5 Signs to Look For When Diagnosing Eating Disorders

Because of our societies focus on beauty, eating disorders in the US are on the rise. It is estimated that close to 10 million women may be affected by some form of eating disorder and these statistics may be on the rise as well. The causes of eating disorders stem from a variety of issues including emotional disorders, depression, and most often lack of self esteem. These issues can be made worse by the media that focuses on being thin as a sign of beauty and this statement is easily reinforced when one looks at the actresses and models who acquire fame oftentimes for their so-called beauty.

No matter what the cause, diagnosing these conditions and treating them as soon as possible is what is truly important. Because these disorders are often hidden by the one suffering, it can be incredibly hard to uncover them especially in the earlier stages. Here we will provide a list of five of the top signs that you can look for when trying to diagnose if you or someone you know may be suffering from an eating disorder.

1. Being vocal about body issues - if you hear someone start to talk about how unhappy they are with their body and the way they look including using terms like "I'm too fat" or "God I wish I was just skinny" when before these issues were never a problem for this person, this may be something to keep an eye on. While some folks keep these thoughts to themselves, others start out by vocalizing them to see if others around them feel the same way.

2. Drastic changes in eating patterns - someone that suddenly changes their eating habits drastically, usually by severely limiting their caloric intake, may be heading for or already in the grips of an eating disorder. These individuals may be focused on losing weight anyway they know how and this can include stopping eating altogether.

3. Drastic weight loss - just as in example 2 above, those that stopped eating will often experience dramatic weight loss quickly. Many people around them will notice but few often say anything. If you recognize that someone that you know has lost an extreme amount of weight, it is likely that they are either suffering from an illness or an eating disorder and it is up to you to try to intervene so that they seek treatment immediately.

4. Avoidance of, or uncomfortable with, social interaction - because eating disorders often stem from disorders such as depression, those afflicted may begin shying away from other people altogether or when they are in the company of others, they are shy and reclusive. This coupled with any of the symptoms above may be red flags that an eating disorder exists.

5. Obsessive exercising combined with any of the symptoms above - those with eating disorders often begin exercising at a dangerous rate to help further their weight-loss goals. Excessive exercising coupled with starving themselves is an incredibly dangerous concoction and should be avoided at all costs.

Often times, because of wanting to avoid uncomfortable situations, people simply ignore the symptoms above and try to pass them off as simply situational or a phase someone is going through but if you truly feel in your heart that something else may exist, take it on yourself to try to intervene and help this person get help. Eating disorders are dangerous and can lead to lifelong ailments and even death at their most progressive levels. Do your part and look for the symptoms and the ones you love.

Autor: Emile Jarreau

Emile Jarreau, aka, Mr. Fat Loss is fascinated by health, nutrition and weight loss. For more great info about eating disorder for losing weight and keeping it off visit http://www.MrFatLoss.com

Added: August 31, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Binge Eating Disorder - What it is and How to Recognize It

Eating disorders are an unfortunate but common existence in the lives of millions of men and women all over the world. In the US alone, it is estimated that more than 7 million women may be stricken with some form of eating disorder or another. The cause of these nightmarish conditions are varied as are their effects but one thing is certain; they must be diagnosed and treated at all costs.

Of the many types of eating disorders that have been identified, one of the most common is called binge eating. This is not to be confused with bulimia which is an eating disorder that often includes binge eating as one of its characteristics. Binge eating is simply the act of one who will consume enormous amounts of food at one sitting.

Now, if those who were suffering from binge eating always did their eating in public, it would be easy to recognize it but this is often not the case. Most people with eating disorders do their best to cover them up because they feel shame about their situation. Instead, they find creative ways to hide their activities and often act as if they are completely healthy and normal. No matter how well they try to hide the disorder, other people that are close to them can often recognize the signs and this is certainly true with binge eating.

The first and most obvious sign of binge eating is the disappearance of large quantities of food. You may discover that from one day to the next entire gallons of ice cream or jars of peanut butter have mysteriously disappeared. When questioned, the person with the disorder will often provide some excuse that simply does not sound plausible. In addition, the crafty individual may try to go out and purchase the same food that they have just eaten and replace it so that no one will be wise, but purchasing different brands of food, or replacing half empty packages of food with full ones will surely tell you that something is up.

Another sign is the existence of empty food packages in around the persons belongings be it their room, their car, or their desk at work. As the condition progresses, they may become sloppy in their hiding of the condition at all.

An obvious sign of binge eating is weight gain and if a normally weight stable person begins to gain enormous amounts of weight very quickly, then it can be quite likely that binge eating is the culprit. This is not always the case, however, because of the tie-in with the condition known as bulimia that we mentioned before.

Those suffering from bulimia will force themselves to vomit after certain meals so as to avoid the possible weight gain from the calories ingested. Those suffering from bulimia that also binge eat may not show any significant weight gain at all making diagnosis of the problem all the more difficult.

Because of the harmful effects and even death that can occur from eating disorders, be sure to watch for the signs above in your loved ones if you think an eating disorder may be present. If so, do your best to get help immediately as these conditions are almost always progressive and can lead to extremely negative consequences.

Autor: Emile Jarreau

Emile Jarreau, aka, Mr. Fat Loss is fascinated by health, nutrition and weight loss. For more great info about eating disorder for losing weight and keeping it off visit http://www.MrFatLoss.com

Added: August 29, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Eating Disorders - Maximizing Your Chances of Success

Before you start your Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatment program there are a number of things you can do to maximize your chances of success.

- Prioritizing yourself and your recovery
For CBT to enable you to overcome your eating disorder you need to be a keen and active participant in the process. This will take time and energy, therefore, as much as is possible you will need, for the period of time you are engaged in treatment, to prioritize both yourself and your recovery. This can be difficult, particularly if you have a low sense of self worth. The steps outlined below will help you to approaching the task in a pragmatic and determined way which will enable you to challenge any tendency to put your needs behind others.

Step 1 - Anticipate and prepare for obstacles
If you can anticipate the obstacles to change it gives you the opportunity to prepare solutions/coping strategies. Responding proactively rather than reactively to challenges means that you increase your chances of overcoming them as you give yourself time to choose the best solutions rather than having to make decisions quickly and under pressure. It also enables you to reflect realistically on the challenges of treatment reducing the chances of feeling overwhelmed them.

Completing the exercise below will help you to do this. Obstacles to change will be both psychological and emotional (e.g. anxiety about weight gain, lack of alternative ways of coping with emotions) and practical (other commitments and demands on your time), so when completing the table think about both of these areas. Once you have identified your potential obstacles to change, identify possible ways of managing and minimises these challenges.

