Are you Hungry??

Have you asked yourself lately whether you are hungry or not?  Do you know how to tell if you are physically hungry?  Do you trust your own internal cues in regards to being hungry or full?  Have you given any thought as to what foods really satisfy you?

If you are a chronic dieter or working on recovery from an eating disorder/disordered eating, you may be clueless in regards to the above issues.  When dietary rules dictate our relationship with food, we become disconnected from our body's own intuition regarding food and eating.  Sometimes others attempt to restrain our food selections, like parents.  There are several studies that indicate children may become compulsive eaters in adulthood when they come from families who have outlawed certain "bad" foods in their homes.  More research supports the notion that even contemplation of restricting food and eating can drive one to become compulsive with food, thus leading to overeating.  Making all foods legal and giving yourself unconditional permission to eat is the first step towards discovering your the answer to "are you hungry?".  This will launch you into the wonderful adventure of intuitive eating (IE).  You can visit http://www.intuitiveeating.com/ to find out more about IE.

Have you changed your conversation from "I can't eat that" or "that is so fattening"  to "am I hungry?" and "what do I really want to eat?"  Let us know what your experience has been with freedom eating!

"Woman Spirit: The Root of the Hunger" by Anita Johnston, Ph.D.

Guest author Anita Johnston, Ph.D., “weighs in” on these and other poignant questions in today’s post.

“Why are so many females so dissatisfied with their bodies? Is it because there is such an emphasis on thin, angular bodies, which very few women come by naturally? If so, why has a naturally masculine shape (broad shoulders, no waist, narrow hips, flat belly) become the ideal for the female body?”

Dr. Johnston’s approach stems from her interest in female psychology and the role of women in contemporary society – shaped, in part, by her experience as a Miss Universe contestant at age 18. 

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"Woman Spirit: The Root of the Hunger"
Today, more women than ever find themselves in a struggle with their weight. Diet books and programs for weight loss are a multi-billion-dollar industry. Anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating have reached epidemic proportions. In America, millions of women struggle with anorexia and bulimia, and thousands of them die from complications resulting from these disorders. Statistics indicate that 95 percent of those diagnosed with eating disorders are female.

Our obsession with the body, continual dieting, and excessive exercise routines have become so widespread among women that they are now considered normal behavior. Bodies sculpted by plastic surgery to look like those of prepubescent boys with breasts have become the standard for the ideal female body. Since the average model or actress is thinner than 95 percent of the population, most women know the frustrations of living in a body that refuses to conform to the ideal.

It is impossible to discuss the causes for disordered eating without questioning the experience of being female in our society today. What is going on? Studies show that American women value being thin over being successful or loved and that most girls are unhappy with their bodies by age thirteen. Why are so many females so dissatisfied with their bodies? Is it because there is such an emphasis on thin, angular bodies, which very few women come by naturally?

If so, why has a naturally masculine shape (broad shoulders, no waist, narrow hips, flat belly) become the ideal for the female body? Why is it that those aspects of a woman’s body that are most closely related to her innate female power, the capacity of her belly, hips, and thighs to carry and sustain life, are diminished in our society’s version of a beautiful woman?

The answers can be found by taking a look at history from a perspective much broader than what we were taught in school. New archaeological data and research are revealing a much broader scope.  Rather than reviewing civilization in terms of centuries, researchers Merlin Stone, Marija Gimbutas, Riane Eisler, and others are looking at the process of civilization over many millennia, as far back as thirty thousand years.

A long time ago, these researchers tell us, the experience of women on this earth for thousands and thousands of years was very different than it is today. In their world, that which was female, and all it manifestations, was honored and revered. The female side of God, in the form of the Goddess, was worshipped. The spirit of the feminine was recognized as the creative life force of the earth. Its symbol was the circle, a shape that has no beginning and no end. That which was round or curved was considered beautiful: the shape of the earth, an egg, the naturally rounded, curved shape of woman’s body.

