Guest Blogger Margarita Tartakovsky: Inspiring Words On Seeking ED Recovery

I am excited and delighted to introduce my first guest blogger, Margarita Tartakovsky of Weightless, a blog on PsychCentral.com, which focuses on body image, disordered eating, and eating disorders. From her Q&A interviews on through to her positive Body Image bolstering articles, her posts are informative, interesting, and very inspiring. If you haven't had the opportunity yet to visit there, I suggest you run on over and check it out. I promise you, you'll be glad that you did.

Inspiring Words on Seeking Eating Disorder Recovery

By: Margarita Tartakovsky MS

Seeking help when you’re struggling with an eating disorder might seem out of the question. Maybe you think no one can help. Maybe you see your disorder as a friend or your identity. But you are not your eating disorder. An eating disorder is a serious illness.

At Weightless, I regularly feature interviews with women who’ve recovered from eating disorders. One of the questions I ask is what motivated them to seek treatment. Today, I’d like to share with you a few of these answers.

If the idea of getting treatment for your eating disorder scares you or you’re afraid of taking the next step toward recovery, I hope the words below inspire you to talk to someone and find professional treatment. Even if you’ve already seen several therapists or been in treatment a few times, that doesn’t mean you can’t recover. Maybe your therapist didn’t specialize in eating disorders or maybe the two of you just didn’t click. None of these are reasons to give up. You may have to see several practitioners before finding the right one, but with some persistence, hard work and a desire to recover, you will find the right one. All you have to do is begin.

From Andrea Roe:

I wanted to get rid of my eating disorder and tried numerous times to recover by myself but it never worked. Even though I had read that recovery does exist, I didn’t really believe it was possible for me.

My turning point was when I met my husband. He believed in me no matter what. His love and support were what I needed to find the strength in me to reach out and do what it takes to beat this disorder. He was always there for me and never judged me. With his help and support, I felt for the first time that recovery was possible, even for me.

I could not have recovered without the help and support from others. I was close to giving up the fight many times, but my support team was there for me and believed in me, no matter what. And whenever I fell, they helped me get back up again to continue on with my recovery and healing journey. And they also celebrated my successes with me and reminded me of my successes when I was only concentrating on my failures and what was wrong with me. If it wasn’t for my support team, I would not be where I am today.

From Kate Le Page:

The first time I sought treatment I had been at school for several months with … [mono] … and had become so weak as a result that I was barely able to get out of bed. I was really frightened that my anorexia was making the virus harder to fight and decided to see my family doctor. Unfortunately, all he did was begin to weigh me every month and put me on various anti-depressants. This negative experience really put me off seeking further treatment.

By 1998, in my first year at university, my friends had begun to spot that something wasn’t right with my eating habits and they confronted me about it. My attendance was already beginning to suffer as I often felt so weak and exhausted that I would skip lectures. I had really gotten to a point where I knew the anorexia was preventing me from achieving my goal of getting a good degree.

From Kate Thieda:

A former teacher of mine who had been a mentor and second mother to me for over ten years confronted me during a visit to see her when I was twenty-eight. By this time, I had struggled with disordered eating for over eight years, and was virtually paralyzed when it came to making appropriate, healthy food choices. This was not the first time she had pushed me to reconsider my behavior, but I finally acknowledged that she was right and I needed help.

From Michelle Myers:

After a near-death experience (you can read my story on my blog here), I decided enough was enough. Though the thought of dying had intrigued me for a while, once I was almost there, I realized I desperately wanted to live – and REALLY live.

For the past four years of my life, I had merely existed. Avoiding food, pushing people away in my life, spending all of my time alone on the treadmill was no way to spend my time here on earth. I lost four years of my life, and my motivation to get better was my determination not to lose any more time.

Remember that while you didn’t choose to have any eating disorder, you can choose to get help and you can choose to fight. I hope you will.

Read why Margarita Tartakovsky blogs about these issues: Eating Disorders and Body Image Advocates & Why They Blog.

Eating Disorders Poll: My ED And My Marriage / Romantic Relationships

Please take a moment and share your experience with how your eating disorder affects your marriage /romantic relationships. Choose as many answers as apply. If you'd like to add more, please feel free to do so in the comments section of this post.
Thank you.
MrsM


Click here for This and Previous Polls and Results



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Recovery Quote Of The Week: April 19th, 2010

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Lao Tzu


*Please see sidebar for links to more Recovery Quotes Of The Week and Inspirational Recovery Quotes.



