Nurturing a Positive Pregnancy…Lessons Learned from Eating Disorder Recovery

Several months ago, The Center for Eating Disorders had the pleasure of hosting former World Champion rower, Whitney Post, as a keynote speaker during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.  In her talk, Invisible Victory, she spoke about her identity as an elite athlete and how she ultimately used it to her advantage in recovering from her eating disorder (ED).  During her visit to Baltimore, Whitney also shared that she was expecting a baby this June, and that  her work in ED recovery had provided a unique perspective and helpful skills for navigating the ups, downs and body image challenges of pregnancy.  In honor of Mother’s Day,  we asked Whitney if she would help us re-introduce our Nurture blog series for moms and mothers-to-be, and she graciously agreed.  The result is this insightful and delightfully down-to-earth Q&A  post about her ongoing journey through pregnancy and recovery. 

 Q & A with Whitney Post

Q: Have you noticed any similarities or parallels between the pregnancy experience and the recovery process?

WP: I remember early on in pregnancy lying in bed and trying to take stock of all the changes that were going on in my work, my body, my energy, and my identity.  It felt overwhelming to say the least, but what occurred to me was that I was so glad I had all the training of recovery to help me navigate this new journey.  I already knew how to surrender large areas of my life for the sake of something new and different.  I think both recovery and pregnancy are about building new life.  In each the process is long, full of uncertainty and discomfort, and full of hope.  There is a great demand for outside support and people who have been through the process before, and the ability to surrender to what the process is asking of you vs. having things exactly the way you want them.

Q: Can you describe how the process of recovering from an ED has helped you prepare for the experience of pregnancy, particularly as it relates to your body image?

WP: I wanted to be one of those women who remained toned and just grew a big round belly out front.  I am not.  I wanted to be one of those women who stayed true to her satisfying workout regimes.  I am not.  And I wanted to be one of those women who seemed to get more stylish as her belly grew, with cool accessories and funky outfits.  I am not. 

But what I am is one of those women who is putting the health of the child growing inside me first, and doing my best with all the rest.  I just do it while wearing clogs, and in between very moderate (“lame” would be another term) workouts.  As the weight started to come on, I could feel two sides of my brain at work.  One said, “this is a miracle and weight gain is part of the process.  This is healthy and natural.”  Meanwhile, another, old part of my brain shouted, “Hello!!!! You are gaining weight!!  Remember how unhappy you were last time this happened?  Do something about it now!!!”  Every time another round of clothes has to be retired because it becomes snug, a part of me feels an old tug to feel bad about myself.  But recovery taught me the skills of being able to recognize these two different voices and gave me the ability to make a choice, vs. listening to whichever voice is scarier.  I am pleased to say that, “this is normal and natural” now wins easily over “go on a diet!”

At my OB office when they check you in for each visit they hand you a cup to pee in and ask you to weigh yourself.  They leave the room and come back in about ten minutes.  For several months I would worry about having to weigh myself, as part of my recovery has involved not knowing how much I weigh.  I could have asked them to weigh me and just looked away, that would have been totally valid, but I just chose to do the drill and let them decide if I was gaining too much or too little.  As long as I’m not trying to control my weight, but rather trust that to the doctors, and manage healthy meals and appropriate workouts, I feel I am on track.

Q: How can pregnancy positively or negatively impact recovery? 

WP: I have found that I have had to work pretty hard at taking care of my recovery because my needs changed suddenly.  I had to find a new way to eat when everything made me nauseated.  I had to find a new way to work the tools of the program when I was too tired to go to 12-step meetings I normally went to.  I had to find women who were in recovery who had been pregnant to learn from them.  So suddenly, the little world of my recovery resources needed to be updated and shifted, and that has been a big investment on my part.  So I think if you let the things that sustain you in recovery slide because you have less energy or those resources don’t fit as well, you can be on a slippery slope, because you may also find yourself (as I often have) more emotionally vulnerable than normal.  But if you look at it as a time to invest in a new phase of recovery and build a community around you, it can strengthen you.

Q: Can you share some concrete steps women can take during pregnancy to help them nurture a positive relationship with their changing bodies?

  • Recognize you may have conflicting feelings and impulses but make sure your actions reflect your goals and values.  (for example – I want to diet because I don’t like gaining weight but my goal is to have a healthy baby and pregnancy, and so I will accept that gaining weight is part of the process and is temporary).
  • Talk to other women who have been through it and speak honestly about your experience.  You can be a wonderful mother and still not enjoy every aspect of pregnancy – they are not mutually exclusive.
  • Ensure from the outset that you have an OB who is supportive of prioritizing health vs. weight.  Then, trust your doctors when it comes to monitoring weight, exercise, etc., and get someone (nutritionist or physician) to work with you on the food and eating part, if you struggle with it, so you aren’t alone.
  • Focus on the positive parts – go to birthing classes, pay attention to the baby kicks, pick out baby clothes, prepare the house, etc.
  • Go with your body’s intuition about when it needs a rest, a snack or a cry.  You may not be able to keep up with your old self, or your old standards, and that’s okay.  It’s important to accept that your body now has a whole new task to prioritize; supporting the physical growth and development of your baby requires a lot of energy.

Q: As an eating disorder treatment professional, a recovery advocate and now a pregnant woman yourself, what are your thoughts on the mainstream media’s representation of pregnant and post-pregnancy bodies? 

WP: Mainstream media has never been helpful when it comes to figuring out how my body should look, and a pregnant body is no different.  The women chosen to be pregnancy models or on the covers of magazines are a very select group of pregnant women who all look much the same, and are all captured in about their fifth or sixth month of pregnancy when the belly is often cute and round.  If you go to a prenatal yoga class and look at all the bodies (as I often did – I was barely able to focus on the poses) you will see all the different shapes and sizes of bellies regardless of the phase of pregnancy.  Some of them seem pretty wacky looking as we are just not accustomed to seeing really pregnant women!  I find it much healthier to see these real live pregnant women than to look at the models.

As for “after the baby” the media is obsessed with how fast a woman can “get her body back.”  I’m happy Heidi Klum made it her goal to be a sexy Victoria secret model within weeks of giving birth, but I don’t think that is helpful for most women.  I am really looking forward to being able to run and do a sit up and move my body with greater ease and speed after the baby is born.  But the reality is I will be sleep deprived and in a very demanding phase of feeding, soothing, and getting to know a new baby, and at that time, I don’t need to be preoccupied with how quickly I can lose weight.  Focusing on eating well and getting in some sleep and exercise will be my goal for good self-care.

Q: Is there one piece of advice that has been particularly helpful for you in terms of staying focused on wellness and body positivity during pregnancy?

WP: Trust your body and stay connected ~ not that different from recovery, right? : )  Pregnancy can make you tired and moody, and both of those things can make socializing less appealing. I have found that I need to push myself to stay connected to old pals and to reach out to start to create a new community of moms-to-be. 

Q: Are there any lessons you’ve learned through ED recovery that you think may also be helpful for individuals as they venture into the day-to-day life of motherhood with a new baby?

WP:In recovery I spent a lot of time learning how to figure out what I needed, and how to stand up for that need while being kind and respectful of others.  But I still need to fight a part of me that is stuck in the habit of  “people pleasing.”  In pregnancy part of my job is to avoid putting myself in bad situations (being around people who have contagious colds or flus, overdoing myself with social/work demands), even though I might have been fine with these situations when not pregnant. This means I have to say “no” to things more often.  I learned early on that if I went against an instinct about my limits of comfort, I was really uncomfortable. I imagine some of the same will be true with an infant.  So my lesson that I am learning over again is that I need to respect my instincts and boundaries, and while I may inconvenience people in the process, we will all survive.

