#ENDED with Nicole Ortiz

Marci Anderson - Thursday, August 23, 2012

Thank you to all that joined us last night for our #ENDED Twitter Chat with Nicole Ortiz! We had a great time talking about body image, how stepping outside out comfort zone can help to build self-esteem and action steps for sharing a healthy lifestyle with others. 


Q1 Summer is a hard time for many women b/c it brings up body image struggle. What has helped your body image? 
@MaryHartleyRD This may sound light, but it's really important to have your clothes tailored. Everyone feels better in clothes that fix well. 
@ICDietitian Also, focusing on health and not appearance. Doing outdoor activities, preparing healthy meals together with family. #endED 
@MarciRD @Etribole gives good advice: try clothes on with eyes closed. If it feels good, then check the mirror. #endED 
@MissDEIntl2012 I made a resolution 3 summers ago to take less photos how i looked in them and focused on enjoying my vacations and friends 
@ICDietitian Used to teach morbidly obese #weightmanagement patients - socialize with people not food
@MissDEIntl2012summers are slow at work so I make self care a priority, exercise and spa days! #endED 
@MaryHartleyRD For me, the older I got, the less I care about appearance. People are not their looks and looks can be deceiving. #endED 

Q2 What are non-traditional" paths to having a healthier relationship with our bodies/food? 
@jadorelissa A1 Participating in activities, despite not feeling perfect about your body. #endED” exactly. This has helped me so much. 
@ICDietitian Many times putting focus on others (volunteering, teaching, counseling) can dilute the self-scrutiny of ED 
 @MarciRD I love the theme- getting out of your comfort zone & embracing imperfection. If we wait to be perfect, life passes us by #endED

Q3 17 mag pledged to not alter images, how else can the media play a part in promoting a positive self image?#endED 
@morethancereal budding in here a bit, but food blogging. Hated food, now found love (and some popularity) turning hate into passion #endED 
@ICDietitian Deliberately refuse to engage in judging others (celebrity weight gain or loss) Put away the TMZ/People mag etc #endED 
MarciRD  I am super passionate about the pro-body image movement on twitter/blogs. Wrote about it here, w resources:bit.ly/NhOCwl #endED 

Q4 What would you like to see on campuses to support a healthy environment? 
 Campaigns like Fat-Talk Free week rock. Getting energy and support behind promoting these events would be awesome
@MissDEIntl2012A4 Along the same lines love the idea of peer education programs Peers are so influential and easier to approach then say an admin
@MarciRD: Things I would not like to see: weight being measured and put on report cards & elimination of PE #endED 


Follow Nicole on Twitter and be sure to join us for our next chat in September-details to come! 


 

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Summer Salad Recipe with Couscous and Veggies

Marci Anderson - Monday, August 20, 2012

Ok, I use the term "recipe" very loosely because I don't really measure ingredients. But this salad came out so scrumptiously and made such wonderful leftovers, I made it two weeks in a row. 


Summer Couscous Salad


Ingredients

1-2 cups whole wheat couscous

1-2 medium zucchinis. sliced and quartered

1 bunch of asparagus, sliced

1/4 cup feta (I bought the Mediterranean flavor)

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (heat in pan for 3-4 minutes, careful not to burn)

(I really did make up those measurements so just go for a ratio of ingredients that feels right to you.)

Dressing (made from salad dressing on this recipe)


Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and start boiling the water for the couscous

Line a baking sheet with foil and cooking spray. Place zucchini and asparagus on the cooking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, and crushed red pepper.

Add veggies to the oven and roast for 10-15 min. While the veggies cook add the couscous to the water, whip up your salad dressing, and toast your pine nuts.

Mix up all the ingredient in a big bowl and enjoy!!!


Do you have any favorite summer recipes? Please share while we still have long, warm days left!!!


 

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#ENDED with Nicole Ortiz

Marci Anderson - Friday, August 17, 2012

Someone tell me how it is already the end of August?? We are so excited to wrap up the summer with a fantastic #ENDED Twitter chat with a pageant queen and eating disorder awareness advocate Nicole Ortiz! 

