Tag Archive for 'Eating Disorders'

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Holiday Meal Planning

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Thanksgiving is over – but the Christmas holiday is only just beginning.  Stores are packed, UPS and FedEx are working overtime and holiday baking is in full swing.  Amidst this exciting, yet often chaotic time of year, it is important to remember to stick to a healthy overall meal plan, to keep your energy levels up and immunity strong.  Nourishing yourself with healthy foods, along with getting regular moderate intensity physical activity and plenty of sleep and relaxation time are usually your best bets to warding off sicknesses, managing stress and maintaining your energy levels.

Speaking of immunity, if you still have Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator, it is past time to throw them out.  According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), cooked meat and poultry leftovers are only fresh in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.  Cooked stuffing is fresh about 3-4 days, too.  Gravy is only good for 1-2 days, so definitely throw any away if it is still lingering in your refrigerator.  For more information on food storage safety, visit http://www.foodsafety.gov.

As for the rest of your meal plan, too often, Americans throw a healthy meal plan out the window when the holidays arrive.  However, try to avoid the “all or nothing” mentality.  You can still enjoy a few indulgences here and there, while sticking to an underlying healthy meal plan.  For instance, it is fine to sample the holiday treats that local stores may offer, such as hot chocolate, cookies and pastries.  And, it is even fine to purchase a few for you and your friends or family to enjoy together.  Your body will best manage these discretionary (extra) calories if you are healthy and managing your weight with a basic healthy meal plan.

So, starting your day with a balanced breakfast is a good way to begin.  Think whole grains (in cereals, English muffins, breads, bagels), fruits and proteins.  Combining proteins with carbohydrates at all meals and snacks is the best way to manage hunger and satiety levels, reducing the changes that you will have strong cravings or urges to overeat later in the day.  Popular, healthful breakfast proteins include lowfat dairy products (i.e. milk, yogurt and cheese), dairy alternatives (i.e. soymilk), peanut butter, eggs and egg whites, lean meats and meat alternatives (i.e. soy sausage).  You also get some protein from grains.  Many grain products like cold cereals and breakfast bars contain extra protein (often from milk or soy protein ingredients) and fiber, too.  Fiber is especially helpful in preventing disease and managing satiety levels.

So, as you prepare for a day at the office, at the mall or at home doing chores, remember to keep your breakfast balanced.  Continue to eat healthfully throughout the day, too, and know that in moderate amounts, your body will be able to handle some discretionary calories along the way.  As with any time of the year, we should all focus on balance, variety and moderation to keep us healthy.

Be well,

Julie

Published on Saturday December 5, 2009 in Eating Disorders, Julie Whittington and Nutrition. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Your “Say Yes to Life” Monday Motivator: Finding a Reason to Recover, Part I

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If you have ever found yourself thinking (or saying), “I don’t have a reason to recover”, “I can’t find a reason to recover”, “What’s the point of recovering”, “I don’t feel worth recovering for”, then the first thing you need to know is that you are not alone.

Everyone who has ever tried to recover or emerge from some significant trial has felt this way at one time or another. It is part of the human condition – to struggle, to doubt, to rally, and, for those who persevere, to triumph.

But what sets those who eventually do triumph apart from the rest?

George Lucas, pioneer of one of the most beloved movie series of all times, gets right to the heart of the matter when he says, “You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don’t have that kind of feeling for what it is you’re doing, you’ll stop at the first giant hurdle.”

In this first of a three-part series on “Finding a Reason to Recover”, we will look at the power inherent in reasons. But what is a “reason”? The most commonly accepted definition is that a reason is “the basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction.”

So this basis or reason is where we start our journey. We start here because where we start is also what motivates us for every step we take after the first one. Once we understand this, it is easy to understand how where we start is often the greatest predictor for where we end up.

The good news is that our reasons can change over time, and when our reasons change, our prognosis and the outcome of our journey changes with it.

Using Star Wars giant George Lucas’ quote as a guide, let’s look at how reasons and, as Mr. Lucas says, “find[ing] something you love”, interact. The interesting thing about this dynamic duo is that, in the intersection of our motivation and emotion, there we also find CHOICE. This is what Mr. Lucas is referring to when he says that you have to find something that you love enough to take risks – risks to promote, protect, and preserve what you love, and risks to say no to what stands between you and the fulfillment and continued protection of that love.

Recently model Kate Moss was asked what her motto for life is. She replied, “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. This shocked the world, not just because Moss appears to be advocating for pro-eating disorder culture, but primarily because Kate Moss is a mother herself to a seven-year-old daughter.