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Eating Disorders In The News: April 03, 2010

Binge Eating Disorder: The Emotional Roots of a Physical Condition
Huffington Post: Sunny Gold

Something happened this morning in a nondescript "multipurpose room" on the campus of Pace University that could end up saving (literally) tens of thousands of lives. The Stop Obesity Alliance, the National Eating Disorders Association and key members of the mass media--three groups which, throughout the years have often been at loggerheads--got together for a long overdue talk. The subject? How the three groups can come together for the greatest good and talk about weight and health in a new, better way. I was there, in part, because I'm kind of a walking, breathing chimera of all three groups. I am recovered from binge eating disorder (BED) and obesity (I weighed 225 pounds during college, when my bingeing was at its worst), and I'm also a long-time health editor at Glamour magazine.

I've covered the health risks of obesity, smart nutrition and healthy weight loss--among many other women's health topics--for years. And, perhaps because of my personal history of BED, have often wondered why (oh God, why?) more obesity research and discussion of the obesity epidemic didn't focus on "disordered" eating. Of course obesity isn't an eating disorder, but it's undeniable that many people who are obese have one! Research has found that 10 to 15 percent of mildly obese individuals have BED, and it's been reported that many, many more engage in binge eating episodes. And we know from other research that binge eating creates real physiological changes in the brain that reinforce more binge eating, and therefore more depression, weight gain, obsession, dieting and ultimately, bingeing again. Except for patients lucky enough to be seen by top respected obesity treatment institutions, most obese people are treated for the physical symptoms and tangible causes of their ills--but not the emotional and mental roots.
Binge Eating Disorder: The Emotional Roots of a Physical Condition in full.



Rats Fed On Bacon, Cheesecake, and Ding-Dongs Become Addicted to Junk Food
Discover Magazine

Do you often feel the need for a sweet sugar rush or a moment of bacon-induced bliss? A new study offers evidence that that surge of pleasure is similar to a heroin high, and that eating junk food regularly can significantly change the brain’s chemical make-up, creating junk food addicts who are driven to overeat.

Lead researcher Paul Kenny says it had previously been unclear whether extreme overeating was initiated by a chemical irregularity in the brain or if the behavior itself was changing the brain’s biochemical makeup. The new research by Kenny and his colleague Paul Johnson, a graduate student, shows that both conditions are possible [Scientific American].
Rats Fed On Bacon, Cheesecake, and Ding-Dongs Become Addicted to Junk Food in full



Book and Talking Therapy Helped Binge Eaters Cut Down, US Study
Medical News Today

New research from the US found that reading a self-help book and 12 weeks of talking therapy helped binge eaters cut down for up to a year, and saved them money.

Two studies on the research, by investigators from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Wesleyan University and Rutgers University, are due to be published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Affecting around 9 million Americans, or more than 3 per cent of the population, binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the US, yet there aren't many ways to treat it.

The condition has received a lot press recently because the American Psychiatric Association has recommended it be regarded as a separate, distinct eating disorder like bulimia and anorexia. This distinction could focus more attention on bingeing and how it should be treated, as well as affect the numbers diagnosed and how insurers will cover treatment, noted the authors.
Book and Talking Therapy Helped Binge Eaters Cut Down, US Study in full.


Emily's Mother Told Her She Wasn't Welcome at Home While She Was Anorexic-So Did Tough Love Work?
DailyMail

After ten years of watching her beautiful and academically gifted daughter wasting away before her eyes, Sue Blackmore snapped.

Weighing less than six stone, Oxford graduate Emily Troscianko was little more than skin and bone, but she seemed determined to starve herself to death.

Overwhelmed by sadness, helplessness and anger, Sue suddenly realised she could no longer tolerate this 'ghost' sucking the life out of the family.

'Your anorexia is not welcome at our new house,' she told Emily on the phone, as they talked about the planned family move from Bristol to Devon.

Emily's Mother Told Her She Wasn't Welcome at Home While She Was Anorexic-So Did Tough Love Work? in full.

How Bristol Uni Thinks Plate Will Help Eating Disorders BBC

As Bristol University applies for funding to use a computerised plate which weighs food, Matthew Hill travels to Sweden to find out how effective it can be.

It's spaghetti carbonara and fresh salad on the menu at this specialist clinic for patients with eating disorders at Stockholm's prestigious Karolinska Institute.

