Psychology Today Food and Diet Center
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Play cards, beat anorexia?
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Of course not, but researchers at Stanford University are making progress with anorexia patients by having them perform tasks, including a card game, that have nothing to do with food, weight or body image.And that's the point. These are neutral topics, says Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. For any of us, it is much more feasible to change our thinking about non-emotion-laden topics. And then, perhaps, our behavior.As an example of how the direct approach backfires, Fitzpatrick cites the avocado. She tells the patient all about the nutritional benefits of the avocado. How they have more nutritive potassium than any other f...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 9, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sheila Himmel Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Neuroscience Parenting Therapy academic psychiatry anorexia avocado beta carotene Body image bulimia nervosa card game card sort cognition different color emotional content estrogens fitzpatrick fo Source Type: consumer
Men & Binge Eating Disorder
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Did you ever wonder if your tendency to mindlessly overeat was just annoying or an actual problem? If so, don't feel bad. In our culture, it is sometimes difficult to determine. You often look to your weight as a diagnostic tool to say whether you are unhealthy or healthy. But, as a guest on Dr. Oz's TV show learned, your weight is only one piece of the puzzle. A doctor can help you look a little closer to what is going on inside your body.
"Rocco" was a guest on the Dr. Oz show last week (See the video clip). This 53 year old man took a 28 day challenge that transformed him from a meat eating cowboy to a ve...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 9, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet acid reflux age group arteries binge eating disorder blood sugar cheerful man diagnostic tool dr oz dr roizen Dr. Oz Dr. Susan Albers eating disorders frie grandchildren guru mindful eating percentile piece of the Source Type: consumer
Mom Flies Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
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Several weeks ago my mother, in her eighth or ninth year of Alzheimer’s Disease, and 63rd year of marriage, began wielding knives and trying to stab people, verbally threatening to kill my father, throwing dangerous glass objects and screaming bloody murder at her own image in the mirror—“I DON’T WANT YOU HERE, GET OUT!!!” My brother and I finally intervened and had her temporarily hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, hoping we could buy more time for her at home through stabilizing her on the right meds, and getting Dad more help.<!--break--> We chose a modern, upscale hospital in a New Jer...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 7, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Eliezer Sobel Tags: Aging Anxiety Cognition Depression Diet Happiness Health Memory Neuroscience Personality Psychiatry Resilience Stress admittance ativan bruises catheter geriatric psychiatrist glass objects health care system heat o Source Type: consumer
Bumps in the road to recovery
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I've been busy today, Tuesday, but every now and then thinking back over Saturday evening, and being overcome with strange waves of anger.My father and his girlfriend had come to visit, and in the evening a friend and her boyfriend (who'd just come back from a business trip) joined us. They'd said they'd come at six, but by seven we'd gone to the nearby pub to pass the time, and it was half-past by the time they arrived, with sausages and chocolate soufflés for dinner. We had another drink with them, and then came back to start cooking. My boyfriend did everything, while we sat and had wine. She said she had a headache, b...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 3, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Emily Troscianko Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Personality Relationships Resilience Self-Help Social Life Stress absence ample breasts anger anorexia black dress business trip chocolate echoes existence fingers girlfriend Source Type: consumer
An Apple a Day Keeps the Grumbles Away
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"I hardly ever feel full," is a common statement made by people who struggle with overeating. Unfortunately, satiety cues (the sensation of feeling hungry and full) can become warped by years of yo-yo dieting. Gigantic portion sizes, like the kind you find at restaurants, don't help either. Too often we turn to external cues to let us know when to stop eating (ex. you finished your entire plate or everyone gets up from the table) rather than internal cues (stomach feeling satisfied).
Can an apple help you relearn satiety cues and eat more mindfully? It can be a step in the right direc...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 3, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet apple help apple juice apple sauce best bet dieting dieting tips Dr. Susan Albers Eating Mindfully energy dense foods external cues internal cues low energy mindful eating mouth pucker nutshell overeating portion siz Source Type: consumer
Are You a Sneak Eater?
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Are you someone who stashes food in hidden nooks around the house so you can eat in peace? Do you hoard cookies, cakes, chips, and other yummy stuff so you can eat in privacy away from prying eyes? Are you a closet eater?
I was.
At around age twelve I learned to eat in the closet, literally. I adored sweets. Before school I'd fake like I'd eaten a bowl of cereal by putting a few flakes and a dash of milk in the bowl and deposit it in the sink. Then I'd get into my father's Tupperware (tm) cookie container and take 10 Oreos up to my bedroom and savor them privately, in my walk-in closet...with guilt. I was 5'2" 105 pounds. ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - November 1, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Harrow Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Health Self-Help anorexia bedroom doors Body image box of chocolates bulimia cereal Childhood Eating Problems closet eater comfort eating companionship confidential conversations cream cheese ding dong Source Type: consumer
Forbidden fruit: How restricting your kids can make things worse
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Got kids? Live near kids? Used to be one?
