In hopes of spreading awareness concerning healthy body image and the prevention of collegiate eating disorders, the Boston University Wellness Program hosted a panel of experts at “Lovin’ the Body You’re In” on Wednesday at the Howard Thurman Center.
More than 70 students attended the lecture to hear keynote speaker, Dr. Kimberly Dennis, the medical director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in Illinois, speak about her own battles with an eating disorder.
“I’ve been in recovery from an eating disorder for 10 or 11 years,” Dennis said.
While always thin for her age, Dennis said she was abnormally preoccupied with being small throughout high school.
Denied the opportunity to play Division I basketball after tearing her ACL, Dennis attended the University of Chicago, where she began purging.
“The transition from high school to college is one of the critical times where we see the emergence of eating disorders,” Dennis said. “For me, it was about coming to college and feeling like I just wasn’t good enough.”
When Dennis sought help for her eating disorder, she said her university counselors were unresponsive, and her disease continued into medical school until her family told her to get help.
After working with a therapist and joining a group of recovering women, Dennis said she was able to overcome her eating disorder.
“Without being connected to other women in recovery, without being connected to other athletes in recovery, I wouldn’t be here today,” she said.
Dennis said her transformation from a victim of an eating disorder to a counselor for women with eating disorders is still amazing to her.
“In the past 10 years, I’ve gone from being a starving medical school student in my mother’s house, to being the medical director of the Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center for girls with eating disorders and addictions, which is mind blowing to me.”
Dennis’ story of recovery set the stage for a discussion among the five other panelists and the audience, which posed questions anonymously on paper and in person.
Dr. Kate Ackerman, an internist, sports medicine specialist and endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital Boston, and Whitney Post, the president of Eating for the Life Alliance, an organization that aims to ensure resources for the prevention of eating disorders in colleges, both spoke about the transition from a high calorie diet required by athletic competition to a regular diet.
After ending her rowing career, Ackerman said she began to eat and drink excessively and gained a lot of weight.
“I tried to listen to my body a lot more and realize when I was full, and realize that it was still good to exercise everyday,” Ackerman said. “I didn’t need to do it three times a day.”
Post, who said she struggled with an eating disorder as a collegiate rower, said even though she knew about nutrition, it was difficult for her to ask for other people’s help.
One anonymous BU senior said she struggled with anorexia nervosa as she competed in ice-skating.
While she has recovered after attending a residential treatment center, she said that there are few chances to talk about eating disorders and body image at BU.
Laura Judd, a nutritionist at the Nutrition and Fitness Center, said in an interview that she would be eager to talk to any students worried about food.
“We host groups all the time about weight loss, and we’re more than happy to start a group to talk about it,” Judd said.
All of the panelists encouraged students in the audience to seek out help if they need it and encourage friends with body image issues to do the same.
College of Fine Arts senior Silpa Sadhujan said she found the evening’s discussion to be a great outlet for students with body image issues.
“I thought it was a great conversation to have,” Sadhujan said. “It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one with an issue.”
College of Arts and Sciences junior Kate Rogers said the personal stories made the discussion interesting.
“I definitely think tonight was a step in the right direction,” she said.
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