Losing Weight - The Addiction of Comfort Food

Submitted by: Larry Tobin

Its very name is appealing — comfort food. What could be more wonderful than a food that helps us feel better? Almost everyone can name something that they eat when they're just feeling sour or sad. Chinese take-out, chocolate cake, raspberry ice cream, banana pancakes and many others make the list.

Of course, we know that food can't be the solution to our problems, especially the problem of trying to lose weight and keep it off. So why do we find ourselves trapped in the eat/feel better/feel worse/eat some more cycle?

The Basics

The fact of the matter is that all food makes us feel good. Our bodies are still stuck in the prehistoric period where food was scarce, so we naturally desire to binge until we feel full. Our bodies encourage this by making feeling full a pleasant feeling, and being hungry as unpleasant as possible.

Human psychology takes this a bit further, because we've added our emotions into the mix. In addition to our bodies' natural tendencies to want to eat and feel satisfied, we have mental needs as well. Notice that our workday is very closely married to our eating schedule: We have all the stresses of work lasting all day long, and what do we do when we get breaks? We have lunch, or when we go home we have dinner. Thus the two main periods of the day when we feel relaxed, we eat. This creates a mental association in our head that eating feels good when we feel bad.

The Cycle

It's easy to see how this can lead to cyclic behavior. We get into a habit, day in and day out, of eating when we're just getting ready to relax. Once we've associated the two for more than thirty days or so, we do it automatically.

Then, something particularly bad happens, and we just feel awful, so we reach for a food that we know makes us feel particularly fine. This is why so many comfort foods are decadent treats; we want to make ourselves happier than usual and we want to feel like we're “treating” ourselves because we've earned it after a hard day.

Then, a few hours later, we feel guilty about the cake we binged on, and this makes us nervous and upset, and since we're programming ourselves to feel hungry when we're upset... well, we all know what comes next.

The Interrupt

The first part of breaking a bad habit is to stop the repetition of it as a reflex. Remember to use the STOP method as a verbal way of getting control of yourself. Say “stop” aloud. Take a break from the thing stressing you out. Own your outcome: Remind yourself what you're trying to achieve. Praise yourself for what you've accomplished so far.

Using index cards, write down suggestions for your break that have nothing to do with food. Perhaps a quick round of solitaire on the computer, or a brief read of a favorite chapter of a book will help. Alternatively you could put on some quiet music if it's convenient to do so.

The Substitution

Part two of healthy habit building is the substitution of good habits for bad ones. We've already interrupted the reflexive snacking that we reach for, now it's time to put something definitively in its place.

Write down some of your favorite substitutions on the same index cards that you used for break ideas. Remember how we discussed water as part of a way of controlling appetite? It can have the same benefit here. If you feel reflexively hungry for comfort food, have a nice tall glass of water in slow, steady sips over five minutes. This will give you the feeling of being full without the calories.

Consider tying each substitution you make to a certain emotion. We feel upset in specific ways, so we should have specific solutions rather than general ones. If getting shouted at unexpectedly makes you antsy, consider taking a quick walk to burn some of the energy. If something comes up that makes you feel sad, pick an activity you know makes you cheerful.

If we simply rely on general solutions, they won't feel as meaningful or helpful. Specific ones that we use in exact circumstances have the power to create more of a connection, and thus become more of a habit.

This is a necessary step because it's hard to use the method of “same time every day” to build this habit, as we don't always know when we're going to want comfort food. But the fact that familiarity builds repetition can be used to our advantage with a little creative thinking.

Get Support

Remember that we haven't gone into this effort alone. We have support groups we can talk to. If comfort eating is becoming a challenge to your efforts to lose weight, tell your support buddy about it. Ask them for help in coming up with the creative substitutions that will keep you from overeating. Ask them if they mind being a comfort-friend in addition to a support partner, and if they can come with you on impromptu excursions to relax instead of comfort eating.

About the Author: Larry Tobin is a co-creator of HabitChanger.com, offering effective and empowering solutions for losing weight. Try our 42-day weight loss program today and change your life.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=585504&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Are You a Binge Eater?

by

Joseph

Government experts, health professionals, educators and concerned citizens have been warning Americans about the danger epidemic obesity poses to our nation's long term health and economic prosperity. The issue is often discussed in terms of its impact on the adult population, but unless something is done to curtail the problem, obesity will become a societal norm within a few decades. 