If you answered yes to any of those questions it will not have escaped your notice that today is Halloween. In England that just means don a green wig, a fake boil and a witch's hat, and go to the pub for your normal Saturday night pint. In America it means: all hell breaks loose.
And kids get the best deal of all. Parties. Superhero costumes. And a once-a-year opportunity to extort unlimited supplies of candy from their neighbors and play tricks on those who don't cough up.
Parents can certainly expect a few upset tummies before bedtime tonight - even a chocolate-loving 3-year old...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 31, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Carnell, Ph.D. Tags: Child Development Diet Parenting authoritative parenting bedtime boil candy bars carrots experimenters eyeballs ghosts and ghouls halloween halloween theme hand over fist holiday junk food moonwalk paradoxical effect pa Source Type: consumer
To trick or to treat? How to handle the Halloween candyfest.
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Got kids? Live near kids? Used to be one?If you answered yes to any of those questions it will not have escaped your notice that today is Halloween. In England that just means don a green wig, a fake boil and a witch's hat, and go to the pub for your normal Saturday night pint. In America it means: all hell breaks loose.Everyone dresses up. Ghosts and ghouls are passé so if you really want to get attention this year you'll have to channel Michael Jackson and learn to moonwalk.And kids get the best deal of all. Parties. Superhero costumes. And a once-a-year opportunity to extort unlimited supplies of candy from their neigh...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 31, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Carnell, Ph.D. Tags: Child Development Diet Health Parenting Social Life authoritative parenting bedtime boil candy bars carrots experimenters eyeballs ghosts and ghouls halloween halloween theme hand over fist holiday junk food moonwalk Source Type: consumer
To trick or to treat? How parents can handle the Halloween candyfest.
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Got kids? Live near kids? Used to be one?If you answered yes to any of those questions it will not have escaped your notice that today is Halloween. In England that just means don a green wig, a fake boil and a witch's hat, and go to the pub for your normal Saturday night pint. In America it means: all hell breaks loose.Everyone dresses up. Ghosts and ghouls are passé so if you really want to get attention this year you'll have to channel Michael Jackson and learn to moonwalk.And kids get the best deal of all. Parties. Superhero costumes. And a once-a-year opportunity to extort unlimited supplies of candy from their neigh...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 31, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Carnell, Ph.D. Tags: Child Development Diet Health Parenting Social Life authoritative parenting bedtime boil candy bars carrots experimenters eyeballs ghosts and ghouls halloween halloween theme hand over fist holiday junk food moonwalk Source Type: consumer
Gluten: The Secret Stalker
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Depression is one of the symptoms of celiac disease. That's possibly because the disease causes impaired absorption of the amino acid tryptophan, which the body converts into serotonin. But psychological distress among celiac-disease patients only stands to reason, given that some of the other symptoms and effects of this incurable condition include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, failure to thrive in infancy, vomiting, short stature, iron deficiency with or without anemia, poor performance in school, delayed puberty, infertility, recurrent miscarriage, osteoporosis, vitamin...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 30, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Anneli Rufus Tags: Diet Health adhd symptoms american doctors autoimmune disorder balance problems cbs news Celiac disease celiac disease patients coeliac disease daily mail dental enamel enamel defects gluten free diet incurable condition iron Source Type: consumer
Finding the Motivation to Eat More Mindfully
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Do you need motivation to start eating more mindfully but don't have the money to hire a trainer like Jillian Michaels? If so, don't worry. Watch this short youtube.com video cut by Matthew Belinkie. It is 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes including famous characters and actors such as Al Pacino, Clint Eastwood, Charlie Brown, Rudy, and Braveheart. This two minute video is enough to get anyone pumped up.
Here is some advice we can take from this video and apply to mindful eating.
1. Get angry, but not at Yourself. Direct your anger toward things that sabotage your mindful eating like junk food products, wacky die...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 29, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet Body image Dr. Susan Albers Eating Mindfully getting motivated mindful eating motivation self-esteem Source Type: consumer
Treatment A-Z
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"What works?"That's the most common, and most painful question my daughter, Lisa, is getting as we give talks about our book, HUNGRY: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia (Berkley/Penguin, 2009). www.sheilahimmel.comIt is usually asked by a distraught parent, but we've had lots of uncles, aunts and family friends. Rarely does this get asked by the person suffering from anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder and/or obesity, even if that person is sitting right there. We wish we knew."What should we do now?" When we were desperate for help, during Lisa's darkest days, Ned and I asked ourselves constantly. What we really wa...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 25, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sheila Himmel Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Neuroscience Therapy anorexia and bulimia anorexia bulimia B vitamins binge eating disorder brain function cognitive behavior therapy dangerous cult darkest days daughter lisa distraught Source Type: consumer
Mindfully Eating Chocolate
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What is more frightening than ghosts and goblins during Halloween? For many people who are trying to eat healthier, bags full of little Halloween candy bars brings up a lot of fear. If you are concerned about steering clear of trick-or-treat sweets in the next few weeks, don't worry.
