Addictions and Food
Over the years I have been asked if there is such a thing as food addiction. First, let’s look at what is an addiction? Here is one definition: An addiction causes people to engage in a recurring activity that causes harm to the person. It is often described as a compulsion to engage in some specific activity to produce mood-altering experiences, and this experience has life-damaging consequences. Addictions often have both physical and psychological components. There is discomfort upon quitting the addiction. Most people would not overindulge in anything that hurts them physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. With addiction, one or more of these areas are negatively affected. Now look at how addiction can relate to food. Ask yourself these questions: Does your eating behavior create a problem in your life, but you continue to do the same thing over and over? Do you eat to change how you feel?
Eating Disorder Awareness from Savannah to Atlanta
My trip to Savannah to be on TV is another adventure. I still love the south. People are so nice here and seem to be more centered than the hustle and bustle of California. It’s funny that I say that because I have carved out a sanctuary for myself right in my back yard that I become more centered in the mornings. It is true that it matters less of where you are physically than it does mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Maybe it is just easier when I am away from the daily routines and stresses of everyday life. Maybe it is because I realize how important it is for me to be centered when I am trying to bring awareness to the devastating illness of eating disorders. I can’t believe I actually will get in front of the cameras and the nervousness goes away as I focus of the
Food Addiction
Admitting that you have a food problem is the first step. Then you can find solutions. Most eating disorders start with restricting food or dieting. Read the Keys Study HERE. It is amazing what happened to the subjects. This study was done before most people knew that eating disorders existed. Today scientist have found that cyclical bingeing and food deprivation (i.e. yo-yo dieting) actually changes the brain chemistry. There are also some foods that share the same neuropathways in the brain as alcohol or drugs. Some people are predisposed to crave foods that may lead to food addictions, eating disorders, and obesity. These people develop food allergies and food addictions. If they have certain foods or drinks they start binging. The addicting substances most often seen are sugar, white flour, and fats. Fast foods have all three. One easy way to find out if this is your problem is to
Diet’s Don’t Work
I am a “Compulsive Overeater.” I came to Diets Don’t Work in June of this year with feelings of such hopelessness. I felt even more hopelessness when I learned your program was about “no dieting!” I never dreamed I could accept my body the way it is and eat anything I wanted. This whole concept blew me away—unraveled every teaching I had ever received about weight control. I now understand and believe that “the binge” was the only healthy aspect of the many diets I had been on…I have learned so much from your program…I am allowing myself to eat whatever I want, when I get hungry. I am making choices for myself that are self-loving and nourishing. I’m learning to stop eating when I am full, based on the fact that there will always be more. I am allowing myself to take “baby steps.” I am in recovery with
The Keys Semi-Starvation Study
Ancel Keys wanted to find out the physical and psychological effects of what happens to the human body when it starves and how it recovers from starvation. He thought his information would be useful if the soldiers were captured in the war and they reached the point of starvation. Keys conducted a study to determine the effects of food restriction. His results were amazing. We know that restriction causes weight loss but look at all the other symptoms of the experiment. They are classic eating disorder symptoms. The study shows that restricting food affects us not only physically, but psychologically and behaviorally as well. Note that even after the subjects started eating normally the psychological and behavioral effects remained. The experiment involved carefully studying 36 young, healthy, psychologically normal men while restricting their caloric intake for 6 months. More than 100 men volunteered for the study as an alternative to
Bullying and Eating Disorders
Do you remember someone bullying you as a teenager? I have asked this question to many of my adult patients at Rebecca’s House Eating Disorder Treatment Programs and they can still vividly remember a bullying incident that occurred in school or home. Today bullying is at a whole new level. Now we have cyber-bullying and even bullycide. The U.S. Department of Education’s defines bullying as follows: • Bullying involves intentional, and largely unprovoked, efforts to harm another • Bullying can be physical or verbal, and direct or indirect in nature • Bullying involves repeated negative actions by one or more against another • Bullying involves an imbalance of physical or psychological power Verbal bullying includes put-downs related to physical appearance, mannerisms, socioeconomic status, cultural diversity, gender, weight, obesity, bulimia, sexuality, religion, disabilities, disordered eating and IQ. The bullyed teenager with poor body image already may go to extreme measures to
A Day in the Life of a Bulimic
