Book Review: Women Food and God

After reading a sample chapter of Geneen Roth’s new book Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything my former therapist sent to me, I immediately went to Amazon, ordered the book, paid for upgraded overnight shipping, and waited impatiently for it to arrive while going back and rereading the sample chapter (which is Chapter 4, entitled “It’s Not About the Weight, but it’s Not Not About the Weight.” Saturday morning, I poured myself a cup of coffee, went out on my patio in the chilly morning spring air, and opened up the book. As I devoured page after page, tears streamed down my face as I felt both happiness and sadness with each sentence I read and identified so deeply with: happiness to realize how far I have come in my own journey to ending years of disordered eating habits and finally reaching levels of fulfillment I never thought possible, and sadness to recognize the isolation and emptiness so many around me feel and try to numb themselves from with food.

Let me preface this review by saying I am not a religious person, and when the book was first brought to my attention, I initially dismissed it, turned off by the title. I didn’t feel that God has anything to do with my relationship with food, and, I was guilty of judging a book by its cover (or in this case, the title). So, if you are inclined to dismiss it for those reasons, don’t. The book is less about God, and more about finding a space within ourselves — a space we often fill with food, rather than exploring to its depths. Some people, when they open themselves up to that space have a name for it in God. Others might define it in broader terms like spirituality. And some might simply feel it as being one with themselves and all around them. The point of the book is to demonstrate how the relationship so many people (or more specifically in this book, women) have with food keeps us from any of those things, and more importantly how to change that relationship.

In part one, Roth addresses the “God” part of the book and how God related to dieting for her in the past. “Dieting was like praying. It was a plaintive cry to whoever was listening: I know I am fat. I know I am ugly. I know I am undisciplined, but see how hard I try. See how violently I restrict myself, deprive myself, punish myself. Sure there must be a reward for those who know how horrible they are.” She talks about how dieting gave her a purpose — perhaps much in the same way religion might for some people, and then she goes on to say “bingeing gave me relief from the relentless attempt to be someone else.”

Roth has written many books (which I am sad to say I have not yet read) on the subject of emotional eating, but a realization she says she has only recently come to is that “the radical part of the tale is not that I stopped dieting; it’s that I stopped trying to fix myself.” This reminded me of a similar realization I came to and wrote about in the article Self Acceptance vs Body Acceptance in which I proclaimed to end the urge to fix myself.

And yet, it is often hard to imagine a world in which we are not constantly trying to fix ourselves, especially our bodies. For one, it’s how women have learned to relate to each other. As Roth points out, “we fit in by hating ourselves.” I’m sure from time to time you come across that person who seems to hold that secret to happiness and balance the rest of us struggle daily to find, and isn’t there just a tad of resentment towards them? Maybe you’re just waiting to see them fall in order to prove they too  are actually imperfect humans like you, which probably explains our obsession with celebrities and the great joy many find in seeing photos of their cellulite and jelly rolls as we go through the check out line with smirks on our faces. It’s almost as if there is something wrong with someone if they don’t hate themselves — or at least some part of themselves. And yet, the ability to see their imperfections and embrace them as part of a greater whole is what makes them happy, and it’s the lack of that ability that keeps others from achieving true happiness.

It’s also hard to let go of the belief that achieving weight loss will be accompanied with the answers to all of our problems. Though on a rational level, we can understand that a number on the scale won’t change the world, “the promise of weight loss is that it will allow [us] to live on a magical piece of earth from which everything else will be manageable … If I fix myself so that I am no longer myself, then everything will be fine. My feelings will be manageable.”

In the chapter entitled “Never Underestimate the Inclination to Bolt” Roth addresses head on why we might avoid overcoming compulsive eating (or dieting). She bluntly states it when she says “compulsive eaters wouldn’t have an obsession with food if we believed that life was tolerable without it … There is madness in obsession, yes, but its value is that it drowns out the madness of life.” This sentiment is followed by the chapter that hooked me on the book: It’s Not About the Weight, but It’s Not Not About the Weight. And that’s when Roth goes on to explain the conundrum of addressing the very real problems that are created by excess weight: diabetes, joint pain, shortness of breath, and for many, a general decrease in the quality of life due to health complications, while all the while trying to unsurface the deeper issues which are being covered up by the weight problems. Here is a very poignant passage from the chapter:

“The bottom line, whether you weight 340 pounds or 150 pounds, is that when you eat when you are not hungry, you are using food as a drug, grappling with boredom, or illness or loss or grief or emptiness or loneliness or rejection. Food is only the middleman, the means to the end. Of altering your emotions. Of making yourself numb. Of creating a secondary problem when the original problem becomes too uncomfortable. Of dying slowly rather than coming to terms with your messy, magnificent and very, very short — even at a hundred years old — life. The means to these ends happens to be food, but it could be alcohol, it could be work, it could be sex, it could be cocaine. Surfing the Internet. Talking on the phone … Weight (too much or too little) is a by product. Weight is what happens when you use food to flatten your life.”