Whitney Post is the President and Co-Founder of Eating for Life Alliance and spends much of her time educating college students, professionals, athletes and coaches about eating disorder prevention and treatment. The Center for Eating Disorders is incredibly grateful to Whitney for sharing her insights, experiences,  and advice about pregnancy and recovery for this post.  We wish her well as she ventures into motherhood!  If you’d like to share your own ideas on this topic, please leave your thoughts in the comments section below or join the discussion on our Facebook Page. 

If you enjoyed this blog, you may want to read these previous entries from CED’s Nurture Blog Series:

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*Significant health risks (for mom and baby) are associated with eating disorders during pregnancy.  It is recommended that the eating disorder be significantly resolved before a pregnancy is attempted.  If pregnancy does occur prior to recovery, it is imperative that you receive appropriate medical and psychological support. If you are struggling with an eating disorder during pregnancy, or are working hard to maintain your recovery during pregnancy, we would like to remind you how important it is to be honest with your OB and other medical providers during this time.  It’s critical that your providers are aware of your medical history and any current and past ED symptoms so that they can provide the best possible health care for you and your baby.  

Published by Kate Clemmer
May 10th, 2012 in Body Image, Guest Blogger, Media, Parenting, Q & A, Recovery
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The 2012 Symposium ~ CED welcomes five distinguished treatment experts from around the world

The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt is proud to present Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment, on April 21st, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland.  This is an exciting opportunity for phsyicians, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, dietitians  and other treatment professionals looking to expand and deepen their knowledge and expertise in the treatment of individuals  with eating disorders.  You can learn more about the 2012 distinguished panel of speakers below.

We hope you’re planning to join us in Baltimore on April 21st.  

 

2012 Speaker Bios

 

Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D.  ~ Dr. Wilson is an Associate Professor of psychology at the University at Mississippi. He is Past President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, Representative-at-Large of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, and is one of the co-developers of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He is a devoted teacher and winner of the University of Mississippi Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teaching Award. Wilson has devoted himself to the development and dissemination of ACT and its underlying theory and philosophy for the past 22 years, and has published numerous articles and chapters, as well as 10 books including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change and his newest books Mindfulness for Two, and The Wisdom to Know the Difference: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workbook for Overcoming Substance Abuse. He has central interests in the application of behavioral principles to understanding topics such as purpose, meaning and values, therapeutic relationship, and mindfulness. Wilson is the founder of Onelife Education and Training, LLC and has presented workshops and provided consultancy in 26 countries, and has participated in a wide range of research projects in the U.S., Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom.  At the upcoming Symposium, Dr. Wilson will be presenting two talks, including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Eating Disorders and Body Image Disturbance as well as a breakout session aimed at helping clinicians to utilize ACT with their most difficult cases.

Timothy Brewerton, M.D.  ~ Dr. Brewerton is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where he founded and directed the Eating Disorders Program (1987-2001) and was Medical Consultant at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (1996-2001). Dr.Brewerton is triple board certified in general psychiatry, child/adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, and is currently in private practice in Mt. Pleasant. He is Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Founding Fellow of the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED). He served on the AED Board of Directors and is Past-President of the Eating Disorders Research Society and the South Carolina Council for Child-Adolescent Psychiatry. He is also currently President-elect of the South Carolina Psychiatric Association. Dr. Brewerton has published over 120 articles and book chapters, and is Editor of the text, Clinical Handbook of Eating Disorders: An Integrated Approach(2004). Dr. Brewerton serves on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, and Current Nutrition and Food Science. He is a well-recognized expert in eating and related disorders, having presented well over 300 lectures, workshops and symposia in the U.S. and around the world. Most recently, Dr. Brewerton’s work with trauma and eating disorders and his substantial contributions to the field were honored as he was awarded as IAEDP’s 2012 Honorary CEDS (Certified Eating Disorders Specialist).  At CED’s upcoming symposium, Dr. Brewerton will be presenting a keynote presentation entitled Trauma and Eating Disorders: Updates and Advances in Managing the Complex Comorbidity as well as a breakout session for clinicians who work heavily with this patient population.  Hear more about Dr. Brewerton’s research in this Q & A about the intersection of eating disorders & trauma.

Joanne Dolhanty, Ph.D. ~ Dr. Joanne Dolhanty has worked in the field of eating disorders for over 20 years. She completed her doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology at York University, and trained and worked in the Toronto General Hospital Eating Disorder Program for 15 years. She currently works as a psychologist in the Eating Disorder Clinic at the Credit Valley Hospital, and at the Mt. Pleasant Therapy Centre, in Toronto. For the past several years she has been working with Dr. Les Greenberg to develop the application of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)to eating disorders and is committed to training other professionals in this approach.  Dr. Dolhanty has facilitated a number of professional workshops on EFT across Canada and the U.S., including presentations for the Academy for Eating Disorders’ International Conference, the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Eating Disorders Research Society.  At the April 21, 2012 symposium, Dr. Dolhanty will be providing presentation entitled, Fat Is a Feeling: Emotion-Focused Therapy in the Treatment of Body Image Disparagement, as well as a breakout session for clinicians looking  for an Introduction to Skill-Development in Using EFT in the Treatment of Eating Disorders.

B. Timothy Walsh, M.D.  ~ Dr. Walsh is a graduate of Princeton University and of Harvard Medical School, joined the staff of Columbia University Medical Center in 1979 and established the Eating Disorders Research Unit at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Walsh is currently the Ruane Professor of Pediatric Psychopharmacology in the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, and Director of the Division of Clinical Therapeutics at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Walsh’s research group has examined biological and psychological abnormalities which contribute to the development and perpetuation of disturbances in eating behavior, and investigated both psychological and pharmacological treatments for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. Dr. Walsh is a member of the DSM-V Task Force and chairs the Eating Disorders Workgroup for DSM-V. He is a past president of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and of the Eating Disorders Research Society.  On April 21st, Dr. Walsh will be discussing the important topic of Eating Disorders in the DSM-V: Why the Criteria Have Changed and What it Means for You and Your Practice.  He will also facilitate a breakout session focused on Enhancing Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa.

Janet Treasure, Ph.D., FRCPsych  ~ Professor Janet Treasure is Director of the Eating Disorder Unit and Professor of Psychiatry at University College London. She has more than 25 years experience in the treatment and study of eating disorders and is currently director of the Eating Disorders Service. Professor Treasure is also Chief Medical advisor for BEAT and a fellow for the Academy of Eating Disorders. During her career, she has edited seven academic texts on eating disorders and authored multiple books for individuals, families and clinicians, including The Clinician’s Guide to Collaborative Caring in Eating Disorders: The New Maudsley Method. Professor Treasure has been active in research and has over 150 peer reviewed papers in print. Among the numerous awards she has received for her work, are the 1984 Gaskell medal from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the 2004  Leadership Award in Research from AED. In addition to her considerable research into eating disorders, Professor Treasure has been highly involved in treatment trials for type 1 diabetes through CBT and motivational interviewing. Professor Treasure has trained over 20 PhD students in research on eating disorders and is one of the most highly decorated academics in this branch of research. We are excited to have her as part of the 2012 Symposium where she will present:  Accentuating the Positive and Enhancing Motivation to Change: Essential Tools to Help Patients with Eating Disorders Engage in Treatment.  Dr. Treasure will also conduct a breakout session entitled, Collaborative Care and Skills Sharing with Families to Facilitate Motivation to Change.

