Addressing the elephant in the room.
It’s not something I ever wanted to address; the subject of eating disorders has nothing to do with my website nor what I stand for, which is why I’ve let the rumors go unchallenged for so long.
But readers have recently been leaving an even higher number of weight-related comments than usual, now calling me both too thin and too fat. (I’ve even been called pregnant and anorexic in the same post.)
As I know girls are using photos of me for “thinspiration” and citing my blog as a reason it’s okay to eat 100 calories a day and starve down to 70 pounds…
I feel addressing it at this point is the right thing to do.
If you’ve ever googled “chocolate covered katie,” you’ve probably seen the search engine’s lovely (I say this facetiously) list of related searches, which includes “chocolate covered katie anorexic” and “chocolate covered katie eating disorder.”
It’s self-perpetuating: curiosity will cause people to click on the terms, and therefore the suggested searches will most likely never disappear.
Although I don’t have an eating disorder and have always eaten well, I did have an unhealthy relationship with exercise in the past that took a toll on both my appearance and mental health.
While I’d thought I was happy during those years and was technically healthy—with normal lab work and a good relationship with food—the over-exercising was sabotaging my efforts to gain the curves I desired. I wouldn’t allow myself to entertain the possibility my running routine could be partially responsible for my inability to gain weight.
When I finally did make the choice to give up running (that story is linked above), I gained about 10-15 pounds quickly, easily, and happily. Imagine discovering, almost overnight, that you suddenly have the body you’d always wanted.
Looking back, I wonder why I didn’t realize sooner the extreme exercise was not the healthiest thing for me: it had become a source of stress in my life and was draining me of energy, which was manifest in my appearance.
I am a million and a half times happier now, and it shows.
It’s difficult to make guesses about a person’s life simply by looking at a photograph or by judging his or her online persona.
No, my life is not all about food; and yes, I occasionally do indulge in “unhealthy” meals and desserts. I just don’t post about these occasions because it isn’t relevant to the theme of my website.
Hateful things are written on the internet under a cloak of anonymity, and it’s unfortunately women putting down other women all too often, writing words they would never feel comfortable saying in real life.
In my years of blogging, I’ve been called everything from “skeleton” to “fat slug” to “anorexic with a boob job” (neither of which is true; but even if they were, would it mean someone had any less worth as a human being?). The comments eventually forced me to realize my self worth needs to come from something other than the opinion of a stranger on the internet.
The routineness with which I receive these acrimonious messages has at least given me the ability to shrug them off.
Although… when I saw the “fat slug” comment, I could not stop laughing.
I completely stopped reading the internet rumors and conspiracy theories about myself a long time ago, even if that means letting some false claims about my life go unchallenged. While I could defend myself against the rumors, doing so would become a full-time job, and I’d rather focus my time elsewhere.
The people who know me in real life are easily able to tell the truth, which is all that matters.
However, the one thing I feel I do need to clear up is that anyone who tells you my blog promotes eating disorders is grossly mistaken. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Chocolate Covered Recipes have healthy fats, whole grains, and real-food (non-artificial) ingredients, and you’ll never find me promoting dangerous cleanses, calorie restriction, or touting any one food as a “miracle” cure.
I’ve turned down so many high-paying offers from companies to promote such things on the blog.
In consideration of the readers with a medical need, lower-calorie and sugar-free options are included in my posts when available. But the recipes are not specifically “diet” choices; just healthier choices, and you can choose the ingredient options that suit your own personal needs.
I go further into detail on this topic in my Chocolate Covered Katie FAQ Page.
Please, the next time you read any kind of gossip online, take a moment to consider the source before believing it as fact. And if you ever come across something written about me that you don’t understand, please always feel free to ask.
I’m one of the most candid and open people you could ever meet, and I don’t get embarrassed easily. If a stranger really wanted to know everything about my life, I’d have no problem leaving in every detail.
At the risk of sounding clichéd… all of the stupid mistakes I’ve made in my life have made me who I am today, and I’m not embarrassed about a single one.
If you want to use me as thinspiration, keep in mind that the thinspiration you are using is a healthy woman who eats a balanced diet heavy in calories, healthy fats, and carbs.
I’d hope that what people can get out of my blog is the message it’s important to treat your body kindly; to nourish it with real-food ingredients; to truly enjoy the foods you are eating; and to take in enough calories for the strength and energy to live your best life possible.
No crash dieting. No cutting out food groups. No starving. Please take good care of yourselves. ♥
I also wanted to write this post because I know there are many other girls out there (and guys too) who receive similar online comments. To anyone who might need to hear it, please do not take any of the messages you receive to heart.
Most often, people just like to write things online because they can (especially if it’s anonymous), and it has nothing to do with your worth, no matter whether you are underweight, overweight, or have anything else about your physical appearance that makes you feel insecure or less than.
Now, can we put this subject to rest and get back to the food?