1. List all possible obstacles to change.
2. Identify ways of overcoming each of the above listed obstacles.

Step 2 - Monitoring physical health
An eating disorder effects both your physical and psychological health. Recovery therefore involves addressing both of these aspects. However, the risk to your physical health is more immediate and so must be managed and minimize before any other changes are initiated. Very simply, unless you are physically safe other changes become academic. Therefore, if you have not already done so please make an appointment to see your GP so that they can assess and monitor your physical health.

Step 3 - Developing a support network
Eating disorders can trigger a lot of guilt and shame and as a result you will find that you withdraw from others, hiding your true thoughts, feelings and behaviors. This is an understandable response in the absence of other ways of coping. However, although in the short term it can bring some respite from feelings of shame, in the longer term it will leave you feeling more overwhelmed, isolated and stuck. CBT offers you a different way of coping, but the journey to recovery is challenging, it is therefore important that you have as much support as possible.

The shame surrounding your eating disorder and a sense of worthlessness may however make it hard to ask for support. So ask yourself the question, 'if someone I cared about had this problem, would I want to support them?'. Those around you are likely to feel the same and although it might not feel as if you deserve the same as other, you do. If you do have someone close to you that knows about your eating disorder, or that you feel you could confide in, share the information from your treatment with them and think with them about how they can support you whilst you work towards recovery.

Step 4 - Being appropriately assertive
You may find that to compensate for feelings of shame, guilt and worthlessness you put your needs behind those of others. In the short term this may help you to tolerate negative feelings about yourself but in the longer term it means that your needs aren't met leaving you feeling deprived, isolated and uncared for. Your feelings of shame may be so overwhelming that you are prepared to tolerate emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse.

A key part of your recovery will be to get your needs met, this will feel both unfamiliar and uncomfortable because you are not used to focusing on what you need but on what others need. To make this shift first you must identify what you need. Then you must work out who can provide this. If you have a tendency to sacrifice yourself for others, you may have attracted people who do not have the capacity to meet your needs. If this is the case you will have to look outside of these relationships, possibly distancing yourself from them in order to move forward. Finally, you will need to communicate what you need.

Being appropriately assertive is skill, and like all skills it will need to be practiced and given time to develop. CBT can help you to do this but as a first step you need place yourself in a more central position in your thoughts.

Autor: Emma Corstorphine

Dr. Corstorphine
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Service Coordinator Oyster Counseling and Life Coaching
Specialist in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
http://www.oystercounselling.co.uk

Added: August 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Information About Emotions - Information For Eating Disorder Sufferers

The Function Of An Eating Disorder - The Cinema Analogy

An eating disorder is a kind of coping strategy - it provides a way of dealing with the difficult things that life throws at you by blocking out, distracting or shielding you to some extend from the distressing thoughts and feelings that are provoked. This article give clear and accessible information about the link between eating disorders and emotions.

Imagine going to the cinema. The film you are watching, the story that is unfolding, represents your life. Sometimes it is challenging to watch, frightening or upsetting even. So when someone comes and sits in front of you at first you are quite relieved that they have blocked your view. This person represents your eating disorder. However, you still have a partial view of the screen and can still hear the sound track clearly, so you know that you are missing a really great film. So part of you wants the person in front to move so you can continue watching the film, but another part is still afraid of what you might see and feels safer hiding behind the person in front. However, the longer that you sit there, watching those around you engrossed in and enjoying the film, the more you feel like you are missing something. It is going to take some courage to move seats and expose yourself to the film particularly the scary bits, but you know if you don't you will never understand or be able to enjoy the story and you will never find out how it ends.

Treatment will help you to feel confident enough to move seats and deal with the challenging parts of the film so that you can enjoy the experience (of life) as a whole.

What is an Emotion
Emotions are complex reactions to our environment involving a range of components including: a triggering event, thoughts, brain changes, body changes, sensing and behaviours. So when people tell you to stop 'feeling' something, this is an impossible task. The only way to avoid experiencing emotions is to divert our attention (one of the functions that your eating disorder currently serves).

Why do we have emotions: Primary and Secondary Emotions

Primary Emotions
Primary emotions are the emotions that are triggered by events in one's environment. They are often adaptive and appropriate to the situation. For example feeling angry with someone who has betrayed you, feeling happy that someone you care about is coming to visit you, feeling sad when someone lets you down, feeling surprised when it is a nice day when rain was predicted). They serve a number of functions:
1. Emotions communicate to others.
Happiness will let others know what you like or are enjoying. Anger will let others know when they have done something wrong. Fear will communicate to others the danger of a situation. Sadness will tell others that you are suffering.

2. Emotions influence others.
Warmth and friendliness of an acquaintance may result in a later favour; disappointment expressed by a supervisor may result in improved work by an employee; anger may stop others behaviour.

3. Emotions organize and prepare you for action.
In communities where there is no sadness at losing people, why would anyone ever go out and look for lost people or try to save people who are dying? Communities would die off if there were no sadness. Without love people would not make sacrifices for others, they would not look after others; they would not share with others. Intimate relationship would not exist. Without guilt people would not care how their behaviour impacted on others and so they would start to do harmful things. Without anxiety students would not be motivated to work to pass exams.

4. Emotions communicate to ourselves, they are self-validating.
People often use their emotional reactions to other people and to events as information about the situation. Emotions can be signals or alarms that something is going on. This is what is meant by the saying "What is your gut feeling about that?" Likewise when we say a person has a "good feeling" for a situation, we are referring to emotions as signals.

Secondary Emotions
Secondary emotions are triggered by negative primary emotions. They are the result of a person judging negative emotion as 'bad'. For example; guilt about feeling angry, anger at feeling upset, shame at feeling anxious. The addition of these secondary feelings to an already negative situation simply makes the distress more intense and tolerance more difficult. Frequently, a person could tolerate a distressing situation or painful affect if only they could refrain from feeling guilty or anxious about feeling painful emotions in the first place. Much of emotional distress is a result of secondary responses.

Secondary emotions overshadow primary emotions, making problem solving in regard to primary emotions difficult.

Emotions Diary
If you have been using your eating behaviours to block out your experience of emotions, you will have lost touch with those emotions. As a result, your emotions may seem like a cloud of negativity that is hard to define and control. These vague experiences make emotions feel dangerous, thus making your eating behaviours seem even more necessary.

Keeping a diary of emotions and the function they serve will enable you to get to know and get used to you emotions, making them seem less risky and overwhelming. At the same time, it will also enable you to step back and get some distance from your emotions. Once you are able to establish this distance, more options will present themselves with regards to responding to your emotions, so you will no longer have to follow your knee-jerk reaction to experiencing them (binging/ restriction). Instead of drowning in the river, you will be able to stand on the bank. In addition, there is some evidence that people who 'give emotion a name' are better able to control the emotion.