There are still a few spots left for the upcoming professional symposium, Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment, on April 21, 2012 in Baltimore, MD.  If you’d like to attend, please download the program brochure for details and complete your online registration here.

Published by Kate Clemmer
April 13th, 2012 in Celebrity Topical News
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Trauma and Eating Disorders: Updates & Advances in Managing the Complex Comorbidity

Dr. Timothy Brewerton

On April 21st, 2012 treatment professionals from across the country will gather in Baltimore for a day of advanced training and learning opportunities focused on improving treatment options and outcomes for their patients with eating disorders.  Dr. Timothy Brewerton, one of five distinguished experts presenting at the event, is widely respected for his contributions to the field of eating disorder treatment, particularly regarding his work with co-occurring trauma.  In advance of his presentations, we asked Dr. Brewerton to comment on this complex intersection between trauma and eating disorders.   Read on for his informative responses, and find his full bio here.  

 Q & A with Timothy Brewerton, M.D.

Q: There is a lot of conflicting information about the co-occurrence of trauma and eating disorders.  From your experience with the research regarding this population, what is the prevalence of trauma disorders among individuals who have an eating disorder?  And conversely, what percentage of individuals who’ve experienced trauma, struggle with eating disorders? 

Dr. Brewerton:

There has been enormous variability in the quality of methods in studies that have assessed trauma and eating disorders, including the size and nature of samples used and the assessment instruments employed. How and when a clinician assesses a trauma history is crucial to the outcome. Using behaviorally specific language, rather than vague, open ended questioning, is much more preferable. More importantly, most studies have not assessed for lifetime and current histories of PTSD and partial or subthreshold PTSD, the presence of which appears to be a crucial mediator between a prior history of trauma and the subsequent development of an eating disorder.  

Trauma histories and PTSD are exceedingly common in subjects with eating disorders. The National Women’s Study found that 54% of a non-clinical, representative sample of women in the U.S. with BN had lifetime histories of a major crime victim event, including rape, molestation and/or aggravated assault. In addition, 38% of this same sample of women in the U.S. with BN had lifetime histories of PTSD. In the more recent, National Comorbidity Replication Survey, 100% of men and women with BN reported a major traumatic event, most of which was of an interpersonal nature, and 45% of both women and men with bulimia nervosa (BN) had lifetime PTSD. 

When lifetime partial or subthreshold PTSD is factored in, the great majority of individuals with BN meets criteria for partial or complete PTSD. And it is these individuals with PTSD or partial/subthreshold PTSD that have the highest rates of comorbidity and have the highest rates of treatment refractoriness. Conversely, most traumatized individuals do not develop eating disorders, although in traumatized individuals with PTSD the odds ratio (OR) for developing BN is 10.2, for binge eating disorder (BED) it is 5.1 and for any binge eating it is 4.0.

Q: We know there is some positive correlation between eating disorders and trauma.  When broken down into anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and EDNOS, do we see any trends in terms of their associations with trauma?

Dr. Brewerton:

Yes, there is a fairly consistent association between trauma history and all of the eating disorders that involve bingeing and/or purging, but not pure restricting. This link has been most clearly established for bulimia nervosa (BN) and secondarily for anorexia nervosa, binge-purge subtype. There are also several well-done studies showing higher rates of trauma history and PTSD in individuals with binge eating disorder and EDNOS associated with binge eating and/or purging, e.g., “purging disorder.”

Q: We know eating disorders can arise from a complex combination of factors.  How do you conceptualize and explain the role of traumatic life events in terms of its roll in eating disorder etiology?

Dr. Brewerton:

Eating disorders are highly heritable conditions in that genetics appears to account for 0.5 to 0.8 of the variance, regardless of the type of eating disorder. Given our increasingly expanding knowledge of gene x environment interactions, the old adage coined by George Bray holds true: “Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger.” Traumatic life events presumably trigger gene expression in susceptible or predisposed individuals, which in turn leads to a cascade of events in brain that is associated with trauma-related thoughts, feelings, memories and behaviors, as well as associated symptomatology of anxiety, depression, and dissociation. In other words, traumatic experiences overwhelm the person’s internal (neurobiological) and external (psychosocial) resources such that there is a failure of integration of these experiences. In turn, behaviors typically associated with experiential avoidance develop, such as bingeing, purging and/or substance abuse, and represent attempts to not only avoid trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and memories but to reduce emotional arousal as well.   

Q: On April 21st you will be presenting Trauma & Eating Disorders: Updates and Advances in Managing the Complex Comorbidity.  What general questions can symposium attendees hope to have answered during your presentation? 

Dr. Brewerton:

Following the talk, attendees will walk away with the following questions thoroughly answered:

  • What are the best self-report and interview-based assessments for screening for trauma, PTSD and comorbid psychopathology?  
  • What is the research evidence from both female and male samples of all ages that supports the conclusion that traumatic experiences are significant yet nonspecific risk factors in the development of eating disorders and other related psychiatric conditions?  
  • What are best-practice, integrative treatment approaches for patients of all ages with both eating disorders, PTSD, and other comorbid conditions?

Dr. Brewerton recommends the following sites for additional information regarding the impact of trauma as well as resources for research and treatment:

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Many thanks to Dr. Brewerton for taking the time to respond to our questions and for discussing this important topic. Dr. Brewerton will be presenting the following sessions at the 2012 symposium, Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment, on April 21, 2012:

  • Morning Keynote ~ Trauma and Eating Disorders: Updates and Advances in Managing the Complex Comorbidity
  • Afternoon Breakout Session ~ Challenges to Therapists in the Long-term Psychotherapy of Traumatized Eating Disorder Patients

Interested in attending this professional event?  Please Note: there is limited space available as we approach the event.  View the full program agenda, download the program brochure and register online today to ensure your space at the symposium.  Questions?  Call (410) 938-4593.

www.eatingdisorder.org

 

 

 

Published by Kate Clemmer
April 13th, 2012 in Celebrity Topical News
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Social Networks ~ Building a Body Positive Presence Online

Developing a positive body image isn’t necessarily easy and often takes a lot of work.  Creating a body positive Facebook page, however, can be easy with a few simple steps…

If you haven’t done this yet, start by recognizing any negative or positive effects that  your Facebook use may be having on your self-esteem or body image.  How often do you publicly or privately criticize your own body while on Facebook?  How much time do you spend comparing your body to other people’s bodies online? Do your comments on other people’s photos regularly focus on weight or appearance?  Do you ever get overwhelmed by this?

If the answer to any of these questions has you concerned, you’re not alone.  As we’ve been discussing here on our blog, the resultsof a recent public survey indicate that Facebook and other online social networks can be a tumultuous environment when it comes to body image.  Many survey respondents shared that seeing photos of themselves and others on Facebook often makes them more self-conscious about their own body/weight, even to the point that they often feel sad about it.  It seems that a lot of Facebook time is spent comparing, criticizing and lamenting our bodies, so today’s post is all about changing this online culture of negative body image. 

Read on for tips and ideas that can help us as individuals, and as a community, move towards building a body positive presence online.

