Eating Disorders Support Group
Eating disorders are marked by an obsessive need to control the intake and/or purging of food. This community is dedicated to those struggling on the road to recovery. Join to discuss your experience with others and find support. Get advice, ask questions, and meet others who are going through similar struggles.
So we all like working out to lose weight, maintain weight, look good and keep our tummies tight, but how many of us do it simply because it makes us feel good?
Sure it may be a happy side-effect ya know, the endorphins and all that science that proves that exercise makes us feel better, but for most of us, it isnt THE reason that we work out.
The more I started thinking about this, the more I realizedit SHOULD be! Why shouldnt the main reason we work out be that it makes us feel better about ourselves? Let the fitness level and lowered body fat be the happy side-effect!
Once we start switching our focus to the positive energy that exercise brings, our increased fitness level and tighter body will come with it.
According to Heather Hausenblas, a University of Florida exercise psychologist, people who dont achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts. Hausenblas study is published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.
You would think that if you become more fit that you would experience greater improvements in terms of body image, but thats not what we found, she said. It may be that the requirements to receive the psychological benefits of exercise, including those relating to body image, differ substantially from the physical benefits.
The study analyzed all previous (from June 2008) studies on the wide-ranging effects of exercise on body image. From the 57 publications, the researchers found conclusively that exercise improved the way people see their bodies, regardless of the actual benefits.
While the frequency of exercise mattered for boosting body perceptions, there were no differences for the duration, intensity, length or type of exercise, the study found.
I find this study so interesting because it really does drive home the fact that exercise, if we allow it, will make us happy! So why is it that so many people make it such a negative thing? Its their focus.
Too much focus on exercising to lose weight or having to lose this last 5 pounds, or not wanting to be fat anymore, or being able to fit into skinny jeans. Stop making it all about your looks! STOP the fat talk. START letting the reason you exercise be that you want to feel good about yourself. Not only will those endorphins start working for you, but before you know it youll have the body that better represents your mind-set: healthy, strong and beautiful.
I invite you all to think about why you love your body and what makes it beautiful. Why are you thankful for your body?
Im thankful for my
Eyes, because they allow me to see the beautiful faces of my family and friends, read my favorite novels, twinkle when I laugh and enjoy the beautiful landscape that God has given us.
Mouth, because it lets me taste incredible foods, kiss the Mister passionately, talk a mile a minute and smile until by face hurts.
Nose, because my Moms homemade sweet bread just wouldnt be the same if I couldnt smell it baking.
Ears, because the sound of laughter is too precious to miss.
Arms, because theyll one day rock my children to sleep and tickle them silly.
Hands, because they fit perfectly into the Misters.
Stomach, because it will keep my growing children safe. (Note: I am NOT pregnant - just really excited to be a mom one day!)
Hips, because they can boogie on the dance floor.
Thighs, because they are strong and allow me to keep up with my Mom on our long walks.
Feet, because they let me torture them with all my high-heeled shoes ;)
Why do you love your body?
hi all-the above is an article from yahoo's shine called "how to end fat talk and why you should love your body". it was posted in october and i am just getting around to blogging about it. the problem is, i don't love my body. i honestly can't think of a single thing i like about my body. i hate that i feel this way. i wish that i didn't. i wish i could look at myself in the mirror and not pick out all my flaws. after all, god created me. he loves me the way i am. so i feel like i should be able to be proud of how i look. but i'm not, and i don't know how to fix it.
i hate to admit it, but ever since dana and i broke up i have had no motivation to go to OA...at all. i want to get better. i want to be able to live my life without constantly obsessing over food. but i can't seem to make myself go to a meeting. every day at 11:10 am, my meeting alarm on my ipod goes off, and i just ignore it. i have been avoiding OA for weeks. i haven't done the workbook in a few months. i just feel so stuck...stuck in this house. stuck without my independance. stuck, period.
i was almost triggered (for those who aren't familiar with that term, a trigger is a piece of information or a situation that causes a person with an eating disorder to revert to eating disorder behavior. for example, being at the mall has triggered binges for me before because i am surrounded by food. different people have different triggers.) by an episode of "the view" on friday. they were talking about diets. it's not even christmas yet, and they were already pushing weight loss!!! it pissed me off. all the talk about what to avoid and what was "ok" on each diet reminded me of all my failed dieting attempts and how badly i hate my plus size clothes.