And, if you’re thinking your compulsive eating stems from a simple case of too much love for food, Roth has an answer for that too: “When you like something — love something, you take time with it you want to be present for every second of the rapture … Overeating does not lead to rapture. It leads to burping and farting and being so sick that you can’t think of anything but how full you are. That’s not love; that’s suffering.” How can you love something that makes you sick over and over again? It’s like returning to an abusive partner every time they say they are sorry, and really, they do love you, and really, it won’t happen again. But like so many women who are abused and feel that they somehow deserve the abuse — as if they brought it on themselves, compulsive eaters and dieters continue to punish themselves through their relationship with food because they don’t feel worthy of something better.

Like most other books that address emotional eating, Women Food and God is for those ready to do some serious work and reflection on their lives. Roth challenges the reader to face head on the pain and uncomfortable feelings that drive them to eat when they’re bodies are telling them not to. What she reminds the reader over and over throughout the book is that the very feelings they feel will destroy them are the same feelings that allow us — everyone of us to feel alive. If you are ready to top numbing yourself with food and dieting, start feeling alive, this beautiful written, incredibly powerful book is for you.

Book Review: The Body Love Manual — How to Love the Body You Have as You Create the Body You Want

You might find it strange to think that you need a manual on loving your body, but in fact, there is a book written by Elizabeth “Lily” Hills called The Body Love Manual*, and that’s precisely what it sets out to do — teach you to love your body. Right now, go to a mirror, look yourself directly in the eye and say “I love my body.” How does that feel? When one person I know said those words out loud, she said she felt silly. Silly because nothing could be further from the truth for her, as I suspect is the case with most people. I don’t have any statistics on how many people dislike their bodies, but if I were to take a guess, I would probably say that most people range somewhere from a vague dislike to an intense hatred of their bodies. And our eating habits confirm that.

It seems like most of us are either on a diet, trying to create a body that we can feel happy with, or treating our body with complete disregard, filling it beyond capacity with foods that would make our body scream in pain if it could talk. And then, when we can’t stand to look in the mirror anymore, or feel totally out of control around food, we go on a diet. Again. But let’s face it — diets don’t work.

Ninety-five percent of people who go on a diet regain the weight lost, and often more, within five years. But how are we supposed to reconcile those statistics with things like “obesity epidemic” or “1 in 3 Americans are overweight” and “war on obesity”. If diets don’t work, how are we supposed to cure our country of unhealthy eating habits and an inactive lifestyle? Jamie Oliver thinks he has the answer with his Food Revolution. Michelle Obama hopes she has the answers in trying to eradicate childhood obesity by encouraging kids to get off the sofa and get outdoors. In both cases, the focus, ultimately, is about teaching people to live healthier lives — to choose apple slices instead of chips, grilled chicken instead of burgers, bike riding instead of Playstation. But together, both Obama and Oliver are only getting at half the problem — which is what people eat, and without addressing the other half — why people eat, they will never reach the long term success they both genuinely want and hope to achieve.

The concept of intuitive eating is gaining momentum and working towards that goal with the help of books like Intuitive Eating, and Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat will be far more effective than wagging the finger at people in an effort to get them to make better choices. The Body Love Manual takes intuitive eating one step further by guiding readers through a process of identifying what it is that keeps them so disconnected from the bodies, preventing them from listening to and properly nourishing their bodies. Though the subtitle of the book is How to Love the Body You Have as You Create the Body You Want, don’t be mistaken. This is not a diet book in disguise. The Body Love Manual is for anyone ready to put away dieting forever, deciding to become an intuitive eater, and challenging the thoughts and feelings that so far have preventing you from achieving that goal. Integral to this process is learning, as the title suggests, to love your body. As Hills points out, “The human body is tragically under-appreciated, neglected, and abused…The fact is that it is very hard to feel motivated to take care of something you don’t care about. Conversely, when you care deeply for and truly honor your body, you will be far more likely to make the healthier choices for it.”

The Body Love Manual should not be a quick read. It requires reflection and real emotional work. But ask yourself if you identify with this passage from the book:

“As the number I saw on my bathroom scale went up, my sense of self-worth plummeted. During this period of my life, it was rare for me to appreciate and value any of my other qualities … [which] became secondary in comparison to my weight.”

If you feel like you could have written those words yourself, then perhaps it is time to begin the work towards loving your body because “When your thoughts about yourself are respectful and appreciative, you will begin to attract more positive experiences of all kinds into your life.”

Though the Body Love Manual talks about achieving your ideal weight, you might begin to question what your “ideal weight” is and in fact you may find that you are already there, because your “ideal weight” should reflect a healthy lifestyle that is not measured by a number on the scale but by the feelings that come from your mind and body which will tell you when you’ve reached it.

*As required by FCC law, I am disclosing that The Body Love Manual was donated by the author for purposes of this review.

When Weight Loss Is the Ultimate Indicator of Success

If you’ve read some of my more personal posts on VenusVision, or you otherwise know me, you know my body image and food issues go way back. In fact, my first diet was the Beverly Hills Diet at age 7. I don’t remember feeling fat at the time, but for some reason my mom and I went on this diet together (for the record, she wasn’t fat either). The main thing I remember about the diet — which I didn’t realize as such — was that all the nuts and dried fruit were having an “effect” on my digestive system. I was worried about all the trips to the bathroom, but my mom explained that the food was doing its work “cleaning out my system.”

Other early memories include giving my pudding away because I knew it would make me fat, and later on in elementary school, being offered incentives to lose weight (though again, I wasn’t fat, but perhaps on the high end of “normal” and therefore bigger than most of my peers).