In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, we're going to look at obesity's effects on children and adolescent Americans, putting special emphasis on the lasting effects socio-economic pressure on American youth will have on future weight management problems.

                                                               ****

Surveys show that adolescent obesity is on the decline, but there's a noticeably sharp contrast between children in lower income families compared to their affluent counterparts.

The results of an analysis of 36,827 children by Xiaozhong Wen of Harvard University's School of Public Health and colleagues shows that Medicaid insured children are not losing weight as successfully as children insured by other programs. Wen's team points to research which shows higher income children have greater access to healthier foods, lifestyles, home environments, as well as dietary and exercise counseling than children raised in lower income families.

This theory is supported by Cornell University researcher Gary W. Evans who analyzed 244 children (age 9 years) to establish a link between exposure to stressors in early childhood and adolescent weight gain found that children exposed to stressors e.g. poverty, family turmoil, substandard housing suffered decreased self-regulatory behavior in their teen years.

The result was that four years later (age 13) these adolescents experienced higher adiposity which put them at risk for obesity in later life.

In the early developmental years, these young people did not learn how to delay gratification, and this impairment of self-regulatory behavior - which was linked to emotional stress - led the children to overeat. It is likely to have a lasting effect, with the impulse to overindulge significantly hampered, they'll have greater difficulty refraining from overeating when exposed to stressful situations throughout life.

A Different Way of Looking at the Obesity Epidemic

The obesity epidemic may have a socioeconomic component in that people residing in high income environments may experience a turn around in obesity whereas lower income Americans will continue to gain weight placing their own lives in jeopardy while also putting strain on the nation's healthcare resources.

Puder and Munsch's assessment of psychological factors' effect on childhood obesity can be looked at in terms of familial conflict, impulsivity, deficit of emotional regulation and uncontrolled eating behavior. Two of the most striking take aways from their study was learning unhealthy eating habits early in life and that children who have difficulty keeping their emotions in check e.g. depression, anxiety, social isolation are likely to experience weight gain.

First off, children may pick up bad eating habits from their parents. When children watch their parents eating high volumes of empty calories, they are much more inclined to perceive this as approval to consume fattening foods which then makes the children susceptible to unhealthy weight gain.

An even more important, albeit often overlooked, factor is stressful home environments. For example, stress brought about by poverty can have  tremendous impact on a person's psychological health and well being.

Stress is the catalyst for production of norepinephrine, cortisol, serotonin, dopamine, and neuropeptide Y - all of which contribute to adiposity. They also point to the fact that in addition to their role in body fat regulation, these very same neurotransmitters are associated with depression.

Then, when obese children attempt to interact with other children their age, they may experience social stigma i.e. ridicule and isolation which again increases the release of stress hormones which affect the obese child's metabolism (not to mention the tendency to eat food as a coping mechanism) thereby continuing the vicious cycle of stress, overeating and obesity.

Results of a study by Columbia University researchers establish that depression in already obese children may lead to weight gain in adulthood. When you consider these facts, it becomes apparent that children maybe in for a lifetime of weight problems if depression comes to influence their eating behavior.

Stress plays a very significant role in food consumption.

When Born, Lemmons, Rutters et al studied the effect of acute stress on food choice in adult women they found that stress causes increased consumption of carbohydrates. Stress caused the release of cortisol which influenced female volunteers to eat even when they were NOT hungry.

Basically Born's investigation of normal weight adult women shows that stress alters the way the brain perceives food. 

Imagine, then, what can happen when young people whom are constantly exposed to extreme psychological stress, coupled with limited access to healthy food options, eat large amounts of fattening foods as a coping mechanism?

The Task that Lies Ahead

A ready interpretation of the facts surrounding childhood obesity in low income environments would be that the task of health care professionals, educators and caregivers is to provide young people with the tools necessary to participate in healthy lifestyles i.e. better nutrition, regular exercise, improved living arrangements, greater socioeconomic opportunities.

This becomes the responsibility of federal, state and local agencies, school districts, health care professionals, community organizations, parents and children.

Considering that obese and overweight children are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and that children and adults in the lower income bracket are often under insured or lack any form of health insurance, it becomes imperative that we as a nation tackle these underlying issues and thereby reverse the obesity trend for all Americans.

God is the embodiment of compassion. As He bestows compassion upon you, show compassion to others.

***Like us on Facebook!!!***

I'm living fit, healthy and happy_(SM). Are you?