Time passed and things changed. A new way of perceiving the world came into being. The circle was removed from a position of reverence and replaced by the symbol of the line, which had a beginning and an end, a top and a bottom, a superior position and an inferior position.

Women still live in a society where what is masculine, linear, rational, and logical is considered superior to what is feminine, circular, intuitive, and emotional. Today’s woman is a round peg trying desperately to fit into a square hole in order to survive and flourish.

How does she do this? By trying to shape her body into a more angular, masculine form, one that has zero fat to round off its edges. By denying her most powerful emotions and quieting her intuitive voice. Is it any wonder that in frustration she goes on strike and decides to stop eating?  Is it any wonder that her body becomes a battleground for the war between food and fat?

This is an excerpt, published by permission from Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors & Storytelling ©1996 Anita Johnston, trade paperback edition published in 2000 by Gurze Books, P.O. Box 2238, Carlsbad, CA 92018 (800) 756-7533, www.gurze.com.

About the Author

Anita Johnston, Ph.D., is the Director of the Anorexia & Bulimia Center of Hawaii, which she co-founded in 1982, and is the Clinical Director and the Founder of the ‘Ai Pono Intensive Out-Patient Eating Disorders Programs in Honolulu. Dr. Johnston developed Hawaii’s first inpatient eating disorders treatment program at Kahi Mohala Hospital in 1986 and is an expert in treating a wide range of eating disorders from anorexia and bulimia to compulsive/binge eating and eating disorders associated with severe obesity and bariatric surgery. She is the Senior Expert Clinical Consultant to Focus Center for Eating Disorders in Tennessee.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee (EDCT).

Overcoming Fear

My wonderful uncle, Sam, passed away last year from a long battle with leukemia. Before his death, he and I had a conversation about fear. He told me that he never allowed fear to be the reason he refrained from doing anything. For instance, he was terrified of the ocean, but in order to overcome that fear, he went on long fishing trips with his wife and three sons throughout the year. Those trips were some of the most memorable and meaningful experiences he shared with his family.

He died at the age of 46, but he lived every one of those years to the fullest. Now, my challenge to you (as it was presented to me by Uncle Sam) is to identify what fears hold you back, and to boldly charge forth anyway. In the words of the poet Mary Oliver, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Now it's your turn--"weigh-in" below!

This post was contributed by Mallory Kimbrell, a severe coffee addict, nearly broke English major at Belmont University, and current intern for the EDCT.

March 17, 2010: Mindful Interaction

“A person's a person, no matter how small.” -Dr. Seuss

Have you ever considered how many interactions with strangers you experience on a daily basis? Today, try paying attention to the barista who serves you coffee, the coworker with whom you've never spoken, the person who cuts you off in traffic. Each individual with whom you come in contact during your daily routine has a story, and in the same way that their behavior can positively or negatively affect you, your existence touches the lives of others. How will you use your influence today?
 
Now it's your turn--"weigh in" below!

This post was contributed by Mallory Kimbrell, a severe coffee addict, nearly broke English major at Belmont University, and current intern for the EDCT.

Dare to NOT Compare!

Consider how many times you make comparisons in your average day.  You might compare the cost of gas at one station as opposed to the cost to fill up at another.  You might compare different colors of the same sweater to determine which one looks best with your skin shade.  Sometimes comparing products can get you a better deal for a superior item.  Comparing restaurants may help you find the best quality food for your budget.  However, when one begins comparing body weights and shapes, eating behaviors, exercise levels and the like, comparisons cease to be helpful.  In fact, such comparisons can lead to extreme dieting, excessive exercise and even full blown eating disorders.
Why do we engage in such ridiculous and frivolous actions?  When we get involved in these mental gymnastics we are admitting that we no longer trust ourselves.  We do not trust our hunger, our appetites and food preferences and most imposrtantly ... we do not trust our own minds and bodies!  Dieting takes away our ability to honor our own hunger and is driven by assuming there is something terribly wrong with our bodies that can be corrected by chasing a number on the scale.
I recently had a client reveal that her most recent binge was triggered by not allowing herself to eat the dessert that was offered at a business luncheon.  She was still a bit hungry, the dessert appealed to her, but the woman sitting next to her did not eat her dessert.  She compared herself to the woman and noted that the woman was "thinner" than she was.  In a brief moment she made several comparisons that led her to deprive herself.  By the end of the day obsessing over the dessert she really wanted set her up to binge on stale cookies that she didn't even enjoy in front of her T.V. 
As we continue to challenge ourselves and each other to change the conversations we have about dieting, body image, and self-esteem issues, let's dare each other not to compare!
Try some of these suggestions:

• Love and respect that body you have, not the body of some airbrushed model in a magazine.
• When you catch yourself making comparisons to what a friend is eating or not eating, remind yourself that each individual body has differing needs for calories, vitamins and macronutrients.  There is no effective way to compare, so why bother?
• Discover your own food preferences, hunger-satisfied signals, and cravings by giving up dieting and learning to trust yourself with food.
• Find physical activites to participate in that make your mind and body feel invigorated and alive.
• Compare yourself only to yourself and only to yourself at this time in your life.  Optimize the body you have by feeding it food that is tasty and healthful ... but not micromanaged. Compliment that with some moderate activity and you will be the best you can be!

Please share with those who follow this blog suggestions as to how you have overcome destructive comparison tendencies.

America the Beautiful

A fourteen-year-old model, size four, is told by agencies that she is obese. Another teenager refers to plastic surgery as “a girl’s best friend.” Magazine editors and advertising executives deny responsibility when it comes to promoting an unhealthy beauty standard, while elementary school girls compare themselves to images they’ve seen in the media and declare with complete conviction that they are fat and ugly.
These are some of the stories found in Darryl Roberts’ documentary America the Beautiful, an insightful look into the beauty industry and how it can affect consumers. Roberts investigates this cultural preoccupation by interviewing those who perpetuate the “beauty standard” and those who are deeply influenced by it. He attends runway shows and plastic surgery consultations. An online “beautiful people” dating service rejects him after members vote against his submitted profile and photo. He takes a random sample of cosmetic products to a lab, where unlisted toxic ingredients are identified in each of them.
Throughout the documentary is the story of Gerren Taylor, whose modeling career skyrockets at age twelve. Roberts contrasts footage of Taylor walking the runway in sultry designs with images of her playing with dolls. As the film unfolds, Taylor deals with criticism about her size and jobs begin disappearing. Eventually, in a conversation with Roberts, she says she is ugly and muses about dieting and the possibility of plastic surgery. The undeniable transformation of Taylor’s self-worth puts a face to the film's research and statistics.
Whether or not we are a part of the beauty industry, we can still be subjected to its images and messages promoting an expectation of physical perfection.  Does that affect the way you view and value yourself? Does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty, and if so, is there anything we as consumers can do to change it?

Rethinking the Cultural Beauty Standard

A few years ago, I was researching the role of women in Buddhism when I came across this photo of five bhikkhunis (Buddhist nuns) standing shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling and holding hands. Dressed in monastic orange robes and completely bald, almost nothing about them fit the mold of what is considered attractive in contemporary society, and yet they were the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. With today's media and advertising, we are bombarded on a daily basis with the idea that in order to meet the cultural beauty standard, we must maintain a certain look. When I find myself caught in that thinking pattern, I always go back to the photo of the bhikkhunis. It serves as a reminder that true beauty has nothing to do with age, hairstyle, a number on a scale or a clothing size and everything to do with being the loving, creative and wonderful person you are at this very moment.

Now it's your turn..."weigh in" below!

This post was contributed by Mallory Kimbrell, a severe coffee addict, nearly broke English major at Belmont University, and current intern for the EDCT.