This is what happens when we are not willing to acknowledge that all of life comes down to a series of choices, and that two opposing choices cannot continue to indefinitely occupy the same space. For instance, what is the prognosis for Moss to maintain her current stance in the future if her impressionable young daughter takes Mommy’s words to heart?

In other words, how will Moss’ reasons change when they begin to affect her own daughter?

For that matter, how will your own reasons change when you realize that, whether you currently believe you are worth recovering for – can recover – can even see the point of recovering – that you will never have the chance to find out if you don’t act NOW to save your own life?

So this is where we start. When interviewed, fully ninety percent of those who attempted suicide by leaping off of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and survived told their interviewer that they realized on the way down that the problems they were killing themselves to escape were really quite solvable.

The same goes for you. And for us all. Life hands us problems – that is part of what life does. How we respond, however, is up to us. We can choose to respond with hopelessness or with positive action, and our outcomes will differ accordingly. Your eating disorder is but one of many ways in which, in the past and possibly still in the present, you have chosen to respond to the stresses and unknowns of life. Maybe you believed – still believe – that the eating disorder was the only way that you could adequately cope with your daily life.

But there are other ways that you can learn for responding and managing life’s uncertainties, and they are available to you if you want to learn them. However, you can’t learn them until you know what function and role the eating disorder serves in your life. It is helpful in this process of assessing your reasons, motivations, and choices to make a list of all the things that you believe your eating disorder provides to you. For instance, maybe your eating disorder provides you with a sense of protection, with a simple system to make sense of life’s complexities, with clear-cut daily goals….just make your list, and continue adding to it as new ideas arise.

Next, it is time to look at the cost of life with an eating disorder. What has the eating disorder prevented you from experiencing, seeing, or doing? Who would you be close to if the eating disorder did not consume so much of your attention and time? Who else that is important to you is being affected by your eating disordered thoughts and behaviors in a way that makes you worry for their wellbeing even if you feel disconnected from worry or concern for your own?

You will always be able to find reasons to stay sick. And, if you look for them, you will always be able to find reasons to get better. Your recovery prognosis really comes down to one simple act – which set of reasons will you choose to follow?

At Southlake Counseling, we understand firsthand the devastating effect than an eating disorder can have both on your life and on the lives of those who love you. We are pioneers in providing state-of-the-art, clinically-proven treatments for eating disorders in the Lake Norman area because we believe that every person has the right and ability to say “no” to the slow death of an eating disorder and YES to their own unique and precious life. If you or someone you love is struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder, please contact us today at www.southlakecounseling.com. We look forward to your call, email, or visit very soon!

Be Well,

Kimberly

Published on Monday November 30, 2009 in Eating Disorders and Monday Motivator. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Your “Say Yes to Life” Monday Motivator – The End of Overeating

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I hope you had a magnificent weekend. It’s late Sunday night and I’m sitting in bed reading one of my favorite new books – The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, by David Kessler, MD.  Dr. Kessler is the former FDA commissioner under presidents Bush and Clinton, and he has written a groundbreaking new book that will change the way you look at food – forever. 

Dr. Kessler opens the discussion with a simple review of the wellness crisis we are facing today.  Fully two-thirds of Americans are overweight and an estimated five million women and three million men are dealing with binge eating (Bulik). Another eleven million Americans are struggling with bulimia (bingeing followed by purge-type behaviors) or anorexia (willful self-starvation).

Dr. Kessler goes on to paint a portrait of our collective “insatiable American appetite” by using an all-too common scenario. Let’s say, he tells us, that you start your day out planning to be “good”, but before you know it the lure of the coffee cake at the office or the trail mix left on the counter hooks you and reels you in – again.  Even though you know you aren’t hungry, even as you struggle and rage against the siren song of the snack machine, you can’t seem to simply say no to the “bad” foods that lower your self-esteem even as they expand your waistline. 

With this scenario clear in our heads, he presents us with the twin million-dollar questions:

Why, when you aren’t hungry, do you still continue to reach for food?

And, if it is not you, then who is to blame?

Dr. Kessler’s answer to these two questions is simple, profound, and shocking.

Food Industry + Advertising Industry = A Nation of Overeaters

For instance, did you know that when we regularly consume foods that contain high levels of sugar, fat, and salt, that it is not just our bodies that are affected by our choices? Our minds are affected too.  Dr. Kessler calls this “conditioned hypereating”, a term that refers to the crave reflex that is set up in our brains when they are repeatedly exposed to nutrient sources that are nutritionally imbalanced.

To put it more simply – when we regularly consume foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, the reward center in our brain is stimulated to crave more foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, even though more of those elements are not what our body really needs.