Marisa Berzens is one of some 30 young women and teenagers tucking into their plate of food, perched on a pre-programmed device called a Mandometer, which tells them if they are eating enough and at the right speed.

Only weeks ago many of the patients were only able to consume, and keep down, a dangerously small amount of food.

Marisa, 23, flew all the way from Australia for her treatment. When she arrived for the seven-week course she weighed just over six stone (35kg) but she is already a much healthier weight.

Throughout her teenage years the former opera singer struggled with bulimia nervosa.

How Bristol Uni Thinks Plate Will Help Eating Disorders in full

Recovery Quote Of The Week: March 26th 2010

All that is required now is that you continue to till the soil of your soul. Just as you would not neglect seeds that you planted with the hope that they will bear vegetables and fruit and flowers, so you must attend to and nourish the garden of your becoming.
Jean Houston



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http://www.flickr.com/photos/mymollypop/ / CC BY 2.0

New Beginnings: Inspirational Recovery Quotes

Each day the world is born anew
for him who takes it rightly.
~James Russell Lowell

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.
~Nido Qubein

If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.
~Rumi

Gratitude is a form of wisdom. It is patient, loving, hopeful, and rigorously honest. It denies nothing, and it overlooks nothing. It looks reality full in the face and says: This is true, this is me, this is my situation, and I have the opportunity to build from here. This is my starting point, and I will succeed!
~Phil Humbert

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
~Alan Cohen

Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand ... and melting like a snowflake.
~Marie Beyon Ray

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
~St. Francis of Assisi

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
~Joe Sabah

More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.
~Unkown

I wake up every morning with a great desire to live joyfully.
~Alexandra Stoddard

Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment...this day...is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day...each moment of this day...a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity.
~Dan Custer

The two important things I did learn were that you are as powerful and strong as you allow yourself to be, and that the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step, making the first decision.
~Robyn Davidson

Every day is a fresh beginning. Every morn is the world made anew.
~Sarah Chauncey Woolsey

Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.
~Meister Eckhart

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
~JFK

Your mind, this globe of awareness, is a starry universe. When you push off with your foot, a thousand new roads become clear.
~Rumi

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Whatever you do or dream you can do ... begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.
~J.W. von Goethe

The beginning is the most important part of the work.
~Plato

He has half the deed done who has made a beginning.
~Horace

Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
~Henry Ford

You will never win if you never begin.
~Helen Rowland

I wake expectant, hoping to see a new thing.
~Annie Dillard

From small beginnings come great things.
~Proverb

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
~Theodore Roosevelt

A hard beginning maketh a good ending.
~John Heywood

There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.
~Sir Francis Drake

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
~Lao Tzu

The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette.
~Henry S. Hoskins

What the caterpillar calls the end the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
~Lao Tzu

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.
~Maria Robinson

The distance is nothing; it's only the first step that is difficult.
~Marquise du Deffand

Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow ... today. Let it be a small beginning ... a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today ... every day.
~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Making the beginning is one third of the work.
~Irish Proverb

Sometimes when you think you are done, it is just the edge of beginning. Probably that's why we decide we're done. It's getting too scary. We are touching down onto something real. It is beyond the point when you think you are done that often something strong comes out.
~Natalie Goldberg

So many fail because they don't get started... they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.
~W. C. Stone

There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.
~Louis L'Amour

Standing in the inspiring vision of my future, I boldly take every step - large and small - with courage and intent.
~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

All glory comes from daring to begin.
~Eugene F. Ware

Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.
~Mark Victor Hansen

When there is a start to be made, don't step over! Start where you are.
~Edgar Cayce

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.
~Ivy Baker Priest

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.
~T.S. Eliot

The journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.
~Lao Tzu

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
~Chinese proverb

What appears to be the end may really be a new beginning.
~ Unknown

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
~George Bernard Shaw

Almost everything comes from nothing.
~Henry F. Amiel

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
~C. S. Lewis

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
~Carl Bard

Don't be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.
~Olga Korbut

It is necessary; therefore, it is possible.
~Guiseppe Borghese

Every end is a new beginning.
~Proverb

Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose ... not the one you began with perhaps, but one you'll be glad to remember.
~Anne Sullivan

Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step.
~Julia Cameron

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
~Martin Luther King Jr.

Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be.
~Marsha Petrie Sue

One step must start each journey.
~Unknown

Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness.
~Publilius Syrus

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.
~Tom Stoppard

It was on that road and at that hour that I first became aware of my own self, experienced an inexpressible state of grace, and felt one with the first breath of air that stirred, the first bird, and the sun so newly born that it still looked not quite round.
~Colette

When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further, when life seems to be drained of all purpose; what a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page.
~Eileen Caddy

If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.
~Jonathan Winters

The metamorphosis that transforms the lowly worm into a beautiful butterfly reminds us of the loving miracle producing Creator always at work before us, around us, and in us. To witness this marvel is to experience our own resurrection, new life, and beginning.
~J. Lloyd Ewart

Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities
within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
~Dr. Dale Turner

Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are.
~Julia Cameron

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world.
~Anne Frank

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
~Vincent van Gogh

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
~Anonymous

Celebrate endings for they precede new beginnings.
~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

*See sidebar menu for more Inspirational Recovery Quotes



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PURGE: Eating Disorders Poetry

Purge

Pain devours my judgment.
Unsatisfied it consumes my spirit.
My heart lay torn
All the threads of time
Will never make me whole again.

My eyes scream for mercy.
But my shallow breath
Gets caught in my throat-
Choking all that is left of me.

Tears stain battered soul.
As I long for forgiveness
The evil in me strikes.
Naked and bruised
It has finally stolen the last of my strength.

My worn and crippled body waits.
Sweet starvation softens the ache
Until torture rots my veins.
My enemy. Myself.
I beg you to stop.
Let go.

Yet I cling to you.
My disorder- my comfort.
You take me as your victim,
Smirk at my weakness.
Removing my identity until all that remains
is the outline of everything I used to be.

Beautiful. Thin. Free.

Lost and judged
I suffer on my own.
Tainted by obsession
Wounds masked by smiles.
You wouldn’t understand.

Nowhere else to turn, I depend on You.
Always faithful and always present.
Forever linked to me like a bad dream.
Please, God, wake me up.
I’d die to know how life feels.
written by: Anonymous

See sidebar menu for more ED poetry and writings

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Domestic Violence Help: Hotlines, Organizations, Websites, Resources, Tips

*WARNING: Your online/phone activity may be monitored by your abuser without your knowledge. Be sure that you are using a safe computer/phone line when seeking help (see below for more safety tips & warning signs).

*If you have an emergency call 911

Hotlines:

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800)799-SAFE (7233)
• Safe Horizon Hotlines:
  

1. Domestic Violence: 800.621.HOPE (4673)
2. Crime Victims: (866)689-HELP (4357)
3. Rape, Sexual Assault & Incest: (212)227-3000
4. TDD phone number for all SH hotlines: (866)604-5350

• Domestic Abuse Hotline for Men & Women: 1-888-7HELPLINE (43575463)
  
• Johnnies House: (888) 696-5379
• Center Against Domestic Violence: 718-439-1000
• Domestic Violence Hotline in the US: 800-799-7233
• Domestic Violence Hotline/Child Abuse: 800-4-A-CHILD (800 422 4453)
• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence:1-800-537-2238
• Love Is Respect Org: National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline 1-866-331-9474
• American Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center:866-USWOMEN (879-6636) live chat
  

• Abuse Victim Confidential IM Service
• Online SAFE Support Group
  

Websites & Resources:

• Women's Health Gov (violence against women: resources by state)
• NDVH (The National Domestic Violence Hotline)
• help by area: NDVH
• NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
• Abuse Victim Hotline
• Center Against Domestic Violence
• Safe Horizon
• The Healing Club
• Domestic Abuse Hotline for Men & Women
• Johnnies House
• The Safe Place Org
• Domestic Abuse Project
• MINCAVA (Minnesota Center Against Violence Abuse)
• Family Violence Prevention Fund
• NVC (The National Center For Victims Of Crime)
• Locate A Shelter By State
• National Center On Elder Abuse (by state)
• Broken Spirits International Abuse Hotline & Organization Directory
• SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone)
• Love is Respect Org: National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
• American Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center
• International Directory of Domestic Violence Agencies (by location)
• Stop Family Violence.org 
• VAO (Victim Assistance Online Org)
  

Legal Matters:

• US Department Of Justice
• NCJFCJ (National Council Of Juvenile and Family Court Judges)
• The National Crime Victim Bar Association
• BWLAP (Battered Women's Legal Advocacy Project)
• BWJP (Battered Women's Justice Project)
• ABA Pro Bono Programs
• NVC (The National Center For Victims Of Crime)
• Victim Law

Stay Safe While Seeking Help:
*Warning: Taking these steps may not completely hide your activity from your abuser.

