By Krystle J. Bailey
Ronni Robinson is a wife, mother, and newly published author. Her first memoir, Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey, chronicles her decades-long struggle with disordered eating.
Through her raw and honest story of recovery, Ronni hopes to shed light on a topic that has often been considered taboo. Her story highlights some of her deepest thoughts in relation to food addiction and the rocky road to recovery. Ronni’s deeply insightful stories offer readers a glimpse into the mind of someone with disordered eating behavior, which in Ronni’s case manifested as compulsive overeating.
Ronni’s story began as a child. She grew up in a dysfunctional home that lacked love, affection, and especially communication. Robinson recalls her journey with food-based shame beginning at nine years old, when her mother began hiding cookies from her without any discussion. In their home, she was taught that women do not make waves, ask questions, or stir the pot in any way. So, after asking her mother about the cookie “situation” once, she vowed to never bring it up again. At the tender age of nine, Ronni began hiding her eating from her parents.
Ronni found herself beginning to eat as much food as possible in each sitting and buying or finding food in secret. As food became more accessible throughout Ronni’s adolescence and young adulthood, the binge eating behavior evolved exponentially. Throughout her young adult life, through an abusive first marriage, and well into her current marriage, Ronni continued to binge in secret, and in shame.
For decades, Ronni felt that she was alone in this behavior. She truly believed that it was something only she did and that no one else could understand. One fateful evening, she discovered a website for “compulsive overeating” and that is where her journey to recovery began.
Ronni felt truly seen for the first time in her adult life. The sigh of relief that came with realizing she was not alone was matched with a deep level of grief when she recognized that she needed to get help as well as be honest with her family.
After penning a letter to her current husband that spilled her truth, Ronni took the steps toward recovery that she knew were necessary. She sought therapy, began reading books about disordered eating and recovery, and joined Overeaters Anonymous (OA).
Ronni had been a freelance writer since her freshman year in college. She was no stranger to telling the stories of others so, in the beginning stages of her recovery, she began to tell her own story. Her 2008 blog chronicled the rollercoaster of emotions, pervasive thoughts, and hard truths that came with the road to healing.
Though she had found an incredibly supportive group of other bloggers, after a year Ronni knew it was time to let the blog go in order to continue her recovery journey.
The thought had occurred to Ronni to pen a book, however she was adamant about waiting to ensure that her recovery was legitimate and lasting. Though she understood that recovery from any addiction is not linear or straight forward, it was important for Ronni to find a good stride in her healing before publishing her memoir.
Eight years after she first stepped foot into therapy, Ronni decided it was time to begin writing. What would ultimately become Out of the Pantry, began with collecting all of the blogs that Ronni had written years prior.
Through the grueling process of writing a memoir, Ronni studied the stories written by others about their addictions, finding common threads to her own addictive behaviors. She worked closely with memoir experts, editors, and proofreaders to bring to life her 2020 publication, Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey.
It is Ronni Robinson’s hope that anyone struggling with disordered eating behavior will be reminded that they are not alone and that there is a way out. Help is available and therapy is life changing. There is a community of love and support out there for everyone, no matter the struggle or addiction. Ronni encourages anyone who is struggling with addiction to seek the help that they need to live a full, abundant, healthy, free life.
“Robinson’s story is a brave account of her lifelong struggle with an eating disorder (overeating/binge eating) and her commitment to a life in recovery. With direct and empathetic honesty, Robinson invites us on her journey from illness to wellness.” – Kerry Neville
“Ronni writes from a place of true vulnerability and brave authenticity. Any reader will be able to empathize with Ronni’s journey-and they’ll find inspiration in her triumphs along the way.” – Kristen Geil
Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey is available on Amazon.
Connect with Ronni Robinson at @ronnirobwrites on Instagram.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet
KrystleJBailey.com