Article Sources

Evans GW, Fuller-Rowell TE, & Doan SN (2012). Childhood cumulative risk and obesity: the mediating role of self-regulatory ability. Pediatrics, 129 (1) PMID: 22144695 

Wen X, Gillman MW, Rifas-Shiman SL, Sherry B, Kleinman K, & Taveras EM (2012). Decreasing prevalence of obesity among young children in Massachusetts from 2004 to 2008. Pediatrics, 129 (5), 823-31 PMID: 22529276 

Puder JJ, & Munsch S (2010). Psychological correlates of childhood obesity. International journal of obesity (2005), 34 Suppl 2 PMID: 21151145 

Born JM, Lemmens SG, Rutters F, Nieuwenhuizen AG, Formisano E, Goebel R, & Westerterp-Plantenga MS (2010). Acute stress and food-related reward activation in the brain during food choice during eating in the absence of hunger. International journal of obesity (2005), 34 (1), 172-81 PMID: 19844211 

Pine DS, Goldstein RB, Wolk S, & Weissman MM (2001). The association between childhood depression and adulthood body mass index. Pediatrics, 107 (5), 1049-56 PMID: 11331685

American Teens Are At Risk For Cardiovascular Disease

"Social Pressures Push American Teens Toward Obesity" copyright © 2012 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM). All Rights Reserved.

Google+

by

Joseph

Hanging around the "in crowd" isn't all that it's cracked up to be. According to new research presented by the London School of Economics and Political Science, social pressure is one of the underlying causes of anorexia in women. Such a relationship between social factors and eating disorders could provide health care professionals with a way to combat anorexia in susceptible individuals.

European social scientists used a first-of-its-kind economic analysis of anorexia, sampling approximately 3,000 women across the continent to gain clues about the driving force behind the disorder. What they learned was that peer group pressure has the greatest impact on women's self-image and sinking into the bowels of anorexia.

London School of Economics economist Dr. Joan Costa-Font, speaking at a news briefing said:"More generally it is becoming apparent that standards of physical appearance are important and powerful motivators of human behavior, especially regarding health and food. Excessive preoccupation with self-image is regarded as a contributing factor to the proliferation of food disorders especially among young women."

Costa-Font and her colleague Professor Mireia Jofre-Bonet of City University went on to say that peer shape distorts self-perception of the body and contributes to anorexia nervosa.

The scientists' report, which is due to be published in journal Economica later this year, can be regarded as a very accurate assessment of the mindset of women across Europe. Their study included 2871 women between the ages of 15 and 34.

The average body mass index (BMI) for each country is 25 - just at the "overweight" designation - but is 23 for the women in the age 15-34 group. In other words, the BMI of the women involved in the study was within normal range.  

According to the analysis, female anorexia nervosa was most prevalent in Austria (1.55 %) followed by France (1.42%) whereas the countries with the lowest percentage of anorexia were the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

Costa-Font said that public interventions to curtail anorexia were increasingly being used; such actions were aimed at regulating the fashion industry and advertisements as well as encouraging the media and social networks to shed light on the problem.

Anorexia Effects Women's Self-Esteem

Based on the findings of the study, Costa-Font and Jofre-Bonet concluded:"In light of this study, government intervention to adjust individual biases in self-image would be justified to curb or at least prevent the spread of a potential epidemic of food disorders. The distorted self-perception of women with food disorders and the importance or the peer effects may prompt governments to take action to influence role models and compensate for social pressure on women driving the trade-off between ideal weight and health."

The problem of anorexia seems to affect many women in Western societies. In February 2011 I wrote an article that addressed the tendency for many women to harbor dissatisfaction with the shape of their bodies.

Many women who develop a warped sense of self turn to starvation as a means of "fixing" the problem when in fact this only causes them to put their lives at risk. In my article I pointed out that societal pressure driven in large part by the media (and yes, us guys) contributes to the belief that extreme thinness is the epitome of beauty.

Women naturally put on more body fat than men; this fat is needed for reproduction and certain other functions. This is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact it should be celebrated as the design given to women by God, just as the physiology of men is also the design of God. Some women are naturally thin, but those who starve themselves to be thin could get far more than they bargained for.

Anorexia can throw off their menstral cycles, cause them to develop neurological disorders, electrolyte imbalances, heart disease and much more.  

In light of all the problems associated with anorexia, you should ask yourself "Is it worth it?" 