• Change passwords and disable automatic password entry. Choose passwords that are difficult for someone to guess. Do not write passwords down.
• Watch what you put in your email address book. Disable automatic entry of email addresses.
• Disable automatic name completion for email.
• Clear incoming and outgoing mail.
• Clear cache, history, and cookies.
• Use a computer outside of your own home.
  
• Be careful using instant/text messaging
• Be aware that your location can be monitored, without your knowledge, by GPS on your cell phone.
• Be aware that your online activity can be monitored without your knowledge, including each keystroke that is made.
  
• Safety Planning List

Protect Yourself After You've Left:

• Get unlisted phone numbers (cells and landlines)
• Use a PO Box instead of your new address
• Cancel all shared credit cards and banking.
  
• Use a different bank when opening a new account.
  
• Apply to your state's Address Confidentiality Program.

Types Of Abuse Include:

• Physical
• Sexual
• Emotional
• Verbal
• Economical

Warning Signs Of Abuse:

• Social isolation: limiting what one can do, who one can see, and when one can see them
• Unexplained physical injuries
• Victim may show signs of depression: weight loss or gain, constantly tired, extremely anxious
• A batterer can be verbally abusive in private or in public
• Extreme jealousy
• Requiring permission to do certain things; ex. See people, spend money, etc.
• Controls what one wears
• An abuser might have a history of violence; short temper, fighting with others, abusing animals and or property, has easy access to weapons, becomes angry after consuming drugs or alcohol
• Stalking: when not together, constantly calls and inquires whereabouts; shows up to victim’s home
• Victim is apologetic for abuser’s actions, makes excuses for them, rationalizes them, blames themselves
• Victim is constantly “on edge;” does things to keep the abuser happy, very afraid to make the abuser angry
• Victim loses interest in once-loved hobbies and activities, most of his or her time is spent with abuser or doing tasks for the abuser
• Abuser threatens self-harm or suicide to guilt the victim

Warning signs source: Abuse Victim Hotline


Questions To Ask Yourself:

• Are you ever afraid of your partner?
• Has your partner ever actually hurt or threatened to hurt you physically or someone you care about?
• Does your partner ever force you to engage in sexual activities that make you uncomfortable?
• Do you constantly worry about your partner's moods and change your behavior to deal with them?
• Does your partner try to control where you go, what you do and who you see?
• Does your partner constantly accuse you of having affairs?
• Have you stopped seeing family or friends to avoid your partner's jealousy or anger?
• Does your partner control your finances?
• Does he/she threaten to kill him/herself if you leave?
• Does your partner claim his/her temper is out of control due to alcohol, drugs or because he/she had an abusive childhood?
  

If you answer yes to some or all of these questions, you could be suffering abuse. Remember you are not to blame and you need not face domestic violence alone.

questions source:Healthy Minds Org



picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34030509@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

Eating Disorder Poetry: TRAPPED

Trapped

My body is trapped in this mind

I try to break free, with fragile arms

No match for the burden of

This madness, sadness

That is heavy

So

Heavy

My mind is trapped in this body

Stagnant thoughts long to break out

To be strong, to step off this painful record

that just won’t

Stop

Spinning

My song is trapped in this mind

Why now does it just sound

Like noise, static. It screeches,

Incessantly, urgently. Where is

My

Voice?

My love is trapped in this body

Somewhere, hiding, beneath this

Cold, callous shell. Oh, it’s real –

Delicate, vulnerable, and trapped

So

Trapped.

Written by: Bethany

of U of I Free People

See sidebar menu for more ED poetry and writings

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Eating Disorders News: March 2010

Exploring Diabetes' Link To Eating Disorders
Medical News Today

Diabetics, under the gun to better manage their disease by controlling their food intake and weight, may find themselves in the sticky wicket of needing treatment that makes them hungry, researchers said.

Attempts to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and prevent weight gain may suggest an eating disorder when the disease and its treatment are to blame, said Dr. Deborah Young-Hyman, pediatric psychologist at the Medical College of Georgia's Georgia Prevention Institute.

"You can't use the same criteria to diagnose eating disorders that you use in non-diabetic populations because what we actually prescribe as part of diabetes treatment is part of disordered eating behavior. Food preoccupation is one example," she said.

