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Author: frivvy89
This guide was originally published on July 25, 2019 in NYT Parenting.Caitlyn Hitt grew up in a household with “food issues,” where her family frequently talked about weight and dieting. She was urged not to eat certain foods because of how they might impact her appearance, she said, and had diets pushed on her at a young age. Hitt said that the experience gave her a complex about her weight and made her see certain foods as bad.Now, as a mother of a 6-year-old boy, Noah, Hitt is conscious of how she discusses food and eating around him. She emphasizes…
You had a bad day, so you head to the freezer, grab ice cream, move to the couch and dig right in. You don’t feel physically hungry, but eating ice cream is comforting. This is referred to as emotional eating or stress eating. These terms are often used interchangeably, and both refer to turning to food to cope with emotions. According to Psychology Today, “Emotional eating refers to consumption of food for the purpose of regulating one’s emotional states.” This is in contrast to wandering into the kitchen because you are bored and grabbing some snacks. That’s boredom eating. Studies…
The other day I was social distance hiking with my roommate. It’s finally spring here in Boulder, and the quarantine mandates are lifting. The grass is growing, people are all over their lawns in a desperate attempt to carve out some alone time, and bikers are abundant. Masks and lone latex gloves litter the streets. There’s a feeling in the air like people are coming out of a daze. Anyway, we’re hiking and chatting about our futures (for me, the absolute unknown of it) when I look down at my leg and effectively cringe. I hadn’t been in shorts in…
Around two years ago, I was still in graduate school, still in semi-early recovery (again), and still trying to navigate support groups and fat acceptance all at once. As a recovery practice, I began getting comfortable with using the word ‘fat’ as a self-descriptor around in my shares at group and in conversations–until I was called out and told not to come back until I could figure out my language and how to stop saying ‘fat’ because it was triggering to others. I understood that. I understand that for so many people, fatness is a fear, and that fear can…
What do you do when you feel anxious about an upcoming interview or angry about a friend’s unfair comment on your behaviour? You might take a few deep breaths and try to view the situation from a different perspective: it’s just an interview, not a matter of life and death. And, on calmer reflection, your friend may be right – you did react a bit strongly. Alternatively, you may bury your feelings in a tub of ice cream. The latter is called emotional eating and some people use it to regulate their emotions. But not everyone turns to unhealthy eating…
By Jenni Schaefer with Kim Collins, MS, RDN, CDE, CEDRD-S Back in the day, my eating disorder (aka “Ed”) would have provided all kinds of ways for coping with COVID-19. Unfortunately, none of his coping mechanisms involve recovery. Have you heard Ed chiming in with excuses to cut back on your own recovery efforts during this unprecedented worldwide pandemic? Ed might say that holding onto “just” one or two eating disorder behaviors isn’t that big of a deal. In my own recovery, Ed frequently said something like, “It’s okay to restrict food — just a little.” Yet what I learned is that…
Are you or is someone you know a picky eater? Some extremely picky eaters may have an eating disorder, known as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). In most cases, picky eating does not interfere with weight status, growth, or daily functioning. However, people who experience consequences such as these as a result of extremely picky eating may need treatment. ARFID vs. Picky Eating It may be helpful to understand the characteristics of picky eating typically seen in children at different stages of development and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Picky Eating Picky eaters are people who avoid many foods because they…
Tips to reduce emotional eating during times of stress, like the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Combine the stress and uncertainty you may be experiencing due to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic with extreme social distancing and long stretches of time at home, and you have a recipe for emotional eating. Emotional eating, or stress eating, is eating to suppress or soothe negative emotions. Sometimes it can become an automatic response – or habit – that we go to when faced with challenging feelings. Feelings that may trigger eating include sadness, frustration or fear, stress and fatigue. Chronic mental health issues like depression or anxiety also can trigger emotional eating. And these conditions may…
It’s 8:30 on a Monday morning, and I’ve been in quarantine for 23 days. Or more. I’ve lost track of time. As I wrote that, I had to double check if it was Monday on my phone calendar. A month ago, I was on a connecting flight in San Francisco to go to Europe and Morocco indefinitely (okay, probably like a month because money doesn’t grow on trees): It was to be my Eat, Pray, Love debut. I was going to write my book, figure out what I wanted my career to be (I’m going through a quarter-life crisis, we’ll call…
Today is Saturday, April 4, 2020 – another day in quarantine. But the skies are clear and the sun is shining, so I can’t complain. It’s been a while since I last wrote, and it’s crazy how much has changed the past couple months. So I just wanted to drop in and leave a bit of encouragement for those that read this. Anyway, we’re living in such a weird time, and I wish I had answers. But I don’t. Many people are worried, confused, and desperately searching for toilet paper. Yes, this is real life. But on a more serious…