Eating Disorders Articles

Weight problems and food addictions have become a national epidemic. At any given time, twenty five million Americans are seriously dieting. Only 1 out of every 200 dieters lose their weight and keep it off for a year or more. Although there are more diet programs and weight loss products than any other time in history, recent studies show that roughly sixty percent of adult Americans are overweight and one third are obese.

There is a prevailing assumption within the public arena as well as within the population of those suffering with an eating disorder, that Binge Eating Disorder, aka Food Addiction, is less "serious" than the other eating disorders - namely anorexia and bulimia. In addition, as if to make matters worse, BED as well as the other related eating disorders are viewed [even by patients] as a breakdown in self discipline or a failure of willpower. The more recent research would suggest these perceptions are dangerously mistaken.

Binge eating disorder successfully removes any and all of the love that you have for yourself. It makes you feel awful about the person you have become and keeps you feeling down in the dumps quite often. In order to overcome binge eating disorder, it's important that you start rebuilding a ...Binge eating disorder successfully removes any and all of the love that you have for yourself. It makes you feel awful about the person you have become and keeps you feeling down in the dumps quite often.

Although there has been some controversy as to whether anyone can be "addicted to food" (AKA food addict) or manifest the symptoms of addiction with respect to the other eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorders - the following is a list of the criteria appearing in the DSM IV (Diagnostic Manual) of the American Psychiatric Association for any and all addictions (dependencies): - TOLERANCE - WITHDRAWAL - MORE FOR LONGER PERIOD THAN INTENDED - UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO CUT BACK OR CONTROL - SIGNIFICANT TIME TO OBTAIN OR RECOVER FROM EFFECTS

“A binge-purge party is a harmless way to enjoy some fattening foods without getting fat”, my patient told me. “At my sorority a few of us girls would buy all of the forbidden and fattening foods we have been denying ourselves. Then we would have a binge-purge party. It’s a way to have your cake and not get fat. Three of us meet in my room. It was like a secret society. We ate donuts, chips, pizza, ice cream, fast foods and fried foods then we purged the food.”

If you have a body image problem you may feel preoccupied with self doubt, lack self confidence and experience depression because you perceive that you do not look good enough. You may have a body image problem or body dysmorphic disorder. You may feel if your body was just thinner you would achieve all the happiness that you want. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a distorted body image in which often people who are already underweight see themselves as being fat. These people are tortured by their struggle to be perfect.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Where do you focus your attention? If you are like most people who feel dissatisfied with their body, you look straight to the places you hate the most.

There is a small, but growing group of extreme dieters who believe that significantly reducing the amount of food they eat, will not only delay the aging of the body, but also prevent developing heart problems, diabetes and other chronic diseases. This movement, called calorie restriction or ...

It makes me crazy when I hear supposed weight loss experts preach that the road to weight loss begins and ends with calorie counting, daily weigh-ins and intense workout regimens. This kind of advice couldn't be farther from the truth and, in fact, it encourages us not to listen to the wisdom of our bodies.

Eating disorders have very many effects on the sufferers. The effects can be divided into mental, spiritual and physical. The mental effects can be associated with different levels of anxiety (from moderate to very severe), depression, and difficulty to focus on tasks, low span of attention, ...

“Hedonic Eating” literally translates to “pleasure eating.” It refers to eating in the absence of biological need or hunger. From my standpoint it describes a pattern of disordered eating that contributes to the current rise with eating disorders and obesity. With few exceptions it involves cravings for highly palatable foods – usually sugar laden, unhealthy fats, refined flour aka most highly processed foods. You know, the usual fare at most fast food chains and shelves of our supermarkets.

This article is for those who believe that she/he has found a magic wand to control their body weight and it is called bulimia. Many bulimics think they invented it and keep it secret for a long time because it feels shameful to admit about throwing up food. Bulimia as a weight loss strategy ...

It's incredibly hard to find a way of being at peace with food. More than anything, the women and teens I talk with want to find a sense of peace, away from the relentless obsessions with food and weight.

When the adult voices of our childhood are primarily warm, kind, encouraging, hopeful, validating, soothing and nurturing, we begin to develop a supportive voice within that can restore us to emotional balance when needed. As we mature into adulthood, this supportive voice becomes the voice of what I call our Inner Nurturer, our main source of validation, approval and reassurance.

Hunger Diseases: Eating Disorders, Self Injury and Compulsive Shopping

We see her running at cross-country and track meets every season; we watch her as she propels her thin arms and legs, conspicuous ribs, hollow cheeks and eyes, bulging veins and concave stomach forward. The visible markers on her body shout that something is not right, as her drive for perfection pushes her towards a dangerous dance with death.nnThe prominence of professional sports in America places athletes on the highest pedestal of celebrity, praise and respect. This cult

Today researchers find that for every four females with anorexia, there is one male, and for every 8-11 females with bulimia, there is one male. (American Jou al of Psychiatry) The majority of men suffer with Binge Eating Disorder and the majority does not get treatment until they have diabetes, heart attacks or other weight-related disorders.