Preoccupation with food, in fact, is required for optimal disease management. Questions like "What are you putting in your mouth? Did you know that was going to raise your blood sugar?" are a part of life, Dr. Young-Hyman said. Young women, and increasingly young men, also are not immune from societal pressures to be thin, she noted.

continued: Exploring Diabetes' Link To Eating Disorders



March Is Nutrition Month
News-Tribune

National Nutrition Month is a campaign that focuses on the importance of helping children and teens make healthy food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits. Estimates of the number of overweight children range from a low of 13% to a high of 30%, having doubled since the early 1970s. This means that approximately 6 million children could be at-risk for current and future self-esteem and health problems. On the other side of the weight issue, an estimated 7 million girls and 1 million boys have an eating disorder. The age of onset of these potentially life threatening disorders is getting lower, with children as young as seven being diagnosed.

Weight is determined by a variety of factors: genetics, environment, activity, and emotions. With respect to the psychology of eating problems, some of the same feelings can both result from and lead tounhealthy eating behaviors. For example, it is unclear if such feelings as loneliness, sadness, anger, anxiety, lack of control, worthlessness, low self-esteem, or disordered body image are the cause or the effect of eating problems.

When dealing with children and weight issues, avoid calling attention to the child’s weight. Nagging is unsuccessful when you’re trying to change behavior. To a child, pressure to lose weight can feel like a crushing criticism and ultimately backfire. Praising and encouraging children in other areas will go farther with respect to improving their self-esteem.

continued: March Is Nutrition Month



Eating Disorders Can Affect Anyone
The Southern

Diets and weight loss have been a very popular issue among college students. Many students have gone over board with weight loss and developed many different eating disorders.

According to American Medical Journal, an estimated 10 percent of female college students suffer from a clinical or sub-clinical eating disorder, of which over half suffer from bulimia nervosa.

An estimated one in one hundred American women binges and purges to lose weight. Approximately five percent of women and one percent of men have anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, according to the American Journal.

Kathy Picate, Florida Southern College's health advocate, talks to many different students who struggle with day-to-day eating issues.

"Its very sad to see students struggle with eating disorders," Picate said. "They have food or their weight on their mind all the time. Many people would be surprised with how many students suffer from these disorders."

Not only do women students suffer from the pressures of being thin, but men also struggle with many eating disorders.

According to Men's health magazine, studies suggest that five to ten percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are males.

continued: Eating Disorders Can Affect Anyone



New TV Show Perpetuates Anorexia Myths
Discovery News

A new VH1 show called “The Price of Beauty,” hosted by Jessica Simpson, will premiere soon. The theme of the show is the extreme measures that some women will endure to look beautiful. It’s a worthy subject, but unfortunately the series is already spreading misinformation about a serious disease: anorexia.

In one of the first episodes, Simpson and her friends interview former model Isabelle Caro, who suffers from anorexia. Caro made international news a few years ago by putting a photo of her emaciated frame on billboards. She is now an activist trying to pass a law prohibiting very thin women from becoming professional models.

Simpson told Oprah in a recent interview, "It makes me very emotional because just the pressure that women feel to be thin or to be beautiful--the pressure that the media puts on women--is so unfair and so disgusting." The show’s efforts seem sincere, but its understanding of anorexia leaves much to be desired. The concern over thin models is nothing new, to either the media or the fashion industry.

What Isabelle Caro, Jessica Simpson, and the VH1 show don’t realize is that anorexia has little or nothing to do with fashion modeling. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are biological diseases, not voluntary behaviors. The idea that a model, photo of a model, or Web site can "encourage" anorexia is not supported by science or research. Images of thin people cannot "encourage" anorexia, any more than photographs of bipolar patients "encourage" bipolar disorder, or photos of diabetics "encourage" diabetes.

Though many people are convinced that anorexia is a threat to most young women because of the media images they see, that’s not what the scientific evidence says. Anorexia is a very rare and complex psychological disorder with many indications of a strong genetic component; as anorexia expert Cynthia Bulik noted in her 2007 study “The Genetics of Anorexia,” published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, “Family studies have consistently demonstrated that anorexia nervosa runs in families.” Most research studies have failed to find a cause-and-effect link between media images of thin people and eating disorders.

continued: New TV Show Perpetuates Anorexia Myths



Only The Beautiful Need Apply
Medical News Today

New study flags damaging effect of joining a sorority on body image and eating behaviors.

Undergraduate women who join a sorority are more likely to judge their own bodies from an outsider's perspective (known as self-objectification) and display higher levels of bulimic attitudes and behaviors than those who do not take part in the sorority's recruitment process. Over time, those women who join the group also show higher levels of body shame. These findings, part of Ashley Marie Rolnik's senior honors thesis at Northwestern University in the US, are published online in Springer's journal Sex Roles.