This year try practicing a mindful chocolate meditation. For many people, it is okay to eat chocolate rather than completely avoid it. Not only would eliminating chocolate be no fun, but it also isn't realistic. Diet books want you to believe that you can eradicate chocolate and other treats from your life. Instead, learn to eat candy and othe...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 22, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet 50 Dr. Susan Albers candy candy bar candy bars chocolate diet books displeasure eating eating chocolate Eating Mindfully fear ghosts and goblins good mood grocery store halloween halloween candy meditation mindful Source Type: consumer
Addressing Your Inner Critic
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We all have it. It's that little critical voice in your head that just won't be quiet. The inner voice questions and nit-picks, gives unfavorable commentary and has the ability to make you feel about the size of a pea.
This inner voice becomes pretty obvious the moment you slip into an outfit and stand in front of the mirror. Suddenly, the voice pipes up out of nowhere. It has a lot to say about the shape of your thighs and your nose.
What does this voice sound like? It has a similar tone to Chelsea Handler, the quick-witted, late night E! comic, who is infamous for celebrity bashing. She targets the usual topics.&nb...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 20, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet Body image Chelsea Handler critical comments critical voice delta delta delta Dr. Susan Albers Eating Mindfully f word inner critic inner voice international sorority jabs late night mindful eating nbsp No Fat Talk Wee Source Type: consumer
Vacation and Your Weight Loss Plan– An Article in the Albuquerque Weight Loss Examiner by Marsha Thole
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In her recent article for the Albuquerque Weight Loss Examiner, Marsha Thole provides a helpful guide for dieters on vacation. First, Thole spells out what typically goes wrong for dieters on vacation. Then, using tools and techniques from The Complete Beck Diet for Life, she describes what must be done in order for dieters to remain on track and stick to their plans.
Click here to read the full article.
(Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center)
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 20, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet albuquerque beck dieters helpful guide marsha planning recent article thole using tools vacation weight loss Source Type: consumer
The Truth About How To Lose Weight
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My patient, Mrs. Withers (not her real name), was forty-five and morbidly obese. "I swear I've cut my calories down to almost nothing," she told me, "but I haven't lost a pound! <!--break-->I eat the exact same thing every day: a banana for breakfast, a turkey sandwich on wheat bread for lunch, and a piece of fish or steak for dinner. And no snacks in between! I used to eat twice as much, easily. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong!"She was literally on the verge of tears. I fully understood her frustration, as well as why her attempts at dieting hadn't worked. Most of my patients who try to lose weight long-term ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 16, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Alex Lickerman, M.D. Tags: Diet Health atkins diet BMI body fat composition epidemic proportions exact same thing exericse fad diets good measure health risks of obesity institute of health low carbohydrate diet mass index morbidly obese national insti Source Type: consumer
Want to Break an Old Habit? Create a New One
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Experts say we don't actually do away with a habit. We simply replace it with a new one, a new behavior.
Eating is a behavior. You can change the habit of making a not-so-healthy choice at breakfast like sugary cereal, juice and toast and replace it with a healthier option like a vegetable omelet or some sardines or leftover salmon (or good quality smoked salmon) with cucumber, watercress, tomato and dill.
Another new habit to implement is to start packing your lunch rather than eating out. Typically, this should be leftovers from dinner the night before. Don't like leftovers? Make chicken salad from the leftover chicken a...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - October 15, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Leyla Muedin, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. Tags: Diet asparagus avocado chicken salad cucumber dill favorite show haas habit health healthy choice leftover chicken leftovers mixed nuts omelet ounce quietude rack of lamb sardines spinach sugary cereal watching tv Source Type: consumer
The Impact of Body Talk on Self-Esteem
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Courtney Cox revealed how she really feels about her body last week on The Tonight Show. She is making appearances on talk shows for the release of her new show, Cougar Town which begins this week. One has to admire that she is a woman who continues to work hard and reinvent herself. She's evolved from Monica on Friends to a host of other projects.