The diets increased, though the weight loss never came, and as for so many girls and women it became nothing short of a quest. I was searching for the Holy Grail of weight loss because surely with it would come the label of success which I otherwise felt unable to reach.

I graduated from high school as an honor roll student after pulling my grades out of the gutter. But it didn’t mean anything when I put on my graduation dress and it was tight, revealing my large tummy. (As soon as I took off my graduation gown, I immediately changed out of my dress as well before anyone could see me in it.)

I graduated from college, again with high marks, but still didn’t feel as though I had reached success because I had not lost weight.

I earned a black belt in Karate, but could never stop thinking about how my Ghi pants never got looser during my training.

I ran half marathons, but felt defeated after looking at the race photos and seeing my flabby legs.

I birthed two children but always lamented my flabby middle from which they came.

I completed a triathlon, but worried about how I looked in my wet suit, and cropped the after-race photo before sharing with my friends to avoid showing my legs in my bike shorts.

No matter what great accomplishments I succeeded in, it was always overshadowed by one thing. My failure to lose weight.

Once, actually, I did manage to lose a fair amount of weight, reaching the lowest number on the scale I had ever seen as an adult. When I reached what I thought would be my “goal” weight, I wasn’t happy. That weight did not reveal the body I desired. So still, I felt like a failure.

And of course, any temporary weight loss I ever did manage to achieve was met with what seemed like far more recognition than any other accomplishment. I learned early on to judge others by their weight and assumed accordingly that every person judged me by mine.

So if I was able to do all of these other things, why couldn’t I succeed at the one thing I had been working at my whole life? At least that’s one way of looking at the situation. Of course, another way of looking at it was to ask myself why I defined success almost entirely by a number on a scale or the size clothing I was wearing? And, after living and thinking that way most of my life, how was I going to change that way of thinking?

Well, it’s taken a lot of work, much of which was done with the help of a professional. I have worked on reframing the constant barrage of negative thoughts that used to invade my head 24/7.  In the past, I would take note of every body (not ‘everybody’ but EVERY BODY) that came into my visual range, and compare my body to theirs. Was I thinner or fatter than each person in the room, I would think to myself. Now I still notice everyone in the room, but instead of seeing what might be noted as flaws, I look for their unique characteristics that make them beautiful.

By judging others less on their appearance, and  stopping the constant comparison of myself to them, I was able to begin the work of accepting my body, and end the cycle of constant dieting/deprivation/calorie counting that has made me miserable for so many years. Of course, there were many elements to my progress, many of which are highlighted in the article Celebrate Your Body.

I have come a long way, and most days, I can look in the mirror, noticing all the things about myself I used to see as flaws, and simply see them as they are — parts of me. At the same time, my reflection in the mirror has little do with any of the things I accomplish day to day. All of my successes, both large and small have come about through hard work and dedication, and are — I realize now — completely unrelated to a number on the scale.

Some days, every now and then, the old thoughts come creeping back in, and a voice starts telling me I am fat, but I know now that I need to ignore those voices, not just because they are  negative, but because they are irrelevant. Yet, what I have noticed, is those days crop up when other things are bothering me, and I don’t want to — or don’t know how to — deal with them. Dealing with feelings of self loathing may be pretty terrible, but they are familiar. And like an abusive spouse, you sometimes take comfort in what you know, even if it’s unpleasant.

With new coping tools and more attention to self care, I am now able to concentrate on the deeper issues. The effort it takes to push back at times like this is considerable, but I also know I have come a long way, and the effort is worth it. More importantly, I can finally look at all of the amazing things I have accomplished and take pride in each of them, rather than feeling inadequate

EDNOS: The Eating Disorder You Haven’t Heard Of

When I received the diagnosis of Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified two years ago, I had a very mixed reaction. On the one hand, the label didn’t seem to fit. Me? With an eating disorder? I wasn’t underweight, and in fact was technically on the edge of being overweight. I had intentionally thrown up from time to time, but certainly was not bulimic. I had tried starving myself periodically in an attempt to get my weight under control, but I definitely wasn’t anorexic. At the most I considered myself a chronic dieter, or someone who at times could be a little obsessed with healthy eating and exercise. I could agree that my eating was very disordered but to identify myself as someone with an eating disorder made me squirm in my seat a bit. (For more on the differences between disorders and disordered eating, read Disordered Eating or Eating Disorder?)

On the other hand, after hearing my therapist tell me I had an eating disorder, I felt relief. After all, I was there to get help, and if I could label my problem, perhaps the solution would come more easily. I was ready to silence the voice in my head that made me obsess over my body and food 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and if giving that voice the name ED (for Eating Disorder) would help, I was willing to accept it.

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is February 21-27 this year, which seems like a good opportunity to bring attention to this lesser known sibling of Anorexia and Bulimia. Everyone knows about Anorexia and Bulimia, but EDNOS, which has only recently begun to receive recognition in the mental health community can be as equally dangerous and life consuming as its better known counterparts.