Autor: Emma Corstorphine

Dr. Corstorphine
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Service Coordinator, Oyster Counselling & Life Coaching
Specialist in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
http://www.oystercounselling.co.uk

Added: August 26, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Alternative Coping Strategies - Information For Eating Disorder Sufferers

Resolving your eating disorder means that potentially you will be without a way a coping with difficult and challenging experiences. It is therefore important that you develop alternative coping strategies in parallel with working to resolve your eating disorder. This will feel difficult for a two reasons. Firstly, up until now you have been using your eating disorder to cope and so have not needed to explore alternatives. You will therefore needed to spend some time discovering what works best for you whilst remembering that initially nothing will be as effective as your eating disorder but that with time and practice strategies that do not undermine your well being can only enhance it. Secondly, nurturing and soothing yourself in a respectful way is likely to be a new experience that doesn't fit with your low sense of self worth, so it is something that you will again need to dedicate time and practice to. Each time you can choose to take an alternative path to your eating disorder when tackling something distressing, you allow weeds to grow across the eating disorder path making it harder to follow the next time.

An effective way of soothing yourself during times of distress is to stimulate one or more of your senses. The table below gives some examples of alternative ways of coping with distress through your senses. Select nurturing activities from lists or develop your own and practice them initially when you are feeling calm so that you can discover what you find the most soothing. When you are feeling distressed you will then quickly be able to initiate a soothing activity. Focus on one sense at a time or for increased soothing potential combine the senses.

Vision:
Focus on nature: Take a scenic walk, focus on the vibrant colours of plants/flowers around you, watch fish swimming in a tank/pond, watch birds flying, etc.

Focus on art: Watch a ballet/dance performance, go to a museum with beautiful art, light a candle and watch the flame, or decorate a room with all of your best/favourite things.

Hearing:
Listen to music, sing/hum to music, pay attention to the sounds of nature (water, birds, rainfall, leaves rustling), or talk to others.

Smell:
Burn incense, spray your favourite perfume, boil cinnamon, make fresh coffee, bake a cake, or smell flowers.

Taste:
(N.B. This can be a difficult sensation initially and so can be excluded until eating has become less emotion driven.) Have a soothing drink, suck a peppermint, chew gum, or treat yourself to food you wouldn't usually spend money on.

Touch:
Have a bath, put clean sheets on your bed, put a big warm jumper/silky blouse on, put on body lotion, wash your hair with nice smelling products, or have a massage.

Autor: Emma Corstorphine

Dr Corstorphine
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Service Coordinator, Oyster Counselling & Life Coaching
Specialist in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
http://www.oystercounselling.co.uk

Added: August 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

5 Important Tips to Stop Binging Food For Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder Sufferers

People with bulimia and binge eating disorders eat fast, especially when they binge. Fast eating makes you consume much more calories in a fraction of time. An experiment was done on normal-weight College aged women: they were asked to consume a large bowl of pasta quickly and on another occasion to eat very slowly. The result of the experiment is as follows:

- Eating quickly - consumed 646 calories in 9 minutes.

- Eating slowly - consumed 579 calories in 29 minutes.

- Eating quickly was less satisfying than eating slowly because after eating quickly people felt hungry again in an hour or two, while slow eating brought a much longer satisfaction period and feelings of fullness.

- People also reported that they enjoyed their pasta much more when they ate slowly.

Recommendation from this study is to learn how to eat slowly. Eating slowly for people with bulimia and binge eating disorder could be difficult at first but everything can be improved with training.

Here are 5 basic tips on how to start eating slowly and prevent you from binging your food:

1. Use "the fork down" method. After every bite put your fork down. The longer you hold your fork in your hands, the more you are tempted to keep shovelling it in. Keep it down while you are chewing also, and then pick it up again for the next bite.

2. Chew your food longer. Chew thoroughly and pay attention to texture, taste and substance. The longer and more thoroughly you chew your food the more you feel full and become more satisfied.

3. Drink water or other drinks between the bites. Drinking fills you up and slows you down. Water stops you from racing through your food.

4. After chewing and swallowing each bite stop and make conversation. Talking through a meal, but not while chewing, can make you halt and slow down your eating habits. Sharing a meal with another person and talking will also make you more of a sociable person. Being more social will also help to fight your eating disorder. Withdrawal from others is one of the signs of an eating disorder so the habit of sharing a meal with other people will counteract the withdrawal effects.

5. Meditate before you eat. When you are in a calm mood you have fewer chances of slipping into binge mode. A relaxed state of mind makes you aware of what you are doing during the meal and you will be able to control your behavior easier. Normally it takes up to 5-6 minutes of meditation before meal time to put you in a relaxed mindful state.

Practically, it is nearly impossible to get rid of bulimia or binge eating if you are not willing to develop new eating habits. Healthy eating habits will eventually replace the old unhealthy ones if you persist with them.

Normally it takes 3-5 weeks to develop a new habit. If you commit to eat slowly for 3-5 weeks, at the end of this period you should notice a difference. You should also feel that not succumbing to binging becomes easier for you to do and to eventually become the norm.

Measuring your result is essential and if you have even a small improvement, then that is great and you only need to continue. By slowing down your eating and enjoying the process of eating itself, you actually start to restore your feelings of being hungry and knowing when you are full. Most bulimics and binge eaters have lost their feelings of hunger and fullness or have a very abnormal sense of these, so they can't really tell when they are full or satisfied when they eat: so can't stop eating.

By restoring the feelings of hunger and fullness, people with bulimia and binge eating disorders are able to relate to food in much healthier and more normal way.

To conclude, eating slowly helps to prevent you binging your food. Eating slowly is a habit which you need to develop first and install it in your mind as your normal habit. Initially it may take a lot of will power to develop good eating habits and also a determination to get better. The more you try to follow these 5 steps and repeat them over and over again the easier it will become.

Autor: Irina Webster Irina Webster
Level: Platinum
Dr Irina Webster MD is the 39 years old Director of Eating Disorder Institute one of the Australia leading suppliers of information on eating disorders. ... ...

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is an author of the book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Change Your Brain" To get this book and learn more about Dr Irina's treatment method of eating disorders go to http://eatingdisorder-institute.com/?page_id=120

Added: August 23, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Teach Your Mind to Cure Your Brain

Do you know that by learning new things you are actually changing the structure of your own brain? This amazing ability of the human brain to change itself according to new experiences and new knowledge is called Neuroplasticity.

Every time we learn something new we change the connections of neurons (brain cells) and even whole neuronal pathways. Every time we change our environment - we change the structure of the brain. Every time we change our behaviour -we create significant changes in our brain.

These changes can be good, but can be bad also; it all depends on the nature of the experiences, like changing your environment but most importantly our perception of the experience of the change, plus the environment.

Every event we experience can leave permanent memory traces in our brain thus change the brains structure.

