said it was good before smiling at her husband.

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See #161.