**Spread the word! Use Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon and the other social media tools located in the sidebar and the bottom of this article to tell others about this website.**

I'm living fit, healthy and happy_(SM). Are you?

Article Sources

Anorexia study backs government ban on underweight models. The London School of Economics and Political Science 

Celebrities and Pressure To Be Thin Or Heavy - Why Is It Anyone's Business? 

Anorexia nervosa fact sheet | womenshealth.gov

"The Reason Why Anorexia Is Linked To Peer Pressure" copyright © 2012. Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM). All Rights Reserved.

Google+

Portrait of Two Young Women Standing on the Beach with a Volleyball

Buy This Allposters.com

by

Joseph

Ah, summer. This is the season when many Americans trade in their heavy jeans and parkas for bikinis and swimming trunks and hit the beach for some relaxing fun in the sun. Unfortunately, among the countless sunbathers on the beaches or outdoor swimming pools are people who put their health at serious risk just to be able to fit into a sexy summer bikini.

Eating Disorders Will Make You Gain Weight In The Long Run

The National Institutes of Mental Health defines eating disorders as a state in which "a person experiences severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as extreme reduction of food intake or extreme overeating, or feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape." The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating; although the disorders are not restricted to gender, females are more likely to be diagnosed than males.

Womenshealth.gov, a website operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reports that anorexia and bulimia are often caused by cultural pressure.

It's not difficult to see the relationship between beauty and eating disorders: women are encouraged to look beautiful and thinness is the epitome of beauty. Women who take this to extremes will starve themselves in effort to become thin. A number of these women are already depressed about their body weight or body image and may skip meals or avoid certain foods altogether because they're afraid of gaining weight. The website says that many binge eaters have trouble dealing with stress; interestingly worries about body image can lead to binge eating.

These disorders can have a devastating effect on physical and mental health including:

• issues with the heart or brain
• ulcers
• hormonal imbalance
• muscular fatigue
• dehydration
• anemia
• high cholesterol
• gallbladder disease
• type 2 diabetes
• certain types of cancer
• substance abuse
• depression
• suicidal thoughts
• obsessive thoughts
• problems with physical development

Government health experts recommend that people suffering from eating disorders seek help from health care professionals, who have a variety of treatment methods.

Is There A Way To Lose Weight And Get Into Shape Without Starving?

Women don't have to starve themselves to be thin. The surest and most effective way to get into shape is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. No pill, fad diet or mystical formula can ever replace the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet (which includes protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and water) along with aerobics and resistance training have been scientifically correlated with reduced risk for obesity. In other words, good nutrition and regular exercise are good for weight loss.

It's never too late to start. Talk with your doctor about setting up a fitness and nutrition program; make a conscious decision to become healthy and stick with it. Appreciate the small successes and build upon them.

Honestly speaking, for most guys - including myself - the most attractive women are the ones who take care of themselves physically, mentally and spiritually. 

Love God.

***Like us on Facebook!!!***

I'm living fit, healthy and happy_(SM). Are you?

Article Sources

NIMH Eating Disorders. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/index.shtml

Womenshealth.gov Anorexia nervosa fact sheet. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/anorexia-nervosa.cfm

Womenshealth.gov Bulimia nervosa fact sheet. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/bulimia-nervosa.cfm

Womenshealth.gov Binge eating disorder fact sheet. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/binge-eating-disorder.cfm

"Don't Starve Yourself Just To Get Into A Bikini This Summer" copyright 2011 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM). All Rights Reserved.

Google+

Sandra Bullock

Buy This Allposters.com

by

Joseph

America is obsessed with thinness. It's seems more like a running joke when contrasted with the fact that two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. Much of this is fueled by the media which sets the standard for beauty i.e. super thin women are sexy and heavy set women are unattractive. Society also pressures women to be skinny, and heavy set people are often the target of cruel jokes and ridicule. Heavy set people are labeled as ugly, stupid, lazy, etc. No one wants to be called such names. That's why millions of women try to emulate the ultra-thin look of some runway models.

But on the other side are overweight and obese women who seem terribly hostile to any woman who is smaller than their size. And men are to blame, too. Most of us are turned off by super thin or heavy women. I admit that I'm more attracted to women who are fit and toned than to heavy set women. We all have our own definition of beauty, but when does it cross the line to something else?