For example, a teenager girl who was exposed to skinny celebrity images can become dissatisfied with her own body image and then develop an eating disorder. In this example she learned that skinny celebrities are considered to be beautiful. Then she automatically created a new negative experience for herself by comparing her own body with the celebrity's body. She wasn't as skinny as the person on TV, thus she became dissatisfied with herself. The final result of this mental -emotional process is significant changes to the neuronal structures in her brain. These irrational thoughts become new faulty neuronal pathways that are then responsible for her developing an eating disorder.

Fortunately, all these traumatic memories are not written down in stone, or "engraved", to remain unchanged forever. Luckily we can change these faulty structures by subsequent events and re-transcribe it, then change it to new more constructive thought processes.

All the experiences or events (like dissatisfaction with yourself, emotional trauma etc.) can take on new different meanings later on in life and again we can learn to change the structure of the brain to the better.
We can direct the changes in our brain to the better by using a process called "self-directed neuroplasticity". "Self-directed neuroplasticity" means re-transcription and changing underlying neuronal networks and associated memories and emotions by yourself for yourself.

People with eating disorders, anxiety, depression and the like can help themselves to improve their own lives by using the "self-directed neuroplasticity" approach at any stage of the disease. Of course, if you have had an eating disorder for 10 years or more it will be more difficult to change the brain then if you had it for 5 years, but this also depends a lot on your determination and desire to change.

People who have determination and a desire to change can create the positive emotions that are needed for change, and these emotions will help them to re-transcribe the faulty neuronal pathways faster and easier. But if you resist the change and lack determination then you will remain a sufferer with faulty neuronal pathways until you consciously get to the point that you must change. Or when you get to the point where it is more painful to stay with the disorder, than it is to change: this point is normally reached when a number of medical problems arrive from the abuse of their body over the years.

The idea that the brain can change its own structure and function through new activities, thoughts and new behaviours is amazing and brings much hope for mental and emotional disorder sufferers. These include eating disorders, anxiety, depression, compulsive disorders, addictions and other stress related problems.

"Teach Your Mind to Cure Your Brain" is a term that tells you simply, if you learn to teach your mind new positive things you can change the structure of your brain for the better as well. If you learn the right methods then you can improve and even cure your brain from many disorders. It is really only up to you whether you stick with the old destructive thoughts or change to new better ones: is it your choice?

Autor: Irina Webster Irina Webster
Level: Platinum
Dr Irina Webster MD is the 39 years old Director of Eating Disorder Institute one of the Australia leading suppliers of information on eating disorders. ... ...

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised athority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain". To learn more about the book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain" go to http://eatingdisorder-institute.com/?page_id=120.

Added: August 21, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How Family and Society Can Play a Role in Exacerbating Eating Disorders

Unfortunately in our society today, eating disorders are becoming more and more a prevalent existence in the lives of our youth. It is estimated that there are more than 8 million women afflicted with eating disorders in the US alone and many of these are young girls. The push for beauty and the "thin is beautiful" mentality has led many women to try to mimic the looks of movie stars and magazine models often with disastrous results. These young impressionable women want so badly to be accepted as beautiful in our society that they often go to incredible lengths to get results. This can include trying various diets, forced vomiting, and even taking drugs such as diuretics to achieve what they think is the pinnacle of beauty, but in reality it's thin and sickly.

Because of this overall acceptance that thin women are sexy women, even families can play a role in helping to exacerbate the problem of eating disorders that exist in our society. Some parents, although well-meaning, may make comments to their children about their eating habits or how they may look in general. A young person is emotionally vulnerable as it is and often has self-esteem issues as they begin going through the changes of puberty that is the normal process of turning into adults. These awkward stages may be completely normal but because of their fragile emotional states, any issues having to deal with self worth or their place in society can greatly be compounded by what they think others think of them. It may simply be a comment about how their daughter's clothes are fitting or perhaps how much food they had at dinner that sets the stage for worse things to come.

Some women begin by trying to enter into exercise programs to lose excess weight and begin working out at a feverish pace to try to achieve results. Because many of these women have never had true experience with a healthy diet and exercise program they may not get the desired results they wanted and this can lead them to try to add other things to their regimen to speed up the weight loss. This can mean forced starvation or even ingesting diet pills to help the process along. Still other women may take part in what is known as binging and purging where they will eat thousands of calories and then force themselves to vomit so that they don't experience any weight gain from these episodes. All of these practices are incredibly harmful and can lead to serious health implications that can result in hospitalization, or even death in the worst cases.

It is important to realize that young women, or any individuals for that matter, that may have self-esteem issues need to be handled with care. They may not rationalize others' statements but instead may see them as much more meaningful than they were intended. If you suspect that your children or those of your friends may be exhibiting any of the symptoms above, it is important that you take action and seek help immediately before the condition worsens and leads this young person to seriously damage their health, perhaps even permanently.

Autor: Emile Jarreau

Emile Jarreau, aka, Mr. Fat Loss is fascinated by health, nutrition and weight loss. For more great info about eating disorder for losing weight and keeping it off visit http://www.MrFatLoss.com

Added: August 20, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How to AVOID the Horrors of Developing an Eating Disorder

It is no wonder that as many as 8 million US women suffer from eating disorders in the United States alone. Just sitting in front of the television for about five minutes or picking up any magazine on the newsstands will help to shed some light as to why. Just about every actress or model you see is flaunting her bony shoulders and spine protruding back in a skimpy dress while walking the red carpet and receiving accolades such as fame and fortune because of her supposed good looks. The media and society in general has adopted the mentality that thinner is better when it comes to the sexiness and beauty of women. This ideology is a scary thing and it is beginning to affect more and more young women in the US and abroad.

But some women don't fall into this trap at all and lead healthy, normal lives and have never succumbed to an eating disorder or had any trouble with self-esteem or body image at all. It seems that many of them share some common traits and in this article we want to take a moment and list four of the top ones so that others could work to follow their example and avoid the horror that is eating disorders.

1. Respect who you are - Respecting who you are and what you look like is incredibly important when it comes to avoiding eating disorders. We are all created differently and if you can embrace those differences and accept them, it is much more likely that you'll have a healthy and normal life.

2. Eat a healthy balanced diet - If you are used to a healthy and balanced diet and have been eating one throughout your life, then simply mimicking your food choices in the past as you move through life will help you avoid an eating disorder as well. Often times, eating disorders stem from drastic and sudden changes that we make with our diets to try to achieve fast and significant weight loss.

3. Find your talent and focus on it - It has been noted that women with talents such as playing sports or musical instruments are often much less likely to develop eating disorders. This can be because they have something else to focus their time and energies on rather than focusing them inward on themselves and how they look and feel about their bodies. It is important for young people to investigate the different activities that are available for them to take part in so that they may discover a talent of their own to spend their time with.