Nicole Ortiz is an entrepreneur, pageant queen and eating disorders awareness advocate. Having overcoming anorexia and bulimia, educating the community about eating disorders and destructive decisions is a very personal endeavor. This year, she spearheaded the first National Eating Disorders Awareness Week in Delaware. She is currently the Director of Finance of a child-serving non-profit organization and Co-founder of PageantProfessors.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @MIssDEIntl2012

We'll be chatting about positive body image in a world that puts a lot of pressure on outward beauty. 

 If you're new to Twitter, here's a primer on how to participate. It's simple, go to www.tweetchat.com and enter the keyword "#endED" and it will appear as if you're in a chat room. Watch the tweets stream live and join in on the conversation. Be sure to follow @MarciRD and @MIssDEIntl2012 

We hope you can join us on August 22th at 8:30 EST. Feel free to RSVP on Facebook as well!

 

 

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Exposure Therapy: A Guest Post from Casey Becker

Marci Anderson - Wednesday, August 15, 2012

There is not one approach to treating food and body image issues. I have seen first hand the importance of incorporating of variety of tools to treat these chronic problems. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of eating lunch with Casey and was excited to hear about how she utilizes exposure therapy in her work. I hope you enjoy the post as she shares with you a little about exposure therapy and the benefits of this type of approach. Enjoy!
Have you ever seen a bug crawling across the floor, only to find yourself hoping on the nearest piece of furniture before you know what happened? Fear is an incredibly powerful emotion and can readily change how we think and act. Some fears are reasonable and keep us safe in dangerous situations. Occasionally though, unreasonable fears interfere with healthy living and may require a special set of skills to manage. 
 
As an eating disorder therapist, I am very interested in working with how people who have developed fears and anxieties around food and body image. For many with eating disorders, the same type of 'fight or flight' reactions that occur when seeing bugs develop around eating a meal, clothes shopping, and many more everyday occurrences. When you have an ED, a meal or going clothes shopping can be as scary and overwhelming as picking up a snake. Obviously, extreme fear reactions to something you need to stay alive or something that you need to leave house can make for a very difficult situation, indeed.

Luckily, there is a therapy available that is specifically designed to address this issue and one that I have found very helpful in dealing with the fears that occur in eating disorders. Exposure therapy is a behavioral technique intended to bring a person into a feared situation in such a way that it is no longer anxiety provoking. It is the considered a necessary part of treating anxiety, and as anxiety is a core feature of eating disorders; exposure is easily incorporated into standard treatment.1,2


For example, a person who is recovering from an eating disorder may need to buy new clothes, but finds shopping extremely difficult. The change in the size of clothes, while an indication that she is getting healthier, may trigger eating disorder thoughts or a panic attack. A person may even reengage in eating disorder behaviors to avoid the change in body size and shape. During the course of exposure therapy, she would be taught the skills to manage the acute symptoms of anxiety and act of shopping would be broken down into small steps. Together with the therapist, at the site where she would like to buy clothes, the person would complete each step. Every time she experienced anxiety, she would stop at that step and utilize her skills to reduce the distress. When the anxiety was sufficiently managed, the person and therapist would go on to the next step. Eventually, she is able to buy and wear the new clothes, making the weight gain easier and more likely.

By breaking the experience down into manageable steps and addressing the anxiety in increments, the situation becomes safe. The exposure may need to be repeated or used for other feared situations, depending on the person. However, in completing an exposure, she has reduced the risk of relapse and can continue making progress in her recovery.

In working with people with eating disorders, I see clients struggle with very real fears around food and body image. However, there is hope and there is relief. Exposure therapy, in conjunction with standard treatment, can help address the specific fears and anxieties that occur in eating disorders.

1 Steinglass JE, Sysko R, Glasofer D, Albano AM, Simpson HB, Walsh BT. Rationale for the application of exposure and response prevention to the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 2011; 44:134.
2 Pollice C, Kaye WH, Greeno CG, Weltzin TE. Relationship of depression, anxiety, and obsessionality to state of illness in anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 1997; 21:367.
  