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

People come in all shapes and sizes. It's dangerous to make everyone conform to a certain standard, it destroys individuality and pressures people into doing things that are altogether unsafe or impossible. Yet society has been doing just that for a very long time. Centuries ago rotund people were considered attractive because it symbolized intellect and wealth. Average weight and thin people were seen as lazy underachievers.

Over time, attitudes changed and thinness became the standard. It's interesting because physical fitness seemed to be completely ignored. Modeling agencies preferred very tall women with unhealthily low body fat. For some reason this was considered attractive in spite of the fact that women by nature require a certain percentage of body fat if they are to remain healthy. And by nature men are more attracted to women with feminine body than a women who lack curves. (Just as women are more attracted to men who are toned and muscular as opposed to heavy set or thin.)

 

The Pitfalls Of Trying to Live Up to Other People's Standards

The problem with this is that women began to starve themselves to achieve the super thin model look. Magazines featured emaciated looking women in miniskirts and bikinis surrounded by men who seemed to really want them. This was social proof that women felt the need to emulate.

The fastest way to get thin is to stop eating. Grapefruit diets, cabbage diets, water pills, laxatives, etc. are what a lot of desperate women turned to hoping that somehow it would make them as desirable and sexy as the model on the magazine cover. But that type of weight loss was unhealthy and unsustainable. For some women, it was seen as a terrible failure on their part. With their self-esteem tanked, they developed a hatred for food causing them to develop eating disorders e.g. binge and purge or total starvation.

It is a problem that continues to this day. Some of women will spend hours at the gym doing cardio hoping to burn away the fat, but neglecting to eat healthy foods. As with those who suffer from anorexia and bulimia, these women became physically and mentally sick. In their eyes they were ugly and that was all they could see.

 

But Is It Okay To Be Heavy?

The mission of this website is to encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle. From a scientific standpoint overweight and obesity are unhealthy. Too many studies point to the dangers associated with excess weight. We should strive to be as healthy as possible and that includes maintaining a healthy weight.

In my opinion, instead of defining healthy weight in terms of clothing manufacturers' labels, or the people who appear on celebrity and reality TV shows or even the body mass index (BMI), we should stick to the body-fat percentage range that the American Council on Exercise (ACES) recommends.

When you look at the ACES percentage body fat norm for men and women, it's obvious that women naturally deposit more body fat than men. That's because fat is crucial to life sustaining functions.

Having too little fat is just as unhealthy as storing too much of it. The reason why I don't like the BMI standard is that some people have more bone density than others thus they might be categorized as heavy when they're in fact in good shape. And it fails to distinguish between lean body mass and fat mass. So the body fat percentage is much more reliable in my opinion.

Women are not going to look the same. Sandra Bullock, Catherine Zeta Jones,Tyra Banks, Crystal Renn, Kelly Hu, Eva Longoria and Katy Perry all have different physiques than Xin Cao Li, Timea Majorova and Rima Fakih but none of these women is any less attractive than the others.

Depending on genetics and other factors, women of healthy weight are going to distribute fat differently which may create the impression that some are heavier or thinner than others even if they happen to be the same weight. That's something people should always keep in mind.

Why does society label people as too fat or too skinny? Shouldn't the focus be on health instead of what the media says? Aside from the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight, why is it anyone's business anyway?

Walk with God and He will surely walk with you.

***Like us on Facebook!!!***

I'm living fit, healthy and happy_(SM). Are you?

Article Source

American Council on Exercise http://www.acefitness.org/calculators/bodyfat-calculator.aspx


"Pressure To Be Thin Or Heavy - Is It Anyone's Business?" copyright 2011 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy_(SM). All Rights Reserved.

Google+

**

America's Children Are Dying To Lose Weight
By Foster W. Cline MD And Lisa Greene

Wasting away, Katie died weighing only 58 pounds. And she was
sixteen. That just doesn't seem possible to me when I look at my
seven-year-old daughter who weighs in at about 55 pounds.
Anorexia is a medical enigma. Although there is little concrete
evidence of what actually causes anorexia, most experts agree
that there are several contributing risk factors. We believe
that awareness of these risk factors can reduce the odds that
they will be triggered so we are hopeful that this information
will save lives. If you're a parent or a teacher, you need to
read on…

Word has it around town that Katie had been told by a high
school teacher that "she needed to go on a diet." So she did.
Certainly this one comment didn't cause this young lady to spin
out of control with dieting but it might have been the straw
that broke the camel's back. Negative comments about body type
and size from authority figures, teachers, coaches and parents,
can have a big impact on an adolescent child's self-esteem and
are implicated as possible triggers in studies on anorexia.
Never underestimate the power of the spoken word to heal… or
kill…