4. Look for and choose healthy role models - We often become what we emulate and this is a statement that holds incredibly true for young impressionable minds. Young women that think about and idolize TV and movie stars often emulate their activities and looks. This can make them more susceptible to developing unhealthy attitudes toward food and their ways in order to try to look like these famous starlets.

Autor: Emile Jarreau

Emile Jarreau, aka, Mr. Fat Loss is fascinated by health, nutrition and weight loss. For more great info about eating disorder for losing weight and keeping it off visit http://www.MrFatLoss.com

Added: August 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Emotional Eating and Overeating Tip - Pay Yourself First

I hear from many women struggling to make healthy food choices in the midst of a busy life. Here's a question that was recently submitted during one of my free teleseminars.

Marie asked, "My biggest issues are pre-planning so that I am not grabbing non healthy foods in a pinch. I'm a busy mom, professional, wife and errand runner....Starbucks looks good too often, and it is a way to feel appreciated and rewarded. Can you help with this?"

I'm guessing most of us can relate to Marie. When we're busy, pre-planning is essential. We pre-plan with our businesses and our jobs don't we? We don't just show up at an important presentation and "wing it." We pre-plan for family events, we put lots of things that we want to be sure to take care of on the calendar. We remind our kids about their assignments. We make lists for holiday shopping. But how many of us give pre-planning for ourselves the same priority?

I have days when I'm good at this and days when I'm not, but I realized a long time ago that there is a huge payoff when I do take the time to pre-plan meals that I enjoy and create healthy options for busy times. I also benefit tremendously when I pre-plan the experiences that leave me feeling appreciated and rewarded so that impromptu stops at the French bakery down the street are less tempting.

That said, this pre-planning is not an easy thing to do.

What often happens is this: we are busy, we often have more to do than we have time for, and we get tired. And we make the mistake of telling ourselves that a way to deal with our tiredness is to skip things-not do the extra work. A problem, however, is that we often skip the things that we need for ourselves. So we drop our own priorities and tell ourselves it's some kind of a bonus. "I won't work out I'm too tired." "I won't pack a lunch, I'll just grab something at Starbucks ."

We let the things that actually fuel our senses and our souls and our lives drop off our priority list-because we are too tired.

Here is the mistake many women make. It's a mistake that contributes to a tremendous amount of emotional eating and overeating. Too many women pay themselves last. If you wait to attend to your needs until the end of the day when you are literally so worn out and overworked that all you want to do is curl up on the coach and zone out with a good book, a TV show and maybe some comfort food, you're not likely to give your needs much quality attention. You're too tired. Easy options-like food, are likely to be the strategies you turn to.

When we don't make the time, we won't get the time.

I challenge you to start using your calendar for more than your responsibilities to others. Start scheduling YOUR life and your priorities, your needs AND your rewards. One of the strategies that I stress in my Emotional Eating Toolbox 28 Day Program is creating the habit of sitting down and scheduling your needs. It's a habit that will pay you back. Choose a time, once a week, to sit down with your calendar and schedule your needs and the ways that you will pay yourself.

Autor: Melissa McCreery, Ph.D.

Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach, emotional eating expert, and the founder of http://www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com, a company dedicated to providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm. Find out more, read tips and articles, and pick up her free audio series: "5 Simple Steps to Move Beyond Overwhelm with Food and Life" at http://www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com.

Copyright 2009 - Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and provide full author credit.

Added: August 16, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Emotional Eating Tip - Get Connected

Emotional eating, stress eating and overeating all happen when we are disconnected from ourselves-out of touch in some way with what we are feeling or needing or with how to respond to those things. I'm a strong believer that we are at our best and at our most powerful when we are connected with ourselves. It's only then that we are really able to access our wisdom about what we need and how to take care of ourselves.

Stress, multitasking, not getting enough sleep, too much stimulation in our environment-these are just some of the things that can pull us out of connection with ourselves. These distractions can make it hard to hear the signals we send ourselves about what we need, whether we are hungry, or how we are feeling.

When we get disconnected, it's important to make the space and the time to connect back up again. Unfortunately, during times of disconnection, our frantic thoughts often tell us that that simply isn't possible. Anxiety tells us unhelpful things-that we can't possibly stop, that we'll get to it later, and that it is somehow better to just ignore ourselves and keep moving.

This is exactly the mindset that will build on itself, that leaves many of us trying to make up for unmet needs with snacking or food rewards or with binge eating. And then-of course-we feel more overwhelmed, more out of control, and our frantic brain might even tell us that now we REALLY can't afford the time and energy to stop and reconnect.

Here's a tip for short-circuiting that vicious cycle.

An important strategy is learning how to get out of your head. When we are anxious, our thinking may tell us that the answer is continuing to "think" our way out of the situation. The problem is, our thoughts are fueled by emotions and stress and they just tend to get us in deeper-and the more we keep thinking in this pattern, the more disconnected we tend to become from the present moment, from ourselves, and from our physical body. The tip I'm describing helps you get out of your head and reconnect with your body.

Here's what I want you to do. Place your hand over your heart. Try to position it so that you can feel your heart beating or so that you can feel your chest rise and fall with each breath you take. Place your other hand on your abdomen. As you breathe, concentrate on filling your lungs as completely as you can. Believe it or not, your lungs extend all the way down to almost the bottom of your rib cage. Can you feel where that is? Imagine good clean air filling your lungs all the way to their bottom. Feel your abdomen and your chest rise and fall with each breath.

Breathe in and breathe out. As you breathe, focus on you. Not your thoughts, not your schedule, but the you inside your body. Scan through your body for tension. Shrug your shoulders, wiggle your toes. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ask yourself what your physical self needs right now-a stretch? A change of posture? Water? Ask yourself whether you are hungry or full or tired. What emotions are you feeling? Check in with yourself. Note the answer.

To end this brief check-in, stretch out as long and tall as you can. Stretch long and feel how far you can reach. Take a deep breath. Now do what you can to give yourself what you need. That's it. It's simple and it takes about thirty seconds, two minutes at the most, but this quick check-in can be a powerful tool in helping you stay balanced and out of overwhelm.

Autor: Melissa McCreery, Ph.D.

Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach, emotional eating expert, and the founder of http://www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com, a company dedicated to providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm. Find out more, read tips and articles, and pick up her free audio series: "5 Simple Steps to Move Beyond Overwhelm with Food and Life" at http://www.TooMuchOnHerPlate.com.

Copyright 2009 - Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and provide full author credit.

Added: August 14, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Dangerous Escape Food Provides

Overeating, binge eating, stress eating, and emotional eating are powerful coping mechanisms because they help people escape whatever uncomfortable feelings are in front of them.

