Body Affirmation

I really liked the below so called Body affirmation by Kay Sheppard:

My body is a good place to live. I am glad that I have chosen this particular body because it is right for me. It is the right size and shape and color. It serves me well. My body is a miracle. I choose the healing thoughts that create and maintain my healthy body and make me feel good. I love and appreciate my body.

Habits of slim non-ED people

We all know the expression "we are what we think we are". Thin people have a relaxed relationship with food. Overweight people however tend to be preoccupied by it. They focus on how much or how often they eat, or attach labels like good and bad to certain foods. As a result, mealtime is always on the brain. So how become a person that's got no food-issues? The text below is trying to respond to that. It's taken from an article on the site Prevention.com -however they're using the expression "skinny", that I don't like...

1 Choose Satisfaction Over Stuffed

On a fullness scale of 1 to 10, skinny women stop eating at a level of 6 or 7. The rest of us may keep going to an 8 or 10. Why? It may be because you mistakenly equate the sensation of fullness with satisfaction and feel deprived if you stop short. Or you may just be used to finishing what's in front of you, regardless of whether you really need it. To increase your awareness of how satisfied you feel during a meal - about halfway through your next meal, put your fork regularely and, using the 1 to 10 scale, rate your level of fullness.

2 Realize Hunger Isn't An Emergency

Most of us who struggle with extra pounds tend to view hunger as a condition that needs to be cured--and fast. If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat to avoid it. Thin people tolerate it because they know hunger pangs always come and go, buying them some time. So Pick a busy day to purposely delay lunch by an hour or two. Or try skipping an afternoon snack one day. You'll see that you can still function just fine. Then next time you feel those grumbles, you'll hold off before making a beeline for the fridge.

3 Don't Use Food To Cure The Blues

It's not that skinny women are immune to emotional eating. But they tend to recognize when they're doing it and stop. Add the word 'Halt' to your vocabulary. More than just a command (as in stop eating that entire sleeve of cookies), it's an acronym that stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. If you're truly hungry, eat a balanced snack to tide you over until your next meal. But if you're angry, lonely, or tired, seek an alternative calorie-free solution to your emotional need.

4 Eat More Fruit & Veggies

Skinny women, on average, have one more serving of fruit and eat more fiber and less fat per day than overweight people, reports a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

5 Create "habit food"

Studies have shown that too many tastes and textures encourage you to overeat. Thin people have what I call a food groove--the majority of their meals consist of well-planned staples. There are a few surprises thrown in, but for the most part, their diets are fairly predictable.

6. Eat breakfast!
78% of successful dieters do it every day, according to the National Weight Control Registry, A database of more than 5,000 people who've lost more than 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year.

7 Move

On average, skinny women are on their feet an extra 2 1/2 hours per day--which can help burn off 33 pounds a year, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

8 Sleep Well

Skinny women snooze 2 more hours per week, compared with overweight people, says a study from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Researchers theorize that a lack of shut-eye is linked to lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones like leptin and higher levels of the appetite-boosting hormone ghrelin.

I'm so ashamed! + Your body is a gift

I know that living with an ED makes it a lit more difficult to appreciate life but, really when you think about it: life is a gift! Also, even more important if you're reading this you are most probably amongst the "materially lucky" members of this planet. That is you and your family have a shelter and food on your table. You're lucky! I feel constantly guilty about this whole ED stuff. I mean, starvation, child molester, prostitution, rage-deeds and wars are for real. Yes we read about it daily but it seams surreal .... we can't even imagine what that's all about. And that's the daily life for the majority of the people on this earth. And what's my problem. Try to explain it to a child-soldier in Somalia or a kid living in the sewer systems in Mongolia. "Well ... hum... I've been through different stages of eating disorders since I was 13 years old. Believe me it's really a pain, it's like living in a self-inflicted torture chamber. You see it's actually a real big problem in our society"

What the #@&`¤£$%#$!!! It's just CRAZY!!