Eating disorders (bulimia and anorexia) have historically been
considered a girl problem but the pendulum is swinging. Anorexia
is being diagnosed more frequently in boys, too. Young boys are
becoming more body image conscious than in previous generations.
Case in point: my nine-year-old son has come home from school
upset on several occasions because kids have called him fat. He
is far from fat; in fact, he has cystic fibrosis so we are
grateful for any extra padding he has and work very hard to keep
his weight as high as possible. His diet is exactly the opposite
of what everyone else is eating, filled with high fat, high
calorie foods. Jacob understands the importance of complying
with his dietary requirements but it can be hard for him to go
against the norm.

With the emphasis on childhood obesity and diabetes, children
are thankfully becoming more aware of the necessity of good
nutrition and weight control. But I wonder if there is a price
to be paid by children who are predisposed to eating disorders.
With the media, parents, doctors, schools and peers emphasizing
being thin and high achieving, it will be unfortunate if the
numbers of children diagnosed with anorexia accelerates.

The difficulty lies in knowing which children are predisposed
to eating disorders. As our society addresses the obesity issue,
are we unknowingly putting some children at risk for eating
disorders? How can we address the very real, very troublesome
problems associated with the alarmingly increasing body mass
index of our young children without triggering other children's
potential for becoming anorexic?

This is a problem every parent of every child should consider.
Research shows that about 6% of young people suffer from an
eating disorder and this figure is thought to be low. The next
time you are at a school assembly, look around. There are likely
to be at least 10 kids there who have an eating disorder. One of
them may even be your own. It is thought that the "anorexic
mentality" is in place long before there is physical evidence of
the disease. Has your thirteen -year-old been on a diet lately?
Stats say that there is an 80% likelihood that she has been.
Dieting at a young age puts children at risk for anorexia.

The cause of an eating disorder in any one child is unclear
because multiple factors appear to play a role. Genetic factors,
family interaction patterns, and the individual's own character
and personality have all been implicated. But to summarize the
problem in a single sentence, it appears that the illness is a
response to coping with stress in genetically predisposed
children who are filled with denial about their feelings and
weight. There! Quick, short, concise, and anything but simple.
This single sentence has many implications for parents and
parenting. Let's take a brief look at each of these contributing
factors individually and provide parenting responses that might
be helpful in combating eating disorders.

1. The Genetic Factor in Eating Disorders

Eating disorders, like many other behavioral illnesses, appear
to run in families. Not only does the illness itself run in
families but the predisposing temperament seems to as well. The
one good thing about illnesses that run in families is the fact
that children can be prepared to recognize warning factors prior
to the onset of the problem. When children are forewarned, they
are forearmed. This forewarning is best carried out in a
heart-to-heart discussion about possible future problems. A
loving parent, relative, or counselor can initiate dialogue
before the child is an adolescent, in an informative,
non-hand-wringing and factual manner that indicates a hopeful
outlook for a healthy future.

2. Anorexia and Bulimia as a Way of Coping with Stress

Food and emotions are closely linked. Over- and under-eating
change brain chemicals that affect anxiety and depression. They
are both often unhappy and ineffective ways of coping with
stress. An authority on anorexia recently noted that a child's
inherent vulnerabilities "load the gun," and environmental
stresses "pull the trigger." So, assuming inherent
vulnerabilities like genetics are unchangeable, how can we avoid
pulling the trigger? Is it possible that we can use parenting
techniques that will reduce the odds of pulling the trigger?

We believe the answer is yes. We can easily use parenting
techniques that excel at raising children who effectively learn
to cope with stress in healthy ways. Such techniques include
guiding children to solve their own problems rather than solving
them for them, allowing children to experience the consequences
of their decisions, and responding to children's mistakes with
empathy and understanding rather than anger, frustration, and
criticism. These are great immunizations against the use of food
as a dysfunctional coping response. The experience of coping and
overcoming difficulties with good problem-solving skills leads
to the ability to confront feelings and issues in a healthy
manner, rather than displacing them with changes in food intake.
Also, the child's history of successfully coping with painful
outcomes of poor choices makes denial much less likely. And,
when a child's mistakes are met with empathy and understanding
rather than anger and frustration, a child feels supported and
understood rather than criticized, demeaned and alone.