Remember the basics while on Facebook:

  • People often go to great lengths to create a ”perfect” image of themselves online – be wary of comparing your real life or your real body to someone else’s online persona. 
  • There are many benefits of online social networks. Most importantly, they offer an incredible way to connect with and learn from other people and organizations.  That being said, do your best to present your authentic self instead of a “perfected” or fake online persona (see above).  Be mindful that you are using Facebook and other social networks for purposeful, real, positive connections with people and organizations that you respect and that give you respect in return. 
  • Don’t forget – people tend to be mostly focused on themselves; your Facebook friends are never looking at photos of you as critically or as closely as you are of yourself.  

Interrupt the body negativity  in your social network feeds by subscribing to some body positive organizations.  These are just a few great body image advocates on Facebook, many of them are also on Twitter and Pinterest: 

Proud2BmeUS -   Making it cool to be body positive! An online community for teens who want to change the way teens talk about food, weight, and body image. Written by and for teens but great messages for adults too!

The Illusionists - A sophisticated look at body image across the world and the global effects of the beauty industry… uncovering how mass media, advertising, and industries manipulate and exploit people’s insecurities about their bodies for profit. 

Linda Bacon HAES -  Shifting the focus from weight to health, giving people of all shapes the tools to achieve better fitness, health and even happiness – all without ever dieting again.

Adios Barbie - A daily dose of beautiful. Their mission: to promote healthy body image and identity in folks of all races, sizes, ages, sexual orientations and abilities.

End Fat Talk  - Eliminating fat talk, changing the conversation about body image.

By subscribing to at least a few of these organizations, you set yourself up for a boost of daily body positivity – when is the last time you set yourself up to succeed?  Read their posts and click on their links.  Over time, you will begin absorbing these positive messages, and it can help you shift your own focus away from weight, back to health and holistic well-being. 

Take a stand  and make a conscious decision NOT to engage in weight obsession or “fat talk” within your online communities.  Here’s your challenge: try only posting about or commenting on friends’ non-physical accomplishments and successes instead of immediately zeroing in on how they look or what they weigh. 

 Here’s a few common Facebook examples:

~ Your cousin just had a baby and posts a picture of herself with her new bundle of joy.   A  common [weight-focused] Facebook comment would be:  “Congrats! You look great – You don’t even look like you just had a baby!”  Instead of focusing in on her body, consider adding something to the online conversation that honors her feelings and her role as a new mom without drawing attention to her waistline:  “Congratulations! You are radiating the happiness of a new mom! Can’t wait to see you and meet the baby.” 

~ An old high school friend posts something about meeting his weight loss goal and is receiving tons of compliments for it in the comments below his post. Instead of joining in the chorus of, “Wow- you look amazing!…Congratulations!…I’m so jealous!”comments, think about what you might be condoning by doing so. Would you still leave a celebratory comment on someone’s Facebook page if you knew their weight loss was a result of fasting, obsessive exercise, purging or other behaviors that were putting their health at risk?  Hopefully not.  The truth is, you can’t tell a whole lot about some one’s health from a picture on Facebook so you may want to abstain completely from commenting on people’s weight.      

Unfortunately, we hear from individuals with eating disorders all the time who get a lot of positive feedback for their weight loss - online and offline – from friends, family and even health care providers who don’t know what they’re really doing to lose the weight.  This positive reinforcement often promotes an escalation of  unhealthy behaviors and can strengthen a person’s reliance on weight loss for maintaining self-worth.  As columnist Yashar Ali wrote for The Current Conscience,   Think Twice Before You Praise Someone for Losing Weight, becuase you just never know what’s going on behind the computer screen. 

Draw the line when it comes to protecting your own well-being while online.  If you find yourself continually triggered by a certain Facebook friend, do not be afraid to unsubscribe from their Facebook updates.  It can be very empowering, and beneficial to your body image, to hide comments or unsubscribe from people if they continually focus in unhealthy ways on weight, dieting or superficial definitions of beauty. 

Take a break if you find yourself unable to escape feelings of jealousy, sadness or comparison while online.  Experiment by logging off temporarily and see how your mood and body image respond.  Use the time that you would have spent on Facebook to acquire a new hobby, connect with body-positive friends by phone or in person, or engage in other activities that honor your body and mind in a healthy way.

Are you willing to ditch the diet and weight obsession online?  Ready to make the change to a body positive page? Please join us on Facebook and share your suggestions for promoting a positive body image within your online social networks.

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If at any time, you are engaging in disordered eating or dangerous behaviors seek professional help right away.  You can visit www.eatingdisorder.org for information about treatment and support or call us at (410) 938-5252.

Related Posts:

Published by Kate Clemmer
April 11th, 2012 in Celebrity Topical News
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What’s Really Going On with Faceboook & Body Image?

The results of our recent survey regarding the intersection of Facebook use and body image have been highlighted by various news outlets over the past two weeks.  We discussed the implications of the survey results here (and as a guest post over at The Illusionists), drawing attention to the fact that 51% of the 600 survey respondents said they often compare themselves to others while on Facebook and that seeing photos on Facebook makes them more self-conscious about their own body and weight.  Additionally, 32% endorsed feelings of sadness when they compare their body to other people’s photos on Facebook which, for most people, is at least once a day if not more.

Facebook: Body Image Friend or Foe? at The Illusionists.org

We originally set out to do this survey because we were finding that patients with eating disorders were meeting with great difficulty in the recovery process when it came to logging into their Facebook accounts.  In fact, before we released the full survey results, one user on our Facebook page left the following comment:

“Facebook definitely played a role in fueling my eating disorder symptoms and behaviors.  Most people only post pictures that glamorize their bodies and social life…There have been multiple times throughout my recovery that I have deactivated my account because the things I was seeing online were fogging my view of reality.  Realizing that the site was doing more harm than good for me has made me more aware of the things I post on my account.  I think it’s important to make sure we are trying to foster a safe and healthy community and we can only do that if we first change the way we act… .” -  Facebook User

While some media outlets have gone as far as to say that Facebook is a cause of negative body image and eating disorders, others have dismissed the significance of the results as par for the course in our  image and weight-obsessed culture.  Others, including this editorial assistant over at Allure Magazineonline, have spoken up in a personal, and humorous, way about the modern realities of  this pressure-to-be-perfect in Facebook photos. Despite the varied reactions, one thing became clear to us following the survey;   Individuals with eating disorders are not alone in their battle with body-obsession on Facebook.   

Since the survey, we’ve been asked multiple times about how body-pressure from online social media differs from the toxic messages we’ve been getting for decades from fashion magazines, commercials and weight-focused friends?   The answer: the content itself is nothing new to us as a society - conversations that are hyper-focused on weight loss, diets, bikini bodies, and who looks ”hot or not” – but the delivery and dissemination of it is new.  We’ve noticed the following characteristics of online communities are unique in how they can potentially affect the relationship we have with our bodies: 

  • Accessibility - Online social networks never turn off.  Even when you’re by yourself you’re often not far from your laptop, iPad or Smartphone and the lure of logging in to Facebook.  In the past, waiting in line at the store might have included…waiting in line.  With a smartphone it could easily be spent browsing Facebook pics from your old college roomate’s beach vacation or reading about Aunt Sally’s 37th time going on a diet.  For better or worse, we have a lot more visual information at our fingertips than ever before. 
  • Immediacy – your status update or photo can literally be seen (and commented on) around the world in a matter of seconds.
  • Lack of control over what other people post and how people comment on it.
  • Two-way street- unlike with magazines or commercials, Facebook not only allows you to see photos of other people, but allows them to see photos of you.  Maybe even more importantly, YOU are seeing public photos of you which can sometimes create the most body anxiety, especially if your instinct is to zero in on all of your supposed “imperfections” in each picture.
  • Business or Pleasure? – there’s a unique mix between the personal and business realms on Facebook.  Users often use one account to stay connected with friends/family but also occasionally promote a product or business in their posts and photos.  This means we get advertisement-like messages about beauty, exercise and weight-loss products from people we like and/or trust.  Confusing? Definitely.     
  • The sheer number of people you are connected to on Facebook is more than you would ever casually socialize with on a Friday night. The thought of hundreds or even thousands of people zeroing in on what you imagine to be “imperfections” can be overwhelming when it comes to body insecurities.  (It’s important to remember that no one else is ever looking at you or your body in photos as closely as you are!) 
  • Body Comparisons while on Facebook take on new meaning because you’re seeing real people.  Unlike magazines and advertisements which feature [heavily photoshopped]models and celebrities, photos of Facebook friends may, unfortunately, feel like a more realistic or welcoming comparison.  