In Cox's interview with O'Brien, she discussed a scene from Cougar Town that many people, particularly women, can identify with. Viewers will see Cox scantily clothed and evaluating herself in the mirror. Her character judges herself harshly and picks apart her body. She laments...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 22, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet acknowledgment airbrushing american women Body image celebrity mom cougar cougar town courtney cox drop dead gorgeous eating disorders elbow elbows horror movie fans kudos media mindful eating monica movie star o Source Type: consumer
How it feels to eat again
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Saturday 19th July 2008: ‘11 pm, 39 kg. I am terrified. Not least by my great hunger. Why eat more if it just makes you hungrier? But I'm calm too. I've done, so far, just what I'm meant to. For the first time in years, I ate a ‘meal' outside and in the daylight.'This was how my diary entry began on the first day when I ate 500 calories more than my usual amount, according to the plan of measured weight gain agreed at the eating-disorders clinic: eating that much more, one gains approximately half a kilo per week. For weeks after, that terrifying hunger, on and off all of the time, was the most real consequence of my n...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 21, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Emily Troscianko Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Resilience Self-Help Therapy anorexia nervosa calories consequence diary entry eating disorders clinic front porch great hunger kg kilo mistress pleasure recovery regime simple Source Type: consumer
Is obesity an eating disorder?
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The current health-care debate, when it focuses on food at all, focuses on obesity. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. That is shocking, but in the national panic about obesity, we run the risk of making things a lot worse.More people could get caught in the grip of eating disorders. Already, an estimated 11 million Americans have anorexia or bulimia. Hospitalizations are increasing. Even more worrisome, the American Medical Association found the greatest increases among boys and girls younger than 12, and among adults ages 45 to 65.We could save a lot of pain, suffering and money by incorporating obes...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 18, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sheila Himmel Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Media adults ages american medical association anorexia boys and girls bulimia centers for disease control centers for disease control and prevention current health david kessler disordere Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 12
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Sue has made so much progress! She has mastered the art of eating only while sitting down. Once in a while, she legitimately forgets but she never says to herself, “Oh, I don’t feel like sitting down to eat this.” She is now convinced that this positive eating habit is essential to her success.
She has also mastered the art of eating moderate portions, even of junk food. When she goes to the movies, for example, she plans in advance to allow enough calories to have some popcorn and candy. Unlike most dieters, she doesn’t have to throw away the extra food before she goes to her seat. She’s able to eat the amount s...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 16, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet calories candy dieters disappointment eating habit eating sitting down fluctuations junk food losing weight mirror popcorn success throwing food away weight loss Source Type: consumer
Bad Seeds and Everyday Gluttony
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What do the abuses at Abu Ghraib and your expanding waistline have in common? Well, if the landmark study on obesity that was published in The New England Journal of Medical has any validity, then the answer will surprise you.Societal attempts to combat obesity and fight evil focus on modifying the individuals themselves through a variety of programs, penalties, and punishments.There's a problem. If indeed, obesity and evil were solely matters of character, disposition, or metabolism, the centuries' old struggles to resist evil, and more recent medical-educational programs to combat obesity should have yielded significant ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 15, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D. Tags: Diet Evolutionary Psychology Health Law and Crime abu ghraib American culture bad behavior bad seeds body mass index causal factors causal forces defective genes epidemic proportions landmark study lucifer effect new england Source Type: consumer
The Best Way to Lose Weight
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Which diet actually works? Dieters have been ponding this question for decades. I had the pleasure of attending the Cleveland Clinic's 4th Annual Obesity Summit today. Dr. George Bray, the Chief of the Division of Clinical Obesity and Metabolism in Baton Rouge, attempted to answer this very question. Here is the gist of the study he discussed. Researchers looked at the benefits of varying different macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) to promote weight loss. Most dieters know these types of diets by other names such as the Atkins Diet, Low Fat Diet, South Beach etc. But, the names of these...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 10, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet atkins diet baton rouge bias carbohydrates cleveland clinic clinical obesity dieters diets dr george Eating Mindfully fad diet finding a way gist low carb low fat diet metabolism philosophies revelation rocket sc Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 11
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Sue has been weighing herself daily and graphing her weight loss. She has now proven to herself several times that the number on the scale goes down some days, stays the same some days, and goes up some days-even when her energy input and output is the same! Nevertheless, she continues to be disappointed, and a little worried, when her weight is up, even by only a pound. I had her compose two Response Cards. She'll choose which one to read before her daily weigh-in.
If I've Been Following My Plan
It will be nice if my weight is down today but it's fine if it's up.
Look where I am today compared to where I started!
If it...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 9, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet beck diet solution energy input excuse input and output maintenance history reasons to lose weight response cards several times solution skills weight gain weight loss Source Type: consumer
Goodbye Comfort Eating, Hello Mindful Eating; Distraction Techniques that Work
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Did you know that knitting may be the perfect antidote to stress eating? So if you think knitting isn't cool, you may just want to reconsider.