Christine, a 40-year-old patient of mine, had just moved back to Los Angeles from Alabama. While she was living in the south she gained 50 lbs. It wasn't just the down home cooking; it was being in an abusive relationship and then living alone in an unsafe neighborhood. She was already ashamed about her weight when she moved back home to LA. After all, she used to be a model. But she was determined to have a fresh start. This time, she was going to get what she deserved from her job and from her relationships. She was going to do everything right from day one. But when she was offered a job, within the first week back, she didn't negotiate a high enough salary for herself. She got off the phone feeling defeated, her chance to have a clean slate ruined. Just like when you blow your diet and you figure, Why bother, for the rest of the day. She didn't realize that she was feeling all of these things. She just hung up the phone and suddenly felt hungry.

I define emotional eating as using food to deal with your experience of powerlessness over the struggles and stresses of life. Something always triggers you to overeat, perhaps some friction with someone or an emotionally relevant event in your life. It's not the person or the event per se that sets you off but how those things made you feel. At first you may not even know how you feel. As you work on being your own psychotherapist, you'll observe the places you're at or the people you're around when you tend to overeat. Then you'll pay close attention to what feelings come up for you around those people or situations.

Simply identifying the times you overeat is a huge first step. Why is it a huge step? It's a huge step because as things start to come in to focus you'll be able to put a spotlight on them and that will allow you to analyze them. Inevitably, you'll have to confront the bad feelings that, up until now, you've been trying to get rid of by eating.

Let's face it; there isn't anyone who welcomes bad feelings. We look to do something with them, like wish them away. We try to forget them. We take a nap, go for a jog, talk to a friend, distract ourselves with television or a book, have a drink, smoke a cigarette, have sex, or eat a snack. Ideally, you can get to a point where bad feelings are like bad weather-- you know they'll pass. Just like when you know it's going to rain and you bring your umbrella, you'll know how to predict your feelings and what you'll need to get through them. If you haven't yet arrived at this place of acceptance, where even bad feelings are a part of you to include rather than to banish, then food will remain your preferred method of medicating yourself.

Why has food become the thing that you consistently turn to when feelings triggered by people or events feel unbearable? Food serves two very effective purposes. First, it helps you avoid feelings. I call the desire to avoid emotions the "feeling phobia." Also, food gives you a way to replace bad feelings with the pleasurable experience of eating. I call the pleasurable experience that food provides the "food trance." In short, eating protects you from the feelings that you don't want to feel.

If your feelings open the door to your interior world, then eating slams the door shut. It keeps you functioning on a surface level. Although you're feeling powerless to control what and how much you eat, at least you don't have to focus on the deeper things that really make you feel powerless (failed relationships, unsatisfying careers, difficult children, etc.). Remember Christine from the beginning of this article. Not handling her job opportunity well made Christine feel a flood of bad feelings: disappointment, fear that her new start was already ruined, and anger at herself. By eating, she got to avoid confronting all those feelings.

Many people report to me that as they're approaching their goal weight they often sabotage themselves and all of their efforts. They wonder why that is. It doesn't seem to make any sense. You may be able to relate to that experience. The answer, time and again, proves to be simple: if you didn't have your weight to think about you might have to think about what's really bothering you and that's very frightening. It's frightening because you feel powerless to change the things that really bother you. You've made what I call the "unexamined powerlessness conclusion." It's the conclusion that you're powerless over your feelings and the circumstances in your life that the feelings point towards, so why not just eat instead.

Eating takes you to an earlier place in your development, predominantly because, as infants and children, food is often associated with comfort and love. However, childhood is also associated with powerlessness. As a child, you were, in fact, powerless. You might have been mistreated. Maybe you couldn't control your impulses. Perhaps you were subject to abandonment or dependent on others to protect and nurture you. Even if food provides you with some of the comfort of infancy by taking you back to that state of mind, when you use food in this way you're reverting back to a childish way of dealing with the world. And that reminds you of the powerless feeling of being a child. You're an adult now and you have choices. You can be the powerful agent of your own life by facing your feelings and hearing what they have to say to you. Or you can continue eating to cope with emotions, knowing that it actually keeps you stuck in childhood, a place where you were powerless. Facing your feelings brings you to adulthood, the only place where you have the possibility to finally be powerful.

Emotional eaters can't see the forest for the trees. In the moment when feelings have been triggered and an unexamined powerlessness conclusion has been reached, eating feels like a life or death decision. When you distract yourself with food it's not an apple or a simple cookie. It tends to be large quantities of food, typically unhealthy foods, and the foods are eaten in a voracious aggressive way -more like stuffing than eating. By the time the eating frenzy has ended the bad feelings have vanished; but they aren't really gone. They're just buried under food almost like lost files on a hard drive. They exist somewhere but are temporarily irretrievable. You're addicted to the escape that the food provides more than the food itself.

You can stop using food as an escape. By finding the upsetting feeling or situation and addressing it directly you can avoid overeating and recover your power at the same time.

Autor: Roger Gould, M.D.

Roger Gould, M.D.
Psychiatrist & Associate Clinical Professor, UCLA
One of the world's leading authorities on emotional eating and adult development
Author & Creator of Shrink Yourself
Shrink Yourself is the Proven Online Program Designed to End Emotional Eating

Added: August 13, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

7 Tips to Restore Hunger - Fullness Feelings in Eating Disorder Sufferers Using Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy which teaches people to become more attune to the body's natural hunger and fullness signals in order to attain a healthy weight and to become a generally healthier person. It is a process that is intended to create a healthy relationship with food, mind, and body. Intuitive eating can also be called wise eating, conscious eating, non-diet approach and normal eating.

People with bulimia and binge eating lose the ability to recognize the body's natural signals of hunger and fullness so their eating becomes erratic. The feelings of hunger disappear during the day so they don't eat but when they decide to binge the feelings return but only in reaction to the binge. When they go on a binge they can't stop until they are so full they feel be sick, this is because they have no sensations of fullness. It becomes none or all for them there is no in between.

To restore feelings hunger and fullness you can start eating with awareness. Eating with awareness means when you eat, you should only eat, this means focusing on the food and nothing else, making sure there are no other distractions.

Here are seven useful tips to start eating with awareness:

1. Sit down at the table when you eat. Sitting down will help you focus and allow you to relax more, when you sit down try and find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.

2. Avoid distractions while you are eating. By distraction I mean TV, reading books, doing work, looking at the computer screen while you eat. You should focus on your body's signals and sensations while you eat. Focus on chewing the food, the taste of the food , the swallowing process etc.

3. Always use a plate and cutlery. By using a plate and cutlery you are making an official statement "I am having food now", instead of just shoveling some snacks into your mouth from the cupboard. Using a fork and knife makes the process more cultural and makes you eat bit by bit without shoveling the food in.

4. Using a plate also helps:

- to make yourself aware that you are about to eat
- to make eating formal
- to make it easier for you to see where and what you are eating.

