Eating Disorders Articles

For 10 years I read about and watched compulsive eaters become free from overeating and I continued to be discouraged as I binged and obsessed about food. I would identify with people who felt, thought, and ate the way I did, and when they said they were free I believed them. I knew it must be possible for me too so why was I still struggling? I begged, prayed, and tried everything and couldn't go more tha 3 or 4 days without bingeing. I remember one of my particularly dark

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders are potentially life-threatening neurotic conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits that involve insufficient or excessive food intake. Tricia Greaves is the Official Guide to Eating Disorders .nn Shrink Yourself: Break Free from Emotional Eating Forever , by Roger Gould, is a valuable resource for people interested in Eating Disorders , and it is availab

All people that suffer from binge eating disorder know about that little negative voice that plays inside of your head. It’s the one that urges you to binge eat and makes you feel bad about yourself. It’s the voice that tells you that you aren’t good enough to stop binge eating, that you will ...All people that suffer from binge eating disorder know about that little negative voice that plays inside of your head. It’s the one that urges you to binge eat and makes you feel bad about yourself.

What follows is a list of common traits and characteristics among all forms of eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and related addictive relationships with food and weight. As alcoholism and drug dependency share more common ground than differences, so too do the different "flavors" of eating disorders. Consider the following...

Over the years I have been asked if there is such a thing as food addiction. First, let’s look at what is an addiction? Here is one definition: An addiction causes people to engage in a recurring activity that causes harm to the person. It is often described as a compulsion to engage in some specific activity to produce mood-altering experiences, and this experience has life-damaging consequences.

Amy Winehouse's brother, Alex, reported to the Observer Magazine (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jun/23/amy-winehouse-growing-up-sister) that he believes Bulimia killed his sister.

At a seminar I gave recently on emotional eating, Cyndie, an attractive, well-dressed woman in her late forties came up to me and shared: “Even though I’m obviously overweight, I don’t think that I’m an emotional eater because I don’t eat at all when I’m sad or depressed. In fact, I can’t eat at those times.

Nothing feels better than waking up and looking forward to the day. Life feels worth living. We feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction because our life has purpose and feels meaningful. And even better if we feel inspired and passionate about what we're doing. We can feel purpose and meaning from many types of activities, including those that: are routine and provide order, satisfaction, comfort and balance to our lives--ea ing a living, household chores, running errands, shopping and preparing food and exercisingr

Over several years we have worked with many people that have struggled with eating disorders, body image problems, and weight challenges. Most of the time we find that these challenges are linked to unhealthy coping patterns, unhealthy beliefs about our bodies, and becoming stuck in dieting mentality. Maladaptive (unhealthy) coping strategies like stress eating, binge eating, or restrictive eating are rooted in avoidance of uncomfortable emotions. Instead of facing our emotional pain, such as sadness or fear, we turn to food, dieting, or starvation to cope.

3 Myths That Keep You Overeating. Everybody knows you just have to eat right and exercise to lose weight. Right? WRONG! That is the very strategy that is fuelling the obesity and overeating epidemic. Even if you could make out what foods are good and which are not in our confusing and ever changing dietscape, chances are good that it you could just do that so easily that you wouldn’t be struggling with food or even reading this article! Read on and I’ll tell you the 3 myths that keep you overeating.

Okay, I admit it. I’m an emotional eater.nnPeople are often surprised when they hear me say this because I’m so into the psychology of weight loss. But it really isn’t that big of a revelation. The truth is, we’re all emotional eaters. It’s human nature. I’m not going to try to make you never eat in response to an emotion again. I will, however, help you to keep emotional eating from interfering with your fitness and weight loss goals. nnEmotional eating is comple

Throughout life, we can be easily motivated to do something when it is fun and exciting. When other tasks seem to be more fearful, we aren’t so motivated to jump on it. Instead, we take our time and look to the other things that need to be taken care of immediately. In other words, we ...Throughout life, we can be easily motivated to do something when it is fun and exciting. When other tasks seem to be more fearful, we aren’t so motivated to jump on it. Instead, we take our time and look to the other things that need to be taken care of immediately. In other words, we procrastinate.

The most recent evidence of the brain chemistry and mechanisms playing a role in the negative experiences associated with eating among those suffering with the restricting forms of eating disorders has explored the role of the neurotransmitter dopamine. There are two divergent groups of brain imaging folks who believe dopamine [the "feel good" neurotransmitter] plays a role in disrupting the experience of hunger and appetite with those who restrict. Basically there are two theories on the table today.