A 2009 study published in the journal of Eating and Weight Disorders put knitting up to the test. The researchers wanted to see if knitting had any notable clinical benefits and whether it could be a useful tool in helping people lessen the amount of obessing they do about food and weight.
Avid knitters have been telling us for years about the therapeutic benefits of knitting. But how could it help prevent comfort eating? In part, the rhythmic movements and clicking of the needles c...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 8, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food antidote Anxious Thoughts comfort eating dieting Dr. Susan Albers eating disorder treatment emotional eating Fears intensity knitters knitting mindful eating mindless eating needle Source Type: consumer
Foodies With Issues II
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In Kitchen Confidential, New York chef Anthony Bourdain lifted the lid on drug and alcohol abuse in restaurant kitchens. But when Cindy Gershen says, "We're a bunch of addicts," she is referring to food professionals with eating disorders.Cindy Gershen runs four food businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, goes to three meetings a week of Food Addicts in Recovery, and talks to her sponsor every morning. She has been on diets since she was nine, bulimic since she was fifteen. At 52, dark-eyed Gershen, often described as the "petite dynamo," is five-foot-three and weighs 115 pounds. She has weighed 210."My life consisted o...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 5, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sheila Himmel Tags: Addiction Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Personality Work alcohol abuse anthony bourdain banquet facility bulimic businesswoman catering company chef anthony bourdain course banquet drug and alcohol drug and alcohol Source Type: consumer
The Beck Diet Solution Newsletter is Released
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On September 2nd, Dr. Beck released her inaugural issue of the Beck Diet Solution Newsletter. This brief, once-monthly newsletter is geared toward professionals and consumers and includes special news and announcements on the diet and weight loss front, helpful articles, and frequently asked questions.
In this month's issue, Dr. Beck discusses how dieters can handle feeling dissatisfied when they're finished eating, provides information about the Beck Diet Solution Workshop planned for September 13, 2009, includes an FAQ, and more.
To sign-up to receive the Beck Diet Solution Newsletter, email us at dietprogram@beckinstitu...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 4, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet beck consumers diet solution diet workshop dieters inaugural issue newsletter newsletter email september 13 special news The Beck Diet Solution Newsletter weight loss Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 10, The Tyranny of the Scale
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Sue has been weighing herself once a week. She was confused and disheartened that her weight had gone up a little this week. After all, she told me, she had stuck to her plan and, on top of that, had done considerably more exercise than usual.
I asked Sue if this was a typical reaction for her-feeling disappointed when the scale didn't go down as expected. She acknowledged that yes, this was a long-term problem. She also told me that in the past, if she expected the scale to show a higher weight (because she had eaten more than planned), she often avoided the scale altogether. The scale avoidance had often led to her gaini...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - September 1, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet avoidance consequences diet and exercise programs diet exercise diet programs few days fluctuation fluctuations hormonal changes making a graph physiological change typical reaction tyranny Source Type: consumer
Four Ways to Fight Addiction
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The New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni's recent autobiography, Born Round (see link here), explains his addiction to eating and his methods for handling the addiction. The first half of the book could be the bleakest 100 pages I've ever read. For half of his life, this man couldn't get naked and couldn't see friends without planning months in ahead, because he was so obsessed with his body.
But there are some turning points in the book, and Bruni chronicles them like stars in the sky: radiant still points that teach tons about addiction.
Turning Point # 1: Being Outed
Bruni struggled with bulimia for about 6 mont...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 31, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Ilana Simons, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Behavioral Economics Creativity Depression Diet Eating Disorders Gender Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Media Personality Philosophy Relationships Resilience Self-Help Social Life Stress Therap Source Type: consumer
How much should you weigh? (Part 2)
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The previous posting established that too many messages urge you to be incredibly, unhealthily thin. Is there anyone out there who does not want you to constantly deprive yourself of necessary calories? Does anyone actually think you should feel good with your body and have enough energy to conduct your activities? Does anyone believe you should not think you are fat, because, at a BMI of a mere 20.5 (18.5 is the lowest limit, beyond which one is morbidly underweight) you wear a size Medium, which means you cannot squeeze into Small and Extra Small?Yes, apparently there is. Two of them actually. One of them is Alice. The o...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 31, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Talya Miron-Shatz, Ph.D. Tags: Behavioral Economics Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Self-Help advice alice BMI calories columbia university current events diets figure description financial security goaskalice health website Source Type: consumer
Painting Your Own Body Image
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The first time I saw a painting by the French painter, Seurat, up close and personal, I was strolling through the Chicago Art Museum. The Chicago Art Museum is home to one of Seurat's most famous paintings, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884). Seurat's work is an example of the style of painting called Pointillism, which is a juxtaposition of many dots of multicolored paint. The viewer's eyes blend the colors optically instead of it being blended on the canvas for you by the painter. In other words, if you stand very close to it, or focus in on one point, you only see dots of color. If you stand back...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 30, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet afternoon on the island of la grande jatte big picture cheap copies chicago art museum dots famous paintings ferris bueller french painter hypochondriac imitations juxtaposition napkins optical illusion painter seurat po Source Type: consumer
One London Bookstore is a Therapy Office, Too
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Alain de Botton is one of my favorite writers. His lyrical nonfiction makes complex concepts relevant to our daily lives. (See his How Proust Can Change Your Life and his latest, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work ).
