Group News

ok everyone, hope you had a good week. here is week 2.

BODY IMAGE

 Today we will be focusing on body image and how to improve it. We will also talk about a different way of looking at body weight and what weight is right for you.

NUTRITION GROUP

One barrier to mindful eating can be a close relationship between dissatisfaction and worries about body weight and food choices. Learning to find and appreciate your "natural" body weight can help support your effort to eat more mindfully.

YOUR NATURAL BODY WEIGHT

Measuring your self worth according yto your weight can wear you down, shake your confidence and distract you from whats really important in your life. The media has a narrow definiation of what it means for your weight to be satisfactory. In a poll published in People magazine in Sep 2000, 80 percent of women reported that images of women on television, in movies and in fashion magazines made them feel insecure about their apprearance, and 90 percent of women indicated that they had made various and repeated attempts to lose weight to measure up to media images. Women end up feeling so insecure that they are willing to try diets that pose health rises and they may even go under the knife in pursuit of the perfect body.

 The medias definitions of a healthy weight are not only unrealistic: they ignore the fact that body weight is just one part of health, one part of who you are. People are different in many ways, weight being just one of them. Height and weight charts are sometimes used to point out an ideal body weight, but how ideal can that weight be if you have to starve to achieve it? An individuals healthy weight actually depends on body build, genetics and natural body shape. If you have petite genes, its unlikely that you will be the tallest person in the room. If one or both of your patents have (or had) bigger builds, its likely that your natural build is not going to be thin.

BEHAVIORAL MIRRORS

Another way to view a healthy weight is to look in a different kind of mirror: a behavioral mirror. WIth a behavioral mirror, you see what you are doing rather than focusing on your physical appearance. For example, if your eating patterns and level of physical activity are healthy and in balance, your healthy body weight will follow. If you are overeating and not being physically active, your weight may be a bit higher. If you are caught in the restrict/binge/purge whirlpool, your weight may fluctuate greatly. If you are excessively exercising and not eating enough, your weight may artificially low. Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Health, however, is a product of healthy habits, not movie star diets. 

Think about your own weight and behavior history. What was the lowest weight you ever achieved and what did you have to do with eating and exercise habits to achieve it? What has been your highest body weight and what food and exercise behaviors were associated with that weight? What is the general build of your biological relatives? Often, a persons natural weight falls somewhere in between the extremes, neither the highest or the lowest weight they have ever experienced. More importantly, a natural body weight is one that can be maintained for a long time, without undue attention and focus on eating, without restricting, dieting, or bingeing. A natural body weight is the natural result of mindful, normalized eating behaviors and balanced physical activity patterns.  

WHAT IS BODY IMAGE

Body image involves how an individual perceives and experiences his or her body. There are a number of components of body image including:

how an individual views herself or himself in the mirror

How an individual sees her or his body parts when looking at them directly

The mental picture an individual has or their body (in the "minds eye")

How the body feels when it is touched

How an individual experiences the body spatially(for instance, how much of a bus seat her or his body seems to occupy)

How an individual perceives bodily sensations (hot and cold temps, hunger, and anger)

The thoughts and self statements an individual has about their body

The feelings an individual has about her or his body

In other words, body image is a term that refers to different types of bodily experiences and perceptions. All of these different parts of body image influence each other. Improving your body image can involve a number of these components.

WHAT INFLUENCES BODY IMAGE

Many people and events in the environment during both childhood and adulthood affect an individuals body image. Events that occur at a young age(ex. being teased about appearance by peers or family members) can continue to affect how we view our bodies as adults. Growing up, we are also influenced by watching how our role models felt about their bodies. For ex, if a sibling, parent, or friend felt negatively about their body, you may have learned to fell badly about your own appearance from watching them.

Another factor that influences an individuals body image is our society. Specifically, how an individual evaluates their body often depends on how much it resembles what society considers the ideal appearance. In out present society, for example, thinness is seen as attractive. Garner and colleagues found that the average weight of Miss America contestants and winners has decreased over the past decades. In other time periods, larger body sezes were considered more beautiful. The current emphasis on thinness is especially strong for females. For example, by age 18, 80% of AMerican girls have been on a diet.

Unfortunately, the current ideal of thinness is unrealistic for most people. ALthough messages in the mass media suggests that an individual can achieve any size she or he wants through diet and exercise, the myth does not conform to our biological realities. The pursuit of an unrealistic degree of thinness can result in chronic dieting followed by bingeing, obsessions with body size, and constant dissatisfaction with body shape.