The truth is, when you get caught up in comparing yourself and your body to other people (online or off) you can’t win.  Blogger, Margarita Tartakovsky, shares her journey out of this comparison trap in How To Stop Comparing Yourself To Others, in which she reflects:  

When you’re rarely satisfied with yourself, your self-worth is shaky, and you see others’ lives as almost perfect – or definitely better than your own. You  constantly search outside yourself, and as a result, you knock yourself down. For many of us, comparing ourselves just changes stripes from time to time. One day, we want someone else’s abs, biceps or hips. Another day, we want their smarts or style. A few days later, we want their family life or financial situation.  Until we can truly believe in ourselves, the comparisons will swirl and sabotage…It’s interesting that now that I accept, appreciate and believe in my body, the physical comparisons have mostly quieted.

The trap of body negativity and comparisons on Facebook can certainly be difficult to avoid, especially if your online social atmosphere includes a lot of people who place a high value on appearance-only qualities or happen to be caught up in the diet mentality themselves.  The impact can feel much more powerful if your body image is already in a fragile state as is often the case for individuals with eating disorders and those recovering from eating disorders.  

The great news is that you can mold a more positive online experience for yourself.  If you’ve reflected on your Facebook use,  assessed its impact on your body image and realized that too much of your social networking time is spent feeling worried or sad about how you look, than it may be time to set some changes in motion.

You can start by vowing to maintain a body positive Facebook profile - this means not engaging in fat talk, self-criticism, diet discussion or body snarking while on Facebook. Once you’ve made the decision to do so, you can find tips and suggestions for incorporating body positivity in our post, Social Networks ~ Building a Body Positive Presence Online.

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Published by Kate Clemmer
April 11th, 2012 in At-Risk Populations, Body Image, Celebrity Topical News, In the News, Media, Technology
0 Comments

Body Image Friend or Foe? How is Facebook affecting the way you feel about your Body?

ABC-2 News Interview - Does Facebook Make You Feel Fat?

Over the last year, major social networking and blog sites have taken steps to protect users from  dangerous Pro-ana and Pro-mia communities online.  These are sites that promote eating disorders as a way of life, instead of a genuine mental illness, and create an atmosphere that normalizes and encourages extremely dangerous weight-loss behaviors.  Most recently the popular photo sharing site, Pinterest, updated their policies regarding inappropriate content to include Pinners and boards that feature “thinspo” or “thinspiration” – images of dangerously thin bodies meant to motivate or inspire users to pursue greater weight loss.   While banning this content won’t cure eating disorders, it can certainly help to protect vulnerable individuals from tapping into these dangerous websites. 

Though somewhat hidden in “underground” niches across the web, the dangers of online pro-eating disorder sites have been well-documented, and we commend Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr for taking a stand to protect their users from these sites.  But perhaps more unsuspecting in their effects, are mainstream social network communities: general sites like Facebook that we all use everyday to keep in touch with friends and family across the world, to post pictures of our kids and pets, to share birthday wishes or follow favorite organizations.  

Have you ever thought about how Facebook use is affecting your relationship with your body? 

Recently, The Center for Eating Disorders commissioned a public survey of Facebook users age 16-40 and found that, for most Facebook users, the answer to this questions is actually quite concerning.  In response to the survey we found:

  • 51% of respondents said that seeing photos of themselves on Facebook makes them more conscious about their own body and their weight
  • 32% said they feel SAD when comparing Facebook photos of themselves to their friends’
  • 44% spend time wishing they had the same body or weight as a friend when looking at photos on Facebook
  • 37% said they feel that they need to change specific parts of their body when comparing their bodies to a friend’s body in Facebook photos

Now consider that 80% of the respondents in our survey reported that they log on to Facebook at least once a day and more than half of them log on several times each day.   Thus, we see the set-up  for a daily stream of negative body image thoughts which could potentially impact one’s self-esteem.

Recent articles on CNN.com and NYTimes.com have drawn attention to the heightened role that online social networks play in adolescents’ relationship with their bodies, specifically with regards to the sexualization of teens’ online photos.  Most recently, the self-esteem website Proud2BMe.org  featured a collection of sobering quotes  from real teens regarding their body image and Facebook use, a few of which are excerpted below:

“People get positive attention in the world by losing weight. And you can do it to an even greater extent on Facebook.”-Anika, 18

“It’s only the ’standard beauty’ who gets the ‘likes’ I feel like to be the hot girl, you have to be like that, or wear your shirt too low and your skirt too high.” -Kirby, 18

“When looking at images of girls in a magazine almost all us know that they are altered electronically to appear perfect. When it comes to social media such as Facebook, most believe that they are looking at raw pictures, or ‘real girls.’ Whether this is true or not, they are ultimately used as a standard of comparison.    -Mary

What may be even more sobering is the reality that this mindset is not unique to adolescents. Survey results indicate that this is not just a phase we pass through or something teens will necessarily grow out of.   Respondents included adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s confirming that they experience similar patterns of body negativity and weight obsession when using Facebook.   

Body negativity on Facebook is not to be considered just a women’s issue either.  In this survey commissioned by CED, 40% of the male respondents agreed that they sometimes write negative comments about their own body in photos posted on Facebook (whereas 21% of females agree to doing so).

What do we gain from publicly, or privately, criticizing our bodies and constantly comparing our bodies to one another?  Does anyone really benefit from congratulating or praising people when they post about weight loss or diets in their Facebook updates?  Weight obsession and body shaming certainly isn’t new, but online social networks are creating a new frontier that seems to be publicizing our body insecurities while magnifying society’s love affair with diets and weight loss. CED’s associate director Dr. Steven Crawford had this to say in response to the survey results:

As people spend more time thinking about what’s wrong with their bodies, less time is spent on the positive realm and engaging in life in meaningful and fulfilling ways.  When people become more concerned with the image they project online and less concerned with holistic markers of health in real life, their body image may suffer and they may even turn, or return, to harmful fad diets or dangerous weight-control behaviors. We hope the results of this survey encourage people to really look at how their online behavior affects their outlook, and we caution them against being overly critical of their own bodies or other people’s bodies while on Facebook and other social networking sites.