He's a writer who appreciates the value of psychotherapy. Along those lines, he recently opened a bookstore in London that doubles as a therapy office, called The School of Life (check out the link here). The bookstore offers sessions with bibliotherapists, who can help find you books that are likely to change your habits; offers weekend getaways called “holidays,” with ti...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 27, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Ilana Simons, Ph.D. Tags: Anxiety Creativity Depression Diet Gender Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Media Parenting Personality Philosophy Psych Careers Psychiatry Relationships Resilience Self-Help Sex Sleep Social Life Spirituality Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 9, Self-Criticism
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Today Sue and I touched on the topic of self-criticism again. She was able to see how "beating herself up" every time she made a mistake undercut her motivation and her sense of self-efficacy. We reiterated how important it is to become problem-solving oriented, instead. "Okay, I made a mistake. What can I learn from this for next time?" Unfortunately, Sue is not only critical of her eating, she's generally highly critical of herself, in her work, at home, socially, and so on. Her standards for herself are just too high. Fortunately, though, she doesn't have the idea, "I have to be self-critical or I'll let myself go....
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 27, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet belief concerted effort critical thoughts exercise mistake motivation self criticism self efficacy Source Type: consumer
A Radical New Plan to Help Stress Eaters, the Economy and Health Care
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VIDEO: Dr. Albers's interview Shrinking Economy, Growing Waistlines on youtubeJessica was referred to counseling by her doctor. For several years, her physician's gentle nudge to lose weight became a direct order. Type II diabetes was looming. Heart disease had robbed other family members of long lives. As if things couldn't get worse, when the economy fell, she lost a lot of her savings. In a matter of months, she gained more weight. Reluctantly, she admitted that she needed help, fast. When we started counseling, I asked Jessica to make a list of all the fad diets she had tried in ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 22, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet adultery anniversaries cracks dieting Dr. Albers economy experience sex expression of love facade fundamental contradiction health care human beings intimacy johanssen king solomon Kosher Sex mindful eating monogam Source Type: consumer
Exercise, Weight Loss, and Happiness.
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I was very interested to read John Cloud’s recent Time cover story about exercise and weight loss, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. This is a very complicated issue, and the article’s argument has sparked many debates – but from a strictly happiness perspective, two points jumped out at me.<!--break-->First: even if exercise doesn’t help me lose weight (and I admit, I’m very weight-preoccupied), it’s still extremely important for general good health and for not gaining weight -- and for keeping my mood positive. For example, one study showed that even moderate aerobic exercise boosted mood – for as l...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 21, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Gretchen Rubin Tags: Diet Happiness Health Self-Help Source Type: consumer
How much should you weigh? (Part 1)
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My 11 year will no longer wear just any cute t shirt. Rather, she is developing a somewhat preppy style, which is why we entered a ladies' garment shop specializing in striking black or white shirts with a stylish collar. Her being skinny and not yet a woman, I reached for the Extra Small ones, but when she emerged from the fitting room she said they were too tight. The Small she could breathe in, even if she needs a month or two to grow into them. Who wears the Extra Small ones, then, I wonder? And what has my daughter learned about her body when she discovered she could not fit into those? Is she too big? I want to say "...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 20, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Talya Miron-Shatz, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Anxiety Behavioral Economics Diet Eating Disorders Happiness Health Integrative Medicine Self-Help blog Body image exercise funny genius life coach Michelle Ward motto new directions personal growth Psycholo Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 8
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Sue is doing so well, but I wanted to prepare her for making mistakes. We reviewed the concept that mistakes are normal, and that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. While it's impossible to avoid mistakes altogether, I explained to Sue that what she tells herself about her mistakes is crucial to success.