People with binge eating disorder are often quite dissatisfied with their weight and body shape. Preliminary evidence indicates that people with BED are more dissatisfied with their shape compared to others of comparable size without BED.

Negative thoughts about weight, shape, and appearance play a role in the onset and maintenance of BED. Many people start dieting because of dissatisfactions with their appearance and a belief that they should lose weight. Severe dieting often precipitates binge eating episodes. Binge eating leads to negative feelings about appearance, which can trigger further binge eating. Thus, body dissatisfaction can contribute to the vicious cycle of binge eating patterns.

How you see and feel about your body will influence how you feel about yourself as a person. An important part of recovery is lerning to be more accepting of your own body, regardless of shape and size. While it might be unrealistic for you to go from hating your body to loving it, there are ways to improve your body image. First identify the parts of the body that you do feel comfortable with and emphasize these positive feelings. Second, work towards feeling "neutral" about or accepting those body parts you dislike.

Body image has a number of components. Beginning to change your thoughts can have a POWERFUL effect on your feelings and behaviors. For this reason, targeting your negative thoughts about weight and shape is the most effective way to start to feel more comfortable with your appearance.

OK, HERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS TO EITHER WRITE DOWN AND ANSWER TO YOURSELF OR SHARE WITH US TO DISCUSS.

Explore your thoughs about your body, as well as associated feelings and behaviors.

Currently, how do you feel about your body size and shape?

Do you feel more satisfied with some body parts than others?

How much time do you spend thinking about your phusical appearance?

How many minutes in an hour do you typically spend thinking about it?

Do thoughts about your body sometimes serve as cues that lead to binge eating?

Do you see your body accurately? How do you know you are accurate?

How does your weight and body perception affect your feelings about yourself?

Do changes in your weight and body shhape influence your self-evaluation?

How important is your physical appearance to you? Do you value other aspects of yourself?

What are some of the messages, rules, and beliefs about your body that you remember hearing from your family and peers? From society and the media?

Do these messages or beliefs influence how you feel about your body? Which ones?

How can you change these thoughts to reflect more positive and accurate feelings about yourself?

List frequent negative thoughts about your size and shape

Now challenge each of the above thoughts using the techniques we have reviewed in the week 1. Try using accurate language to make negative statements more neutral.

(ex. im a size 12. i may feel fat but im within my normal weight range for my height)

Another way to begin feeling more positive about your body is to concentrate on what functions your body is capable of. Ask yourself the following questions,

What does my body enable me to do:

(ex. legs enable me to walk)

What does my body allow me to enjoy?

First of all, i highly recommend getting the book The Journey Toward Freedom: Rediscovering the pleasure of normal eating. I dont know if you can find it on amazon but it was put out by the Methodist Hospital Eating Disorders Institute. If you want it and you cant find it, i know it is $10 and would be willing to get it for you if you send me the money. More on that later.

You might want to have a notebook so you can jot down important things that you want to remember and i will be asking lots of questions, not that you have to answer to me, just answer on paper to yourself and if you want to discuss then please do. 

Ok so Week 1:

What is binge eating disorder?

Many people struggling with bed have tried many diets and plans in an effort to stop binge eating, change weight, or gain control over eating. this program is different. it is not based on a plan full of numbers, lists, or "good or bad" foods. Rather, it is based on the principles of mindful eating, sometimes called intuitive eating. Mindful eating focuses on paying attention to the signals the body naturally gives around hunger and satiety(fullness). The body has a natural ability to tell us when we are hungry and when we are full. Our job is to listen for the signals and pay attention to them.

Mindful Eating is:

Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available thru food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.

Choosing to eat foods that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor, and taste.

Acknowledging responses to food (likes, dislikes, or neutral) WITHOUT JUDGEMENT.

Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating/

Someone who Eats Mindfully:

Acknowledges that there is no right or wrong way to eat by varying degrees of awareness surrounding the experience of food.

Accepts that his or her eating experiences are unique.

Is an individual who by choice directs his or her awareness to all aspects of food and eating on a moment by moment basis.

Is an individual who looks at the immediate choices and direct experiences associated with food and eating: not to the distant health outcome of that choice.

Is aware of and reflects on the effects caused by unmindful eating.

 Experiences insight about how he or she can act to achieve specific health goals as he or she becomes more attuned to the direct experience of eating and feelings of health.

Becomes aware of the interconnection of earth, living beings, and cultural practices and the impact of his or her food choices has on those systems.

