Eating Disorders and How to Fight Back

I have a lot of people write to me and ask about specific topics, nonetheless, this one really caught my eye as well as my attention...Why? Probably because I know people that have suffered from this disorder. It is not at all something easy to to get through quickly. There cannot be a time limit put on the healing process, nor can anyone anticipate the outcome and for some, it is a lifetime of struggle. 

You read about such disorders on a daily basis, and although you may not be a victim of food cravings and binge eating, there may be others very close to you that do suffer from this form of an eating disorder. There is very little that distinguishes compulsive overeating from other forms of substance abuse, and from addictive behavior in general. As with substance abuse and generally addictive behavior, stress, boredom, disappointment, anxiety, loneliness, insecurity, depression, and other negative emotional states all crave relief in some way. 

Beyond drugs and alcohol, one of the other ways many people have found to assuage those ill feeling and find the relief they crave is through the comfort of certain foods, or even simply through the comfort provided by very the act of eating. We all say that we are so hungry that we could eat the house...but there are those who eat, and eat, and eat without even realizing it.

 Eating disorders are not just about food. That much has been clear for decades, but researchers are still working to untangle the complex psychological, cultural and physiological roots of afflictions such as binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia. Now a growing body of work is finding that disordered eating is connected to attention deficits and poor self-awareness.

So, what are binge eating disorders exactly?

 People with binge eating disorder often eat an unusually large amount of food and feel out of control during the binges. Unlike bulimia or anorexia, binge eaters do not throw up their food, exercise a lot, or eat only small amounts of only certain foods. Because of this, binge eaters are often overweight or obese. People with binge eating disorder also may:

• Eat more quickly than usual during binge episodes
• Eat until they are uncomfortably full
• Eat when they are not hungry
• Eat alone because of embarrassment
• Feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating

About 2 percent of all adults in the United States (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder affects women slightly more often than men.

Usually, giving in to the craving results in the person feeling worse, not better, heaping guilt and shame atop whatever negative feelings they were already experiencing to begin with.

As with all forms of addictive behavior, there may often be a “trigger”, or an event that provokes the craving. This can be a television commercial, an impending part of a person’s daily routine (ie. work or school), an argument, a particular memory, the presence of a particular person, etc. Any of these can lead to a person craving certain foods (or food in general) when their body is not actually hungry.

Listen to your cravings closely, and not only because, in part, many times those cravings will be displaced desires for some form of mental or emotional fulfillment. Listen to them also in part because every once in a while, a craving is an honest-to-goodness cue from your body that a particular nutrient is lacking at that moment and sorely needed. When you have a craving that you may consider absurd (in other words, for something other than fats and sugars), consider that your body may be telling you that it needs some nutrient which that food contains. 

What do they say causes this disorder...binge eating? Well, researchers are unsure of the causes and nature of binge eating and other eating disorders. Eating disorders likely involve abnormal activity in several different areas of the brain. Researchers are looking at the following factors that may affect binge eating:

• Depression.  As many as half of all people with binge eating disorder are depressed or have been depressed in the past. 
• Dieting.  Some people binge after skipping meals, not eating enough food each day, or avoiding certain kinds of food.
• Coping skills.  Studies suggest that people with binge eating may have trouble handling some of their emotions. Many people who are binge eaters say that being angry, sad, bored, worried, or stressed can cause them to binge eat.
• Biology.  Researchers are looking into how brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body uses calories) affect binge eating disorder. Research also suggests that genes may be involved in binge eating, since the disorder often occurs in several members of the same family. Neuroimaging, or pictures of the brain, may also lead to a better understanding of binge eating disorder. 

It's time to fight back.Your body is your home, love it and protect it for it is the only home you'll ever have, so do take care of it please...seek the advise of a professional in the medical field. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

www.SimplyDeliciousLingerie.com

The Gluten Free Diet "Need-to-Know's"

Age is just a number when it comes to your health and having to change your ways...this includes your eating habits and your diet. A few years ago if you asked me what it meant to have to eat gluten-free I would not know how to respond to that. I've learned more in the past few years after learning that my nephew had been sick and that the gluten free diet was what would help him. I researched to learn more about it and then I watched my brother and sister-in-law change so many of their own habits for this adorable little boy. He is so smart and so sports orientated just like his two other brothers. To look at him you'd never know that he had to live his life a little bit differently and to see their family as a whole, you would see that it doesn't even bother them. When you go to their house their pantry is full of gluten free products as is the baking cupboards. Even ordering a pizza is different as not all pizza shops make gluten free pizzas. This little guy had to learn how to change his eating habits and now, you'd never know it. He is healthier and happy! So what causes someone to need to drastically change their eating habits like this?

 What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a genetic disorder that affects at least 1 in 133  Americans. Symptoms of celiac disease can range from the classic features, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent  symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no gastrointestinal symptoms.

The disease mostly affects people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it also affects Hispanic, Black and Asian populations as well. Because of the broad range of symptoms celiac disease presents, it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range from mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive weight loss. If a person with the disorder continues to eat gluten, studies have shown that he or she will increase their chances of gastrointestinal cancer by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population. Further, gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma  develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease. It is therefore imperative that the disease is quickly and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon as possible.