Most people have no idea what it is really like to suffer with an eating disorder. They think it is the need to be skinny. They think the person with bulimia nervosa could quit if they really wanted to. “Just don’t do that” is a phrase repeated by family members, friends and some therapists. There is so much misunderstanding of this complex disorder that I am going to bring you into the mind of a person in the depths of the disorder. You will never view the disorder in the same way after reading this. If you relate to this story know it is common to many more people than you realize. But most important I want you to know that with help even this person recovered . . . fully. The way I learned to deal with my feelings was not to feel. One of the ways I learned
Christmas Past
Every year as the Holidays approach I think back on the Christmases of past years. I imagine other people do the same. This can invoke feelings of joy or sorrow. I chose to focus on the positive ones because that is what I want to remember about this Christmas in future years. I know I can make this holiday what I want depending on what I chose to focus on and the attitude I take towards people, situations and events. In some of the past years I didn’t know I had the ability to make this Christmas the one I wanted to remember with joy next Christmas. I succumbed to the melancholy of the first negative thought that came to my mind and spent much of the season ruminating on my sorrows. It is sad to remember my loved ones who are no longer with me. I have had a
We Can Make a Difference
Eliphas Daudi sent me another email today. He made me realize that even in a brief time each one of us can touch someone’s life and make a difference. Being present to the opportunities around us can change you and another person. I was so impressed with Eliphas when I met him at Tumani Junior School in Africa last year. Tumaini Junior School is a private non-profit primary school in Karatu where all grades, nursery through 7th, are taught in English. Recognizing the importance of teaching the English language to help train the future leaders of Tanzania, founder Modest Bayo and his wife, Lightness, set up their first classroom in their small home with 17 four and five year olds in 2004. With no outside financial help but aided by various community members, they dug trenches, laid foundations, mixed mortar, set bricks and built the building by hand. Today there are nearly 500 pupils,
Peaceful Muslims Unite
This is one of the best explanations of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanya, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist. A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. ‘Very few people were true Nazis,’ he said, ‘but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost
Sugar Addiction Revealed
Can you say “No?” When I was invited to attend the Food Addiction and Obesity Summit in Brainbridge, Washington in 2009 I had no idea that it would change my life forever. This conference intrigued my curiosity for research and shaped my approach to treating binge eating disorder, obesity, eating disorders and addiction. The Summit invited 1/3 researchers and scientists, 1/3 medical doctors and 1/3 healthcare clinicians who work with patients with eating disorders. See a list of presenters here. At the end of each day, participants broke into small groups keeping the same ratio of scientists, doctors and clinicians to discuss the findings of the day’s presentations. The conclusions and recommendations from these breakout sessions were featured in the summit proceedings. It was amazing to watch the process as each member discussed similar results within their own disciplines. The researcher presented his results, the medical doctor and clinicians discussed similar results in their
References for Talks
References From Rebecca Cooper, LMFT, LPCC, CEDS Genetics “I identified in 1990 the first gene in alcohol addiction. Specifically, we found the A1 allele (the minor form) of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene to be associated with addiction. We researched the brain characteristics of the subjects who had the DRD2 A1 allele. To do that, we carried out a pharmacological study on the brains of deceased individuals who had or did not have the A1 allele. What we found was that subjects with the A1 allele, regardless of whether they were that of alcoholics or controls, had fewer D2 dopamine receptors than those who lacked this allele. To compensate for this deficiency state, individuals used their addictive substance to release brain dopamine and activate their few dopamine receptors, which would activate their brain dopamine reward or pleasure system. Some foods significantly increases brain dopamine levels.” — Ernest Noble, MD, PhD.
Trail Blazers for Eating Disorders
Rebecca Cooper Featured as an Eating Disorder Trailblazer Rebecca Cooper is recognized for her methods, advocacy, and years of helping people with eating disorders at Rebecca’s House. Her methods are outlined in her book Diets Don’t Work.
Leaving Argentina
I asked the front desk to call me a ‘radio’ taxi and asked a porter to help me with my luggage. The porter, Jeremy, is someone I have come to know during my stay in Buenos Aries. He is such a kind, helpful, very tall, black gentleman with a British accent. Jeremy has helped me interpret the language many times. I even took a picture of a protest across from where I was having lunch at the obelisk. I took it back to him to see if it was safe. He read the protest signs and said it was safe. The protest was about bringing more awareness to mental health disorders. I went back and joined the demonstration. Jeremy and the other staff always greeted me when I arrived back at the hotel from one of my solo excursions. Most of the other conference attendees had departed two days ago.
