The fashion world gives us lots of rules for dressing. They tell us what to wear and how we’re supposed to look in it. Nutrition is also fashionable. They tell us what to eat and how it’s supposed to be “good” for us. Of course, no one agrees about what really is nutritious! Everyone has […]
Category Archives: Body Image
01
Mar
Mar
Shame. Likely the emotion you hate to feel the most. It gets pushed down and is often felt at the core of your struggles. Shame about food. Shame about your body. Shame about who you are. It’s painful. No doubt about it. And it’s also okay to feel shame. There are two types of shame. […]
Binge Eating, Body Image, Body Shame, Dieting, Food Is Not The Enemy
If You’re going to Eat it, You may as well Taste it
28
Feb
Feb
Mmmm, pizza! You love pizza and you really want some. “NO! You can’t have pizza,” you angrily tell yourself. “Pizza is BAD for me!” So you go to the fridge and find a bag of carrots. Sitting in front of the TV, you eat your carrots. They aren’t great, but they are “good for me” […]
Binge Eating, Body Image, Body Shame, Dieting, Food Is Not The Enemy
Giving Up Dieting is Not Giving Up
13
Jan
Jan
Happy New Year! 2014 Here We Come! I find the beginning of the New Year to be an exciting time (once I get over the fact that another year has passed). I love the idea of intentions and yearly themes. Certainly not as a way to promise something and then feel like a failure in […]
13
Dec
Dec
I was recently sitting in a restaurant, enjoying the conversation and the person I was with when suddenly my attention tuned into the happy, joyful Christmas music blaring above. “I don’t like Christmas music!” I belted out. Whenever I hear it, I cringe. I tense up. I may even snarl. I can’t help it. I […]
Binge Eating, Body Image, Dieting, Food Is Not The Enemy
What You an Mike Jeffries, CEO of A&F, Have in Common
13
May
May
By now you may have heard about the insulting words said by CEO, Mike Jeffries of Abercrombie and Fitch. If not, you’ll find the story here. Or, if you prefer not to subject yourself to the whole story, I’ll provide you with a quote to give you a taste of what you’re missing (not much, […]
15
Mar
Mar
I used to be a lone business owner. For years, I worked on my business all by myself. This is what I was taught after all. I was the only one I could count on; I had to do it alone. Finally, one day I realized that I didn’t want to be alone in it […]
10
Sep
Sep
“I just want to be happy!” Does this sound familiar? I hear these words all the time from my clients and from, well, everyone. You just want to be happy. Right? I do too. Even Thomas Jefferson and the other writers of the Declaration of Independence recognized the importance of the pursuit of happiness. So […]
10
Jan
Jan
The turn of the calendar into a New Year occurs again. I admit it; January is my favorite month of the year. Not because it’s a time to renew my resolution and finally get the body I have always wanted. Not because I get to start over once again with this-diet-will-work- this-time resolution. Not because […]
07
Dec
Dec
Do you ever feel like a child? Do you ever want to just throw yourself on the floor and kick and scream? Do you ever want to start bawling when someone hurts you? Do you ever want to yell “go away!” in your most child like voice? If you answered yes to any of these […]
Binge Eating, Body Image, Dieting, Food Is Not The Enemy
Self Criticism: The Very Loud Killer of Souls, Part 2
07
Oct
Oct
Self Criticism: The Very Loud Killer of Souls, Part 2 A few weeks ago I wrote about your critical voice. I talked about how it is probably the most harmful little voice you have in your head. Yup, it’s true. Despite what you have been told, being critical and hard on yourself does not motivate […]
07
Sep
Sep
If I had a magic therapy wand I would wave it around and magically make one very loud killer disappear from each person: Self Criticism! Self criticism: aka self judgment, aka the critical voice, aka beating yourself up. Each of these is deadly and has no place in your life. Being critical of yourself is […]
27
Jul
Jul
In 1988 Bobby McFerrin released a song called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Even now as I recall that song for this article, I have the desire to reach as fast as possible to change the radio station in my head! I hated that song! Not only did I think it was super boring but […]
Binge Eating, Blog, Body Image, Food Is Not The Enemy
The #1 Secret to Ending Eating Disorder Behaviors
10
Jul
Jul
Being caught in this binge purge cycle to any degree will not help you have a good relationship with food. When you purge, the binge will always return. When you binge, the purge will always return. You can’t have one without the other. What they lead to and remind you of is how much you […]
28
May
May
What do these have to do with eating disorders? “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” -Benjamin Franklin I believe in living a healthy life. I believe in eating healthy and exercising for health. I also believe in emotional health and I believe emotional health is as important (if not more so) […]
06
May
May
We all want to fit in. It is natural and normal. It is human. We need each other because we are social beings. Even if you are shy or have social anxiety, you need a tribe of people – a place you fit in. In a society where thin is in and any other body […]
Body Image, Body Shame, Family, Food For Thought, Food Is Not The Enemy
There are Steps to Take Toward Recovery
07
Apr
Apr
Recovery from an eating disorder (or disordered eating, if you prefer) is no simple task. You have been dealing with or even better, using it as a way to cope for a very long time. It is attached to you, stuck on you, and you are stuck on it. It is like a best friend […]
07
Mar
Mar
Article by Michelle Drake, mental health therapist Do you ever wonder if you have ever really felt your emotions for the duration they needed to truly be felt? Do you find yourself stuffing bad feelings down so you can keep a smile on your face and pretend to move on just fine through life? If […]
Blog, Body Image, Food For Thought, Food Is Not The Enemy
You Didn’t Fail the Diet, the Diet Failed You
15
Jan
Jan
The New Year has passed, your resolution to lose weight has run its course once again. You did your best to diet, perhaps you lost some weight, but you couldn’t keep it up. Eventually, you ate those forbidden foods and couldn’t stop. Once again, you ate everything you shouldn’t have and you are starting to […]
Body Image, Body Shame, Food For Thought, Food Is Not The Enemy
The Number on the Scale is Just a Number
07
Oct
Oct
The number on the scale is not who you are! Maybe that should be obvious, but is it? Our culture is so messed up about weight. We are told that unless you are in the “normal” range on the BMI scale, you are unhealthy. We are judged by our weight, there is no doubt about […]
Body Image, Dieting, Food For Thought, Food Is Not The Enemy
How to Make Your Eating Disorder Obsolete
18
Jul
Jul
Feel Your Feelings In June’s Newsletter “Throwing Up Your Feelings” I talked about various ways of coping with binging using purging behaviors. (click on the newsletter title to read more). Being caught in this binge purge cycle to any degree will not help you have a good relationship with food. When you purge, the binge […]
Body Image, Body Shame, Dieting, Food For Thought, Food Is Not The Enemy
Your Eating Disorder Wants to Tell You Something
16
May
May
Your Eating Disorder Voice is communicating something. Your Healthy Voice is communicating something. Often, these “Voices” are competing with each other, but what are they really trying to say? I often talk to clients about the “Eating Disorder Voice” and the “Healthy Voice.” Part of the treatment for an eating disorder is to make the […]
06
Mar
Mar
This month’s Food Is Not The Enemy Newsletter has a special treat enclosed. Emily’s story. Emily is in the process of understanding her eating disorder. She has recognized that it isn’t about food, and is currently wrestling with the underlying issues. In her story, she talks about her struggles with her body image and learning […]
05
Jul
Jul
I was listening to the radio one day and caught the beginning of a commercial talking about again having to wear his “fat clothes.” He then said glumly “does this sound familiar?” I imagined that it did sound familiar to many people listening and that “fat clothes” is a term many use. Well, my first […]