5. Mid-meal check in. This means that half-way through the meal you should pause and became aware of what you are doing. Ask yourself questions:

- How does the food taste, does it still taste as good as it did at the beginning?
- Are you still hungry, half full or completely full? What are the body's signals sayings?
- Put your right hand on the middle of your stomach and ask:" Is my stomach filling up?"

6. Make every meal special. Lighting candles and putting on some soothing background music will help you to feel more relax and intuitive. It's amazing how delicious the meal can taste when you take the time to indulge your senses.

7. Meditate before and after a meal. It does not take long - it can be 5-6 minutes before the meal and 5-6 minutes after the meal, this can make all the difference to stopping the binge. Focus not just on stopping the binge but creating a nice special atmosphere where you feel good and your senses are satisfied.

To conclude, becoming more intuitive to your body's signals and sensations of hunger and fullness can help you to stop binging on food and make your eating more enjoyable. Intuitive eating could be one of the ways to foster a recovery from an eating disorder.

Autor: Irina Webster Irina Webster
Level: Platinum
Dr Irina Webster MD is the 39 years old Director of Eating Disorder Institute one of the Australia leading suppliers of information on eating disorders. ... ...

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is an author of the book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Change Your Brain" To get this book and learn more about Dr Irina's treatment method of eating disorders go to http://eatingdisorder-institute.com/?page_id=120

Added: August 12, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How to Deal With Your Child About Their Eating Disorder

When your child is scared, you want to protect them. When your child is sick, you want to make them feel better. But what if your child doesn't want you to help at all? This is one of the greatest fears that parents can have when dealing with problems concerning their children. This is especially true in the case of children that have eating disorders.

A child with an eating disorder is probably already feeling a great deal of emotional stress which probably led them to the disorder in the first place. In addition, as tough as it may seem, some of the stress and angst they are feeling may have come from the parents at least in some part. This makes trying to deal with a condition such as an eating disorder incredibly hard because the child may not want to communicate with parents about the condition whatsoever. The fact is, however, eating disorders are incredibly dangerous to both the young men and women and must be treated as quickly before serious harm comes to the one suffering. The trick is knowing exactly how to confront the child so as to make treatment possible at all. Oftentimes, it is the parent rushing in headstrong that helps to exacerbate the problem and pushes the child further away.

Once you've identified your child is probably suffering from an eating disorder, it is important for the parents to remain calm and decide on the best possible plan of action to help combat the condition. It is helpful for the parents to begin by writing down some things they want to say first before actually having the conversation. This helps them to organize their thoughts and present the conversation in the best possible light. It also helps the parents to work through some of the issues they may be dealing with about the problem as well.

The next step is to work toward opening the lines of communication between the child and the parents. This could simply be involving the child in some of the adult family discussions and even letting them know about some of the problems that parents may be facing as well. Oftentimes, when a child realizes that their parents are dealing with the emotional stresses as well and sees them as somewhat normal, they may be open in confiding with their parents that they are dealing with their own issues as well.

When finally deciding to move forward and have a conversation with the child, it is important to do so when everyone is in an even tempered mood and the conversation can occur naturally. The last thing that you want to have happen is to create an intense argument that only worsens the condition and makes the gap between parent and child that much bigger. If you can have an open and honest discussion and let the child know that you understand what they're going through and you want to help them overcome the issue, they may be open in discussing it with you at this time.

One thing is for certain. You have to do what you can as a parent to not only identify the problem that exists, but work to the best of your ability to treat it. Eating disorders are a true nightmare both for the sufferer and for those around them. In the worst scenarios, they can even lead to death so this is nothing to take lightly or refuse to deal with. Seeking the help of a medical professional who has experience at dealing with eating disorders is strongly recommended as well.

Autor: Emile Jarreau

Emile Jarreau, aka, Mr. Fat Loss is fascinated by health, nutrition and weight loss. For more great info about eating disorder for losing weight and keeping it off visit http://www.MrFatLoss.com

Added: August 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorder - Major Health Problem, But Still Treatable

Today eating disorder is one of the major health issues that the world population is facing. Millions of people from every age group are facing this health problem. As per latest statistics nearly around 10% of all eating disorder cases are reported to take place in young children who are 10 years old or less, and 86% of the cases are reported in individuals who are 20 years and older. Moreover, according to recent studies, it is even estimated that the number of people suffering from eating disorder is three times as much as the number of people currently living with AIDS. Many experts also believe that this statistic may vary because many men with eating disorders are not accurately diagnosed. Definitely these are few alarming indications that cannot be ignored.

There are the three most common eating disorders.

The most common among them is anorexia nervosa. Many people are suffering from this problem. The common symptoms of this health hazard are that a person suffering from this usually get irritate or depressed easily. In addition, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals or strange eating habits are few other common symptoms. Menstrual problems occur in young girls, often menstruation fails to start normally. In women, menstrual periods halt, while in men levels of sex hormones fall.

The second most common eating disorder is bulimia nervosa and the general symptoms of this problem are the person eats like there's no tomorrow, and then instantaneously feels responsible about this loss of self control. The important point to note in this type of eating disorder is people suffering from bulimia may look normal but in reality they are extremely insecure people. In most cases they feel ashamed of everything about themselves and often get angry with their existence.

Then there is a third category which is primarily known as binge eating disorders. People with binge eating disorders do not do anything about their eating binges, become obese, depressed individuals and get sucked deeper into the vortex of depression about their physical demeanor. At times they are heritably predisposed to obesity.

Unfortunately, there is lot of misleading information on anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders. Many people from across the world follow incorrect information making rounds and misjudge the dangers posed by eating disorders. Besides this, many people who have eating disorder feel ashamed of themselves. In fact this is the chief reason as to why people with eating disorders do not want to get help from others. It is important to note that these days there are numerous professional assistants available that can help in treating eating disorder effectively. There are also numerous self-help books to consult.

Eating Disorder Treatment

Eating disorder treatment might not be so easy but today there is various treatment centers that follow methods that can be are categorized into three groups like- diet regulation, medications and psychotherapy ranging from individual to family therapy. For those who think that the treatment may cause abrupt changes must ignore this perception.

Today with the advancement of technology and few treatment measures like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have shown positive results in weight maintenance. Many treatment centers are even following behavioral therapy that has also shown effective results. In addition, many experts are also recommending for psychotherapy. Psychotherapy has proven some effective results and helped in preventing the eating disorder from recurring and in addressing issues that led to the disorder.

Looking at the present scenario, one cannot deny the fact that eating disorder is a serious health problem. However, the important point to understand and remember is one can get better from this life-treating health problem. An individual or anyone who know someone suffering from any kind of eating disorder then he or she should make sure to get help before it is too late. Recovery or treatment can be a hard road, but will absolutely be worth it in the end. Just few recommendations and consultation from therapists or a physician can help solve the eating problem.

Autor: Manoj Tiwari

Kildare Street Clinic is a specialized Eating disorder treatment center in Ireland.