So what does Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified mean? Well, the short answer is a “category [of] disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria of a specific eating disorder,” according to the most recently updated version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Ultimately, the definition is more anecdotal which explains why it is often harder to identify, though according to the publication Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 50 percent of individuals who present for treatment of an eating disorder receive the diagnosis of EDNOS which effects 4 to 6 percent of the general population.*

While many of the criteria for EDNOS may closely mimic anorexia or bulimia, some behaviors are less obvious, and in fact, within our diet and body-obsessed culture, can appear perfectly normal. What may look to an outsider as just another diet involving close monitoring of caloric intake as well as exercise, may in fact become — if not already — an unhealthy and unnatural way to control weight based on an intense drive to be thin combined with an unrealistic body image. On the flip side, EDNOS also includes the sub-category of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) which is often overlooked as a simple lack of willpower and/or self control. Regardless of wherever a patient lies in the spectrum of EDNOS, it is important to realize that the emotional trauma suffered as a result of the disorder is equal to that of Anorexia and Bulimia, and should not be seen as anything less than a serious illness.

The introduction of EDNOS as an accepted diagnosis “gives a voice to sufferers who don’t fit into the narrow diagnostic categories of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder” said Shannon Cutts, author of ANA: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back, and founder of Mentor Connect, a community of people in recovery from eating and related disorders.

Cutts, who herself suffered from Anorexia, Bulimia and EDNOS feels grateful for the recognition of EDNOS, and encourages sufferers to seek help. “If you know that your symptoms, thoughts, and behaviors are affecting your quality of life, then you both need and deserve help. Use your voice and ask for help. Do not assume you are the only one who “doesn’t fit” into a category and therefore you don’t deserve help. There are many people who suffer from EDNOS and you help not just yourself but everyone who suffers from it when you demand the care you deserve. Search out a medical professional who is familiar with eating disorders rather than struggling to educate an unsympathetic doctor or therapist. Be your own health care advocate. You know better than anyone else when you are struggling and need help. Eating disorders kill, and just because your symptoms don’t fall into the three most commonly-recognized categories does not mean they are not equally deadly.”

The health complications that arise from eating disorders are extensive, and include low blood pressure, slower heart rate, a decrease in bone density, a disruption in hormones, sometimes leading to infertility, and more. Even more alarming is the fact that eating disorders have the highest rate of death among any mental disorder — just one episode of bingeing and purging can cause an electrolyte imbalance causing sudden death. That is why it is so important to recognize that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, and present themselves in a variety of ways.

Is there treatment for EDNOS? Though whole rehabilitation centers have risen to address the problems specific to Anorexia, Bulimia, and even Binge Eating Disorder, there is help for other non specified eating disorders. The effort to overcome any eating disorder is extensive and should not be downplayed. Most of the times, the help of a mental health professional is necessary, and the journey through recovery is never quick and painless. But when you consider the alternative of living a life plagued by self loathing, fear of food, and serious health risks, including a premature death, the effort is one that must be undertaken to break free and live a full and happy life.

As for my own journey, to be honest, it’s an ongoing process. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back. But as Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without Ed, and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me likes to say, fall down seven times, stand up eight.

Talking with Jenni Schaefer, Author & Eating Disorder Activist

I admit it. Jenni Schaefer is one of my personal heroes. It’s not just because she’s battled with and recovered from an eating disorder. It’s not just because she travels around the country, talking about eating disorders and raising awareness on the most deadly of all mental disorders. It’s not just because she’s written and published two books. It’s not just because she is pursuing her dream of becoming a country singer. Perhaps it’s the culmination of all of these things, combined with her candidness and a comfort with herself that comes through in conversation, but each of her qualities are ones that I admire and feel inspired by. Jenni and I spoke for the second time after I finished her second book, Goodbye Ed, Hello Me, and through the course of our discussion, we covered topics both old and new, but each subject we touched on gave me another look at her perspective on herself and the world.

Before we dove into some of the questions I had for Jenni, I decided to be frank with her in regards to my first impression of her. To be honest, I can sometimes be skeptical when I hear someone say “I’ve learned to accept my body as it is” and when I look at them, I see a body which to me, represents our society’s ideal of being thin. Sure, I thought. That’s easy for you to say. You have a body that everyone else accepts too … what’s not to accept? These are the same thoughts I had when Jenni stood up to speak at a Congressional hearing on eating disorders. To me, she was thin, and I was envious of her flat stomach. When I shared these thoughts with Jenni, she was not the least bit surprised (or offended, as I feared) and she said that this subject is one frequently discussed at eating disorder conferences, saying that the “size and shape of a therapist is like the elephant in the room no one is talking about.” Eating disordered patients will definitely scrutinize the body of their therapist and it’s an issue that must be addressed. Jenni also personally related to my feelings as she put it into perspective for me.

“My ideal my body size with my eating disorder was many pounds lighter than I am now … The Jenni that was sick would have looked at Jenni today and say ‘wow you’ve really let yourself go.’ Jenni today looks at me and I actually love my body. My brain is now nourished and I can see I have a healthy body.” She also talked about the height of her eating disorder when she was severely bulimic and actually overweight by most doctors charts. That fact made it more difficult for her to seek the treatment she so desperately needed. She looked healthier compared to when she was anorexic, making it harder for others to understand the depth of her struggles. During this time, she looked at others with eating disorders, and thought she wasn’t thin enough to deserve help and get treatment. When she finally did seek treatment, one of the coping skills she learned early on was to look for similarities instead of looking for differences in other people.

