Do You Know Anyone with an Eating Disorder?

Since this is Eating Disorder Awareness Week, it seemed like the right time to share a personal story about eating disorders. It starts small; first it’s just a few pounds, but you gradually begin to think that you’re not thin enough when you look in the mirror. You even start to think that you look fat despite your actual appearance. Everything becomes a calculated decision: no more French fries, sodas, sweets, or any other kind of food. Food becomes your enemy and it becomes a complete obsession. This is my eating disorder began.

I was about 5 feet 8 inches and dropped from 135 to 118 pounds. I wasn’t quite bone thin, but I was bordering on becoming too thin. I didn’t reach out for help. Everything was “fine” although I was still fat and never thin enough in my eyes.

I wish I had gotten help for several reasons. First, I wasted so many years thinking and obsessing about what I looked like. Second, I didn’t realize how unhealthy I really was. Even though I was thin, I was sure I wasn’t eating a healthy or balanced diet. Third, I didn’t truly realize my own worth or beauty. I wish that teen girls knew that there is so much more to think about than our size. Hopefully you’ll find tips from other girls like Thu’s post, Do you like your body? We also have a few videos about self image eating disorders on YouTube.

If you think one of your friends has an eating disorder, follow these steps from the National Eating Disorder Association:

Make time to talk. Set aside a time to talk privately about your concerns with your friend. Be open and honest. Make sure to pick a place without distractions.

Express your concerns. Give your friend specific examples of when you were worried about her eating or exercise behaviors. Explain that you think these instances might mean that she needs professional help.

Ask your friend to open up about how she’s feeling. She could talk to a counselor or doctor who knows about eating issues. If you feel comfortable, offer to help your friend make an appointment or go with her to her appointment.

Avoid conflict. If your friend doesn’t admit to a problem, share your feelings again and the reasons behind them. Be a supportive listener.

Don’t place shame, blame, or guilt on your friend. Do not use accusatory “you” statements such as, “You just need to eat” or “You are acting irresponsibly.” Instead, use “I” statements such as, “I’m concerned about you because you refuse to eat breakfast or lunch” or “It makes me afraid to think about what you must be going through.”

Avoid giving simple solutions. Don’t say things such as, “If you’d just stop, then everything would be fine!”

Offer your unwavering support. Remind your friend that you care and want her to be healthy and happy.

Do You Like Your Body?

February 22-28 is National Eating Disorder Awareness week.

Look at yourself and appreciate the life you’ve been given. There is beauty in everyone, and I hope you see that health is a gift. If you can make the oath to yourself to be healthy, then you will influence yourself and others around you for life.

The most important thing you can do this week is compliment your friends. Set a goal for yourself and see if you can give three compliments a day. Love yourself and your body!

7 Fat Loss Myths

So many girls get caught up with losing weight, jeopardizing their health and wellness. One of my favorite fitness trainers in St. Louis, Michael Farrington, recently shared his 7 Fat Loss Myths. Quiz yourself to see how much you know about healthy eating and losing weight!

Myth #1: Eating Late at Night Makes You Fat

The Facts: Your body doesn’t have an internal timer that causes late night eats to be stored directly as fat. Weight gain happens when you eat too much and exercise too little. You could eat too much in the morning, the afternoon, or late at night and it would all result in weight gain.

Solution: Consider how many calories you eat and burn each day, rather than the time of day you eat.

Myth #2: Snacking Promotes Weight Gain

The Facts: Eating snacks throughout the day is actually a great way to keep your metabolism up and to avoid overeating at meals. However, be prepared to pack on pounds if you snack on junk food.

Solution: When it comes to snacking it’s all about what you snack on.

Myth #3: You Can Lose Fat Without Exercise

The Facts: Exercise and healthy eating go hand-in-hand when it comes to permanent fat loss. Your body needs exercise just as it needs to be fed a diet filled with fresh produce, whole grains and lean protein.

Solution: Accept exercise as a part of your daily lifestyle.

Myth #4: Fat Free Means ‘All-You-Can-Eat’

The Facts: It’s time to erase everything the ’90s promoted about fat-free dieting. Fat-free foods are not the equivalent of flavored air. They contain plenty of calories and often lots of sugar.

Solution: Be mindful of calories when eating fat-free foods.

Myth #5: Eat as Little as Possible for Maximum Fat Loss

The Facts: Eating too little causes your metabolism to shut down and puts your body into starvation mode. You’ll be prone to store fat rather than burn it.

Solution: When it comes to fat loss, think burn rather than starve.

Myth #6: Diet Pills Work for Fat Loss

The Facts: The only thing that diet pills are capable of burning is the extra cash in your wallet. Billions of diet pills are sold every year – all to no avail.

Solution: Healthy eating and exercise can never be replaced by a pill.

Myth #7: You Should Never Eat Fast Food

The Facts: It’s all about what you order. Fried, processed and salty foods will cause weight gain – don’t order them. Lean meat, salad, vegetables and beans, on the other hand, are available at many fast food chains – order these instead.

Solution: When eating fast food, skip the fried items and stick with lean meats and salads.

Trying to lose weight is often frustrating. In a world filled with quick fixes, lasting weight loss is not something that happens overnight. Remember that it took time to gain the weight, so it will also take some time to lose it.