On college campuses across the US, thousands of women join sororities every year through a structured recruitment process - the sorority rush. Although these sisterhoods provide college women with opportunities for personal growth and enrichment, they have been criticized for their potential to lead their members to focus excessively and unhealthily on their appearance.

continued: Only The Beautiful Need Apply



More Eating Disorders For Women Over 30
Sun-Times

Eating disorders are usually seen as a problem of girls and young women. But experts say they're seeing more women in their 30s, 40s and even older seeking treatment for anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

"We went, literally, from having zero at any given time to having a subgroup of anywhere from five to 10 . . . It's a big increase," said Kimberly Dennis, the medical director at Timberline Knolls, a residential treatment center in Lemont for eating disorders and substance abuse.

Lynn Grefe, chief executive officer of the National Eating Disorders Association, said the group hasn't done formal research on the trend, but, "anecdotally, we are hearing more and more cases of women over 30" seeking treatment.

continued: More Eating Disorders For Women Over 30


sources linked in articles above

Eating: An Eating Disorder Poem

Eating

nibbling at my nerves

picking at my priorities

licking away my laughter

feeding off my fear

gulping down my growth

consuming my confidence

and...

swallowing my self

by: anonymous

See sidebar menu for more ED poetry and writings

*Click here to have your Eating Disorders / Body Image poetry / writings featured on Weighing The Facts

picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashawolff/ / CC BY 2.0

Recovery Quote Of The Week: March 11, 2010

The light of starry dreams can only be seen once we escape the blinding cities of disbelief.
Shawn Purvis

*click pic to make bigger

picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubyblossom/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

What Ana Says To Me: The Lying and Degrading Voice of an ED

*WARNING: This post may be triggering.

What Ana Says To Me…

“Good morning. You are looking very fat today. Can you see those huge thunder thighs? Or how about the stomach rolls you disgusting pig- you are so worthless. You deserve to be sad and alone. Nobody would want you as a friend. Wonder why you are so unpopular? Maybe if you lost 10 pounds you would have more friends.”

“But I want friends, Ana. I want to lose weight too. I hate being so unpopular. I feel fat, ugly and alone like you say. I would be oblivious if you didn’t point it out. What would I do without you?”

“It’s breakfast time. Deviate from your meal plan. If you can’t hide any food, then only measure half a cup of cereal and milk, instead of a whole. Besides you can make it up at school by purging and throwing away some of your lunch. Remember how fat you look? If you do what I say you will feel better. You won’t have to feel anything at all. All of the pain will be gone. Once you lose all of the weight, you will not have to feel any of that depression or anxiety. Then again, it’s your entire fault that you feel that way anyway. It’s your entire fault. I am here to help you get what you want, remember?

“Yes, Ana. I will measure the way you tell me. It’s my entire fault, but why Ana? I’m glad you’re in control of me. You know how much I fear having control and responsibility. Thank you Ana. What would I do without you? I don’t know what life would be like if you weren’t here. I would be all alone and so lost.

“Look at that girl in the hallway. She’s so skinny. Oh, but look at her boobs and hips. If you ever looked like that I would abandon you and leave you to rot in the hell you live in. At least you can live in hell with me! Now, since its lunch time, go throw away half your lunch. Make sure you keep the pop so you can purge. When you purge, make it hurt. Make it burn. I want you to have sores in your mouth. I want your chest to throb in pain. I want you to pick up the vomit. Puke in your hands. You are so worthless and so low that you have to break up the chunks with your fingers, without washing your hands. You don’t deserve better. Remember though, that binging means you are impure and dirty. You haven’t binged ever yet- keep it that way or I will leave you. Oh, and heads up, I just noticed how ugly your face is. You need to do something about that. Or else I won’t be able to be seen with you."

“I don’t want to do that, but I will. I see the ugly too, and I’ve got to do something about it. I feel so bad, Ana. I feel so horrible about myself. And I don’t want to grow up. I am so scared. I am afraid of the responsibility and control over everything. Plus my body will digress from what I want it to be. I will be ashamed of my boobs and hips and menstruating. You have got to help me stop my periods, Ana. I just don’t want to feel so guilty when I have them. I abandon you when I menstruate. It’s the ultimate loss of control and the ultimate form of maturity. Please just save me from myself, Ana. Save me from all of my fears. I can’t rescue myself anymore.”

