Overview

An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect every part of the person's life. According to the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, "feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one's experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale." Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes, with a significant diagnostic overlap between the two. Together, they affect an estimated 5-7% of females in the United States during their lifetimes. There is a third type of eating disorder currently being investigated and defined - Binge Eating Disorder. This is a chronic condition that occurs when an individual consumes huge amounts of food during a brief period of time and feels totally out of control and unable to stop their eating. It can lead to serious health conditions such as morbid obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Stop Overeating by Getting Connected With the Right Church!

I was in a church for about four years that was very legalistic but in such a way that it draws you in rather than pushes you away. Now I wouldn't as far as calling this church a cult, but the relentless pursuit of "sticking to the rules" sure was intoxicating. I always felt awkward and out of place. Unlike me, all the other moms were so skinny and well put together. The few odd ones that didn't quite qualify as one of the "beautiful people" didn't make it into leadership.

Inevitable the church went through a major split and many disturbing things were revealed. I realized for the first time that this nagging feeling of inferiority that I had (because of a few extra pounds on me) didn't exactly aid me in my pursuit of freedom or holiness for that matter. I never told a soul about my struggle with food, because no one ever spoke about their struggles, no one ever admitted to being human. Everybody was so spiritual, so driven to win the lost, so focused on not wasting time with frivolous things such as building friendships or finding personal healing.

Now I am all for evangelism and I agree that it is the great commission. However, I know that God never intended for us to stop being real, give up on friendship and neglect our own hearts. I never felt so alone in a congregation and I never felt so incapable of ever overcoming my food addiction. You see I had to keep it secret, because admitting to it would have been to admit to what everybody already suspected: "I was an immature Christian who should have had my act together years ago

After the split things changed gradually and I started a small group for women who struggled with food issues. I found that there were actually a bunch of ladies who were just waiting to talk about this "thing" they were carrying around.

How great was my relief when we moved and were swept up in the loving arms of the people in our current church. They invited us to small groups where people wanted to get to know us, care about us, and most of all, they were not afraid to be real! Our church sets a high standard for holy living and growing in relationship with God as well, and although we have our problems like every other church, I personally never felt that cloud of condemnation.

I want to encourage you, if you suffer from an eating disorder or other addictions, please find a place where you don't feel afraid to be real. A place where you are encouraged by others and where you experience the Holy Spirit's presence to heal you and change you. Yes, we have to build our own relationship with God, but He also created us to be part of a community and to have genuine friendships. These friendships are best know by "giving and receiving". In these friendships you will find acceptance of both your good and "not so good" parts. You need to be loved for who you are to break free from this disorder. Pretending to be perfect or okay when you are not will keep you in bondage. Pleasing others and not being truthful about your needs and fears will prevent you from healing.

I know change is hard, and I'm not telling you to give up your church either. I just want to nudge you to keep looking for a church or even just a group where you can receive love and support. Start today. If your church doesn't offer any support groups, start your own. You can use my program for your support group if you want, or look for the following groups in your area that focus on freedom from food struggles and other addictions:

- Celebrate Recovery
- First Place



Autor: Heleen Woest Heleen Woest
Level: Basic PLUS
Heleen Woest wrote a program for women who struggle with food related issues such as Bulimia, Overeating and Binge eating disorder. She has a heart ... ...

You can stop overeating or stop binge eating by taking my hand through my 12 Week Online Program or the hand of a friend. Believe me, it's almost impossible to do it yourself, don't waste anymore time, your life depends on it!

http://www.eatingsdisorders.com/stop-overeating.php


Added: May 19, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Posted by admin at 12:42 AM

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