I'm not religious (as you might understand from my rough language above;-) ), but I do think that the bible contains several laws of conduction that, if respected by all, would decrease a lot of suffering. In the 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV) it's written:

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Where I am today

Feelings: I'm ashamed of my body with it's ugly fat, bloated stomach and it's ungracefullness. However I like my morphology.
Body connection: I feel alienated by my body. I avoid looking at my body or touch myself, nor do I like the idea of someone else touching me.
Self care: I don't want to be in contact with my body so I don't take care of it. I guess I neglect myself and since a couple of years I've stopped dress up to be pretty. I can't anyway as I don't fit into my clothes.
Food choices: I no longer feel that I'm completely out of control of my choices but my food choices are not related to physical feelings but based on my emotional states and what I think is good or bad.
Eating behaviour: I eat fast without chewing and without being connected to the food.
Shape: I do sports inregularely, like 2 times a week in average feel out of shape, week, stiff and got a bad posture.
Responsibility: I "start all over again" twice a month with the obligatory last-supper period before.
Health: I often have stomach aches, my muscles are often sore and I sleep bad or too little and often feel tired and out of energy. I'm rarely sick though.
Time spent: In average 1h30 a day to plan to break free.
Money spent: In average I spend 5 euros a day = 150 euros a month to dieting and binging.
Weight: 62.3 kilos.
Fat %: 22.7
Water %: 53.6

Eating to numb feelings

Christmas is over. It went quity well. High above my expectations at least. I guess that I should be proud. Here´s a little something from Kay Sheppard's site about food-addiction.

"A food-addiction is characterized by obsession with food, obsession with weight and loss of control over the amount of food eaten. It involves the compulsive pursuit of a mood change by engaging repeatedly in episodes of binge eating despite adverse consequences. When we eat to soothe feelings, that is compulsive eating. The irony here is that we eat to feel better; that which makes us feel worse. Eating because of uncomfortable feelings never worked. It only numbed us for a while but never resolved the feelings. Those could be ignored for a while as we ate out of control, but they never went away. That, of course, increased the amount and frequency of food necessary to dull the pain. This is an example of progression -- food addiction is a progressive disease. "

Tapping - Release the NEED to lose weight

The Pyramid of Mastery - positiv effect of a transforming yor body on other life areas

After finding that all BFL testimonies had experienced positive effect on other areas of their life I found that the self-help guru Tony Robbins could put words to this phenomena by using what he calls the "Pyramid of Mastery"
7 Areas of Constant Growth for an Extraordinary Life

..."An extraordinary life comes from an unrelenting commitment to constant and never-ending improvement in all seven areas of your life. While all seven areas are important, there is a hierarchy that helps create peak performance and fulfillment. For example, if you don’t focus on health and your body, all the money, career success and contribution in the world will be worthless. You can’t experience an extraordinary quality of life without the vehicle that’s helping create it. Or if you spend time trying to solve your relationship issues and haven’t yet focused on your emotions, you’ll no doubt encounter problems. Similarly, you must determine how you focus and spend your time in order to create a successful career."

Finding a balance

Why is the "all or nothing" thinking so prominent when it comes to food? Because unlike other addictions, you can't avoid your "drug" as food is necessary for survival. Having broken one of your food rules the perfectionists "black and white" thinking takes over and the vicious cycle continues. Also, when consuming ice cream, pizzas, cookies and other calorie dense food often - it's no longer a treat and I wont appreciate it as much and so I'll eat more of it.

I know I don't want to live without treats but I don't want to "live for it" either. So what I'll do is to develop a healthier relationship with my food - a relationship based on meeting my nutritional needs, respecting my body and occasionally savouring treats.

Begin with the end in mind

I've just accomplished my Body for life challenge! It's been 12 exciting weeks that has literally transformed my body and life. On the physical level I'm today full of energy and I'm proud of my body! I'm slim, flexible and strong and today eating is really simple: I just eat when I'm hungry, I only put food in my body that I love and respect, I savour every mouthful and I stop eating when I'm satisfied. As I love my body I take care of it exercise and healthy eating are now a part of my lifestyle and as natural as brushing my teeth before I go to bed!

But what's even more amazing is that the BFL challenge has had an affect on so many other areas of my life. I gained back the self-respect and self-esteem that I had lost. By loving myself I'm a much more seccure, generous and positiv and I've become a better parter, friend and cooworker. I feel like I have gained the life of my dreams and I hear from others that I'm a source of inspiration as well. I know now that I'm in charge of my life and I'm thankful for every new day that I'm the capten of my destiny!

