Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder are eating disorders that are often associated with adolescent girls. A body that changes, an image that no longer corresponds, or discomfort can in fact trigger these sometimes severe disorders. What is less known is that another period in a woman’s life can also promote their appearance or reappearance, whether we were affected younger or not: perimenopause and menopause.
This is why, on the internet, some have renamed the problem “menorexia”, a play on words between menopause and anorexia.
What is menorexia?
The term “menorexia” informally refers to food restriction behaviors and excessive preoccupation with weight that can appear around perimenopause and menopause: strict diets, skipped meals, calorie monitoring or the desire to compensate for what has been eaten.
But be careful:I would be quite careful with the term “menorexia”, which is not a recognized diagnosis”underlines clinical psychologist Amélie Boukhobza. Eating disorders can nevertheless appear or reappear in mid-life.
The warning signal is not only what we eat, but above all the place that food takes in daily life.
Why can this period weaken the relationship with the body?
In fact, several factors can lead to eating disorders during menopause. First of all physical.
“Menopause is not simply the stopping of periods. It is a real period of hormonal transition, which can begin several years before menopause itself“, recalls Julie Boët, dietitian nutritionist.
Hormonal fluctuations, hot flashes, fatigue, sleep or mood disorders are also accompanied by changes in body composition. Muscle mass tends to decrease, while fat mass can increase and redistribute itself, particularly towards the abdomen.
Enough to give some women the impression that their body is slipping away from them. “She may have the impression of “gaining weight for no reason”, although part of the phenomenon corresponds to a change in body composition”explains Julie Boët.
For those who have long associated weight with femininity or self-control, these changes can be difficult to accept.
The trap of restrictive diets
Faced with this transformation, some seek to regain control by gradually eliminating foods: bread, starchy foods in the evening, cheese, dessert, etc.
“We skip a meal after a restaurant. We increase exercise to “compensate”. We weigh ourselves more. We watch our stomach. We feel guilty after a glass of wine or a piece of cake”describes the nutritionist.
But restriction can reinforce hunger and frustration and promote, in some women, episodes of loss of eating control. A vicious circle which can then lead to more restrictions.
When controlling your diet becomes a way to regain control
But it’s not just the body that can be upset. Around the age of 50, the entire period experiences the full force of life’s changes.
“Menopause comes at a time when a lot of things can happen at once,” observes Amélie Boukhobza.
“The children grow up, the couple can evolve, the parents age and the question of one’s own aging becomes more concrete.”
In this context, controlling your weight or your diet can become a way of regaining control over a body that you recognize less.
Social pressure that does not disappear with age
Finally, and unfortunately, injunctions about the female body do not disappear over the years. They can even become paradoxical.
“We ask women to accept growing old while asking them not to look too old. It’s complicated!”summarizes Amélie Boukhobza.
Stay slim, toned, dynamic and desirable: pressure can also hide behind health injunctions, such as cutting out sugar, controlling your weight, doing more sport or “optimizing” your body. However, a balanced diet and regular physical activity are obviously beneficial. But the search for perfection can become anxiety-inducing.
“Women’s bodies continue to be commented on, evaluated, judged, even as they get older.” recalls the psychologist. And even at a “wise” age, we may want to stick to criteria and standards.
What are the warning signs?
Constantly thinking about calories or weight, eating more forbidden foods, feeling guilty after eating, skipping meals, weighing yourself frequently, exercising to “erase” a meal or avoiding restaurants can be warning signs.
“The warning signal is when the rules become more and more rigid,” explains Amélie Boukhobza.
The essential question is then that of freedom: can we still eat spontaneously, accept an invitation without calculating our meal or make a deviation without feeling guilty?
Otherwise, a discussion with a loved one who knows you or perhaps a consultation with a professional can free you from these new injunctions. “The solution is therefore not to eat “as little as possible”. It’s more about eating differently because the body evolves.” summarizes our nutritionist. Consultation with a mental health professional can also help get through this delicate period.