Get effective Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for treatment of Bulimia nervosa, Anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders and lead a healthier life.

Added: August 8, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia Help - Tips and Strategies For Anorexics

Anorexia help for yourself or a loved one can often be difficult to find, but hopefully these tips and strategies for anorexics will at least give you a starting point.

Do have an immense fear of gaining weight? Are you conscious of the calories of the food that you eat and limit yourself to not more than 500 calories a day? Do you suffer frequent episodes of faintness, tiredness or fatigue?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then you are in a situation where you starve yourself voluntarily. This eating disorder is known as anorexia, which is commonly characterized by an enormous fear of gaining weight coupled with voluntary starvation and other means of losing weight.

Anorexia and bulimia can be deadly to your health if left untreated over a period of time. A victim of these eating disorders can count on suffering several body dysfunctions. Often times, they find themselves in a hospital bed because of undernourishment. If the food needed by your body to function and heal itself is not consumed, your body deteriorates over a span of time.

Once your body reaches its limits, you will suffer the consequences of the voluntary malnourishment you undertook in order to lose weight. As such, early treatment for anorexia is strongly recommended in order to avoid complications.

People who fall victim to this disorder need anorexia help tips and strategies in order to conquer it. Since anorexia is psychological in nature, it can be treated in a psychological way. The most urgent treatment for anorexics is to gain weight. This is needed especially in extreme cases involving the victim's hospitalization.

In the U.S., involuntary hospitalization can be done under the mental health law. The victim can be hospitalized even against his or her will wherein forced weight gain shall be imposed. This isn't the most ideal method, but sometimes drastic measures need to be taken. One other option is an anorexia-bulimia home treatment program.

Psychotherapy is another treatment for people suffering from anorexia. Here the victim or patient will undergo sessions of psychological treatments aiming to persuade the latter into having a normal eating routine. The counselors or dietitians will explain to the patient the complications that anorexia may bring together with the proper ways of nourishing the body without having to gain weight. Psychotherapeutic treatments usually consist of 5-10 sessions. After undergoing this kind of treatment, the anorexic is now better equipped with knowledge about anorexia and how to conquer the disorder.

Other anorexia help tips and strategies include nourishment rehabilitation. In this type of treatment, the anorexic undergoes a series of nutrition and food related tutorials and discussions. The different types of food, together with the importance of proper food intake are taught to the anorexic in a detailed manner.

Once the anorexic understands these, he or she will be given a diet to follow composing of food that does not promote weight gain, but at the same time gives the body the proper vitamins and nutrients needed. This rehabilitation can last for months until the anorexic has conquered the fear of weight gain.

Autor: Mark Bridges

To learn more about the anorexia home treatment program, visit Anorexia-Bulimia Home Treatment Program. For more facts about anorexia causes and treatments, go to >> Eating Disorder Treatments And Causes

Added: August 3, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Emotional Eating - 3 Steps to Find the Missing Piece to Your Weight Loss Success

There was a man who had a dog with an infected wound on his leg. The Veterinarian kept treating the dog with antibiotics and the infection would clear up. However, the minute that the antibiotics were stopped the infection would return. One day, the man put his hand in the wound and there was a piece of metal in it. He removed it, cleaned the wound, and treated the dog once more with antibiotics. This time, the infection didn't return. You might be asking what this story has to do with emotional eating.

Well, emotional eating is the piece of metal in your struggle to lose weight and keep it off. If you don't get to the root of why you use food for comfort, you will continue to do so. It doesn't matter what diet you are on, or what exercise regime you follow, or even if you've had lap band surgery.

If you eat for emotional reasons, you'll have to bravely reach your hand into your wound and see what's inside.

These three simple steps can help you do that:

Step One: Find the Root

Many of the people that I work with report that they began using food for comfort at a particular stage of life, for example, when their parents got divorced, when they went away to college, when they got married or when they went through menopause. And once they began using food for something other than nutrition, they were never able to escape the pattern. Every time they use food for comfort, it keeps them stuck in whatever stage of life they were at when they first started, and they never really grow or move forward. For example Emily, a woman in her forties, who began gaining weight in college and has never been able to lose it and keep it off since, continues to feel like the anxious, insecure 18 year old every time she binges.

When did you start using food to deal with your feelings? And how can you help that younger part of yourself grow up?

Step Two: Why Do You Eat?

I often pose this question to Emotional Eaters, "Why do you eat?" The majority of people respond the same. They eat to cope with their feelings. It doesn't matter what those feelings are. "I eat when I'm happy, sad, angry, bored..." For people that eat when they're feeling bad, all eating does is replace one negative emotion with another negative emotion. Perhaps you are familiar with the pattern. You feel bad about something, or you had an interaction with someone that didn't go the way you would have liked and you over eat or go off your eating plan. The escape into food gives you a few moments of respite from whatever you were feeling but then you end up feeling guilt and shame and promising yourself that you will never overeat again. Not only is it simply replacing one bad feeling for another, it confirms to yourself that you can't really stay on track. This probably leaves you feeling discouraged and hopeless. It is a nasty vicious cycle.

If you eat when you are feeling good, eating replaces a good feeling with a negative feeling. Your happiness or success is suddenly replaced with feeling badly about yourself and your decision to eat. If you fall into this category, you might want to ask yourself why you can't allow yourself to feel good? Do you secretly think you don't deserve to be happy?

Why do you eat? Which feelings make you eat?

Step Three: If You Can See It, You Can Stop It

Right about now you're probably wondering what you can do about this. You might have been locked into a cycle of feeling something, eating to feel better and then feeling worse for years now. Emotional Eating might have happened thousands of times and that could have reinforced your feeling that you are powerless over this pattern.

When you are tempted to overeat, you can take that as a red flag that something might have troubled you. If you can see your pattern happening before your eyes, you can stop it. By going into the feeling and looking at it you might find that you don't really need or want a caramel latte or a bag of chips, what you really need is to ask for more appreciation from your boss or more affection from your spouse. You might find out something about yourself that pushes you forward through life rather than keeping you stuck. Each time you choose to confront a feeling rather than suppress it with food, you will be strengthened in your ability to face feelings head-on and your confidence will grow. Food will begin to have less power over you.

What system can you put in place so you stop and think before you overeat?

Awareness really is half the battle. The fact that you're reading this article indicates that you're ready for a change. And the more you follow these three steps the closer you'll get to pulling the emotional eating piece of metal out of your wound. Only then, will you be able to heal your heart and lose the weight.

Autor: Roger Gould, M.D.

Roger Gould, M.D.
Psychiatrist & Associate Clinical Professor, UCLA.
One of the world's leading authorities on emotional eating and adult development.
Author & Creator of Shrink Yourself.
Shrink Yourself is the Proven Online Program Designed to End Emotional Eating.

Added: August 2, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/