Self - discipline - we all need it to suceed

Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of your emotional state. This is also closely linked to your self-esteem. To build self-discipline the personal development blogger Steve Pavlina uses the below steps.

Identify an area where your discipline is weakest, acknowledge your starting point, and design a training program for yourself to improve in this area. Willpower is your ability to set a course of action and say, “Engage!” This includes the following steps:

1 Choose your objective 2 Create a plan of attack 3 Execute the plan

Your life will reach a whole new level when you stop avoiding hard work and simply surrender to it. If you want to get heathy it’s time to accept that the path to your goal requires disciplined diet and exercise (both hard work).
Self-discipline also requires that you develop the capacity to put in the time where it’s needed. In life there are many tasks that aren’t necessarily difficult, but if you don’t discipline yourself to get these done, they can make a big mess of your life. Finally when you work on any big goal you won't always feel motivated but by being persistent you'll keep taking action and therefore you keep accumulating results.

The Body for life challenge

Inspiration from people taking on the BFL challenge

"The Body-for-LIFE Challenge has changed everything for me. I realize now that being overweight was a way for me to hide from life. Not anymore! I now have a level of energy, self-confidence and personal power that I can achieve any goal I set for myself."

"My BFL journey has taught me so much about myself. I am not weak, but strong. I have the ability to accomplish anything I put my heart and mind to. Not only has my body and confidence level changed, but my life overall is amazing now. I’m a pleasant, more giving wife, a fun and energetic mom, and a supportive nurturing friend"

"People tell me how much I have changed. I tell them BFL has not CHANGED me. Rather, it has helped me to find me again—the thin, healthy, happy me that was hiding under a layer of grief, pain, loss, guilt and fat."

"This has been a life-changing experience, affecting me not only physically, but just as much, emotionally and spiritually. I feel empowered, like anything is possible if I really want it! I am a better wife, mother and friend. I can’t seem to quit smiling, because I feel so good, inside and out. I am full of energy and am enjoying my husband and kids more than ever. I was an average, middle-aged, wife and mother, who, by taking the Body-for-LIFE Challenge, has indeed CHANGED FOR LIFE! I sincerely thank you for this new life!!"

Strive for consistency, not perfection

You can be sure there will be the occasional meal or snack that’s not on the recommended food list. When you get off track in this way, don’t allow it to slow you down. Enjoy the divergence, recommit to your goal, and get back on track with your next meal.

Walk the talk

A lot of self-help litterature suggests that high self-esteem comes from BEEING the DOING. It seems like goals setting and successfully reaching your goals is a crucial step in developing self-esteem. You must ACT!

If you assume responsibility for your life and if you put in time and effort necesary you will gain self-respect. You will so like yourself better and in that way others will like you more as well.

Just finished my fast

Since last time I actually DID something drastical. I highlight the word "did" as I beleive that "winner do what loosers don't want to do". Like get your self together ;-) Of course this is a way to simplify the complex behavior of someone suffering from an eating disorder but anyway, it's good to keep in mind.

So I did a fast. A so called master cleanse. The aim of this was to let my poor digestive system rest, to get new eating patterns, to appreciate the act of eating and to clean out my body from toxics (detoxes must by the way be one of the most popular diet fads today).

And yes, I know that it's a short time solution to a long time problem and that the loss is not only toxics and fats but also a lot of water and also some muscles, but a desperately needed to feel lighter and better in my body.

My body is a cage

According to The Arcade Fire this song isn't about shame about you body but I choose to interpret it this way. It's a great song and a great group to see live by the way

Affirmations - Change Your Mind

As I'm not at all a fan of Celine Dion so I can't see this video using the sound but the message is really good. I had enough! I know I've said this so many times before but this time it's for real. I'm fead up with feeding myself. I had it!

Do you have an eating disorder? Well... yes I do

This questioner is from the site eatingdisorderfoundation.org.

If you have answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you may have an eating disorder.