“We will always find differences and use that to seperate us from the rest of the world which is what I used to do, or we can seek similarities and try to look at how we are all the same.” She then added this wonderful pearl of wisdom: “Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes and recovered bodies also come in all shapes and sizes, and where I am recovered at my current body size, someone else might be recovered and actually be thinner than me, or heavier than me.”

If you read my previous interview with Jenni, you know that when I saw her at the hearing, she was wearing a black shirt which said “Recovered.” in white lettering (that wasn’t a typo — there is a period at the end of ‘Recovered’ in order to drive home the statement). This was an issue we discussed last time, but because of a recent blog post by Life Coach Andrea Owen entitled Can We Ever Fully Recover?, I felt the subject had to be explored further.

One of the things I really admire about Jenni is that she is very good about encouraging people to find the approach that best works for them. She asks the question “Does saying you are in recovery from an eating disorder keep you sick or keep you healthy?” For Jenni, always saying she was in recovery kept her sick, but she recognizes that for others, it keeps ED away.

“As long as I said I was in recovery, my eating disorder was waiting around the corner to get me. I really had to claim [recovery] for me and that’s what worked best for me.” She then added, “I am recovered from my eating disorder. I am not recovered from life. I still am constantly getting better at perfectionism. Of course I have a negative voice in my head. What’s different today is that negative voice is not surrounded around weight and food. My personal ED is gone. Does that mean I never have a bad body image experience? Do I never think anything bad about my body? Of course not, I live in America!”

But the negative voice Jenni hears from time to time is one that most of us deal with even without any history of an eating disorder, and Jenni refers to this voice as societal ED. Jenni recalled a chapter in Goodbye Ed, entitled The Worst Pick Up Line Ever, in which she describes an experience at her gym when a guy asks her “Are you here to lose weight too?” Her initial reaction was to ask herself why he would say that? But her therapist quickly reminded her that most women would have a negative reaction to his comment, and it isn’t necessarily the voice of an eating disorder. It was time to stop identifying herself with her eating disorder. When asked if she ever had moments when she questioned if life wouldn’t be better or wouldn’t she be happier at a lower weight, Jenni emphatically says no.

After writing two books about ED and traveling around the country raising awareness about eating disorders, Jenni is ready to focus on something new in her life — balance. While she enjoys talking about eating disorders and recovery, she is spending more time making room to talk about other things. In her own words, “I don’t want to always be defined by an illness I once had. Now that I’m recovered, I can do anything.”

Jenni has a variety of interests that have nothing to do with eating disorders, and those interests are leading her in new directions as she works more on her music (she has recorded two singles so far) and having fun. Being close to nature has become an important part of Jenni’s happiness and helps her feel grounded, so she tries to find activities that she can enjoy outside ranging from hitting the slopes to simply sitting outside reading a book. And speaking of books, she is already in research mode for her next one — and it’s not about ED! As she further explores the world of dating, finding new challenges and new experiences, she is realizing these are also experiences worth sharing. I for one can’t wait to read about them.

4 Steps To Ending Emotional Eating

by Nicole Ohebshalom

One late night while working Boston’s needle exchange van I realized the early stages of drug addiction is no different than the sugar or coffee cycle many of us succumb to in our daily lives. This particular evening a young man walked into the van, and we talked about his drug use and life in the gay community. He had just come out about his sexual orientation without any support and used drugs to mask his fears.

As we spoke further, it surfaced that many of his fears were tied to him giving into his every temptation. He wanted to feel comfortable in his skin but had a certain pleasure tolerance that diminished any positive thoughts about himself. At this point, many of us look to the outside to heal and grow in life instead of looking and loving within ourselves. What happens at this point when we reach for a heroine needle or the cookie jar? We reach our pleasure tolerance, or our happiness quota and, the addiction cycle begins.

For many people food is an addiction, just like a drug. We receive the same cycle of highs, lows, and reasons for cravings. Many of you can relate to the subtlety of sugar cravings in the office setting. When stressed, you open up that drawer of hidden chocolate bars and the cycle begins.

Have you had a time in your life when you were eating very healthy and exercising? You’d think to yourself, “I’ve got this down!” then out of nowhere you grab a few cookies and weeks later you notice your healthy lifestyle has vanished! This is because the way we eat is the way we live. Our interaction with food is an interesting insight to how we live our lives.

We’re all born with a certain amount of happiness, but this is not our comfort zone because we aren’t always happy or comfortable with our life and ourselves. This has been keeping you from connecting to the love you want, enjoying the relaxing lifestyle you want, realizing your desires and inspiration, or savoring the yummy stimulation from a meal.

Guilt is a major quality that has been preventing you from enjoying your meals and life. We feel guilty for indulging in too much food, sex, power, and money. We can experience guilt when we’re going through change and becoming happier in life. But you shouldn’t feel guilty for having it all. It’s your moral prerogative to have it all and be happy about it. Give those self-conflicting voices about pleasure a rest.

When you let yourself feel good, you feel better about life and thereby are more open to connecting with yourself and feeling balanced. Creating a new way of enjoying eating can be intimidating because it’s new and requires courage and fearless love for yourself. Remember: change can be scary but it’s the only way to grow and achieve happiness. Ask yourself: What would it be like if you got on board with your eating or body changes? How can you celebrate them?

Follow these steps for increasing your happiness tolerance and end the cycle of emotional eating!

