FitSugar

The Dieting of Mothers Visits Daughters in Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:00:16 -0700

Parents model behavior for their children, whether consciously or not. A recent survey conducted by British teen mag Sugar (no relation to the PopSugar Network) found that a dieting mother can have unfortunate consequences for daughters.

Out of the 512 girls surveyed, ages 12 to 18, six percent had an eating disorder; that number rose to one in 10 among girls with mothers who dieted. Girls learn how to create a self-image from observing their mothers, and when mom labels certain foods bad and dangerous, her daughter internalizes the message. It has been shown that regular family meals can help prevent eating disorders, and when the female head of household removes herself from the ritual of the family dinner impressionable eyes are watching. Negative body image from mothers affects girls too. This is why I learned to stop talking smack about my thighs. Did your mom diet? Did it affect your relationship with food?

Health Food Obsession Gone Too Far: Orthorexia

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:39 -0700

If you're reading this site, chances are you're into eating healthy. While it's beneficial to be conscious about what you put in your mouth, it's not good to become so obsessed that your lifestyle goes from a healthy diet to an unhealthy fixation on a healthy diet. The condition is referred to as an eating disorder by some, known as orthorexia nervosa. Symptoms include sticking to a strict diet such as a raw food diet, making a list of foods that are off-limits, or nervously avoiding foods deemed unhealthy, such as those with artificial flavors, preservatives, or that aren't organic.

Being obsessed about eating healthy seems like a positive thing, but problems arise when a person's healthy lifestyle becomes so overwhelming that it pushes other activities and interests to the periphery, and interferes with relationships and day-to-day responsibilities. As the quality of their diet increases, the quality of their life decreases. It can ironically lead to unhealthy consequences like malnutrition or starvation (anorexia orthorexia).

This is not to say that those who have diet restrictions such as vegans or those following a macrobiotic diet have orthorexia. It has to do with the rigidness of the lifestyle, and whether or not it's actually detrimental to a person's health. While some mental health professionals classify orthorexia as an obsessive compulsive disorder, others think orthorexia isn't a real disorder at all. What do you think?

Were Eating Disorders Prevalent in Your High School?

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:00:43 -0700

With two young daughters, I really hate reading about eating disorders in the news. In a recent study, I learned a surprising statistic about eating disorders. The risk of developing one is higher among girls whose mothers, fathers, and grandparents are highly educated. A study of more than 13,000 girls in Sweden found that as a family's education increased, so did the risk for being hospitalized for anorexia or other eating disorders. The risk also increased as the girls' high school grades climbed. You would think that with more education, there would be more discussion about eating disorders, but researchers think it has to do with the strong pressures to be both smart and good looking.

There are so many pressures in high school, and it seems that everyone knows at least one classmate who dealt with a eating disorder and in some cases many more. This reminds of last week's episode of Glee, when Rachel Berry attempts to make herself vomit after the brutal choreographer tells her to lose weight. Fortunately for viewers, both impressionable and squeamish, she wasn't successful.

I'm curious to know what it was like in your high school . . .

Stephanie Pratt Says The Hills Made Her Bulimic

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:10:25 -0700

In a recent issue of Us Weekly, Stephanie Pratt opened up for the first time about her struggle with bulimia. Stephanie cites working alongside her super-skinny costars on The Hills as the cause of her eating disorder, which began after joining the cast in 2007. After watching a scene she shot with Lauren Conrad, the 5'7" star said, "I was horrified. I remember saying, 'I can't believe how huge I look walking over to Lauren.'" Then the awful cycle of binging and purging began. When filming in Hawaii with female cast members clad in only bikinis, Stephanie wore a bathing suit and a cover-up. When she asked costar Audrina Patridge what looked better, "shirt on or off," and Audrina responded "On," Pratt really felt the pressures to be thin. Stephanie said she never felt pressure directly from the producers, but she said, "It's embarrassing working with skinny girls."

Do you empathize with Stephanie? Have you ever felt pressure from your peers or co-workers to be "skinny"?

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How Monica Seles Smashed Her Eating Disorder

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

At age 16, tennis pro Monica Seles became the youngest winner in French Open history, so we were all stunned in 1993 when she was stabbed in the back during a match in Germany, and forced to leave the game for two years. She eventually healed, but was gripped by emotional trauma as she slipped out of the number one ranking and into a depression. In her new book, Getting a Grip, Monica reveals how the sad series of events led to her eating disorder. She says, "I turned to food for comfort. Food became my best friend. When emotionally I got down, depressed and had anxiety, I found comfort in food."

Monica was training six hours a day, but was also secretly binging late at night. It led to 37 pounds of weight gain, which translated to criticism by her trainers, nutritionists, and the media. To hear more about how Monica tamed her eating disorder read more.

After a debilitating injury in 2003, Monica's foot was in a cast for three months, so she was forced to take time off. That's when she made some big life changes. She fired her trainers, coaches, and nutritionists when she realized she was using them to fix her problems on the outside. It was her emotions, though, that were causing her to binge, so she needed to get those settled if she was going to control her eating habits and make any progress with her body. She said,

I threw out every single diet notion I’d learned. I allowed myself to eat every single food group. My extreme cravings went away. I allowed myself to have cookies or pasta. I stopped dieting and I started living life. That’s how I lost 37 pounds.