I’m going to hashtag this photo #fatslug 
You look amazing! I love your blog because it helps me make treats for my kids in a healthier way. Thank you!!
You are a lovely young woman with a big heart. It is sickening the way that people can be so vicious against someone they don’t even know. You keep on doing what you are doing. Your blog and recipes are much appreciated and you look beautiful.
it’s always amazing how some people just hide behind the internet and say whatever hurtful things that come to mind :\… I love your recipes and blogs, keep up the good work girl! 🙂
Thanks for all the good posting on pinterest, I love the healthy eating with chocolate! You look good and it was brave of you to talk about yourself so openly. Bless you Katie for your inspiration!!
Oh Katie. I am so sorry that you have had to go through so many nasty comments and speculation about your personal life and health. The truth is: it’s none of our business. The truth is: unfortunately sometimes people like to stick their noses in where they shouldn’t.
I have been on the end of those comments myself. In the days before the internet and living on it became the thing to do, I was bullied terribly at school for being plump. I was called fatty and many other names that are not pleasant and I will not repeat here. Those names have stayed with me now even as I approach my thirties (too swiftly for my liking some days) and certainly echo in my head on days when I might not be doing too well in the self esteem department. My sister has had the opposite problem. She is naturally small (5’2″ and 110lbs soaking wet) and close friends and family (and I am ashamed to admit, myself) have often commented that she is too small and ‘needs to eat a cheeseburger’. In reality she eats a very healthy, nutrient dense, ‘normal diet’ and walks for exercise. She is just small.
Last year I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t comment on how I thought she should put on weight, because it was just down right rude I realised. Our relationship is better for it.
I really hope that this post clears the internet air for you. Thank you for sharing, and on days when the ‘fat slug’ comment makes you want to cry rather than laugh, remember that the rest of us love and admire you and can’t wait for the next recipe to come out!
I’m not a regular follower of the site, and had no idea these rumors were out there. However, I think you have a fantastic view of it and it’s obviously not where you’re basing your self worth on, so go you! I think it’s sad that people are so willing to believe everything they hear, and will hate on others for silly reasons without bothering to ask the other person. Thank you for sharing your story, perhaps you’ll be able to help others with this, and thank you for posting such healthy, and delicious, recipes.
I am not a blog reader (so I must have missed these claims), BUT I am a foodie and I follow your recipes because you are a Chocolate Covered GODDESS! We follow the same healthy rules in our home and are happy everytime we see your beautiful face pop up on FB or Pinterest with another one of your amazing creations. It takes great courage to be in the public eye because people who cannot be happy with who they are will find some odd misplaced comfort in trying to pull you down with them. Could not imagine the chaos this has caused in your life, but you have definitely faced it with grace. We thank you, for your courage and for, without fail, bringing us recipes that make our tummies smile (or turn into fat slugs ;)….) either way, we bow down with gratitude to you, Chocolate Covered Katie Goddess <3
🙂
Katie,
Addressing the elephant in the room is never easy, and for that, I felt the need to respond (as did many other people, clearly!). Hopefully our heartfelt responses will bear more weight for you than the numerous shallow comments you’ve acquired over the years.
I feel a connection to your struggle since I too have always had a love for food but a passion for staying healthy. When I was in my teens, I over emphasized exercise and became too restrictive with my eating. I lost the joy that comes with having your favorite foods and special treats. I also became irritable when I missed workouts and struggled to understand my mood changes. It wasn’t until I realized my attempt to be healthy had gone to the extreme and become much the opposite! It was a slap in the face, but a wake up call I’m thankful to have made before going down the path of developing an eating disorder.
So, I can relate to your struggle with over exercising and thinking it would give you the body you desire. But isn’t it so much more liberating to see the fabulous body you were born to have when you find a balance between eating healthy foods and being active in moderation?! I remember reading your post about how you were going to stop running and wondered if there might be and underlying concern. I’m happy you were able to make the realization and also found the side of you that thrives with better balance.
I’ve only shared my struggles with a few people and often wonder if that hasn’t hindered my progress in overcoming them. Hopefully your willingness to “put it all out there” will aid in acceptance and growth far beyond what you thought possible.
I wish you all the best and would agree with all the other comments above: you do amazing work and your passion for food and blogging makes it so much fun to read and recreate AND your recent photos after cutting back on exercise have definitely shown the beautiful woman you are meant to be!
Thanks for making yourself vulnerable…from someone who never really did…it will make all the difference~
Thin-shaming is just as bad as fat-shaming – so many factors play a role on our individual body shapes. My body, my business. Your body, your business. I have been reading your blog for awhile and have never read you suggest ANY unhealthy habits for weight loss. Good for you for speaking out, Im sorry you have had to experience this type of negativity and applaud you for finding your own (PERSONAL) happy ground on food and excersize.
LOL I didn’t even know this was a thing…. silly silly people… lol.
Keep up the good blogging. I use your recipes tailgating football games and no one knows their eating healthier versions of things.