despite all my talking to dad, he continues to bring home sweets and other foods that make me want to binge. the grocery store we go to has a bakery and a deli in it. breads, soups, cakes, etc, are made daily and sold fresh. it's one of my favorite places to go to when i'm out and about. anyway martin's (the store) bakes these amazing cookies. i love them. dad went to martins to get us paninis and do some shopping. i told dad i wanted a cookie...something sweet, but small because i didn't want to overeat. he came back with lunch and groceries that included a cheesecake AND doughnuts!!!!! sometimes, i think i'll have to move out just so i can have control of what food comes in the house!!!!!!!! NO ONE IN THIS HOUSE SEEMS TO TAKE MY EATING DISORDER SERIOUSLY!!!!! no matter how much i try to just suck it up and deal with it, it never gets through anyone's heads. people seem to think that it's ok if i binge or something. i have no idea what they're thinking.
one of the things that is so frustrating to me is that food addiction and binge eating disorder are not taken seriously. had i told my family i had anorexia or bulemia, i know that they'd be bending over backwards to help me. but because i'm not starving myself, i guess they think it's no big deal.
i don't mean to bitch. i adore the family god has blessed me with. it's just that this is the second hardest thing i've ever had to do. (the hardest thing was turning my mom in for abusing me and moving out.) i need a lot of help with it, and it feels like it's all on my shoulders. i can't do it by myself. i need help, and i'm not getting it. i wrote in my journal that i feel like i'm an alcohalic being forced to live in a bar. please pray for me. i love you and thank you for all your love, heartfelt comments, and prayers.-fallon
Sure it may be a happy side-effect ya know, the endorphins and all that science that proves that exercise makes us feel better, but for most of us, it isnt THE reason that we work out.
The more I started thinking about this, the more I realizedit SHOULD be! Why shouldnt the main reason we work out be that it makes us feel better about ourselves? Let the fitness level and lowered body fat be the happy side-effect!
Once we start switching our focus to the positive energy that exercise brings, our increased fitness level and tighter body will come with it.
According to Heather Hausenblas, a University of Florida exercise psychologist, people who dont achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts. Hausenblas study is published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.
You would think that if you become more fit that you would experience greater improvements in terms of body image, but thats not what we found, she said. It may be that the requirements to receive the psychological benefits of exercise, including those relating to body image, differ substantially from the physical benefits.
The study analyzed all previous (from June 2008) studies on the wide-ranging effects of exercise on body image. From the 57 publications, the researchers found conclusively that exercise improved the way people see their bodies, regardless of the actual benefits.
While the frequency of exercise mattered for boosting body perceptions, there were no differences for the duration, intensity, length or type of exercise, the study found.
I find this study so interesting because it really does drive home the fact that exercise, if we allow it, will make us happy! So why is it that so many people make it such a negative thing? Its their focus.
Too much focus on exercising to lose weight or having to lose this last 5 pounds, or not wanting to be fat anymore, or being able to fit into skinny jeans. Stop making it all about your looks! STOP the fat talk. START letting the reason you exercise be that you want to feel good about yourself. Not only will those endorphins start working for you, but before you know it youll have the body that better represents your mind-set: healthy, strong and beautiful.
I invite you all to think about why you love your body and what makes it beautiful. Why are you thankful for your body?
Im thankful for my
Eyes, because they allow me to see the beautiful faces of my family and friends, read my favorite novels, twinkle when I laugh and enjoy the beautiful landscape that God has given us.
Mouth, because it lets me taste incredible foods, kiss the Mister passionately, talk a mile a minute and smile until by face hurts.
Nose, because my Moms homemade sweet bread just wouldnt be the same if I couldnt smell it baking.
Ears, because the sound of laughter is too precious to miss.
Arms, because theyll one day rock my children to sleep and tickle them silly.
Hands, because they fit perfectly into the Misters.
Stomach, because it will keep my growing children safe. (Note: I am NOT pregnant - just really excited to be a mom one day!)
Hips, because they can boogie on the dance floor.