Recently, People Magazine came out with an article about Ashley Hamilton talking openly about his struggles with an eating disorder. I applaud Ashley for coming out about having an eating disorder. The shame, guilt and misunderstanding of eating disorders makes it hard for anyone to come forward and get help, but it is so much harder for such a public figure to do so. He is very courageous!

I know about Night Eating Syndrome. I know what it's like to get up in the middle of the night - every night - to march in a zombie-like trance to my kitchen in methodical searches for the "white flour/white sugar" treasures in my pantry. I know what it's like to eat, continually chewing, ...

The shame, guilt and misunderstanding of eating disorders makes it hard for anyone to come forward to get help, but it is so much harder for a public figure to do so. Celebrities may put their fame, career and acting opportunities on the line and open themselves to, ridicule and criticism if they disclose they have an eating disorder. Some will die as a result.

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders are potentially life-threatening neurotic conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits that involve insufficient or excessive food intake. Tricia Greaves is the Official Guide to Eating Disorders .nn Anatomy of a Food Addiction: The Brain Chemistry of Overeating: An Effective Program to Overcome Compulsive Eating , by Anne Katherine, is a valuable resource f

As a counsellor in private practice, I have the opportunity to work with many clients who have decided for themselves that it would be helpful to talk to an impartial and empathic professional. Clients who come to private counselling for help typically have not sought referral to an NHS counsellor through their GP because they are not suffering from depression or anxiety, and they are not in severe distress.

Rather than a specific therapy, there is a philosophy that appears to hold the key to binding all this treatment and recovery stuff together, Interestingly enough, an anthropologist named David Reynolds introduced me to this “philosophy” several years ago. Dr. Reynolds, who last I heard lives in Hawaii and holds a faculty position at UCLA’s medical school, wrote a book in 1984 called Constructive Living. The good professor chronicled specific “treatment” approaches taught in Japan referred to as “Morita Therapy”.

CBD oil, which is also known as Cannabidiol oil has received a lot of attention in the past. The amazing health benefits associated with CBD oil have contributed a lot towards its popularity. But before you try out CBD oil, you are encouraged to have a clear understanding about the uses, health benefits and risks associated with it. In addition, you must carefully go through reviews for CBD oil and products , so that you can easily understand what you are getting in the long

There are a few “implied” assumptions I have regarding the basic building blocks to recovering from any addiction – of which I consider most eating disorders to be. Let me be candid and put out there one of the most important assumptions I have – recovering from an eating disorder begins with a total commitment to remain consistent with a recovery program* no matter what we are feeling or what “tricks” our minds play with us.

So, you are at the point where you realize that you have Binge Eating Disorder and you want to make a change in your life for the better… But what do you do next? If you are like how I was, a mixture of emotions used to begin to fill my head about what my new self would be like. I was excited ...So, you are at the point where you realize that you have Binge Eating Disorder and you want to make a change in your life for the better… But what do you do next? If you are like how I was, a mixture of emotions used to begin to fill my head about what my new self would be like.

Anorexia starts from special beliefs: beliefs about themselves, body image, control and perception of beauty. These beliefs are tightly connected to strong emotions – both negative and positive. These “Beliefs+ Emotions+ action” form the long-term memory in the brain. So, why do these memories get so ingrained in a person’s brain that nothing seems to change them? This happens because these “Beliefs + Emotions+ action” actually change the structure of a person brain.

Do you have times when you feel unsettled or anxious and rely on food to calm you down? Do you focus on what you can eat rather than on the actual problem at hand? Here are a few thoughts on natural eating to concentrate on when you are about to overeat because of your emotions: Eat when you are hungry! Stop when you are full! When you follow those two steps, you can actually eat anything and not be overweight! Eat everything in moderation. When we overeat; eat when we are

It is holiday time again and time to think about a conscious celebration. The difference between what we think and want to feel like and what we actually experience, can drive even the most dedicated wellness woman into less than optimal choices with their eating and plans at this time of the year. Most of us are overtired, overbooked and over worked at this time of the year. Very bad planning, because it is actually the time to slow down, sit in the darkening days and contemplate our lives over the past months and year to come.