Step 1: Write down the reasons behind your emotional eating. Sometimes, just seeing them on paper makes it easier to get a handle on the problem. Take one week and keep a food journal. Write down absolutely everything that you eat, as well as making a note about your mood at that exact time. By taking this step, you’ll be able to target which foods you turn to when you are in different moods.

Step 2: Connect with your desires. Who do you want to be? What do you want in life? What do you enjoy and dislike in your daily life? Being in tune with your desires helps you understand your true self and optimize life satisfaction. Have you written down your desires? Be true to what opens your unique, fun, and happy heart. Embodying these desires by writing them down will allow you to connect to and trust yourself. Next time you think negative body or food thoughts, come back to your desires. Ask yourself what is your stand– what will create happiness in your life?

Step 3: Make a list of things you are grateful for while experiencing this change in food and body image mentality. Put it up on your fridge and look at it to remind you of all the wonderful things in your life. This will help you stay on track, even though the change might be difficult at first. Remember, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel!

Step 4: Say YES to something that you would not normally say yes too. See if you enjoy any activity that you normally would not include in your routine.

Nicole Ohebshalom is the owner of Radiant Living Wellness which offers programs to address weight and health concerns, increase energy levels, or simply to help clients eat better. A firm believer in the power of balance, Nicole is also a Kundalini Yoga Instructor. To learn more about Nicole and her services, visit Radiant Living Wellness.

Does Your Diet Rob You of Life’s Surprises?

by Melissa Henriquez

Do you know what it’s like to have your wonderful husband fear cooking you dinner because he knows you’re so obsessed with food that if every iota isn’t measured, you’ll freak?

Sadly, I do … because that was me.

Though we usually cooked together, I was usually the one dictating what ingredients we “could” use (only fat-free cheeses in lasagna, only 96% lean beef in burgers … “nothing else!”). I “had” to be in control. (Well, my brain said so, sad but true).

And because of this (unbecoming) controlling nature, my husband feared cooking for me. How sad is that?!

It’s not like he wouldn’t have eaten those versions of foods, but the “this is all I will accept” mentality I had was tough to swallow, and caused many an argument — all because of food or, rather, control about food.

And so one night, when we were newly married and living together, he confessed that he had been wanting to surprise me by making dinner, but feared how I’d react…

Sadly, no surprise there. The truth is, back then, I probably would have freaked, however terrible that sounds now.

That should have been the sole warning I needed that it was high-time to snap out of my disordered eating world.

But as life goes, it wasn’t. Instead, it was just one example of many along the way that led me to believe, “Houston, I have a problem” last summer, when I began blogging and sought therapy.

It makes me sad now to think I’ve squandered almost three years of my life living a life without surprises, without much spontaneity when it could have been more.

Still, instead of looking back with regret, I’d prefer to look ahead, and to think of the progress I’ve made recently. Because as my relationship with food and anxiety and my body improves, so, too, do my relationships and friendships. Amazing, right?!

The truth is, I’ll probably always check out party spreads before choosing, probably always scout out menus online before going out to eat when possible … but I think that’s just being a savvy “shopper,” if you will.

I mean, it’s summer and I’m not going to turn down a BBQ or a party because there will be food there. The old me might have, but I just am not her anymore. And so I might still load my plate with salad or fruit first, but so what, if I’m enjoying everything else, too? Really, no one else cares what anyone else eats.

Food can be pleasure, and now that I’m not mutilating it, it has even more meaning to me.

(OK full disclosure: sometimes I still mutilate — like taking chocolate chips from a cookie — but that’s nothing new, and I’m NOT c/s)…

Another example of progress? I’m not “afraid” if friends suggest dessert after dinner anymore. If I didn’t personally want it, or hadn’t planned on it, I can always have a little taste and enjoy it. And if I want it, I can dig right in!

I know balance more than I think I do, more than I give myself credit for. And I’m really seeing that a life without surprises is boring and not worth living.

Surprises are fun. Sunday night, my husband and I lit our new firepit and were just sitting outside, enjoying the balmy night air. He asked if I wanted to make S’mores.

For a split second, I admit, I paused. Technically, I hadn’t “planned” on them. The old me would have politely declined.

But you know what? With his hectic work/MBA schedule how often are we outside together on a summer night?! How often are we eating S’mores by the fire?!

So I grinned, said, “Sure,” and went inside to grab the fixins’. We made S’mores and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company, and it was just wonderful.

Later that night, laying nestled in my husband’s arms on the deck as the embers faded to a dull glow, I wasn’t thinking about the unplanned S’mores, but rather how nice it felt to just “be.”

I wonder if I could have been that girl before, if she was hidden in me? Or if I needed this experience to drag her out? I’ve never been laid-back or easy-going; those adjectives have never described me. But it doesn’t mean I can’t learn to be more flexible.

I don’t want to live a life where surprises are feared anymore.

I want my friends and family to not think of me as being “weird about food.”

I want my husband to feel like he can suggest going to Chicago on a whim, where I don’t turn him down because I’d planned to work out and hadn’t yet.

(Um, yes, we dealt with that during the Christmas holiday in 2006; I’ll never forget it — he was so hurt and I realized I was being ridiculous too late. We ended up going the next weekend, but I’ll never forget that …).

And because I WANT it, I can BE it.