I explained to Sue that if she says to herself, "This is terrible. I can't believe I ate that. I'm so weak. I thought I could do this [stick to a diet] but I can't," she'll feel demoralized and helpless and she'll be likely to abandon her efforts. But if she says, "Big deal, I'm human, I made a mistake, I'm going t...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 18, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet back yards baltimore orioles barbeque grill butterfly migration central message cerulean warblers habitat fragmentation indigo buntings migration routes mistakes monarch butterflies native plants natural history museum neo Source Type: consumer
The Cheese Incident
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One pleasant afternoon, my husband and were invited to a casual get-together at a colleague's house. Because these types of things are generally not easy for me, I was nervous and a bit on edge, but hopeful… until our hosts led us outside. The wind immediately assaulted me, creating a near-constant whoosh in my ears. As I settled into the seat next to my husband, my eyes fell upon the plate in the middle of the patio table. Uh, oh...<!--break--> On that plate rested a block of cheese, crackers, and fish, as a garnish. But that wasn't what had me so concerned. Now, perhaps I am one of the un-initiated (or I've been ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 18, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Lynne Soraya Tags: Anxiety Autism Diet Relationships Resilience Self-Help Social Life asperger asperger syndrome ' s disorder s syndrome autism spectrum autism spectrum disorder background noise bottle opener carpenter cheese and crackers Source Type: consumer
New Eating Disorder, New Fears
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Another kind of eating disorder is on the rise, according to representatives of mental-health organizations in the US and Britain. This time, it's orthorexia nervosa -- a compulsion to eat only "pure" or "healthy" food. Based on the Greek words for "correct" and "appetite" -- though "correct" in this case is a bit ironic -- and identified by Colorado physician Steven Bratman, orthorexia can manifest in a staunch refusal to eat any meat, fats, carbohydrates, cooked meals, and/or the contents of entire food groups."The drive to eat only the healthiest foods can lead to sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, so...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 17, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Anneli Rufus Tags: Diet eating disorder food orthorexia nervosa Steven Bratman Source Type: consumer
Shut Up and Eat: Cannolis, Olive Oil and Pasta for Comfort Eaters?
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This weekend I ran into Vincent Pastore (aka Salvatore, "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi) from the HBO show The Sopranos. Vincent Pastore was one of the characters in Tony Soprano's close circle. Throughout the show, there were many scenes of them eating spaghetti and a variety of other mouthwatering Italian foods.
We both happened to be signing our books in NYC. We crossed paths at Arthur Ave in the Bronx. One would think Shut Up and Eat (an Italian cookbook by the Italian American actors from The Sopranos) and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Wi...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 17, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet comfort eating comfort foods diets mindful eating New York City Source Type: consumer
Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia
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Lisa's Blood Glucose Diary: BINGED. One-half chocolate banana. One-third vegan apple nut pastry. Pita chips (about 10-12)Sheila's workday: Taste-testing French fries at seven restaurantsOn a postcard California spring afternoon, green hills going gold, I am driving around Silicon Valley to sample French fries. It is my job. In another universe, my daughter, Lisa, records each bite she takes in her Blood Glucose Diary, a booklet from her nutritionist. She is frantic about veering from anorexia to binge eating. We don't understand each other at all.As the restaurant critic of the San Jose Mercury News, I had noticed French f...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 15, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Sheila Himmel Tags: Diet Eating Disorders Health Media Parenting Relationships Work anorexia and bulimia french fries Source Type: consumer
Out of control? How holding back can make you fat.
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Ever been out for dinner with a friend and watched in wonder as she ordered the tuna salad with no dressing then turned away the dessert trolley to save on calories? Your buddy is a ‘restrained eater'. But does it actually make her thin and happy? Back in the 1970s most psychologists would have resoundingly said ‘No.' Received wisdom was that if you banned yourself from eating Twinkies you'd only feel deprived and binge on Oreos later, eventually making you fat and miserable. Subsequently they started to realize that often people only started limiting their diets when they were already overeating, overweight ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 11, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Carnell, Ph.D. Tags: Diet Happiness Health awe binge caloric restriction control group dessert diets excessive weight gain fewer calories free lunch lunch time monkeys oatmeal oreos psychologists strawberries tendencies three times trol Source Type: consumer
Out of control? How holding back can make you fat
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Ever been out for dinner with a friend and watched with awe as she ordered the tuna salad with no dressing then turned away the dessert trolley to save on calories? Your buddy is a ‘restrained eater'. But does it actually make her thin and happy?
Back in the 1970s most psychologists would have resoundingly said ‘No.' Received wisdom was that if you banned yourself from eating Twinkies you'd only feel deprived and binge on Oreos later, eventually making you fat and miserable.
