“You look healthy” used to trigger me to overeat

The phrase “you look healthy” seems positive on the surface, but for someone with a history of body image struggles or disordered eating, it can feel very loaded and sometimes triggering. Here are some reasons why it might trigger a binge response:

1. It can feel like a comment on weight gain.

• In many cultures, “healthy” is used as a polite way of saying someone looks bigger than before.
• If you’ve linked self-worth to thinness, this can feel like criticism or confirmation of your worst fear: “I’ve gained weight.”

2. It shifts focus onto appearance.

• Even if it’s meant kindly, it reminds you that others are noticing your body.
• This can create a sense of being scrutinized, which may increase anxiety and a desire to cope with food.

3. It can invalidate your internal experience.

• If you’re struggling with disordered eating, restriction, or body image, hearing “you look healthy” may feel dismissive—like your inner battles are invisible.
• That disconnect can make you feel unseen, frustrated, or misunderstood, which sometimes leads to using food as a way to regulate emotions.

4. It may reinforce fear of losing control.

• If you’re used to equating “control” with thinness, being told you look “healthy” can feel like you’re failing at control.
• That can spiral into “Well, I’ve already lost it, so why not binge?” thinking.

5. The binge can feel like both rebellion and relief.

• Bingeing might temporarily soothe the anxiety that comes up after a comment like this.
• It can also feel like a way of “proving” that the word “healthy” doesn’t apply—almost sabotaging yourself in response to the trigger.

? The important thing is: the problem isn’t the word itself—it’s the associations and fears attached to it. Recovery involves learning to reframe or defuse those triggers so they don’t have the same power.