OK ONTO EATING TIPS:

You need to find a schedule that fits in order to help you hear your bodys signals of hunger and fullness. This means you need to eat on a more regular bases. Some people struggling with binge eating disorder have very chaotic or irregular eating habits that may actually result in binge eating behaviors. If you find this is the case for you, try this schedule:

Eat a meal or snack every 2-4 hours. Do not go longer than 4 hours without eating. If you struggle with constant snacking or find yourself frequently wanting to eat something, try to wait at least 2 hours in between eating. This will give your body time to get hungry and send out signals of hunger.

This really helped me. I did alot of looking at the clock and really ate every 4 hours. If i needed a snack because i was thinking about food, i waited 2 hours. But when i did have a snack, i really thought about what i wanted, if it was ice cream i ate it, if it was chocolate i ate it, if it was a banana i ate it. my body started telling me what i wanted when i started listening.

TAKE THE TIME TO FEED YOUR BODY

Let your body know this is a meal. give it the attention it deserves. In our fast paced society, people eat on the go, standing up, in the car, etc. anywhere buyt at the table with others. Try these approaches to experiencing your meals, not just having them happen.

Make your meals last 15-30 minutes. Give yourself a change to enjoy your food, taste it, experience, and savor it. Give your body a chance to become satisfied and let you know.

Set a nice place for your meals and snacks, if possible. Eating at a table, with a placemat, real silverware, and dishes sends the body a message that this is a meal. EATING IN YOUR CAR WHILE DRIVING WITH FOOD AND A NAPKIN ON YOUR LAP IS NOT A RELAXING EATING EXPERIENCE.

This is one of the downfalls that i had. I binged in my car so that my husband could not catch me. I went to the gas station near home and threw everything out so there would be no evidence. I would roll down the windows so you couldnt smell french fries. I felt so guilty. The first thing i did when i started this program is stopped eating in the car. I did it a time or two but really dont do it anymore. If you do eat in the car, PUT SNACKS IN YOUR CAR SO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT TO DISTRACT YOU FROM ALL OF THE FAST FOOD PLACES YOU DRIVE BY. 

A couple of other tips are set your fork down in between bites, be social if you are eating with someone, dont just eat and stop talking, notice every bite and try to savor it, and try to eat slow.

 Eat with others. eating with others can be an enjoyable, shared experience. It can also be stressful so try to keep the conversation light and enjoyable. Making a meal with or for others can help you plan your day. Knowing what you will have can result in having a fulfilling meal, rather than standing in the kitchen grabbing things as you see them or opening up the cupboards at random and not feeling like you ate.

this means no eating in front of the tv or computer if you can help it. I always ate in front of the tv and sometimes still do because my husband likes to. i have got him to start eating at the kitchen table most of the time and i notice a huge difference in being aware of what im eating.

PAY ATTENTION

Try to follow some of the mindful eating principles listed above. Listen for your hunger cues. What does your body do when its hungry? Listen for satiety(fullness or satisfied) cues. What does it fel like when you have had enough? Listen to what your body wants. Mindful eating involves choosing foods that are both nourshing and pleasing. Be aware of the effects of emotions on your eating. Are there times and situations when you find yourself eating, but you know you are not hungry? Do you want to change this type of eating?

This is where we made a goal for the week. Mine was I will not try to feel like i have to finish my plate. If you are choosing foods that you really want rather than what you think you should be eating, then they will always be here. You can eat it later, box it up, save it. Your favorite foods are not going anywhere. So dont feel like it has to be all or nothing, black or white. I was a person who always felt like i had to finish my plate just because. It was hard to walk away from food. I love food. It is very comforting. But if you really accept that there are no GOOD OR BAD foods then it becomes freeing. Allowing yourself to eat dessert with dinner because you like to finish a meal with something sweet doesnt mean your a pig. I tried this, i ordered dessert with dinner and ate it in between dinner bites because i wanted to. And i always get full at the end of a meal and have a hard time saving room for dessert but i like to have something sweet to finish my dinner. So thats what i did and it worked. I didnt eat all of it or my dinner which was ok because i got to eat what i wanted and when. I dont care what others think of me. Im not weak or a fatty because i like dessert.

OK so onto something else.

Clinical Characteristics of BED:

Occurs in 20-40% of people who are overweight.

