When Your Child Is Struggling with an Eating Disorder
In the Spring of 2018 my daughter began to want to “eat healthy.” There is nothing wrong with eating healthy, I thought. After all, I am a certified health coach…
Bulimia
Anorexia in Limbo
When I was sixteen years old, I met every requirement in the DSM-IV criteria for Anorexia Nervosa. My Body Mass Index (BMI) hovered just below 17.5, I was obsessed with…
Eating Disorders and the Brain
Eating disorders are biologically based brain illnesses influenced by environmental and psychological factors. Environmental risk factors for developing an eating disorder include weight and appearance pressures, media messaging, and weight…
C-PTSD and Eating Disorders
As a relatively new and still poorly recognized concept, few people come to therapy identifying as suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). As a rule, a diagnosis of…
When Ruminating Becomes a Problem
Everyone ruminates. We especially ruminate when we’re stressed out. Maybe you’re ruminating about an upcoming test—you have to score an A to keep your scholarship. Maybe you’re ruminating about an…
Portrayals of Eating Disorders in the Media: To the Bone
I’d like to talk to you about To the Bone, a movie which was released on Netflix this July. To the Bone deals with eating disorders (“EDs”) and has caused…
When Advice Crosses the Line
During the process of my son’s recovery from his eating disorder I have received advice from many places. More often than not this advice was helpful and appreciated. Many people…
It’s Not About the Panini: A Story About OCD and Anorexia
18 years ago I found myself drawn to a light switch. Turning the lights on and off became an ordeal as every room’s light switch hypnotized me into gliding my fingers across it, pressing…
Quick Facts About Eating Disorders: Anorexia, Binge-Eating, & Bulimia
This article describes quick facts and statistics about the three most common eating disorders, anorexia, binge-eating, and bulimia. Facts About Anorexia An estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent of women suffer…
Health Consequences of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders — such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating — are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. Eating disorders are neither a fad…
Accepting Your Body
It’s time for some sound advice on achieving a quality lifestyle instead of dieting again. Ninety-five percent of all women don’t have the ideal body type portrayed by the media,…
Size Does Not Equal a Healthy Body
I will never forget the night my 6’3″ tall, slender brother and his even taller, slender friend bought two tickets for the 7:15 p.m. showing of the movie “Troy,” starring…
Food, the Holidays & the Truth about Eating Disorders
Think about your favorite holiday food. Maybe pecan pie, maybe roast beef, maybe stuffing, maybe sugar cookies. Let’s say you are hungry. Think about eating that food right now. Do…
All About Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are both eating disorders. Anorexia involves people who intentionally starve themselves when they are already underweight. Individuals with anorexia have a body weight that is…
What We Eat: Morality and the Dinner Table
We humans enjoy dividing things into categories. Doing so helps us form cognitive shortcuts and organize large sets of information. Our categories apply to nearly everything imaginable, including descriptions of…