When Monica was upset and got the urge to eat, she'd go for a walk instead to calm her down. She's also big into journaling to get her thoughts and emotions on paper, and it's helped with her recovery tremendously. Reading through old journal entries helped her realize she didn't ever want to go back to that place. It became clear that it was time to end her love-hate relationship with food and turn it into a positive relationship, so she could in turn "have a love relationship with her body."

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How Idol's Kara DioGuardi Handled Her Eating Disorder

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Kara DioGuardi joined the judges' table on this season of American Idol, but growing up she was scared to try new things for the fear of being judged. An extraordinary sense of insecurity led Kara to develop an eating disorder, and while she discussed her feelings during the time she spent in a treatment center, Kara recently opened up about the subject for the first time in an interview.

Kara explained, "I never threw up or starved myself. It was an eating disorder. I actually went into a treatment center for it . . . I would get up and eat in the middle of the night." Kara credits her recovery to becoming a songwriter; instead of eating her feelings, she expresses them through writing. Now she's helping kids with building confidence in a treatment center where she also keeps a studio, and the work is therapeutic for her, too. To see what Kara said about American Idol, read more.

While Kara has come a long way from the days of her disordered eating, she still has feelings of insecurity and said, "I had this craziness in my head that I had to be perfect all the time and I face it now on Idol 25 years later. It's kind of like, 'Oh god, why did I say that? Why did I do this?' But I made this commitment in my life to face my fears and if I am afraid of something, I make sure I do it." All of our problems are a work in progress, and it seems that attacking them head-on is the fastest way to make a dent.

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Tori Spelling Sets the Record Straight: "I'm Not Anorexic"

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Accusing someone of having an eating disorder is a serious thing, and Tori Spelling has been the object of recent accusations due to her extremely thin figure. Critics thought she was too thin in February after she quickly lost her baby weight. Before she just brushed off comments about her small frame, but now she's setting the record straight. She responded to these assertions recently in People magazine, saying:

"Oh my God, I'm not anorexic. I acknowledge that I look thin in photos. I get it . . . Obviously I don't want to lose any more weight, but people haven't seen me not pregnant in two and a half years. I'm eating healthy, I just have a crazy lifestyle."

Tori admits that she doesn't always have time to sit down for a well-balanced meal. To see how and why she is trying to change that bad habit, read more.

"I want to be a positive role-model for my daughter. The last thing I want to put out there is that it's acceptable to be too thin or have an eating disorder because you're in Hollywood. I have two kids that I need to be healthy for because they need their mom."

Well that's good to hear. I hope she really is taking care of herself and practicing what she preaches.

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National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:00:00 -0800

This may not be a sunny, happy topic, but it needs to be discussed. In fact, it merits an entire week of discussion, if not more. It is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating disorder, seem to work on a spectrum and have doubtlessly touched many of our lives. This awareness week is an important tool for reaching people who are at risk of developing an eating disorder or are already suffering from one.

The National Eating Disorders Association sponsors the week of awareness, and events are held all over the nation. Check their website calendar to see if there is an event happening near you. If you're in the NYC area, there will be a free discussion, open to the public on Feb. 28. In Seattle, on Feb. 26, there will be a walk and silent art auction.

The theme this year for National Eating Disorders Awareness week is: ". . .until eating disorders are history." The goal is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. The NEDA website has treatment referrals for people at risk for eating disorders.

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Male Athletes Struggling With Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

A leaner body has advantages in some competitive sports, but it looks like some male athletes may be taking lean a little too far. Recent deaths among wrestlers attempting to make certain weight classes have raised awareness about eating disorders and male athletes. This issue is not just limited to wrestlers. Increasingly, doctors are seeing unhealthy eating disorders develop among cyclists, triathletes, and cross country skiers.

While training, athletes may lose weight and notice that their thinner bodies allow them to move faster. When competing, their sleekness may help them place higher, which can inspire them to want to lose even more weight. That's where dieting and training may become a dangerous mix. If a male athlete loses enough weight, he may become injured and his training will become over training, creating lackluster performance. Hopefully this negative cycle will convince the athlete to improve his nutritional habits. However, if he in fact does have an eating disorder, the athlete may come up with other reasons as to why his performance is lacking, denying his eating disorder. Professional treatment may be necessary to help these men learn the balance between being athletic and being healthy.

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Fit Tip: It's OK to Miss a Workout

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Feeling guilty about ditching your workout today? Give yourself a break!

In fact, recent research has found that the guilt many women feel over missing a workout can lead to disordered eating and/or a reduced quality of life. Remember that you're exercising to improve your life and you want to keep progressing to improve your overall health; beating yourself up over skipping the gym is not the way to go. A few missed workouts are nothing to get upset about, just try to make it a rule to not go without doing anything active for two weeks.

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