I know about Night Eating Syndrome. I know what it's like to get up in the middle of the night - every night - to march in a zombie-like trance to my kitchen in methodical searches for the "white flour/white sugar" treasures in my pantry. I know what it's like to eat, continually chewing, biting, chewing, and biting until everything is gone. I know what it's like to step on the crumbs, some very big crumbs, on the floor as I stand up from where I've seated myself to "chow" an

Have you ever dieted and gained the weight back? Statistics show that sixty-six percent of the American population is overweight. Only one out of 200 dieters loses the weight and keeps it off for a year or more. Out of the 25 million Americans that are seriously dieting in the United States 40 to 60 percent are high school girls. Studies show that 35% of the normal dieters progress to eating disorders. Thirty percent of post-bariatric or gastric bypass surgery patients develop a substance addiction. The body may, but thinking remains the same.

One of the most essential steps in healing and recovery is to take back your personal Creator given power. First, you must come to the realization that taking back your personal power is possible and necessary. Realize that the only person you can change is yourself. You have the ability to ...

Sara slipped her tiny body into her beautiful, pink leotard, anticipating another ballet class. After putting on her matching ballet slippers she imagined she was a princess…until she looked at herself in the mirror. Sara first heard “the voice,” the one that told her she was fat—much bigger than the other girls—the one that said she’d never be a real ballerina, at the tender age of five. She didn’t know how to disce this voice. As she grew into a teen, the voice became louder and stronger and she eventually developed an eating disorder.

Binge eating has been said to be one of the most widespread of all eating disorder, affecting 1 in 35 people, much more common that any of the other eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. The main problem with trying to stop binge eating is that many of those who are suffering are ashamed to talk about it and ask for help. Remember that you are not alone in this and there is real help available if you want to get binge eating help and permanent recovery. Get rid off the obsession drivers

The Random House College Dictionary defines hope as "the feeling that what is desired is also possible or that events may turn out for the best."

Today I wanted to talk to you about something you’ve probably given a lot of thought to if you have bulimia or are currently in recovery from bulimia - What does it mean to be fully recovered? *When you think about recovery how does it look? *How is it different to your life now? *What does being fully recovered really mean to you? The truth is there is a lot of confusion out there in regards to what it means to really recover from bulimia. It doesn’t help that we have a lot of people (even professionals) telling us that recovery will require a life long commitment.

Cross addiction or multiple addictions are a fact of life inherent within the eating disordered community. Many of us come to the rooms of a 12-step program, treatment facility, or related support group intending to tackle our "primary problem" such as alcoholism, drug dependency, or an eating disorder. However, many of us realize we have other addictions to manage beside the one we think is a "biggest problem.".Putting off the need to tackle the remaining addiction(s) has brought many a recovering person back to his or her primary addiction.

Let’s be clear from the get go, when it comes to getting help for an eating disorder there are a couple of assumptions to consider. Let’s look at a one of these and consider if this might “ring true” for you.

Although eating disorders are often accompanied by a variety of physical and emotional complications, perhaps the most painful are those leading to severe dental problems. To be sure, there is some overlap with respect to the specific impact each type of eating disorder has on our teeth and mouth. The list of dental complications for each eating disorder is listed below: • Loss of tissue and erosive lesions on the surface of teeth due to the corrosive effects of acid [Bulimia]r

Compulsive eating disorder is one of the most common types of eating disorders and often goes unnoticed due to the shame and stigma associate d with it. People can view it as simply a matter of being lazy or having a lack of willpower but eating compulsively is a disorder just like any other any needs to be recognized and treated as such How to Recover From Compulsive Eating Disorder It is crucial to remember that you are not alone in this – it has been estimated to affect 1 out of a hundred women in the United States alone.r

You may be sensing that some deeper longing or hunger within you is fueling your emotional eating. How do you know if your emotional eating represents a yearning for spiritual connection and nourishment? In Part I of this article, I suggested that spiritual depletion may be experienced as a restlessness or sense of unease, discontent or dissatisfaction with life, even at times when life seems relatively fulfilling.

When it comes down to binge eating, motivation for something, or even some kind of training, it is all about mind over matter. It’s about you believing in yourself enough to do what it takes to obtain your goal of overcoming binge eating. It’s you never giving up until you have achieved what ...When it comes down to binge eating, motivation for something, or even some kind of training, it is all about mind over matter. It’s about you believing in yourself enough to do what it takes to obtain your goal of overcoming binge eating.