Montevideo, Uruguay – Part 3
Three hours later we docked in Montevideo. Now surely I will find my tour. I frantically looked for tour signs but again there were none. I showed a uniformed man my ticket. He pointed to a bus. Again no one spoke English around me, but there was a tour director who described everything in three different languages and one of the languages was English. People got off and on the bus at different locations. I was given a schedule of pick ups and where the stops were. I finally got off the bus two stops before the arrival back at the docks. This brought back memories of when I was a child living with my grandmother in Huntington, West Virginia. My sister, Rhonda and I had gone to live with my grandparents when I was 6 years old and Rhonda was four. I was about 14 years old when I
Montevideo, Uruguay – Part 2
Now I began to wonder, “What do I do now?” Should I try to find a way back to the hotel or go on the ship to Uruguay? This is one of those times I wished that Scotty would beam me up from the movie, Star Track. I wanted to dematerialize and reappear in Southern California, preferably in my own bed. My adventurous side won out. I climbed the steps to customs. I had a moment where it occurred to me that I was glad I had no luggage to carry up theses stairs. My second thought was, “oh no, maybe I should have brought luggage. Where is Uruguay?” I went through customs and back to the terminal where other people were waiting. There was a little coffee area so I asked for coffee. The girl behind the counter spoke English. She understood me! I asked where should I go
Montevideo, Uruguay
I awoke early. I was going on another adventure. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was actually going to another country. I was supposed to be in the lobby to meet for the tour at 6:30am. My telephone rang at 6:15. The front desk told me my ride was here. What did she mean that, “my ride was here?” The tour was supposed to meet at 6:30am in the lobby. I rushed down and the desk pointed me to a man who did not speak English. I took my tour ticket to the front desk and asked if this man was the ‘tour.’ It did not make sense to me. Where were the other people? Why would our tour guide not speak English? Juan, at the front desk said he did not know anything about a tour. There were two men in the lobby speaking to each
Demi Moore’s Eating Disorder
It was officially reported that Demi Moore is seeking help for stress, exhaustion, and substance abuse, but it also appears that Demi is suffering from an eating disorder. Over the years I have followed her movies. I have watched her extreme body changes, diets, and exercise. Demi Moore has been engaging in an eating disorder. This has been going on for years in front of our eyes as we have watched her on the screen. It was in plain site, but most people are not even aware of eating disorders, especially exercise bulimia. Even now it is officially reported that her hospitalization is due to other causes. If we look at Demi Moore’s highly publicized dieting we can find eating disorder behavior resembling anorexia. She used the Zone Diet, Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, Raw Food Diet, and other extreme methods of calorie restriction. She became vegetarian eliminating whole food groups making
My Arrival in Argentina Part 2
After I finished my blog yesterday I realized I would be late meeting Ruth. We had arranged to meet before the first session in the lounge area to the right of the hotel’s reception. I emailed her that I would meet her after the session instead of before, in front of the door to the conference room. The session was about spirituality and it was one I did not want to miss. The title of the session was ‘Spirituality, Culture and Mental Health Prevention.’ Because I was late all the headsets had been given out. I did not think that the lady understood that I wanted a translation headset, but she did understand me and was trying to tell me there were no more headsets available. Some one behind me understood my English and translated it to me. I was so disappointed. Why were things becoming so difficult? Was it
My Arrival in Argentina
I awoke with an uneasy feeling today. I stated thinking about my trip here. My last thought was about the plane ride here. Someone needed medical assistance on the plane about an hour into the 10-hour flight from Atlanta. The person was lying on the galley floor about ten feet from where I was sitting. The flight attendants were asking for a medical doctor to come forward. She repeated the request several times while the other attendants rushed for the oxygen tank and first aid kit. I thought there must be a doctor on board. Then they started asking for nurses or anyone with medical training. The attendant sounded desperate. I wondered if people were afraid to get involved because they might get sued. Please God don’t let that be the reason. Finally three people came forward. All I could see was a group on people huddled around the person
Are You Stress Eating?