3. Psychological Factors in Eating Disorders

Two personality factors have often been reported to be present
in eating disorders: perfectionism and high, unrealistic
expectations of self. Even when anorexic adults have achieved
success, deep down they report feeling insecure and inadequate.
There is a tendency to see things only in extremes without
shades of gray:

"I'm good or I'm bad."
"I'm pretty or I'm ugly."
"I'm successful or a complete failure."
"I'm perfect or defective."
"I'm fat or I'm thin."

Healthy parenting techniques discourage this type of thinking.
Parents: don't over-reassure your children. Over-reassurance
actually validates the child's negative thinking and may lead to
unhealthy "either/or" black-and-white thinking. Responding with,
"Gee, honey, I see it differently, but tell me how you are no
good," allows for less manipulation, more acceptance of
responsibility, and a child's far more accurate
self-examination. Using encouragement rather than praise is also
an important parenting technique to increase children's
self-awareness. Encouragement gives them experience in viewing
themselves, their responses, and their creations realistically,
rather than simply trying to please an authority figure. With
this simple tool, parents can easily help children learn how to
feel good from the inside out rather than looking for approval
and self-worth from authority figures.

4. The Role of the Family

There are a number of family factors that are thought to play a
role in eating disorders. As we look at some of these
interaction factors, it is safe to say that while healthy
parenting patterns certainly will not cause or aggravate the
problem, they may not be able to alleviate the problem either.
Loving, effective parents are known to have had children
suffering depression, suicide, and eating disorders. Also, this
discussion on parenting styles should not be used as a source of
parental guilt but instead provide motivation for change if
change is needed. Parents do the best they can, under the
circumstances they experience, to raise their children with the
love they are able to show. The problem in examining family
patterns lies with the fact that all sorts of dysfunctional
patterns have been reported. These form a long list:

- Smothering and over-protective families
- Controlling and critical parents
- A chronic feeling of being abandoned and misunderstood
- Having parents or a family that overemphasize appearance and
achievement
- Having rigid parents who don't model good conflict resolution
skills

The effect of unintentional, yet unhealthy, parental responses
cannot be ignored. Again, good parenting techniques do not
guarantee success, but at least they are unlikely to contribute
to the problem. So rather than focusing on what is speculatively
wrong, it is more effective to focus on doing what is right by
using healthy parenting skills rather than the unhealthy ones
that contribute to dysfunctional family patterns. Whether or not
an eating disorder is present, or may be present in the future,
it will never hurt for parents to show healthy responses and
good parenting techniques.

5. Societal Influences

Finally, there are possible societal factors that influence
eating disorders. Big drinks and big burgers have enticed the
population into a diabetic frenzy. While most of the population
is downright overweight, the females that populate the media
(those who model prettiness and good looks) are generally thin
to the point of appearing anorexic themselves. Talk about image
confusion! On the male side of the equation, we have the same
issue with buff men cavorting playfully with thin, pretty women.

With so much emphasis in our culture on athletic performance
and good looks, it is not too surprising that some predisposed
children take things too far. And, although on the surface it
seems reasonable enough to blame society for the
self-destructive choices of an individual, this is ultimately
self-defeating when dealing with individual situations. Blaming
society or others simply removes individual responsibility and
accountability and actually increases the likelihood of the
negative behavior.

In conclusion, when all is said and done, nobody, at this
point, can say with any certainty the exact cause of an eating
disorder in any one particular child. But we can say with
absolute certainty that all the speculation, studies, reports,
and conjecture do not implicate the healthy family interaction
patterns taught by Love and Logic. It would appear the
personality of the anorexic person is not that of children who
have grown up in a home advocating honest acceptance of personal
responsibility and where children are:

- Lovingly supported by parents who view mistakes as learning
experiences,
- Allowed to make choices and share control,
- And encouraged to cope with the stresses of life in healthy
ways.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure particularly
where eating disorders are concerned. At this time, there is no
cure for anorexia. And America's children are dying to lose
weight.

About the Author: The book "Parenting Children with Health
Issues" is by Foster W. Cline, M.D., child psychiatrist and
co-founder of Love and Logic (http://www.loveandlogic.com) and
Lisa Greene, mother of two children with cystic fibrosis. Visit
http://www.ParentingChildrenWithHealthIssues.com.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=218895&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet

Tips On Spotting Anorexia Symptoms