It is often reported that approximately one of 3 women who seek either weight loss or eating disorder treatment experience binge eating disorder. This is a an estimate and could possibly be even higher due to the secrecy and shame that usually comes with the disorder. Finding help to stop binge eating is possible and requires at the very least an admission of the problem. There are several mistakes that are commonly made when trying to stop binge eating. Avoid these mistakes to stop binge eating Avoid diets and restrictive eating plans

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders are potentially life-threatening neurotic conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating habits that involve insufficient or excessive food intake. Tricia Greaves is the Official Guide to Eating Disorders .nn Distorted: How a Mother and Daughter Unraveled the Truth, the Lies, and the Realities of an Eating Disorder , by Lorri Antosz Benson and Taryn Leigh Benson, is

Your Eating Disorder Voice is communicating something. Your Healthy Voice is communicating something. Often, these “Voices” are competing with each other, but what are they really trying to say? I often talk to clients about the “Eating Disorder Voice” and the “Healthy Voice.” Part of the treatment for an eating disorder is to make the Healthy Voice louder (bigger) while decreasing the Eating Disorder Voice.

How does gratitude work? What's the point of it? Will this new craze of daily gratitude be something that changes my life? If it did, what would it change, how would I be different? Isn't gratitude some kind of religious thing? Like meditation, gratitude has been sidelined with religious beliefs to be practiced once a week, if you attend some religious facility. However, is it really? I recovered a note from a friend from 1998: Thoughts for this week: Abundance:

Despite some disparity estimating the number of people who seek treatment for an eating disorder, there is an ever increasing body of evidence to suggest an eating disorder diagnosis rarely is unaccompanied by at least one other bona fide illness. Those most often identified as “primary suspects” include one or more of the following: recurrent or single episodes of depression, anxiety disorders, bi-polar disorder, attention deficit disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, current or past histories of alcohol and/or drug dependencies, and obsessive compulsive disorders.r

Thanksgiving is a time when most of us overeat. It's just what we do on this holiday, right? We eat until we're stuffed, and then when we have a little room opening up again in the old digestive tract, we fill it back up immediately. Hours later, we do it all over again. It's okay--we're giving thanks for the abundance of food on our tables and family and friends in our home.

We love lofty. We love big huge plans of self-sacrifice and sweeping changes. We love thinking of all of this and writing it down- we get an instant hit of relief when we plan ways that we are going to master our ways of eating or binging. Remember when you used to feel better just from watching Jane Fonda videos... from the couch? Planning is like that. We get the relief from the thinking about it and making charts and graphs and lists and feel better, without having to DO a thing.

Change-Conflict-Into-Intimacy Do you Feel like your Relationship has Become a Battle Ground? Does Your Relationship Seem More Distant Each Day? How Is It Possible to Change-Conflict-Into-Intimacy? You might be scratching your head wondering "How is it possible to turn change-conflict-into-intimacy". You’re on your way home from a long day at work dreading walking in the door;what will be the mood of our once exciting home? Will I be greeted with excitement or will some small comment turn into a giant conflict?

Life can be tough, and as we all know, it's even more complicated when trying to stop binge eating disorder. We are thrown obstacles and our drive can sometimes seem obscured. Even in these struggles, your goal needs to stay at the forefront of your mind, so that you learn how to stop binge ...Life can be tough, and as we all know, it's even more complicated when trying to stop binge eating disorder. We are thrown obstacles and our drive can sometimes seem obscured. Even in these struggles, your goal needs to stay at the forefront of your mind, so that you learn how to stop binge eating.

My client Alexis (name-changed), a forty-four year old web designer, has been single her entire life. Without partner or child, she often feels invisible at social gatherings filled with couples and families. Her parents passed away in the last few years and as an only child without much extended family, she often feels a painful, overwhelming and at times paralyzing sense of loneliness. She “uses” food regularly to comfort and soothe the loneliness. A few times per week she has a large binge, generally when she feels depressed and anxious.

When human psychological factors cause an illness, it is called psychosomatic – of the mind and of the body. Of all disorders an eating disorder is the epitome of a toxic relationship between psyche and soma, yet the body is our interface for navigating the world. Medical writer Jonathan Miller states: The body is the medium of experience and the instrument of action.