Author: frivvy89
One of my favorite metaphors is the weed and the root. You don’t have to be a gardener to know plucking weeds doesn’t work. You’ve got to dig out the root to eliminate those pesky weeds. And so it is with eating problems. Bingeing, bingeing and purging and/or restricting are all solutions to root issues. These behaviors are problematic, but they are not “the” real problem (even though it sure feels like they are!). Only by going into the hidden parts of your mind can you locate those roots. Then you can get rid of them for good. Our minds…
By now, you’ve probably heard of Noom, the health and wellness company that’s marketing itself as revolutionary.Don’t be fooled.When you visit Noom’s website, you complete a quick questionnaire that alerts you to “how much weight you’ll lose for good.” This is the first red flag. Most people know that intentional weight-loss efforts (i.e., diets) don’t work and that any weight loss is usually regained (and then some). Noom, however, promises “lifelong” weight-loss. But here’s the thing: Noom’s only been around since 2008. At best, they have 10 years of data on their method. Promising lifelong weight-loss 10 years in is…
Introduction Compulsivity is defined as “the performance of repetitive, unwanted and functionally impairing overt or covert behaviors without adaptive function, performed in a habitual or stereotyped fashion, either according to rigid rules or as a means of avoiding perceived negative consequences” (Fineberg et al., 2014, p. 70). Behavioral patterns of compulsive eating, defined as repetitive bouts, without homeostatic function, with adverse consequences, and as ways to relieve stress, are common across several eating-related conditions (Moore et al., 2017). These include: (1) eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED); (2) obesity; and (3) food addiction (FA),…
If you have or are in recovery from BED, Turner has a few suggestions that can help you get through the holiday season in the best way possible for your mental and physical health.Make a PlanIf you’re in treatment for your eating disorder, Turner recommends leaning on your team of professionals to help you get by. Before the holiday season is in full swing, Turner says, your team should help you come up with a coping plan for tough days.”Rely on your group members, your therapist, your nutritionist,” she says. “[Rely on] whoever is seeing you to really come up…
Every time I sit down to write about eating disorders, I ask myself “what needs to be said, that most are unwilling to share?” Sometimes, that leads me down a rabbit hole with an unclear end. Occasionally, a seed of perspective develops. More frequently, a truth emerges (or reemerges) that I’m conveniently escaping. This share is one of those, and took me two months to write. {Also, conveniently as I write this, an aptly titled “Drunk And I Miss You” song is drifting thru my headphones.} Oh, 2019 music. So deep. So lyrical. Anyway, here I am – and I…
I cant believe 2018 is coming to an end. It has been a huge year for me and although I have been faced with many challenges, I think I have managed to stay in top of things ok. I’m not going to lie to you all, there have been times when my eating disorder stuff has resurfaced and that has been hard but I have managed to maintain my weight and have tried to live my life to the fullest, in despite of this.I started seeing a new guy in June and my life has been super busy since then.…
The issue was peanut butter. No matter what form it took — creamy, crunchy, straight from the jar or smeared between two slices of bread — it caused Sunny Gold enormous anxiety.In fact, the gooey spread posed such a threat that during her first few years of recovery from binge eating disorder, between 2006 and 2007, Ms. Gold, 42, a communications specialist in Portland, Ore., couldn’t keep it around the house. It was one of her favorite foods, and she feared she would binge on it. Just knowing it was there, lurking in her cupboard, made her feel “unsafe,” as…
Introduction In recent decades, obesity rates in the US have increased substantially. Obesity has multiple negative health effects, including type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. In 2012, Cawley and Meyerhoefer (1) estimated the health issues arising for obese persons increase medical costs by $2.7 k per year compared to a non-obese person. Over the entire US population, this leads to an estimated 6–10% of US health expenditures spent on diseases influenced by obesity (2). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adult obesity rates continue to climb: 39.8% of adults were considered obese…
Source: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash The holiday season is here, filled with joy, stress, family, friends and most of all…food. Food is a major part of all the holidays that encompass the end of this year and headed into the next. For those who suffer from an eating disorder or any anxiety around food, this can be a very tough time of year. During the holidays you are literally surrounded by triggers that could lead to disordered eating behaviors. Maybe it’s a toxic relationship with family that triggers you to binge eat, arguments with a loved one about finances, or worries…
Introduction Eating disorders (EDs) such as bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) are common among female adolescents and emerging adults (Keski-Rahkonen and Mustelin, 2016). They are characterized by disinhibited eating behaviors, which – in the case of BN – alternate with restrictive eating episodes and purging in order to control weight. Despite differences between BN and BED regarding ED-related behaviors, the two disorders seem to share common transdiagnostic mechanisms which are involved in the maintenance of ED pathology: overvaluation of shape, weight, and eating, which are accompanied by perfectionism (Fairburn et al., 2003). It has been suggested that…