Occurs in 1-4% of the population

Affects more women than men

Onset usually occurs in late adolescence, early adulthood

Features of Binge Eating:

Rapid consumption of a large amount of food in a discrete period of time

A feeling of lack of control over eating behavior during eating binges

History of dieting to lose weight

Remorse, distress, and guilt about binge eating

Additionally:

Being able to leave a meal unfinished or being unable to say no to food even when not hungry.

Eating to calm or numb difficult emotions

Lack of awareness of the fact that one is eating

Chaotic or haphazard eating based only on what food is available. Often waiting until favenous to eat.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES:

Cognitive and emotional:

depression

anxiety

irritability

problems concentrating

self-criticism

Social and professional:

financia;. loss of savings, debt

isolation from family and friends *(Thats me)

work and school: decreased productivity. poor attendance

Physical:

weight gain, health risks

IMPORTANT FACTORS IN BED:

Sociocultural:

Preoccupation with thinness and stigma against obesity

Emphasis on Youth

pressures to succeed, including weight control

Psychological:

body image disturbance

body dissatisfaction

overvaluing shape and weight

sense of self worth and low self esteem

ability to cope with stressful situations

impulsitivity

Physiological Nutritional Factors:

Food deprivation

excess dieting, viewing food as "GOOD OR BAD"

heritability- weight range that is genetically determined

ok GOALS OF TREATMENT

to interrupt binge eating

to establish healthy eating patterns

to identify and change problematic thoughts (using self talk) and negative feelings

to identify and use more effective coping strategies

What to expect as you change your eating behavior:

For some people they will be mild and for others they will be more troublesome. If any of these changes are a problem, lets talk about them to help get thru them.

Changes in thoughts and feelings:

For many people binge eating serves to stuff or numb unpleasant or uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. When the binge eating stops, so do the anesthetic or numbing effects of these behaviors.

As a result, you will probably become more aware of these unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Common changes to expect include becoming increasingly more aware of emotional pain, anger. loss, sadness, anxiety and confusion. This feeling of confusion is often associated with being unclear about what you want for yourself and how you are feeling. These thoughts and feelings will decrease as you learn healthy responses to replace them.

Wheen you are faced with something new, you can expect to experience some anxiety and to question the outcome. This is especially true when you are leatning a behavior and the outcome is uncertain, that is when you have never experienced the outcome, or you are unsure of the outcome.

One way to help you overcome this anxiety is to remind yourself of the reasons for learning these new skills. They include:

being able to control many of the cues that trigger your unhealthy eating habits.

having a flexible framework for controlling your eating behavior and moving towards a natural weight

when i went thru this program i gained weight but once i understood what my body needed and listened to it, i started naturally losing weight. one thing you should do is THROW OR PUT AWAY THE SCALE. i was obsessed about weighing myself everyday but once i let it go and stopped putting so much pressure on myself i felt better. trust me, it is hard and i thought about that scale in the closet every time i peed but i never took it out except for once and sure enough i felt shitty after. why do that to yourself. if you are going to weigh yourself do it once a week at the same time every week. your body goes thru so many changes during the day that every day is not accurate.

Ok so here is a little work for the week and if you feel like sharing that would be great for everyone else. We all need help and support to get thru tough times.

Make 2 lists. On the left hand column, list your reasons for STOPPING your unhealthy eating habits (ex. it makes me feel bad, i want to live, i want to like myself)

and on the right hand column, list your reasons AGAINST stopping your unhealthy eating habits (its my friend, its comforting, it doesnt judge me).

Lets see what people come up with and everyone should set a goal for themselves. I really like accepting that there are no good or bad foods. Eat what you want but remember to eat every 4 hours and a snack every 2 if you need it. It really helped me.

What are your goals to stop binge eating?

What are some strategies you can use to increase your motivation and commitment to recovery?

Here are some alternatives to binge eating. Maybe you guys can share some others:

One of the most powerful ways to stop binging is to do an alternative behavior when you are at risk of binge eating or when you have urges to binge.

call a friend. or keep calling until you reach someone

write the binge down instead of eating it

take a bath or shower

take a walk

do a non food related activity outside the kitchen. stay out of the kitchen

go to a meeting

do a relaxation exercise or meditation

distract yourself with a craft project, book, or tv show

read something inspirational

go to a movie, play, museum

listen to music

clean or organize a room

Hope this will be helpful for everyone. I know i dont know everything but ive learned alot and others can share the knowledge that they have.

GOOD LUCK AND REMEMBER YOU ARE WORTH IT. YOUR WEIGHT DOESNT DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON.