Fat, Syn, and Disordered Eating: The Dangers and Powers of Excess

Abstract

This article draws on qualitative research inside one UK secular commercial weight loss group to show how ancient Christian suspicions of appetite and pleasure resurface in this group's language of "Syn." Following ancient Christian representations of sin, members assume that Syn depicts disorder and that fat is a visible sign of a body which has fallen out of place. Syn, though, is ambiguous, utilizing ancient theological meanings to discipline fat while containing within it the power to resist the very borders which hold women's bodies and fat in place. Syn thus signals both the dangers and powers of disordered eating.

Doing Calories: The Practices of Dieting Using Calorie Counting App MyFitnessPal

“…Hence, there seemed to be a moral difference between strict and regulated diet ('be good') and the occasional meal out ('be a bit naughty'). This echoes the religious language used by the weight loss industry (Contois, 2015) and commercial weight loss groups (Bacon, 2015), with 'good' and 'bad' foods constituting sin or salvation. However, Stephen recognised that it is easy to get 'paranoid' while logging food, suggesting that too much strictness was not welcomed.…”