Permanent weight loss happens as a result of a proper exercise and diet plan.

You can find Michael at www.fitnessgenerator.com/farringtonfitness or email him to sign up for his newsletter farringtonfitness@hotmail.com.

Kate’s New Year’s Resolution

Back to my pre-wedding diet!

All of my jeans and t-shirts are too tight. Just three months after getting married and fitting perfectly into my dress, I weigh more than I’ve ever weighed in my life. Although it’s not that high of a number, I refuse to go out and buy new clothes to fit in.

I love eating and my weight could easily soar if I’m not careful. I don’t want to wake up one day and wonder how I got so big.

I just joined a gym and have started to track my progress. I’m even pairing up with a couple of girls from work to see how much we can all lose.

What are some of your resolutions for 2009? 

How to Snack Smartly

Summer seems to have lots of opportunities to eat junk food and snack often. I’m always trying to figure out what is good to eat, so I asked my friend Olivia to share her secrets.

Here are Dr. Olivia’s tips for healthy eating:

1. Take a natural multi-vitamin daily.

2. Take an added mineral such as magnesium glycinate to support bones, muscles and nervous system development.

3. Take essential fatty acids such as EPA/DHA, also known as fish oil, to support nervous system development and mental health.

4. The best thing you can do is to avoid soda! Water, juice and tea are healthy alternatives. If these sound boring to you, try vitamin water or ruit water which come in a variety of flavors and brands.

5. Do your best to eat fresh fruit and veggies at least a couple fo times every day, and try to limit anything pre-made and pre-packaged.

6. Clif protein bars are a great alternative to candy bars and they can to help satisfy your sweet tooth. If you crave salty chips, try baked whole grain pita chips with hummus or baked blue corn chips with guacamole and salsa.

7. Snack on raw nuts such as almonds and walnuts. They’re an additional way to get good fat, fiber and essential nutrients.

You can find out more about healthy eating and Dr. Olivia at www.wellnessconnection-ofallon.com

Getting in Shape for Prom: Part V

So, now that you’ve got your workout, your diet and your partner, it’s time to really push yourself. Give it everything you’ve got during your workouts. If you’re going to do devote time to it in the first place, do it right. You may feel a burn or hurt a little when you’re finished, but you will feel so much better about yourself in the long run. You’ll be healthy and happy with the way you look and feel!

Eating Well Made Easy

Here are a few ways to be healthier, and they’re simple so anyone can give them a try!

One of my friends gave me this tip: We all love chips, right? Well, instead of getting the big bags and eating the whole thing when we’re curled up on the couch, get the small bags so you’ll just stop eating when you’re done with the bag.

Try not to drink as much soda. When someone offers you a Mountain Dew, take water instead. You can even go for flavored water if plain water is too boring for you.

Go to Subway instead of McDonald’s. For a limited time, you can get a foot long sub for $5. Eat one half right away, and save the rest for later. Then you get two meals for $5, and you also spread out the calories. How awesome!

Eat slowly, and only eat until you’re full. When you eat slowly, your body has more time to catch up and let you know that you’re full. It’s a good habit to get yourself into.

Cut back on snacks, and switch to healthy options. Instead of having four cookies, for example, try going down to just three. Also, instead of going to the vending machine for a snack every day, bring fruit from home. You’ll also save money this way.

Surround yourself with healthy options instead of junk food. My dad always buys grapes and puts them in a bowl in the fridge. I always open the fridge and pantry, even if I’m not hungry, so it’s good to have something healthy to grab.

Getting in Shape for Prom: Part III

So after working with my trainer for a couple weeks I have come to realize how much he has helped me lose weight. So my next suggestion would be to get some help with your workout.

You don’t necessarily need to pay for an expensive trainer, just find someone who knows about exercising like a family member or a gym teacher. Ask them for a few tips and maybe even a full work out for you to do.

Also, bring a friend along to make sure you work hard. Once you have this routing along with someone to help you, your workout will be so much better.

Break it Down.

I have a good friend who is a pilates instructor in New York City. I asked her what she thinks you need to do to stay fit. She’s run two marathons and other races, so, here’s what Nel told me:

1. Think positively. Every time you want to put yourself down, replace that negativity with a positive thought.

2. Schedule time to exercise. Do your favorite activity 4 to 5 days a week for at least 20 minutes.

3. Exercise with friends. It’s always a great motivator.

4. Forgive yourself if you miss a day. Guilt never helps.

5. Remember that exercise is a way to express yourself. If you do it just to lose weight, you won’t want to do it and it will become a burden.

6. DRINK WATER!

Getting in Shape for Prom: Part II

So now that I’ve been on this diet and working out for a couple weeks, I have actually seen results. I’ve lost seven pounds in less than three weeks and I feel great.

This experience has taught me to stick with my program. At first, it sounded so easy to do what my trainer said. But once I got started, I won’t lie, it was really hard.

If you want to get in shape, you’re really going to have to stick with your plan. It’s not easy, but once you start seeing results, all your hard work and effort is totally worth it. Now that I know what I’m doing is working, it’s a little easier to watch what I eat and workout. Just keep your eye on the prize, and it will all be worth it.

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