1. Do you overeat until you feel sick?
2. Do you feel guilt and remorse when you eat?
3. Are you terrified of being overweight?
4. Does it feel as though food controls your life?
5. Do you isolate so that you can eat?
6. Do you have a history of dieting?
7. Do you avoid eating when you're hungry?
8. Do you weigh yourself at least once a day?
9. Do you eat large amounts of food in a brief amount of time?
10. Do other people say you're thin but you think you're fat?
11. Do you make yourself vomit?
12. Do you regularly take laxatives or diuretics to lose weight?
13. Do you exercise no matter how tired or sick you may feel and feel upset when you miss a day?
14. Do you go to the gym or exercise more than once a day?
15. Do you take longer than other people to eat a meal or do you usually finish before everyone else?
16. Are you preoccupied with food or your body size much of the day most days?
17. Do you hide foods?
18. Do you cook for others but never eat what you've made?
19. Do you resist foods when in public but eat them when you're alone?
20. Do you eat or refuse to eat when tense, anxious, or disappointed?
21. Do you feel exhilarated or "in control" when you don't eat?
22. Have you taken drugs to curb your appetite?
23. Do you exercise instead of eating?
24. Do you count calories or fat grams?
25. Do you make unfulfilled promises to yourself about what you will or will not eat?
26. Do you feel defeated or hopeless about food or your body size?
27. Have you kept any of these issues secret?

Sleep loss, increased appetite and obesity

I've been indulging in compulsive and uncontrolled eating for 3 hours now. Ice cream, chocolate pralines, candy, fudge and more ice cream. This frightens me as I've been experiencing amelioration's recently in this area and all actions reinforces that particular behavior....

I also had 3 days of binging last week. After trying to analyse what could be behind this behavior I found the answer being lack of sleep. After googling this issue I found that several researchers have since 2004 tried to prove the connection between sleep deprivation and increased appetite. The first article in this kind was publicated at the University of Chicago showing that sleeping too few hours will have an effect on your hormones. This will cause an increase in appetite and a preference for calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods. And in my case, having an appetite for such food is forbidden, and if I eat something that's calorie dense and still feel hungry afterword I will most likely choose to have a binge. I'm using the word "choose" as I should feel responsible for my actions, but whenever this happens, I really don't feel like it's a choice.

On my bedside table lays my body for life

When Bill Phillip - the publisher of a bodybuilding magazine - found out that a majority of his enthusiastic readers were completelly out of shape he realized that something was wrong in his methodes. He decides to motivate his readers to do a 12 week body transformation - The body for life Challenge.

I beleive that it's the real life stories that are what makes this book so special. With "before-and-after" shots and success stories you can not avoid wanting to act. wanting to change. These real life cases all seems to have experienced tremendous uplifts in their life in other areas outside their physical body. l did try this cardio methodes for 2 weeks with enourmosly positiv results in my mental and physical health. However, then my brand nex PT came along saying that I shouldn't do so as I've got weak knees and that the cardio - program put to much pressure on them...

However, I still loved the book, hoping that I'll be able to do it one day.

Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillip

You can alos check out Bill's homepage: http://bodyforlife.com/index.asp

ED's helping you go through emotional conflicts

Text from http://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/

Eating Disorders are not just about food and weight. They are an attempt to use food intake and weight control to manage emotional conflicts that actually have little or nothing to do with food or weight. Eating disorders do not occur in an otherwise satisfied, productive, and emotionally healthy person. People with eating disorders are struggling with a number of emotional problems. This may be a hard concept to accept. Many people with eating disorders appear to be functioning at a high level, such as enjoying success with school or work. Often, the only problem appears to be with eating. However, healthier eating habits or stronger willpower are not the missing ingredients that will make the problem disappear.


AN EATING DISORDER IS AN EXTERNAL SOLUTION TO INNER TURMOIL.


Psychological Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders:
Low self-esteem
Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness

Interpersonal Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:
Troubled family and personal relationships
Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
History of physical or sexual abuse
Social Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:
Cultural pressures that glorify "thinness" and place value on obtaining the "perfect body"
Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths

Other Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders:
Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be imbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation. Eating disorders are complex conditions that can arise from a variety of potential causes. Once started, however, they can create a self-perpetuating cycle of physical and emotional destruction.