Consider reflecting on your own Facebook use and how it could possibly be affecting your relationship with your body.   We suggest asking yourself the following questions to discern whether certain online behaviors or patterns are harming your self-esteem or body image:

  • How often do you publicly or privately criticize your own body while online?
  • How much time do you spend comparing your body to other people’s bodies online?
  • What percentage of your status updates focus on weight, diets or exercise? 
  • Do your comments on other people’s photos regularly focus on weight or appearance in a negative or positive way?  
  • How do you feel when you look through friends’ online albums? Do you ever get overwhelmed by this?  

It’s important to remember that Facebook, and social networking in general, is a wonderful way to stay in touch with and connect to other people and organizations.  Facebook certainly doesn’t cause negative body image in and of itself.  It does however, provide lots of fuel for the weight-obsession and body criticisms that already burn out of control in our larger culture.  This can be particularly worrisome for individuals who already struggle with severe negative body image or eating disorders.  During a recent interview with ABC-2 News regarding the survey results, CED Director, Dr. Harry Brandt added that,     

Facebook may be another step in our culture that promotes self-consciousness about appearance and feelings of low self-worth around [the] body, and those are significant factors in the proliferation of eating disorders.

If you find that you’re using Facebook as an outlet for feeling badly about your body, comparing yourself to others physically, or hyperfocusing on appearance and weight in your posts, it may be time to renovate your page.  Check out these follow-up posts:

Do you have suggestions? Want to share about you own experience?  Join the conversation, and start the movement towards online body positivity on our Facebook page.

You can findmore information about The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt on our website, www.EatingDisorder.org

Published by Kate Clemmer
March 28th, 2012 in At-Risk Populations, Body Image, Celebrity Topical News, In the News, Media, Media Literacy, Technology
0 Comments

When Someone You Love Has an Eating Disorder

CED LeafThis is a special blog in advance National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb 26th – March 3rd) and an upcoming free workshop, When Your Loved One has an Eating Disorder: Helping Them Heal on the Road to Recovery. You can find details about all of our upcoming NEDAWeek events at the end of the post.

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Guilt.  Shame.  Frustration.  Sadness.  Fear.  Anger.  These are just some of the emotions commonly experienced and expressed by support people when someone they love is struggling with an eating disorder (ED).  While each family experiences an ED, and the recovery process, in a unique way, there can be some commonalities that are important to talk about. Attending support groups, information sessions, and community workshops facilitated by treatment professionals are all great ways for support people to gain understanding and insight into the difficult journey their loved one is on.  It’s also a great way for family and friends to get feedback and support around their own feelings while they help their loved one navigate their way back to health.   A few of the most common struggles faced by family members are discussed below.    

Often times, parents and caregivers feel guilty and express concern that they may be to blame for their loved one’s eating disorder.

It can be terrifying for caregivers to find out that their loved one has an ED, especially as they begin to understand the level of suffering that comes with that.  A common reaction among parents is self-blame or intense guilt over the possibility that they may have contributed to their daughter’s or son’s illness.  This guilt can understandably create resistance or defensiveness and can be paralyzing for loved ones in the treatment process.  As long as the focus remains on “It’s all my fault.” it can be difficult to move towards “How can we as a family work together to support our loved one’s recovery?“ 

While these illnesses have a complex combination of contributing factors, research has found them to be highly heritable, meaning 50-80% of one’s risk for developing an ED is dependent upon genetic factors. It’s important for families to receive reassurance that they are not to blame for their loved one’s illness while understanding that there are important ways they can help in the recovery process.  In fact, evidence-based treatment of EDs suggests educating family members and involving them in the treatment process greatly improves outcomes.  By identifying ways in which the ED has affected the family functioning and discussing dynamics that may be maintaining some of the person’s symptoms, families can work together towards improved communication, positive interactions and healing that extends far beyond the eating disorder.

Support people often feel anxious or frustrated about what to say vs. what not to say to a loved one with an eating disorder.  This can lead to fear that they are making their loved one worse because they don’t know how to respond in difficult situations involving food or body image.  Support people report that they often feel that they are “walking on eggshells” around their friend or family member with the eating disorder.

One of the most common examples of this dilemma occurs during the recovery process when support people may say something like “You look so much healthier,” but it is interpreted as “You look fat”.  Anyone who has been through an ED will tell you that they often feel irritable, and so much of their energy and time is spent thinking about weight and food that most comments people make about their appearance will automatically be construed in a negative way, even when they come from a place of care and concern.  Alternative comments that may be easier for your loved one to hear as they recover might be, “I’ve noticed you have a lot more energy lately” or “It is so nice to see you smiling today.”  One of the most helpful things support people can do is to communicate with their loved one by asking for a specific list of things that they can say or do that would be helpful to them when they are struggling.  Examples of things that are triggering or are not helpful to recovery could be useful as well.  Keep in mind that these lists may change at various points in the recovery process; communicate and revise often.

Also important to note: supporting someone through recovery from an ED is uniquely difficult compared to some other illnesses because of the cultural environment we live in.  Our society encourages and applauds hyper vigilance around weight, food and perfection yet recovery from an ED involves giving up some level of control over all three of those things.  Learning to filter unhelpful information and help your loved one resist damaging cultural messages about weight/food can feel like an uphill battle.  However, it does get easier with continued education about media literacy and guidance from therapists and registered dietitians who specialize in treating individuals with EDs.    

Support people are often so worried about the individual with the eating disorder that they focus 100% their energy on their loved one’s safety and recovery.   It becomes very easy to forget to seek their own support, neglect to keep up with their own self-care or let other personal priorities fall to the wayside. This can lead to mounting  feelings of exhaustion, depression or hopelessness.

Helping a loved one through the process of recovery from an ED can feel all-encompassing, especially when it’s your child or a spouse.   It often must become the family’s priority to get them back to a place of safety and stability, both physically and mentally.  However, support people can only offer stable, strong support when they are caring for themselves and staying stable, strong and rested themselves.  It’s important for caregivers to stay connected to their own friends, to seek out their own support and to set aside time to replenish themselves emotionally.  It could be as simple as sending a quick email to a friend every night before bed or scheduling a day trip to a favorite place. Whatever it is, remember the advice you get when you fly…you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can effectively help those around you.

The truth is recovery can be a challenging process for all involved.  Even as progress is made, there are often set-backs or plateaus that can be confusing and frustrating .   Can you relate to the experiences discussed above?  Did you encounter other difficulties and roadblocks while learning to support a loved one in recovery?  Leave us a comment below or join in the discussion on our Facebook page.

At the Center for Eating Disorders, we recognize that there is a special need for education and support for the supporters themselves.  When Your Loved One Has an Eating Disorder: Helping Them Heal on the Road to Recovery is a FREE workshop designed to help family members and friends receive specialized education about EDs and their treatment, as well as insight into various care giving tools that can help facilitate the recovery process. Check out the details below, and don’t forget to RSVP by calling (410) 427-3886.

MARCH 1st, 2012  ~ When Your Loved One Has an Eating Disorder: Helping Them Heal on the Road to Recovery [download the event flyer], 7:00 - 8:30 pm in  Baltimore, MD

 

 

Visit our Events Page for a full listing of upcoming events, including our NEDAWeek kick-off event, Invisible Victory: An Athlete’s Story of Hope & Triumph in Eating Disorder Recovery.

 

Invisible Victory

 

 

 www.eatingdisorder.org

Published by Kate Clemmer
February 20th, 2012 in CED Events, Emotions & Coping, Media Literacy, NEDAWeek, Parenting, Recovery, Support, family based treatment
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Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment

A Professional Symposium sponsored by The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt

Saturday, April 21, 2012
Baltimore, MD
7.5 CME/CEUs

Download the Symposium brochure or Register Online

Five internationally renonwned keynote speakers

Learn from five international experts in one intensive training day.