If you watched the movie Supersize Me, you have seen a real-life example of the frightening scenario Dr. Kessler paints when he tells us in no uncertain terms that the food industry is aware of how foods high in the “deadly trio” affect our brains and bodies. Dr. Kessler wants one thing to be crystal clear – that the marketing of processed foods to Americans who are already struggling with overeating, weight, and portion size is a deliberate, money-making venture.

The End of Overeating explains in exacting detail how industry’s “food architects” purposefully create processed foods with high levels of sugar, fat, and salt to make these foods “compelling and irresistible” to our bodies and brains. In his book and his work, Dr. Kessler is on a mission to empower us with the knowledge to break free from what he calls the “cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters.”

Kessler states that the nation’s weight problem is all the evidence we need to prove that we have gotten a lot of bad advice from a lot of questionable and sometimes downright unethical sources.  Each day, new diets are being created and marketed as weight-loss sure-cures.  Although some diets help people to lose weight in the short-term, 95% of all dieters will gain all the lost weight back and more within five years. The evidence speaks for itself – diets don’t work. And since the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results”, Dr. Kessler is ready with a different approach to achieving daily, healthful food intake that produces healthy results.

In The End of Overeating, Dr. Kessler states that “restoring control over eating requires us to take a comprehensive approach, one that has many interlocking steps.  To gain the upper hand, we need strategies that address the multiple behavioral, cognitive, and nutritional elements” of overeating.

As I finish the final pages of Dr. Kessler’s masterpiece, I am excited to share with you all that at Southlake Center, that is exactly what we do! If you are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired in your body and mind, then we are here to help. We know what it feels like to feel powerless in the face of food cravings. We understand the emotional devastation that occurs when you try and try to “eat healthy”, only to fail and fail again. At Southlake we believe the “Mind, Body, Spirit” approach to weight loss is the only way to enjoy lasting success. That is, when we change how we feel about ourselves, how we think about ourselves, how we nourish ourselves and how we care for ourselves, in all ways, then we can expect to have a healthy relationship with food and with our bodies… and lose weight.

We want you to know that help is available, and that you CAN get better.

The Southlake Center Nutrition and Wellness Program is comprehensive, grounded in scientific research, and supported by real-world clinical experience.  Our experienced, highly trained, and compassionate professionals will help you implement your unique and individualized plan to restore health and wellness in body, mind, and spirit.  You will have the support of your Southlake Center therapist, registered dietitian, and personal trainer as you take daily, visible steps toward saying no to food cravings and yes to all that healthy living has to offer you.

So I hope you’ll join the new revolution in weight loss. Also be sure to ask about our newest ten-week group intensive program, “Weight A Second” starting in January 2010. Preliminary research has shown that fully 89% of participants who completed this Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)-based program were abstinent from binge eating by the end of the group treatment – compared with just  12% of participants from the control group!

Call us at 704-896-7776 to get on the waiting list for this phenomenal group program which launches in January 2010.  Join us in January. You’ll be glad you did!!

Be well,

Kimberly

Published on Monday November 16, 2009 in Monday Motivator. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Tips To Help You Manage Thanksgiving Menus and Appetites

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With Thanksgiving approaching, surely you have given some thought to your holiday menu.  Whether you are dining in or dining out, food seems to be the main reason we even celebrate Thanksgiving anymore.  Menus exist everywhere you turn.  From Martha Stewart to your internet home page, recipes and holiday tips abound, trying to either overdo or lighten your holiday food consumption.

When traditional Thanksgiving menus include all the favorites like turkey, sweet potato casserole, rolls, stuffing, potatoes, butter, gravy and pie, it is hard to fit in anything else – especially that chestnut butternut squash stuffing or broccoli cheese casserole which you found the recipes for just yesterday.  Grocery stores are filled to the brim with all the trimmings, too.  Holiday displays make them all the more enticing, encouraging you to buy more items.

But, taking a minute to step back and remember what Thanksgiving is all about does not hurt.  Sure, it sounds a bit cheesy, but taking the time to be thankful for all the foods we have available to us would not hurt.  And, what about the rest of the season?  After all, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations take up a good two to three months out of the year.  We do not have to overstuff ourselves this Thanksgiving and on December 25, simply to “fit in” all of the delicious foods the season has to offer.  Why not try one or two new recipes per week, knowing that what you do not eat today will still be around tomorrow.

As for Thanksgiving Day, remind yourself that small samples of a variety of foods are just fine and can fit into a balanced diet.  Our bodies will do a great job managing the food we eat, so long as we are healthy and remember the importance of moderation.  The bonus is that you can have lots of leftovers after Thanksgiving to enjoy the following weekend, thus saving on cooking time for guests and allowing your body to enjoy the flavors of the season without becoming so full that you feel ill.

