Category Archives: Blog

Eight Keys to End Emotional Eating

Books and Book Reviews: Eight Keys to End Emotional Eating By Howard S. Farkas, Ph.D. Clinicians in the field of eating disorders as well as an increasing number of people with disordered eating have embraced the truth that diets do not work. For every food restriction, a backlash binge is waiting in the wings. And every […]

Lifetime Weight Characteristics of Adult

Lifetime Weight Characteristics of Adult Inpatients With Severe Anorexia Nervosa: Maximal Lifetime BMI Predicts Treatment Outcome.  Background: The body mass index is a key predictor of treatment outcome in patients with anorexia nervosa. In adolescents, higher premorbid BMI is a strong predictor of a favorable treatment outcome. It is unclear whether this relationship holds true […]

Short-Term Outcome of Inpatient Treatment for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa

Short-Term Outcome of Inpatient Treatment for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa Using DSM-5 Remission Criteria.  This study evaluated the short-term outcome of a multimodal inpatient treatment concept for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). In this prospective observational study, a cohort of 126 female adolescents with AN (age range: 11-17, mean age: 14.83) was longitudinally followed from […]

Structural and functional brain alterations in anorexia nervosa

A multimodal meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.  Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex psychiatric disorder with poorly understood etiology. Numerous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional imaging studies have provided strong evidence of abnormal brain structure and intrinsic and functional activities in AN, but with inconsistent conclusions. Herein, a whole-brain meta-analysis was conducted on VBM (660 […]

Examining the significance of age of onset in persons with lifetime anorexia nervosa

Examining the significance of age of onset in persons with lifetime anorexia nervosa: Comparing child, adolescent, and emerging adult onsets in nationally representative U.S. study.  Objective: This study compared sociodemographic and clinical profiles of adult patients with lifetime DSM-5-defined anorexia nervosa (AN) categorized by age-of-onset using data from U.S. national sample of adults. Method: Study […]

Insufficient assessment and treatment of vitamin D in the medical management of adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Insufficient assessment and treatment of vitamin D in the medical management of adolescents with anorexia nervosa.  Purpose: Suboptimal vitamin D levels are implicated in low bone mineral density, a common medical complication of anorexia nervosa. This study aimed to examine the frequency of vitamin D assessment and treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa in outpatient […]

Giving Up Dieting is Not Giving Up

Giving Up Dieting is Not Giving Up Being on the diet roller coaster is not fun at all. The ups and downs of how you feel about yourself based on the number on the scale can lead to a lifetime of obsessing about your weight and never getting anywhere, at least not for very long. […]

Types of Eating Disorder Specialists

Types of Eating Disorder Specialists Professionals who specialize in the treatment of Eating Disorders include the following: Eating Disorder Therapists or Counselors:  These professionals provide therapy sessions of various types, such as individual, groups, family, workshops, couples. Each has a different style and theory base, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or many others. […]

What To Look For in an Eating Disorder Specialist

Seeking a specialist who understands, has training in, and may even have personal experience with recovering from an Eating Disorder is important. Not all professionals really understand the complexity of an Eating Disorder. However, the most important aspect to your recovery is finding someone you like and can learn to trust. Here are some other […]

What to Do When an Eating Disorder is Linked to Trauma

Eating disorders develop for a variety of reasons. One is trauma. Though society’s unrealistic expectations for appearance and photoshopped advertising isn’t good for anyone, trauma alone can cause you to spiral into binge eating, anorexia or bulimia. It’s important to treat these disorders in a way that helps address the traumatic catalyst. When it Happens […]

Cocaine Addiction And Eating Disorders

Eating disorders can have catastrophic consequences on health. Abusing cocaine, in conjunction with an eating disorder, can lead to further devastating health problems. When two disorders are diagnosed together, or within an overlapping time frame, they are referred to as co-occurring disorders. If a person is diagnosed with an eating disorder, they are likely struggling with […]

Stop binge eating with this one powerful step

You find yourself in front of the refrigerator. Again. “Why am I here?” you wonder. You recognize that you aren’t hungry or maybe you convince yourself that you are even though it wasn’t that long ago since you last ate. You look around the refrigerator and the cupboards filled with food and don’t find anything […]

Stop binge eating with this one powerful step

You find yourself in front of the refrigerator. Again. “Why am I here?” you wonder. You recognize that you aren’t hungry or maybe you convince yourself that you are even though it wasn’t that long ago since you last ate. You look around the refrigerator and the cupboards filled with food and don’t find anything […]

Food for Thought – Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

I often hear people tell me they wish they had a drug or alcohol addiction so they could just stop using or drinking. They believe it’s harder when it’s food. After all, we need to eat. But what if you can have your cake and eat it too? Addiction is about coping with feelings. When […]

A Week and a Lifetime of Emotions

Last Wednesday I wrote and sent out a newsletter article sharing my feelings about that day’s events. Knowing that many others were having feelings like mine, I thought it was a good time to reach out and talk about how to deal with emotions. I had more subscribers to my newsletter unsubscribe that day then […]

Are you Struggling Post 2016 Election?

The results of the election have devastated me! I feel sad, hopeless, terrified, horrified. I am so concerned about the state of this country and all the damage that Trump paired with having a majority in the House and Senate will do! I am concerned about women, children, people of color, people of various religions, […]

Men and Eating Disorders: A Widely Ignored Subject

This is a Guest Blog written by Michelle Peterson of RecoveryPride.org The vast majority of education about eating disorders is focused on women. Admittedly, women are twice as likely to develop an eating disorder due to oppressive societal standards. However, male eating disorders are just as dangerous and far less discussed. Though men are less likely […]

The Link Between Love and Eating Disorders, Part 2

What is Disordered Eating There are three types of eating. There’s “normal” eating. If you’re reading this article, you may not be too familiar with this type of eating. Perhaps you’re more familiar with “deprivation sensitive eating” and “emotional eating.” Deprivation Sensitive Eating Deprivation sensitive eating is the eating you do when you deprive yourself […]

Do You Suffer from Exercise Resistance?

You know you’re supposed to exercise. You know it’s good for you. You know you should like it and want to do it. But…You. Don’t. Seem. To. Be. Able. To. Get. Up. And. Go! You may be suffering from the condition of Exercise Resistance! You’ve likely heard about compulsive (or addictive) exercising. You may wish you were […]

Feature Author on Portland Therapy Center

If you are ready to get out of the crazy making diet cycle, read this post on Portland Therapy Center. This is often the first and most important step you can take to end the obsession with food and weight. Click here to read more and take your first step today!  [gmbv_business_map]

It’s Not About Food

If you are thinking about how to get rid of the chocolate in your cupboard so you won’t eat it all in one sitting, and you’re convinced that it’s really about the chocolate, and you can’t stop thinking about that chocolate, and you don’t know how you’re going to ever stop thinking about it, then […]

Reduce Eating Disorders in Children

As you may or may not know, your past influences who you are today. It also influences how you interact with food. I’m sure many of you could tell me at least one story (and probably more) about your mother, father, siblings, grandparents, other family members doing or saying something that contributed to how you […]

Why Weight Loss Solves Nothing

“I’m thin, but I’m not happy,” said a client to me. Despite the promise of thin = happy in our culture, so many women find this isn’t necessarily the case. Of course, I’ve also heard from clients about how happy they were “that time I did lose weight.” However, doesn’t this situation lead a person […]