Keynote Presentations:

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Patients with Eating Disorders and Body Image Distortion
Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D.

Trauma and Eating Disorders: Updates & Advances in Managing the Complex Comorbidity
Timothy Brewerton, M.D.

Fat is a feeling: Emotion-Focused Therapy in the Treatment of Body Image Disparagement
Joanne Dolhanty, Ph.D.

Eating Disorders in the Upcoming DSM-V: Why The Criteria Have Changed and What it Means for You and Your Patients
B. Timothy Walsh, M.D.

Accentuating the Positive and Enhancing Motivation to Change: Essential Tools to Help Patients with Eating Disorders Engage in Treatment
Janet Treasure, Ph.D.

Breakout Sessions:

Using ACT with Your Most Difficult Eating Disordered Patients
Kelly Wilson, Ph.D.

Collaborative Care and Skills Sharing with Families to Facilitate Motivation to Change
Janet Treasure, Ph.D.

Challenges to Therapists in the Long-Term Psychotherapy of Traumatized Eating Disorder Patients
Timothy Brewerton, M.D.

Introduction to Skill-Development in Using Emotion-Focused Therapy in the Treatment of Eating Disorders
Joanne Dolhanty, Ph.D.

Discussion: Enhancing Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa: Any Science to This?
B. Timothy Walsh, M.D.

Registration:

Online Registration is available here: Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment – REGISTRATION

Download the Symposium brochure for a detailed agenda and speaker bios.  You can also download and print the brochure to register by fax or mail.

Registration fees include event attendance, all program materials and handouts, 7.5 continuing education credits, continental breakfast, catered lunch, coffee/refreshments and networking opportunities.

More info:

The Center for Eating Disorders’ annual symposium is designed to bring cutting-edge, innovative treatment knowledge to the professionals caring for people with eating disorders. Hear from five international eating disorder experts on a variety of treatment topics designed to strengthen your knowledge of comprehensive eating disorder treatment, and help improve patient outcomes.

The symposium will be of interest to all professionals who make up the treatment team, including psychiatrists, internists, family practitioners, psychologists, registered nurses, social workers, registered dietitians and expressive arts therapists. 7.5 CMEs/CEUs are offered. If you’d like to receive additional announcements about events like this in the future, please subscribe to our professional mailing list.

QUESTIONS? Call (410) 938-4593

Published by Kate Clemmer
February 3rd, 2012 in Celebrity Topical News
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Invisible Victory: An Athlete’s Story of Hope & Triumph in Eating Disorder Recovery ~ Q & A with Whitney Post

In observance of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2012, The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore is excited to offer a special community event to raise awareness about the serious nature of eating disorders, the importance of treatment and support, and to help shed some light on the surprising place where eating disorders often hide - on sports teams and among athletes.  On February 26th, former World Champion rower, Whitney Post, will be speaking about her own identity as an elite athlete and how she ultimately used it to her advantage while recovering from an eating disorder.  Today, Whitney is the President and Co-Founder of Eating for Life Alliance and spends much of her time educating college students, professionals, athletes and coaches about eating disorder prevention and treatment.   

In advance of her talk, we asked Whitney to comment on this important topic and provide our readers with a glimpse into her February 26th presentation entitled, Invisible Victory: An Athlete’s Story of Hope & Triumph in Eating Disorder Recovery. 

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Q & A with Whitney Ladd Post:

Why do you think it is important to address the intersection between sports and disordered eating? What are the benefits to creating awareness and spreading education about this particular topic?

WP: For starters, we live in a culture that is incredibly rewarding of the goal-oriented, driven, take-responsibility, and perfectionistic qualities of athletes.  In addition, the media sensationalizes athletic bodies, not just athletic performances. In athletes, the body can become an obsessive focus as well as a tool for athletic success. Many of the traits that make people successful and driven athletes, can also be easily misdirected towards disordered eating and an overly-critical body image. In one study of college female athletes, 88 % felt they were overweight or needed to lose weight. Another challenge is that some athletic cultures perpetuate the myth that weight loss improves performance, and athletes may be reluctant to acknowledge a problem or seek treatment. In short, it can be very easy for athletes to hide a serious and dangerous eating disorder because they often appear, from the outside, to be excelling at their sport and may look incredibly fit and healthy.

My goal is for everyone, athletes in particular,  to understand the physical and emotional consequences of eating disorders and disordered eating in the short and long term.  Weight loss in athletics can often be presented as the magical elixir, but if it compromises health it will ultimately compromise performance.  I want athletes to know that it is a highly treatable disorder with early and proper interventions, and I want to address their reluctance to seek treatment. In my experience an eating disorder never gets better if left untreated, only worse.

Research tells us that eating disorders are biologically-based illnesses but that a variety of other factors can also play a role in how and when the illness is expressed in different individuals.  Did being an athlete affect your struggle with the eating disorder?  What role did it play in your recovery?

WP: When people ask me if lightweight rowing gave me an eating disorder, I say absolutely not. I loved being on the water, I loved the sense of team, and I loved working hard to win. Yet, I also had an attraction to the grueling process of making weight for the sport, as part of my willingness to put my body through extremes for the sake of weight loss.  Lightweight rowing offered me a mechanism to play out my unhealthy relationship with food and my body.  My years as a lightweight further entrenched my eating disordered mentality.

Yet, there are many features of athletics that can be applied to recovery if the right goals are set.  The sense of team, commitment, step-by-step training toward a goal, and positive self-coaching as well as support and guidance from others can be applied to the treatment of an eating disorder.  Part of my message is that some of the same liabilities of competition and training can be redirected toward recovery.

Your blog about eating disorder recovery is called “Invisible Victory” – why do you refer to this victory as invisible?

WP: Great question.  For me, all my goals in my sports career involved getting noticed, recognized, and praised.  There was always a teammate or a coach or spectator to witness when my hard work resulted in success.  The situation was very different with my eating disorder recovery.  I had to be my own cheer leader, because so many of my victories were not even perceptible to anyone else.  Monitoring and changing my thoughts, behaviors, and reactions were crucial to creating a new relationship with food and my body.  I had to learn to both accept the invisible nature of my new quest, and celebrate the victories big and small with or without witnesses.

When you were struggling with an eating disorder, did you ever reach a point where you didn’t think recovery was possible?  If so, what helped you push past it and what message would you give to other individuals who may be feeling that way now?

WP: Recovery felt very much the way many of my lofty athletic goals felt.  At times I faced feeling totally devastated, discouraged, and depressed, but I never stopped working in the direction of my goal.  So of course there were many times when I wasn’t sure I would ever find my way out of my little prison in which I was both warden and prisoner, but I never stopped trying.

How has your definition of health changed throughout your life as you were struggling with an eating disorder and now, as an advocate for recovery?

WP: The biggest tangible change over the years has been that my self-worth and self-image are no longer tied to exercise. Exercise is still very important to me, but now I workout mainly for the health, mood, and social benefits (I love working out with a friend).   I believe the best way to advocate for health and recovery is to live it.  I continue to place a high priority on physical, spiritual and emotional health.  Without that, nothing else works very well.

It’s clear from your bio at Eating for Life Alliance (ELA) that you’ve accomplished a great number and variety of personal and professional goals.  What would you say you are most proud of today and why?