Internal vrs. Exte al Cues of Hunger

Just as a wholesome meal nourishes our body, spirituality nourishes our soul. The spiritual component of well-being involves a search for meaning, serenity and joy that goes beyond our day-to-day conce s. You may be sensing that some deeper longing or hunger within you is fueling your emotional eating. Perhaps the concept of spiritual depletion resonates with you. You’re longing for more of something in life, even if you seem to have everything you once desired.

We’ve all been there. Your sister calls you to let you know how many calories she burned at the gym tonight or one of your friends fills their Facebook status with self-hating nonsense about how much they loath their body. It seems like something is always waiting to trigger us In reality, no matter how hard we work on recovering from bulimia, it seems that there will always be someone or something waiting to inadvertently tear us down.

How Do I Begin Recovery? “What will open the door is daily awareness and attention.”rn--Krishnamurti ……Was this my starting point? I certainly thought so. But I had already chosen these people to be in my life. I created the opportunity for those events to happen long before I knew how they would turn out. In the film, Field of Dreams, a voice says, “Build it and they will come.” Buddhism says “Create the right conditions.” Psychotherapy teaches, “Create a sturdy holding environment because we never know what will emerge during the course of treatment.”

WHAT ARE EATING DISORDERS? Eating disorders are typically associated with various maladaptive patterns of behavior related to food, it’s consumption, and the ensuing effects on a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing. It may, or may not, include attempts to offset the “consequences” of these behaviors by the use or abuse of compensatory agents and behaviors such as purging, compulsive exercising, periods of self-imposed starvation, and so on.

Let’s begin this article with an important “disclaimer” – namely no one has a definitive answer as to what causes an eating disorder and, more importantly, one definitive approach to treatment that offers a cure or is “superior” to another. Although I tend to subscribe to the belief a blend of genetic, emotional, and biological elements account for an eating disorder, I suggest we acknowledge the need to approach treatment with each of these factors in mind.

Breaking free from emotional eating is more attainable than most of us first believe. I once walked out of a therapist's office, never to return after I asked him, "Is it really possible to heal this?" He said, "Yes, Laurel, it is possible." I didn't believe him and turned my back on getting help. I suffered needlessly mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically for years as a result.

Of course you want to end your emotional eating. Yesterday, thank you. And while you feel motivated to give it the boot, somehow, somewhere you lose hold of your motivation most days and find yourself grabbing those cookies or that bag of chips or going for seconds. Perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that you’re weak-willed, undisciplined or just plain lazy.

You can overcome infertility after 40 by applying certain natural fertility methods correctly. Many older women failed to get pregnant just simply because they can't find the right time when they can fall pregnant. And there is a biological basis for it. The ability of women to fall pregnant ...

If you want to turn your binge eating habit into a healthy eating habit, first of all you must BELIEVE that you can do it. This is the first and most important step on the road to recovery from binge eating. Put it this way: if you believe you can eat healthy without overeating – that means you will be able to eat healthy sooner rather than later.

After you realize that you have binge eating disorder, it’s important to figure out the root of why you binge. The root is the reason you turn to bingeing; it’s why you do what you do. This is one of the first steps you need to figure out as you try to move into binge eating ...After you realize that you have binge eating disorder, it’s important to figure out the root of why you binge. The root is the reason you turn to bingeing; it’s why you do what you do.

There 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.

Eating disorders have become quite a well known problem, with millions of people affected. Eating disorders are a disease that is progressive and incurable and the same type of disease as any other addiction. The sufferer is trapped in a helpless cycle of obsessive and compulsive behavior and unable to break free of the need to escape feelings and control.nnEating disorders are more common than most people think - not everyone with an eating disorder appears to be skeletal, a

Have you ever thought about the purpose of your emotions? If you're like most people, you don't think much about emotions (yours or anyone elses) and you just move through them, hoping to experience more of the pleasant, energizing ones and steer clear of the deflating ones. When unpleasant emotions such as loneliness, hurt, disappointment or rejection surface, perhaps you try to distract yourself with food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, television, internet surfing, texting, reading, drama, sex, gambling, complaining, gossiping, etc.

Night eating syndrome, an eating/sleeping disorder that is still being pushed and pulled upon to determine where it belongs in the DSMV can lurk in the background once the night eater gains control of the chronic habit and stops the practice of waking and immediately choosing white flour/white sugar types of food to binge upon. There is a conscious knowledge of the habit most of the time, but in those who are so sleep deprived, there can be merely a fleeting memory of initial

n n Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable overeating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food. Most people who have eating binges try to hide this behaviour from others, and often feel ashamed or depressed about their overeating. Eating binges can be followed by so-called compensatory behaviour, acts by which the person tries to compen

Treating Eating Disorders: The Second Assumption In a previous article I suggested we consider a few basic assumptions that seem to apply when speaking about eating disorders. Before moving on, I’d recommend looking at what all the various forms of eating disorders have in common rather than addressing them in terms of their differences. By this time most of us are familiar with the “clinical criteria” of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Unfortunately, the medical criteria delineating between each of these has led many to “not see the forest from the trees.”

