Eating Disorders

This chapter is both far from new while also one that's new everyday. Every morning I have the privilege of beginning another day in recovery.

My name is Adia and I am recovering from bulimia, bulimarexia, overeating, overexercising - in essence, a dysfunctional relationship with food and my weight. Here are the cliff notes and a few questions I've been asked before: Read More

As a social culture, we can't seem to find a healthy balance when it comes to weight. On one hand, we're an increasingly obese nation with all of the added weight of health complications. On the other hand, we're either heralding or demonizing celebrities for drastic shifts in body weight.

Given our perpetual fascination with and raging envy of thinness, the prevalence of eating disorders should come as no surprise. Communities have emerged in celebration of Pro-Ana or Pro-Mia lifestyles, promoting "thinsporation" and advice. But eating disorders are not fashionable and glamorous. They are not lifestyle choices or spiritual experiences. They are devastating illnesses with severe consequences. Read More

Just had a pay cut? Spurned by your lover? Can't get over the fact that the little guy won American Idol? When the initial gut-wrenching surge of anxiety subsides you may find yourself reaching for the chocolate brownies. This is because your adrenal gland unleashes cortisol - and cortisol tells your brain to get to the nearest vending machine and load up on candy.

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Chocolate. Chips. Ice-cream. French fries. In my research program at Tufts University most volunteers for our weight loss studies report substantial food cravings for foods like these. Read More

By now, you might be one of the 35 million people who've watched the youtube clip of Susan Boyle--the 47-yr-old Scot who never had a French kiss--sing "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's Got Talent. Read More

Sweet tooth. Greedy guts. Hungry eyes. Lazy bones. We blame every part of the body for making us fat, but there's one vital organ we sometimes forget to mention: the brain. It helps us plan what to get from a fast-food restaurant. It helps us decide when to step away from the ice-cream tub. But if you're obese, your brain looks different even before you start making those decisions. Read More

The eating disorders are particularly frightening and complicated forms of mental health distress. The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality has released a report identifying a sharp rise in eating disorder hospitalizations. Can psychotherapy help with these debilitating disorders? Read More

A major flaw of eating control programs is that they rely on conscious ways to manage habitual and impulsive behaviors that are relentlessly driven by unconscious motivations. They want you to think before you eat. If it were only that easy! The problem is you are almost always motivated to eat long before you think. Read More

Here we go again. Just like Sarah Palin, Meghan McCain's appearance has become a media fascination. But this time, it is not expensive makeovers and clothing causing the stir. Read More