WP: I am so happy to be freed up from the narrow vision of the world that defines eating disorders.  Instead of all the daily struggles faced when I defined myself by my body, I am now free to channel my energies to so many things.  For me, recovery from my eating disorder was a gateway to an easier and more fulfilling life.  I have a wonderful marriage and a new family, great friendships, and the opportunity to work professionally on something I am passionate about.  Before recovery these things seemed to always belong to other people, not me.

What do you hope is the take-home message for those who attend your presentation on February 26th?  Who could benefit from attending?

WP: My message is one that can benefit anyone who has been affected by an eating disorder themselves or has had a loved one with an eating disorder.  It is also important information for any parent, professional, educator, coach or friend who will likely be in a position to help someone someday if they know what to look for and how to respond.

One practical message I plan to get across to athletes and those who work with them is this: although athletes have a unique set of factors that make them more susceptible to eating disorders, they also have impressive assets that can be enlisted in helping them recover.  Eating disorders are common in athletes, and I don’t want anyone to be isolated and without the help she or he needs.

I want to offer education and encouragement to everyone who attends and wants to know more about eating disorders as they pertain to exercise and athletics, as well as to anyone out there who is looking for more hope.

Download the event flyer (pdf)

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Many thanks to Whitney Post for taking the time to provide these responses and for having the courage to share her story so that so many others may know they are not alone. 

If you would like to hear more about Whitney’s story of recovery, please join us on Sunday, February 26th at 2:00 pm for our NEDAWeek kick-off event, Invisible Victory: An Athlete’s Story of Hope & Triumph in Eating Disorder Recovery.  All are welcome to attend this FREE event.  We strongly encourage athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and athletic directors from surrounding schools and colleges to attend,  as well as any individual who has been personally affected by an eating disorder, their parents, friends, educators, and health professionals.  Please download an event flyer for details.  Attendance is free but seats are limited so pre-registration is encouraged by emailing: RSVP@sheppardpratt.org. 

This is just one of several special events to be offered over the course of NEDAWeek.  Find out more on our Events Page. 

You can also request a mailing of event flyers or posters for your organization by emailing  kclemmer@sheppardpratt.org.  

 

Published by Kate Clemmer
January 30th, 2012 in At-Risk Populations, Athletes, CED Events, Guest Blogger, Males, NEDAWeek, Perfectionism, Q & A, Recovery
2 Comments

Ringing in the New Year…in a new way

In our culture, holidays can get idealized through marketing, media messages and product promotions.  Thanksgiving has a reputation for being all about the food…it is, after all, a celebratory ”feast”.  Christmas (and Hanukkah to a lesser extent) often comes with pressure to engage in frenzied shopping and elaborate gift exchanges. And to round out the season, New Year’s Eve arrives with a cultural assumption that  everyone will be happily ringing in the new year with hefty resolutions for weight loss and a perpetually full glass of alcohol.

All of these holidays come with their own joys and challenges. The annual combination of drinking and diet pressures during NYE can be especially troublesome for individuals working on recovery considering the high rate of overlap between substance abuse and eating disorders: 

Approximately 50% of individuals with an eating disorder (ED) abuse or are dependent on alcohol or illicit substances compared with approximately 9% of the general population …

…Conversely, females who report alcohol problems and/or binge drinking were more likely to report recent ED symptoms …

  Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2788663/

During the hard work of ED recovery, it can be very easy for individuals to fall into the trap of “symptom substitution”.  This occurs when someone is refraining from acting on their eating disorder symptoms but begins to engage in, or increases their reliance on, other unhealthy behaviors such as binge drinking, drug use or self-injury.  Individuals who struggle with an ED and alcoholism can encounter an especially slippery slope during holidays like NYE that promote and normalize heavy drinking.      

If you struggle with substance abuse and find yourself challenged by the idea of the alcohol-focused NYE celebration, or you’re worried about how it might affect your ED recovery, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and create a recovery-focused party plan.  Here are a few tips and ideas to get you started:

Explore your options.  If your friends are planning an evening of bar-hopping, drinking games or other events that are heavily dependent on alcohol, it might not be the best option for you this year.  Consider other outlets…do you have neighbors, co-workers, friends from your church or synagogue, siblings, cousins or other family members who will be getting together to celebrate?  Check in to see if they may have a more balanced celebration in mind and could be more supportive of your recovery efforts. You may need to look beyond your most immediate social network to find what you need.

You CAN have fun while in recovery from an eating disorder and substance abuse; don’t convince yourself otherwise. It can be tempting to assume that there are no options for an alcohol-free evening on New Year’s Eve, but resist the urge to isolate as an alternative.  Sitting at home by yourself watching the ball drop in Times Square might seem like the safe option now but could set you up for feelings of loneliness, depression and negative thoughts as you head into the new year.   Try, instead, to connect with at least one other person and plan something special like going to see a movie or a concert, or catch a comedy show. 

Identify a sober buddy. If you are looking forward to attending a NYE party and you know there will be alcohol there, find out if there is anyone else who will be abstaining from alcohol, and team up for support.  Don’t limit yourself to other people in recovery; consider your friend’s wife who is 6 months pregnant and not drinking, or your friend who is a nurse and has to leave the party to go straight to work at 2 am.  Create alliances to help safeguard your recovery.  At the very least, let your host or a good friend know in advance that you won’t be drinking so they can help alleviate any pressure to do so on the night of the event.

BYO.   Just because you are choosing to focus on recovery and may be abstaining from alcohol doesn’t mean you shouldn’t participate in the midnight toast. In fact, if you’ve been working hard on getting well and finding happiness outside of the eating disorder and/or alcoholism, you probably have a lot of reasons to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, and toast to the progress you’ve made thus far.  Pack your own bottle of sparkling cider and raise your glass in your own honor.

Fun alternatives. If recovery-focused plans fall through or just don’t seem to be coming together, consider some creative alternatives like offering to babysit your nieces and nephews or a bunch of the neighborhood kids.  Put your energy into creating a fun, kid-centric New Year’s Eve celebration for them that you can enjoy too.   Think silly string, noise makers, confetti and some glittery dress-up outfits from the thrift store.

Safety First.  Even if you don’t struggle with substance abuse, but you know you will be drinking on NYE, aim for moderation and be sure that you have a safe travel plan in place.  Either stay-the-night at your host’s house or arrange for a trustworthy designated driver. You can also look into public services in your city that offer free rides home on NYE.  If you’re in the Baltimore area you can call  877-963-Taxi to take advantage of the Tipsy? Taxi!

#DitchingDieting  Be prepared to be bombarded with new year’s resolutions and people’s new diet plans in the weeks that follow.  In an attempt to balance those triggering and unhealthy messages, set up a system in advance to expose yourself to more accurate information about dieting and engage in a body-positive community.  If you’re on Twitter, follow the hash tag #DitchingDieting, and learn more about the toxic diet culture in this post, Dare to Resolve to Ditch Dieting  from Adios Barbie. 

As the year comes to a close, remember that your recovery, your happiness  and your well-being is worth more than a few hours of partying on New Year’s Eve.  Try something new this year by allowing yourself the time and space to celebrate in a way that is safe and supportive of your emotional growth and your current stage of recovery.  Strive to be mindful and present as you welcome in a year of gratitude, positivity, strength and confidence.

Happy New Year from The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt!   

 

 

 
Published by Kate Clemmer
December 30th, 2011 in Body Image, Diets, Holidays, Recovery, Support
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