What does it mean to gluten free and who should eat gluten free? Probably everyone if that meant trading highly processed foods for fresh food made from healthful raw ingredients! Seriously, it’s tempting to think that a gluten-free diet will instantly result in weight loss and great health. However, the reason that many people find that their health improves dramatically if they scrupulously avoid wheat for a week or two is simple: they are, ipso facto, side-stepping highly processed junk foods, and probably losing a few pounds in the process. Of course, the same result would apply for someone who actually did have a wheat-related health issue.

The truth is that gluten occurs ONLY in wheat, barley and rye. Everything else — all veggies, fruits, olives and olive oil, nuts, beans, lentils, rice, corn, traditional dairy products (milk, yogurt and cheese), eggs, poultry, fish, meat, wine and even chocolate — is naturally gluten-free. (Oats are too, but are very subject to cross-contact with wheat during processing on shared equipment. Certified gluten-free oats are available; they just cost more.)

 Is gluten bad for you? The short answer is NO, but as is the case with food in our culture, the short answer is incomplete. Individuals with celiac disease have no choice but to eat a gluten-free diet.

If you are looking for new gluten free recipes, please go to my Pinterest board and follow my Gluten Free Yummies board for delicious recipes from ice cream to main dishes. You can also find me via my www.SimplyDeliciousLingerie.com website homepage. In the middle of the homepage you'll see buttons to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Linkedin. This will take you directly to my page where you'll find recipes daily that I post from friends, and other sites regarding the gluten free diet.

Dieting and the Struggles of Weight Loss...

Day in and day out both men and women struggle with their food intake and watching what they eat... Does it seem like you're constantly on a diet? If so, you're not alone! You may be quite surprised at how many people feel the same way. These weight loss tips for the frequent dieter may be what you've needed to finally make the dieting roller coaster stop so you can get off. Life is meant to enjoy it...not worry on a constant basis as to if you gained a few pounds here or there.

You may have had some success at losing weight, only to gain it back later... Let's face it, it gets discouraging when you hear that most dieters will regain the weight they've lost within three to five years, and some people gain it back even sooner than that. With those kinds of odds against you, you may wonder why you even bother? The reasons you keep trying to lose weight may vary. You know you need to lose weight to improve your overall health or reduce symptoms of disease. You can't fit into your clothes or you have a reunion to attend. This may sound totally off the wall to some of you but for me; mine was always that if I was going on an all inclusive trip and if I paid that much for the trip, I was damn well going to eat that much worth of food...yup, I was determined to get my monies worth. Crazy...yes, but I lost 10 lbs each time I traveled to consume the amount of food that I knew I would in a matter of 5-10 days. 

Those fad diets work for a quick fix, but what I learned long term was that in the future, my body would eventually gain more weight doing this and that as I aged it was now getting more and more difficult to take it off so quickly. For many of you, there could be any number of other reasons why you gain weight after losing it. Regardless of why you want to slim down or how many times you've dieted in the past, if you want to succeed at losing weight once and for all, you may be better served by following the example of those who've achieved their goal and kept the weight off.

Effective weight loss tactics for those who've succeeded include these techniques:

1. Look at weight loss as a life change rather than the means to a particular end. You're not merely losing weight; you're making a commitment to change your eating and exercise habits so your health and life can improve. In the long run, you will feel so much better about life and yourself!

2. Learn all you can about food, the nutrients needed by the human body, and how to provide your body with the fuel it needs, rather than overfilling it with foods that will make it sluggish and unhealthy. This is probably the most important factor. TO lose weight you have to know both your body as well as the foods you are putting into it in order for it to be effective!

3. Learn to work through frustrations, loss, and stress without turning to food. JUST SAY NO! In many cases, those successful former constant dieters have turned to exercise as a means to release the stresses that often cause people to resort to their old eating habits.

4. Recognize when your body is truly hungry. Discover how to recognize your body's signals to stop eating when you've had enough, rather than continuing to eat until you're stuffed.

5. Focus on your health and fitness, instead of dieting to look good. Instead of dieting for a short term goal - getting into a bikini or looking great for a class reunion - be more concerned about how the foods you eat affect your health.

6. Learn to recognize proper portion sizes. Eating correct portion sizes will allow you to eat only the amount of food your body needs. No one needs a mountain of food in front of them. We aren't bears, and we're not hibernating all winter, so don't stuff your face like you are!

7. Acknowledge only temporary failure when you blow it. Hey listen,no one is perfect, so we cheat sometimes,..it happens. Rather than giving up when you've eaten too much, decide to start again the next day and work harder at controlling your appetite with the right foods, not all the wrong ones.

8. Seek and allow support from others. Getting a mentor who's a weight loss success, joining a support group, or including a friend to hold you to your goals will help spur you on to success. hey, everyone needs a little encouragement or inspiration! These weight loss tips for constant dieters are given with the hopes that you can finally find the ideas that will allow you to break the dieting cycle. You don't have to be one of the many dieters who've failed. You can learn how to make changes in your eating habits to make the weight leave for good. Take your time, learn what your body needs, and then provide the nutrients and exercise to become healthy and happy. Surround yourself with healthy fruits and veggies! 

www.simplydeliciouslingerie.com