I recently saw the play Ruined at the Geffen Theatre here in Los Angeles. It was an extremely moving and poignant story of the sexual and emotional abuse of women in the war-tor Congo. In this fictional story, some of the female Congolese refugees were "lucky" enough to find work and shelter in a brothel, rather than being further abused and battered in refugee camps or worse outside the camps. Many women had no one to turn to as their family members were brutally beaten, recruited for battle and even murdered.

For years I felt so much shame and guilt around being an emotional eater. Yet, that is just it. Emotional eaters tend to take on the weight of the world and feel more responsible than not. Did you get that? The weight of the world. The problem with emotional eating is when we gain extra weight and the impact that weight, or eating toxic foods, can have on our health, self-esteem and emotional worlds.

Are you consuming sweets daily? Do you add a sweetener to your daily bowl of cereal or cup of coffee or tea? Do you hunt for sweets at particular times of the day? If so, perhaps you feel powerless over your sweet cravings. If you’re like the average American who consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar daily, you very well may suffer from sugar addiction. Sugar is hidden in places you wouldn’t expect–it’s added to sauces, ketchup, soups, pickles, processed foods, drinks, health bars and more.

As professionals, most of us realize the importance of making and checking lists. We may make packing lists, lists of presentation items we need to take along and lists of things to mention during our presentation. Some more organized people even have lists of lists! But many of us neglect to ...

Love Heals All Dear Family of Humanity, I have not had the opportunity to speak to you for the last five or six weeks. My body vehicle keeps bringing all unresolved issues on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels to the surface to be healed and transmuted by the power of the sacred violet silver flame of transmutation – at least all I came here to heal in this life time. The weather has also influenced my ability to speak to all through this amazing medium that is my computer.

Eating disorders are rooted in emotional struggles. These struggles are deep emotional conflicts within the sufferer, these are called self-conflicts. How the conflicts started in the first place? This process begins by fantasizing at a very early age. People fantasize a script, for example like a Hollywood production focusing on TV stars or other celebrities. Then they start rehearsing their part. As they go, they either give up on their initial part and take up a new one, or they practice the first part and role –play that script out until it becomes who they think they are.

The American Psychiatric Association's selected criteria for substance dependency [aka addiction] appears below. The author speculates the same criteria may be used to determine whether an individual suffering from Anorexia, Bulimia, or Binge Eating Disorder displays the same characteristics. Listed below are the [7] criteria per the APA committee and task force for Substance Dependency. Can you identify some [or all] of these characteristics as it relates to your relationship with food or behaviors related to eating and/or dieting such as exercise, etc.? - TOLERANCE - WITHDRAWALr

How many people can actually say that they love and accept themselves just as they are? Learning to love yourself is quite possibly one of the hardest things to accomplish in your life. And that is when there is nothing wrong with you. Imagine having an eating disorder. It is even harder ...How many people can actually say that they love and accept themselves just as they are?

According to general statistic one out of ten patients with eating disorders is a man. That means that men are 10% of all eating disorders suffers, but according to the opinions of many experts the number could even be higher. The problem with men is that they are reluctant to come and complain about their problems and hide their problems longer than women do. All these make it hard to show an accurate statistic for male-sufferers. Clinicians agree that diagnosing anorexia and bulimia in men is more difficult than it is in women despite identical behaviours.

Have you ever thought about how powerful your thoughts are and how quickly they can alter your mood? Truthfully, how often does a thought or series of thoughts ruin a perfectly good day for you? How often do you grab something to eat to calm or soothe yourself because of overwhelming, anxious or depressive thoughts? For most overeaters, the answer is quite often.

Food control is difficult for most of us and certainly it is fine to indulge now and then. Life is to be enjoyed and so is food. However, stopping our eating can be tricky at times. We crave. We overeat. We feel bad about doing it. We admonish ourselves which can lead to more craving and ...

If you are like me, you know that if your food is out of whack, nothing else in your life is going to go very well. It's just impossible- we have a different reaction to certain foods than other people, and more and more research bears this out. The drive to overeat certain foods, in spite of the pain that our compulsive eating causes us, has chemical origins. I am not the one to explain the technicalities of this, but for a great book on this subject, I recommend both Mark H

I bet you didn’t know that today is International No Diet Day. Well it is, and its observed annually on May 6th. It’s a day dedicated to raise awareness regarding the dangers in dieting and to celebrate body acceptance and body shape diversity.

If you are dealing with an adult who suffers from an eating disorder, then you should adjust your talk to a relevant format. Remember, an adult may use stronger language than a child would use. Do not get angry. It will not do any good, and will probably make things worse.