Are You Stress Eating? Here’s How to Find Out Stress is a very common reason for overindulging in comfort foods. Our brain’s chemical responses to certain foods lead to habit-forming behavior, and even thinking about eating induces self-rewarding brain changes. A whopping 38% of adults say they overeat or choose fattening foods because of stress on a regular basis.1 While these results come from self-reporting surveys, using a Diet Type assessment to identify what triggers your own dietary challenges can point the way to more effective change. Let’s find out why donut holes and French fries seem irresistible when things get rough. What Does Stress Eating Feel Like? When we feel fine one moment and then suddenly start looking for a rich snack or fantasizing about sugary foods we will have when we get home. we know there must have been a trigger. We might graze continuously on high-powered tidbits or not feel
Sugar Awareness
Sugar Awareness: By Any Other Name It Tastes as Sweet Sugar is a concentrated energy source that causes body chemistry changes similar to addictive substances. Naturally occurring sugars are part of healthy eating and are linked to beneficial nutrients, but free or added sugars bring no added benefits. Many people struggle with traditional diets and have to fight the siren song of sugar. Developing sugar awareness and understanding how it triggers behaviors may inspire you to make these healthy swaps in your next celebration menu. What Is Sugar? Sugar goes by more than 60 different names, most of which end in “-ose.” Fructose occurs naturally in fruit as does lactose in milk, but these may also be used as additives. Molasses, cane juice, corn sweetener, corn syrup, and fruit juice concentrates all represent added sugar ingredients. The naturally occurring amounts in fruit, milk, and some vegetables are a subtle sweet reward for choosing those
Feeding Our Feelings
Feeding Our Feelings: Understanding Emotional Overeating Your personality, genetics, and personal history all have an impact on your relationship with food. One way that disordered eating develops is through emotional eating. When we use food to bury or avoid thinking about our emotions, we lose touch with physical hunger while we feed our feelings instead. Let’s delve into the emotional triggers that can stand in the way of healthy eating and explore why certain personality types are more likely to develop this behavior. What Is Emotional Eating? Emotional eating involves using food as a response to a wide variety of emotions. Through learned behavior or past conditioning, we learn to celebrate victories and soothe sorrows with calorie-rich treats. There exists both a chemical brain response which is inherently rewarding and a family tradition or personal habit of turning to food when experiencing emotion. The type of person who might fall into this emotional
Elimination Diets
Elimination Diets: Why Dietary Diversity Is Better for Our Bodies A medically necessary elimination diet is used as a tool to identify or treat gastrointestinal allergies, but, even with supervision, these limited diets present a medically recognized risk of nutrient deficiencies.1 Essential micro-nutrients which are present in only a few foods can easily be eliminated in the process. Many people create their own exclusion diet based on current fads and eliminate entire food groups or severely limit calories in an attempt to find a diet that works for them. They might stay on these diets indefinitely, unaware of the links between the missing micro-nutrients and healthy bodily function. When a Diet Is Too Strict Some DietQ types are more prone to choosing an elimination solution to exercise control over food. By following a strict fad diet or creating their own diet rules, they seek to control binge eating or weight gain. Some of the effects on overall well-being include: Being so
Why Diet Cycles Are More Harmful than Helpful
Why Diet Cycles Are More Harmful than Helpful With new diets popping up on the horizon all the time, it’s no surprise that these passing trends can often leave people feeling unfulfilled once their diet plans have neared completion. People love quick fixes; however, diet cycles play a critical role that eventually leads to detrimental results, both mentally and physically. In the infographic below, we go into greater detail about why diet cycles don’t work, as well as how these cycles can lead to a lack of self-esteem—or worse. It’s time to put an end to all of the negative feelings many of us share about food and the subsequent disordered eating patterns that can result and to start feeling good about ourselves and our relationship with food.
The Six Diet Types
The Six Diet Types Every year millions of Americans go on diets. Every year many of them fail. This isn’t because they’re lazy or weak—it’s because they don’t know what’s causing them to make unhealthy food choices in the first place. This is where DietQ comes in. Our researchers have identified six diet types that will help you understand why you eat the way you eat. They’ve also put together an extensive quiz that will utilize several factors to help you figure out what diet type you are. Once you know your diet type, DietQ will be able to guide you through a step-by-step plan containing solutions geared to your specific needs. The result will change your eating behaviors for the rest of your life. If you find yourself struggling to stick to a healthy diet, now is the time to take control of your eating habits and your life.
How Are You Different?
There are many studies that show your personality traits influences your eating behaviors. Personality traits or temperaments are primarily genetically formed. These traits make you be who you are and how you respond to life. Everyone is different! The real problem occurs when you do not know what traits are affecting your eating behaviors. It makes sense to first become aware of your traits so you know what unique solutions that will work for you. Diets of the past only considered their diet plan, not how you would fit into their plan. There have been millions of people who have felt like a failure because they could not stay on a diet. Repeated dieting changes your metabolism and creates weight gain. Dieting separates you from your appetite so you become dependent on someone else to dictate what, when, and how much you should eat. This is the start of a
The Wheel of Weight Loss: How to Break Free of Destructive Diet Cycles
The Wheel of Weight Loss: How to Break Free of Destructive Diet Cycles So many of us have become trapped in a cycle of endless dieting, broken by slips or binges that leave us with feelings of failure and helplessness. Breaking free of these diet cycles starts with understanding these behavior patterns, learning to listen to our bodies’ messages, and forging a new relationship with food. Many types of disordered eating follow a cyclical pattern, and new research is beginning to reveal the biochemical and environmental drivers behind these common eating patterns. Let’s explore the factors that fuel our eating and short circuit our healthy appetite for the right foods. Why Diet Cycles Develop The environment in which we live plays a big part in our food choices. The modern American diet contains very high levels of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and manufactured vegetable fats. Research has shown that when these