Evidence-based strategies for binge eating disorder and bulimia recovery. Learn tools, proven techniques, and compassionate guidance to stop binge eating and defeat your triggers. You can develop a healthy relationship with food and your body. Articles include seasonal support, intuitive eating, and anti-diet approaches.
Eating Disorder Therapy Read Post »
What exactly happens when you go to therapy to heal from an eating disorder? What is therapy anyway? This is the first of a series about different levels of treatment. Unfortunately, most people who suffer from eating disorders don’t get treatment, either because they don’t have the money, the time or they feel that they
Friday Q&A- I’m Pregnant and I can’t Stop Binge Eating Read Post »
Question: I used to have a huge problem with binge eating, restricting, and overexercising, but I’ve been relatively “clean” for the past 7 years. I’ve been exercising 1/2 hour 3-4 times a week, eating three meals a day, everyday, and my incidences of overeating or undereating are relatively rare. I got to a weight and
Friday Q & A – Everytime I smoke Pot, I binge eat- Help! Read Post »
Question: Everytime I smoke pot, I binge eat. I really wish that I didn’t, is there something I can do to prevent this? Answer: Your brain contains cannabinoid receptors, which are specialized proteins that react to particular stimuli to produce results such as pleasure, pain relief, and hunger. The THC in marijuana is the number
Another Study about Why Diets Don’t Work Read Post »
This article,Why Dieter’s Tend to Regain Weight showed up in yesterday’s LA Times. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has proven that certain hormones stay active in dieters to keep them exceedingly hungry for at least a year after weight loss has been achieved. 500 people were put on a very
This is a more personal post, but a story that I think is important to tell. My Mom was an amazing woman. She was smart, beautiful, kind, and cared about everyone she came into contact with. She was a dedicated junior high school teacher in the South Bronx in New York City and spent an
101 things to do instead of binge eating Read Post »
Distractions! Here are 101 things that you can do instead of bingeing. And many of them don’t require deep introspection or recovery activities. They’re just straight up good healthy ways to distract yourself when you want to binge. Sometimes you might just be able to distract yourself right out of a binge. 1. Call a
How to talk to your partner about your eating disorder Read Post »
It is so common that someone comes into my office who is suffering terribly with bulimia or binge eating disorder but they haven’t told their boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. There are some people who are in new relationships and don’t feel comfortable or ready to disclose that information yet. However, there are many more people who have been
Friday Q & A- How do I know if what I’m eating actually constitutes a binge? Read Post »
Question: Submitted via email from Rachel in Wilmington, NC Sometimes I’m not sure if I’m actually bingeing. How do I know if a binge is really a binge? Last night I thought that I had binged. I ate two apples and two slices of toast after dinner. I was furious with myself, but my husband
Compulsive Exercise–When too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing Read Post »
So many people come into my office not just dealing with compulsive eating issues, but with compulsive exercise issues. But how do you know when exercise is compulsive rather than just healthy? Ask yourself these questions: 1.)Do you get upset or anxious if you can’t exercise every single day? 2.)Do you forgo social invitations in
Friday Q&A- If I Can’t Diet, How Can I Lose Weight? Read Post »
Question: Submitted via email by Jen in Glasgow, KY On your site, you say that dieting is a bad thing. But what about those of us who actually have weight that they need to lose? How the **** am I supposed to lose weight without dieting? Answer: Hi Jen, I understand why you are confused.
Binge Eating When You’re Tired Read Post »
We are a chronically sleep deprived society. And with sleep deprivation often comes binge eating. For several reasons. First off, our defenses are down, so we can’t think about what we need, so we grab at the thing that always nurtures us immediately and consistently. Another reason is that we are so spent that we
Friday Q&A– What is a safe food to binge on? Read Post »
Question: Submitted via email by Monica in Eugene, OR. If I’m going to binge anyway, what foods are safe to binge on? Monica L. Hi Monica, Well, I guess that the short answer is, there are no safe binge foods. If it’s a binge food, then it’s not safe. If you are wanting to binge
Postponing a Binge Read Post »
There are times when you will be about to binge or trying to convince yourself that you won’t binge if you just let yourself have this one thing that has historically been a trigger food. Stop. Before you do anything, ask yourself, “am I hungry?” If you are, let yourself eat a protein dense food.
Understanding Hunger Read Post »
In order to carry out the processes that keep your body alive, your body needs to be fed (given fuel). Thus, your body is in a continual state of hunger which can be quickly relieved by eating. Having food present in your GI tract neutralizes the feeling of hunger which helps you to feel
Just a reminder of why you shouldn’t diet… Read Post »
watch?v=M6wJl37N9C0 Today I spent the afternoon at a presentation by Andrea’s Voice author Doris Smeltzer. Ms. Smeltzer lost her 19 year old daughter, Andrea, to bulimia 11 years ago and now has a book and foundation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Andrea’s eating disorder began as a regular old diet that
Do The Next Right Thing Read Post »
“Do The Next Right Thing,” a phrase borrowed from 12 step programs is an invaluable piece of advice. We can’t always do the right thing, but we can sit down, take stock of where we are, and do the next right thing. It might have been a terrible night. You might have drank a liter
What’s on Your Plate? Read Post »
Fritz Perls, who developed Gestalt Therapy, encouraged us to understand the way we eat as a metaphor for the way we live. At your next meal, watch yourself eat. Do it without judgment and without trying to change anything, just watch. It can be enlightening to draw some parallels around how you eat and
How to beat stress eating– 50 ways to cope with stress without food Read Post »
If you give a normal person a list of five things to do, they will get started with the first thing on their list. If you give a stress eater a list with five things to do, they will get started by running to the refrigerator. Eating becomes a way to deal with procrastination, fatigue,
When food is the third person in your relationship Read Post »
Some couples are drinking buddies. That is, they spend a lot of time going to bars together, or drinking at home together and alcohol becomes a big part of their relationship. Often these couples aren’t exactly sure what they’d do together if alcohol wasn’t accessible. Other couples are eating buddies. Their relationship revolves around food
Sex, Love, and Food Read Post »
Geneen Roth wrote a book almost 20 years ago called When Food Is Love. Of course, this is using food when what you are really craving is love. A common theme that I’ve noticed in women with eating disorders is this sense of unworthiness or a belief that they are not loveable. It’s incredible to
Just One Day Without Binge Eating Challenge Read Post »
One of the many AA mottos is “One Day at a Time” That just has to be true. People who binge eat are often very polarized in their thinking. It has to be all or nothing. So, when people decide to recover from binge eating, they set the bar very high for themselves. “I’m never