“You are so horrible. You weren’t perfect today. You must restrict on dinner. You are a fat cow. Nobody loves you, and you love nobody. You hate people because of their bodies. If they are too thin, then you are not worthy of their presence. If they are too fat and you caught hanging out with them, then you are a loser. Now be done with the lasagna. You have veggies left, and if you eat them then you are a failure. Then you will be sad and alone forever. And you know that those bad feelings are one of the things that make you the most uncomfortable. “

“Tonight you are not allowed to fall asleep. You’re stomach feels so fat- you must wait until you aren’t so bloated. Tonight you will wet the bed. Tomorrow you will wake up wet and disgusting. Everyone will know your secret and you will again be imperfect. Your parents will pity you and you will be a failure. If you wet the bed, then you will hate yourself. You are worthless and alone. Remember me when you think about eating, falling asleep, or smiling. I will never leave you, ever. I will always be with you. You will never have the freedom to make choices ever again. But then again, you fear that so it’s all good. “

This is what Ana says to me.

I am going to fight the ED and announce my fears to the world! That's what ED fears the most...!
Written by: Anonymous

See sidebar menu for more ED poetry and writings

*Click here to have your Eating Disorders / Body Image poetry / writings featured on Weighing The Facts

picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-famous/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Seen Around The Web: What Other's Are Saying About Eating Disorders

The Voice of an Eating Disorder & 7 Ways to Shut It Up
By Margarita Tartakovsky, MS

One of the toughest parts of recovery for many people is separating themselves from their eating disorder and, more specifically, hearing their own voice, not the mean, manipulative, vicious, callous voice of ED.

Andrea Roe talked about the ED voice in her Q&A last week. Andrea said:

One of the biggest aha moments during my recovery process was really getting and feeling that I was not my eating disorder. For the longest time, it actually felt like I was my eating disorder and my eating disorder was me. It felt like “it” was my identity. I didn’t know who I was without it. I had forgotten.

And whenever I heard the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t good enough, needed to lose weight, etc. … I’d ask myself if that was the “real me” that was talking, or if it was the eating disorder speaking to me. I had to learn to separate these two voices — mine and the eating disorder voice. And when it was the eating disorder talking, I had to learn to fight back, talk back and disobey its commands. I had to learn to take control back over my life — after all, it was MY life, not the eating disorder’s.

Trying to drown out the voice of ED also resonated with several readers.
Read The Voice of an Eating Disorder & 7 Ways to Shut It Up in full here.

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You Are Not Alone

Eating Disorder Awareness Week is coming to a close, and I've been trying to post related things all week (though I guess one could argue my whole blog is related). Today, I'd like to share with you a neat little site that was brought to my attention by a friend.

It's called You Are Not Alone and basically you can sign up to get a free support letter every month to give you encouragement on your path to recovery. It's sort of what I try to do here on my blog much more often than once a month, but this site is cool because it's an actual letter, sent to your email on a monthly basis. Every little bit of support helps, right?

Read You Are Not Alone in full here

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Artist Looking For Participants For Eating Disorders Project

Artist Raul Barquet (Rez) is looking for participants for an art project featuring eating disorders.

"The show is coming up in July and I am creating a body of work that consists of portraits of people with eating disorders along with quotes from people living with the conditions. I think this is an opportunity to create some conversation about a subject that is often not given much thought unless it directly affects you. I will be using photos sent to me, to paint portraits. I will need images and quotes from real people. Quotes should reflect the inner thoughts of someone living with an eating disorder."

Rez explains why he's focusing on eating disorders for this project. "Part of the reason I decided to start this project," he says, "was because when I found out that at least two of my friends have recovered from rather serious fights with eating disorders, I realized that the average person usually doesn't know enough about the subject. I felt ashamed that I had no idea what was going on in their personal life." After researching online, reading some blogs and websites, Rez felt like he had to do what he could, "to put this emotionally charged subject into my art," in hopes of bringing awareness and understanding.

The show will be held this July at:

Everything Goes Book Cafe and Neighborhood Stage
208 Bay St
Staten Island, NY 10301

The date has yet to be set.

The Opening and the Show are open to all who would like to attend.
I will be posting the dates of the show when they become available.

RaulBarquet.com

If you would like to participate please contact Rez at reznotorious@aim.com

Recovery Quote Of The Week: March 1st 2010

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.
~John P. Morgan


picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gazzat/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0