Thighs, because they are strong and allow me to keep up with my Mom on our long walks.
Feet, because they let me torture them with all my high-heeled shoes ;)
Why do you love your body?
hi all-the above is an article from yahoo's shine called "how to end fat talk and why you should love your body". it was posted in october and i am just getting around to blogging about it. the problem is, i don't love my body. i honestly can't think of a single thing i like about my body. i hate that i feel this way. i wish that i didn't. i wish i could look at myself in the mirror and not pick out all my flaws. after all, god created me. he loves me the way i am. so i feel like i should be able to be proud of how i look. but i'm not, and i don't know how to fix it.
i hate to admit it, but ever since dana and i broke up i have had no motivation to go to OA...at all. i want to get better. i want to be able to live my life without constantly obsessing over food. but i can't seem to make myself go to a meeting. every day at 11:10 am, my meeting alarm on my ipod goes off, and i just ignore it. i have been avoiding OA for weeks. i haven't done the workbook in a few months. i just feel so stuck...stuck in this house. stuck without my independance. stuck, period.
i was almost triggered (for those who aren't familiar with that term, a trigger is a piece of information or a situation that causes a person with an eating disorder to revert to eating disorder behavior. for example, being at the mall has triggered binges for me before because i am surrounded by food. different people have different triggers.) by an episode of "the view" on friday. they were talking about diets. it's not even christmas yet, and they were already pushing weight loss!!! it pissed me off. all the talk about what to avoid and what was "ok" on each diet reminded me of all my failed dieting attempts and how badly i hate my plus size clothes.
despite all my talking to dad, he continues to bring home sweets and other foods that make me want to binge. the grocery store we go to has a bakery and a deli in it. breads, soups, cakes, etc, are made daily and sold fresh. it's one of my favorite places to go to when i'm out and about. anyway martin's (the store) bakes these amazing cookies. i love them. dad went to martins to get us paninis and do some shopping. i told dad i wanted a cookie...something sweet, but small because i didn't want to overeat. he came back with lunch and groceries that included a cheesecake AND doughnuts!!!!! sometimes, i think i'll have to move out just so i can have control of what food comes in the house!!!!!!!! NO ONE IN THIS HOUSE SEEMS TO TAKE MY EATING DISORDER SERIOUSLY!!!!! no matter how much i try to just suck it up and deal with it, it never gets through anyone's heads. people seem to think that it's ok if i binge or something. i have no idea what they're thinking.
one of the things that is so frustrating to me is that food addiction and binge eating disorder are not taken seriously. had i told my family i had anorexia or bulemia, i know that they'd be bending over backwards to help me. but because i'm not starving myself, i guess they think it's no big deal.
i don't mean to bitch. i adore the family god has blessed me with. it's just that this is the second hardest thing i've ever had to do. (the hardest thing was turning my mom in for abusing me and moving out.) i need a lot of help with it, and it feels like it's all on my shoulders. i can't do it by myself. i need help, and i'm not getting it. i wrote in my journal that i feel like i'm an alcohalic being forced to live in a bar. please pray for me. i love you and thank you for all your love, heartfelt comments, and prayers.-fallon
But don't be too sure that if you had a different ED people would bend over backwards. They get frustrated and angry and tired of it all the same.
xx
, even though I had a therapist, it wasnt around ED specific focus.
Today, I found help through OA, and learning to accept that I can not expect the others to understand, and the higher my expectations that others, even close loved ones, should understand, the lower my serenity and peace is..
I can only change me and internalize on a gut level, that I have this thing, and that I can recover one day at a time. I find understanding with my OA sponsor and others in recovery, but in the end, I cant even rely totally on that,
I care less who understands anymore.
The most important understanding i need is that when it comes to food, I have a "powerless condtion" and as I surrender daily, I gain power over it,
When I was seeking the out side to understand, I was putting too much responsibility on onthers to meet mny needs, and validate me,
I am walking in abstinence from compulsive eating, restricting, purging and weighing myself 3-5 times in one day. I understand that I need to do this walk and with or without anyone elses validation. I lived too long in this life expecting others to validate me, I am done chasing that elusive butterfly!
As long as you know what you have and what you need, walk in that and be strong and of good courage... Merry Christmas