Life without surprises just isn’t fun, and it took me a long time to “get it” but I’m hoping for a surprise home-cooked meal soon

How about you? How do you handle surprises?

Melissa Henriquez is  PR professional living in Michigan. She shares her experiences and wisdom that has come from disordered eating and the process of overcoming it at her blog Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater.

Disordered Eating or Eating Disorder?

It almost sounds cliche: I have struggled with my weight for years. I guess you could pretty much say my whole life. I have never been grossly overweight, but nor have I been what I consider to be an ideal weight. Consequently, I have spent my life trying to reach this “ideal” weight. What I have come to realize recently, however, is that this struggle had less to do with a number on the scale (though the scale has always held great powers over me) than the ability (or lack of) to control what I put in my mouth.

When the compulsion to control my eating finally came to a head last year, I sought the help of a therapist who felt that I was on the verge of crossing the line from years of disordered eating into an eating disorder. Though I wasn’t displaying the severe symptoms of any particular eating disorder, the idea of controlling my eating was beginning to consume my life. I was starting to skip meals more and the emotional roller coaster of feelings between shame and guilt for overeating and sense of accomplishment for not eating were becoming overwhelming.

After spending a lifetime dieting, I really didn’t think much of my habits let alone place them in the category of a disorder, but at the same time I couldn’t stand the shouting coming from within my head and I desperately wanted help to stop the shouting.

According to WomensHealth.gov, “disordered eating refers to troublesome eating behaviors, such as restrictive dieting, bingeing, or purging, which occur less frequently or are less severe than those required to meet the full criteria for the diagnosis of an eating disorder. Disordered eating can be changes in eating patterns that occur in relation to a stressful event, an illness, personal appearance, or in preparation for athletic competition … disordered eating may develop into an eating disorder. If disordered eating becomes sustained, distressing, or begins to interfere with everyday activities, then it may require professional evaluation.”

And that was where I was. It was interfering with every day life. And so I wondered …. how many other women like me are at this crossroads? I can see the factors in my life that contributed to where I was. My self worth was waning as I struggled with parenting, I wasn’t sure how to define myself anymore, and I had lots of time to obsess about food and my body.

I have other friends who definitely fall into the category of disordered eating. We commiserate together about the ups and downs on the scale, and the half dozen cookies we didn’t mean to eat. We’d stop and start Weight Watchers together, count points together, and “cheat” together. All the while, our self worth was more and more being defined by the successes and failures of our weight loss. As I look around me, I can only guess how many other women are struggling with these issues. But given all the pressures women face today in their daily lives, combined with the added stress of feeling the pressure to look “perfect”, I would guess the number of women about to fall over the precipice is staggering.

Eating disorder treatment centers all over the country are reporting sharp increases in the number of women over 30 seeking help for eating disorders. For now, there are a variety of theories to explain the increase, all of them are undeniable. The same body image issues that may have triggered in eating disorder earlier in life are often still a factor, they are compounded by the additional pressures women face as they grow older, such as parenting struggles, divorce, work, financial instability and of course, an aging body. Ultimately, most eating disorders come down to a strong desire to control something amid an otherwise chaotic life that feels out of control. We may not be able to force our boss to give us  a raise, keep our kids from getting into trouble, make our spouses love us more, but if we can just control what we can put in our mouths, then that will give us the sense that we have regained control of our lives, or at least that’s what someone who has crossed the line into a disorder might think. And when you read some of the facts about eating disorders it’s really a wonder we’re not all rushing to the bathroom after every time we eat. According to Park Nicollet Hospital which offers a treatment center dedicated to eating disorders, the facts are eye opening:

Eighty percent of women are unhappy with their appearance.
The average American woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds. The “ideal” woman portrayed in the media is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds.
Most eating disorders begin with a weight-loss diet. Thirty-five percent of “normal dieters” progress to unhealthy dieting. Of those, 20 percent to 25 percent progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders.
Experts estimate that 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States have an eating disorder. An estimated 5 percent of those with eating disorders die as a direct result of the eating disorder.

Treatment for eating disorders generally requires intense therapy and a supportive environment, and special programs are being specially designed to accomodate the growing number of older women suffering from the disease.

For me personally, my goal is to become a normal eater. And what does a normal eater look like? Ellyn Satter who pioneered the concepts of the feeding relationship and eating competence sums it up pretty well:

“Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it—not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good. Normal eating is mostly three meals a day, or four or five, or it can be choosing to munch along the way. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be udnereating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life. In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.”

Battling Inner Demons

I recently was talking to a friend who revealed to me her long-standing, on-again-off-again battle with depression when she told me she found inspiration in the Beyonce’s new song “I Am … Sasha Fierce.” She explained how she related to the idea of an alter ego in an effort to separate herself from this other person inside of her. Only in her case, this other person was her depression, rather than the strong powerful woman conjured up by the name Sasha Fierce. My friend felt a little silly telling me she has personified her depression until I explained to her this is a common technique used in treating eating disorders, when often patients will identify their disorder simply as ED. Since ED is a voice constantly putting down the person in whom he resides, it makes sense to identify him in a way that allows patients to talk to him and fight back.

For years, I identified my own inner demons simply as “food and body image issues” — an abstract summation of the struggles I faced in my daily existence. Since my behaviors were defined more as disordered eating than eating disorder, the name ED didn’t sit right with me. While I recognized the power of seeing my “issues” as an entity separate from my core being, the idea of a man named ED, living inside of me, telling me I was fat, or ugly, or a pig, was not the image I had of my inner battles. Instead, when I was asked to envision the person constantly beating me down and holding me back,  I saw someone more along the lines of Mrs. X from The Nanny Diaries — cold, calculating, selfish, manipulative, and obsessed with control. Thus, my eating issues were reborn as Mrs. X.

Mrs. X didn’t just stop at telling me how I looked or how to eat. She convinced me I was an awful mother, a terrible housewife, and mediocre at everything else. She kept me down, instilling enough fear in me that I never really tried to do much beyond what I was absolutely sure I could do, at least without someone else holding my hand. The only time she would ever allow that I was good at anything was when I could measure my sucess by a number on the scale, the tag in my clothing, or the number of calories I had burned. But of course, even then she warned me failure was always just around the corner.

I have often prided myself on the fact that I don’t let negative people bring me down. If I realize a friendship is not healthy, or that it is more of a give-take relationship with me being the primary giver, I move on. Life is too short to be influenced negatively by those around you. And yet, my whole life, I had let Mrs. X control me without realizing it. But once I learned to separate my own voice from that of Mrs. X, I also learned how to ignore what she said. Next I learned to talk back. I would write her letters and tell her that although I knew she would never completely leave me alone, I would no longer let her control my life. When I was really mad, I would tell her to “F— off!”.

It’s been a while since Mrs. X and I were formally introduced, and for the most part I have marginalized her from my life, like a grumpy relative you can’t cut off, but keep your distance from. She periodically knocks at my door, and sometimes I ignore it, and sometimes, less often, I let her in. But as I have gotten to know Mrs. X, I understand how she works, and I know how to undermine her power. I also have learned to forgive her. She came into my life for a reason, and that was to protect me — from loneliness, boredom, and feelings of rejection. Though the ends didn’t justify the means, her presence was familiar and at times, all I felt that I had.

Personifying my inner struggles was a way for me to step outside myself and take my enemy head on. I am strong enough to stand by myself and facing Mrs. X was what proved my strength once and for all. The next time you hear an inner voice telling you that you’re not good enough, thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, etc., say “I’m sorry, but you are no longer welcome in my house, and it’s time for you to move on … and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

“Life Without Ed” — A Book Review

You might think that Life Without Ed is a book about a woman separating herself from a boyfriend/husband/lover named Ed. But when you read the sub-header “How One Woman Declared Independence from her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too” it is apparent that Ed is not a person. As it turns out, for Jenni Schaefer, as well as for many other women, Ed (a convenient acronym for Eating Disorder) can be just as powerful a force as the most abusive of men, and like abusive partners, Ed can and does kill.

The review of this book is timely as National Eating Disorders Awareness Week begins February 22. Through Shaefer’s book, other victims of Ed can find the hope they need to begin the long process of declaring their own independence from an eating disorder.

Life Without Ed begins with Jenni stating that although she has never been married, she is happily divorced. Through the guidance of her therapist Thom Rutledge — with whom Jenni cowrote her book — Jenni began to identify her eating disorder as an entity separate from her own person, an entity she identified as Ed. Personifying her disorder gave clarity to the thoughts in her head as she began to identify which thoughts belonged to her, and which thoughts belonged to Ed. Making that distinction enabled her first to disagree with Ed, and eventually to disobey him.

From the beginning, Ed was as controlling, domineering, and selfish as the worst partners committing domestic violence. But he was also as manipulative, leading Jenni to believe that she was deserving of his negative treatment. Without Ed, she believed she was nothing, because that is what Ed told her at every opportunity he had. He also gave her the proverbial carrot, leading her on with promises of beauty (through being thin), success (through being thin), and happiness (through being thin). Without him, he convinced her she would never achieve any of those things. Finally, Jenni realized though that the life she was living with Ed was not one worth living at all, and instead of giving into his demands indefinitely — which ultimately would have led to her death — she got the help she needed to begin the long process of separating herself from Ed.

Throughout Shaefer’s account — which is witty at times, and tragic at others — we are reminded of the hold Ed has taken of her. But we are also reminded of the strong sense of survival that eventually leads to Jenni’s “divorce” from Ed. As with the separation of many couples, Jenni’s recovery was full of moments of self doubt and the desire to go back to Ed who was always full of promises of a better life. Although he was a great source of misery for her, he also knew how to relieve moments of stress and unhappiness through binging, purging and restricting — all of which can provide a false but powerful sense of control when all else feels out of control.  Ultimately, with the help of a strong support system comprised of therapists, internists, dieticians and peers, Jenni found the strength to leave Ed once and for all. Though he still periodically tries to reunite with Jenni — perhaps for a casual fling or even worse — she now has the emotional tools to recognize his presence, and then dismiss him.

Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too
is a detailed account of life with an Eating Disorder — something that is often misunderstood by society at large. As Jenni points out, it does not matter what size you are or how much you weigh. Ed comes in all shapes and sizes. What matters is the emotional abuse from which so many women suffer in silence, as Ed consumes every moment, telling them what to eat or not eat, what to purge, and how they look compared to every other woman they see. If Ed is destroying your life, or the life of someone you know, this book is an absolute must-read in order to understand the battles with Ed, and how to win them.

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