Subsequently they started to realize that often people only started limiting their diets when they were already overeating, overweight o...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 11, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Carnell, Ph.D. Tags: Diet Happiness Health bum fight videos callousness compassion dietary restraint dieting disinhibited eating empathy fox news helpless victims Irresponsibility line entertainment marijuana nephew New York Times perpetrator Source Type: consumer
Sneak Peak at New Book for Comfort Eaters
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In this video, Dr. Susan Albers discusses one of the tips from her new book for comfort eaters. (If video does not pop up go to http://eatdrinkandbemindful.blogspot.com/ or www.youtube.com and type in 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food Food has the power to temporarily alleviate stress and sadness, enhance joy, and bring us comfort when we need it most. It's no wonder experts estimate that 75 percent of overeating is triggered by our emotions, not physical hunger. The good news is you can instead soothe yourself through dozens of mindful activities that are healthy for both body and mind. Susan Albers, auth...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 11, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet comfort eating dieting Eating Mindfully emotional eating mindful eating stress eating Susan Albers Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 7, Fear of Losing Control
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Sue is still afraid that if she eats something wrong, she'll lose control and not be able to get back in control. We had the following discussion:
Sue: I'm just afraid that one false step will be the beginning of the end.
Dr. Beck: How many times in the past few months have you taken a false step?
Sue: A fair number, I guess.
Dr. Beck: And how many times did you start on the path of serious weight gain?
Sue: Never.
Dr. Beck: And why is that?
Sue: Well, it's because I'm learning to see something as an isolated mistake. I'm learning how to get back on track right away. I'm still motivating myself by reading my list of reason...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 11, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet fear losing control skills Sue tools weight gain Source Type: consumer
Dr. Oz & The Tell-Tale Signs of Comfort Eating
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I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Oz about comfort eating today. Here is a sneak peak at an upcoming episode of Dr. Oz on FX radio (to be aired soon, click here for show times). If you don't already, tune in! Dr. Oz has a wonderful program on Oprah radio with a broad range of medical and mental health issues. He will be moving to TV on September 14th.<!--break-->
How do you know if you are stuck in a stress eating trap? If you are an emotional eater, you are all too familiar with the signs of comfort eating.
Tell-Tale Signs:
1) You eat when you are not physically hungry....
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 5, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Susan Albers, Psy.D. Tags: Diet anger anxiety boredom cocoon cold tea comfort eating cravings dr oz dr susan eating disorders emotion fragrant candle hot bath lavander mental health issues mindfulness nbsp Oprah self-help senses sip sneak Source Type: consumer
The Self-Control Costs of Moral Flexibility
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Which takes more self-control? Lying well or telling the truth?Your answer might say a lot about how trustworthy you are. <!--break-->According to a recent study by Harvard psychologists, telling the truth is the more challenging of the two-but only for those who are also willing to cheat.Researchers invited participants to play a game in which they could, if they wanted to, lie for profit. Every round, the participants had to report whether they had correctly guessed the answer-but only after they saw what they answer was. If they guessed correctly, they earned money.As participants played, the researchers tracked c...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 4, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. Tags: Addiction Behavioral Economics Diet Procrastination Self-Help Spirituality behavior change cheating honesty lying research self-control study willpower Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 6, Perseverance
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Sue and I were talking about times in the past when she had started to gain weight. It appeared as though each time started with a small weight gain; then she started thinking that dieting was too hard, then she abandoned her plan.
I wanted to prepare Sue in case this same kind of thing happens in the future. I asked her whether there was anything else in her life that had been very difficult, but that she had managed to push through anyway. She gave me a perfect analogy:
Sue explained that several years ago she was headed toward being a professional singer. But she had a teacher who taught her incorrectly, and Sue a...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 3, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet perseverance preparing for setbacks Sue Source Type: consumer
Sue: Part 6 Perseverance
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Sue and I were talking about times in the past when she had started to gain weight. It appeared as though each time started with a small weight gain; then she started thinking that dieting was too hard, then she abandoned her plan.
I wanted to prepare Sue in case this same kind of thing happens in the future. I asked her whether there was anything else in her life that had been very difficult, but that she had managed to push through anyway. She gave me a perfect analogy:
Sue explained that several years ago she was headed toward being a professional singer. But she had a teacher who taught her incorrectly, and Sue ...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 3, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Dr. Judith Beck Tags: Diet perseverance preparing for setbacks Sue Source Type: consumer
The All-You-Can-Eat Chinese Buffet: Beware…Scientists Are Watching You!
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Brian Wansink, a behavioral scientist at Cornell University, has developed a highly exciting research program around food psychology. His research team has tackled questions such as whether individuals underestimate their caloric intake (a possible factor in obesity), whether the shape of a glass affects how much alcohol is poured into it, and whether the size of a bowl affects the amount of food (e.g., popcorn) that is consumed. These are all fascinating questions from both a theoretical as well as practical perspective. Brian's approach stems from the cognitive psychology tradition specifically he construes food decision...
Source: Psychology Today Food and Diet Center - August 3, 2009 Category: Nutrition Authors: Gad Saad, Ph.D. Tags: Diet body mass index Chinese buffet food Obesity Source Type: consumer