So, try new recipes this Thanksgiving or stick to your traditional fare.  You may even wish to find ways to lighten your favorite recipes, making them more healthful.  Whichever route you take, balance the table and plate with a color of foods, just as you should the rest of the year.  If you enjoy the excitement of a table full of variety, then go for it.  Just remember to keep your hunger and satiety in check so as to avoid becoming uncomfortably full.  And, know that increasing the emphasis on the importance of gathering with family and friends may be more beneficial to the happiness of your loved ones than whether the turkey came out too dry or whether you had room on the table for another pecan pie.

Be Well,

Julie

Published on Friday November 13, 2009 in Eating Disorders and Julie Whittington. 0 Comments Tags: , .

The Dangerous Downside to the DSM-IV

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For many who suffer from deadly eating disorders, the Diagnostic Standards Manual (DSM-IV) has become a bible of sorts.

Let me explain.

The DSM-IV is the official diagnostic tool that standardizes how to diagnose and address certain sets of symptoms for healthcare professionals the world over. So, for instance, if you are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in Nevada, but then travel to Singapore, the healthcare professionals in Singapore will be able to reference your diagnosis and treat you appropriately. And if you then travel on to Canada, the healthcare professionals there will be able to take up where your Singapore team left off.

This is the upside to the DSM-IV.

However, as I write this post, the DSM-IV is once again undergoing scrutiny and tremendous revision, and a new version is anticipated by May 2012. While revision to the DSM is normal and does happen every so often when new information becomes available and our knowledge of mental illness increases, for those of us with eating disorders, and those of us who treat eating disorders, the revisions simply cannot come fast enough.

If you have an eating disorder, or suspect you have an eating disorder, you are likely all too familiar already with the stringent diagnostic criteria the DSM-IV outlines to categorize the severity of your illness and the impact it is likely to have on your overall health and wellbeing. For instance, a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa comes only when the individual can meet the following criteria:

Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (weight drops beneath 85% of ideal or fails to achieve expected body weight for age and growth rate)
Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight
Undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight
Amenorrhea (the absence of at least three consecutive cycles), with periods reappearing only with hormone administration

From the very first bullet point we can see where the problems begin. Insurance companies look to the DSM-IV to determine whether they are required to pay for care, and how much care they must pay for. Doctors cannot provide care (for the most part) without the promise of reimbursement, and they frequently must rely on insurance coverage for that reimbursement. So an individual suffering from restricting-type disordered eating is literally forced to lose 15% of his or her body weight before being eligible for care! Furthermore, it is very common for individuals suffering from restricting-type to label themselves as “not sick enough” to even reach out for help or support until they can meet all four of these diagnostic criteria.

After my own eight-year battle against an eating disorder and almost two decades treating individuals for disordered eating and eating disorders, I can assert with utmost authority that eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes, and that eating disorders can be deadly at any stage of illness…and the dangerous downside to the DSM-IV is that current standards do not reflect that*.

I will give you just one final example to prove my point. The DSM-IV currently lists the following criteria as a prerequisite for a medical diagnosis of bulimia nervosa:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating: Eating, within any 2-hour period, an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat under similar circumstances; A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode; Inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain (vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, fasting, excessive exercise, etc.)
The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months
Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight
The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia

Yet there have been documented instances of death due to cardiac arrest after only three purge incidents. The DSM-IV criteria gives individuals who suffer from purging – and their insurance companies – free rein to assume that they are not in need of critical care until they have been purging at least twice a week for 3 months.

Some individuals who suffer won’t make it that long.

If you are suffering from any level of disordered eating, if food has taken a place in your life beyond simply giving your body the nutrition it needs to function, if you feel trapped or imprisoned by your food-related thoughts and behaviors, and if you know, deep down on the inside where no one else but you can see or hear that you are struggling regardless of what the DSM-IV criteria are, then you need to get help.

You deserve help. Life is too short to live with an eating disorder as your constant companion. And life is too precious to lose it to an eating disorder when help and hope is available.

Here at The Southlake Center, we know what it feels like to live through an eating disorder. We know how dangerous eating disorders are, and how deadly they can be. If you will let us, we can help you say a permanent “no” to your eating disorder, and say YES to your own unique and precious life!

Be Well.

Kimberly

* There is a diagnostic category in the DSM-IV called “eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)” that allows for less severe symptoms that do not fit into the three major categories of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder). However, many insurance companies have been slow to recognize this category and incorporate it into coverage provided to policy-holders.

Published on Monday October 19, 2009 in Article and Eating Disorders. 0 Comments Tags: , .