Do you have any body-image or food related fears? Are there situations you avoid because of these fears? What are your thoughts?

Casey W. Becker, LMHC, of Mended Wing Counseling, is now offering exposure therapy as an adjunct to standard outpatient treatment. To find out more, please call at (617)797-7949, send an email to info@mendedwingcounseling.com or visit the website at www.mendedwingcounseling.com.

 

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Product Showcase: Flamous Falafel Chips

Marci Anderson - Sunday, August 12, 2012

A couple of weeks ago I ran to Darwin's to pick up some pita chips. (Big shout to Darwin's, home to some of the tastiest sandwiches I've ever tasted.) To my surprise they were all out. But they had falafel chips, which I had never heard of or tried. The package says it's "the chip for hummus dip" so I decided to check them out. Well, I had no idea what was in store! These chips are FABULOUS! In fact, I would go as far as to say I absolutely LOVE them. Oh how I love them, let me count the ways:


  • They are made with whole beans and canola oil, which means they are a deliciously and nutritiously balanced snack with more protein, fiber, and healthy fats than a pita chip.
  • The spices on the falafel chips are totally scrumptious. I adore spicy food though, so if you prefer a more mild snack you may want to check out Trader Joe's version of falafel chips. They are good but not as tasty as the Flamous brand, in my opinion.
  • Couple them with hummus, guacamole, or bean dip and you've had a super quick snack or appetizer.

Do you have a "product" you'd love to have me showcase? I try to highlight something I can't seem to live without each month. I'd love your ideas!!! If you like this series, check out the tag "product showcase" to the right.

If you give these chips a try, let me know what you think!

 

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Eating with Satisfaction

Marci Anderson - Monday, August 06, 2012

Satisfaction: Fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.

Synonyms: gratification - contentment - content – pleasure

Eating food that is truly satisfying is one of the MOST important aspects of feeding yourself. Now those words may be considered heresy in a day and age that promotes rigid, controlled eating. In fact, I just read a greeting card the other day that said something to the effect that getting healthy is the equivalent of eating food you don’t like. This card made me both angry and sad. Just think of the French! Now these are people who know how to eat with satisfaction.

When you are fully tuned in to the experience of eating in a way that brings genuine satisfaction it feels both nourishing and energizing. And don't forget that it's one of the pillars of Intuitive Eating. And as I explain to my clients when you eat a meal that is sufficiently filling and satisfying, some amazing things happen:
• Obsessive food thoughts decrease
• Urges to over or compulsively eat lessen
• Self-esteem improves as you gain confidence in feeding yourself
• Physical health improves
• Energy increases

Often, people confuse eating with satisfaction and eating with abandon! Take a look at those synonyms again: gratification, contentment, pleasure. Now imagine the following scenarios.

Scenario 1: It’s lunch time and you are craving a cheeseburger. You immediately tell yourself that it’s fattening and bad and ignore the craving and order a chicken salad (dressing on the side) instead. In the moment you feel virtuous…but then an hour or so later you feel hungry and you’re still thinking about that burger. You're bothered by hunger and food thoughts the rest of the afternoon, thanks to your unsatisfying meal.
 
Scenario 2: It’s lunch time and you are craving a cheeseburger. You tell yourself that it’s fattening and bad but somehow find yourself in the drive through ordering a supersize meal of a cheeseburger, fries, and soda. Before you know it, you eat it up quickly telling yourself you’ll be better tomorrow. You’re left feeling guilty, overfull, and uncomfortable.

Scenario 3: It’s lunch time and you are craving a cheeseburger. You tell yourself that it’s fattening and bad but then you suddenly remember that all foods are legal! You can eat whatever you want when you feel hungry. So you check in with your hunger levels and assess that the cheeseburger down the street is exactly what you’re craving and matches your hunger level just right. You eat it with full permission, without the shame and guilt and return to work feeling great both physically and emotionally.

I often share the following scales with my clients:

The goal with happy, satisfied eating is to find the right balance between fullness and satisfaction. Surely you’ve experienced getting full but not satisfied. And you’ve likely experienced eating something that is truly satisfying but not filling. The sweet spot is a balance between the two.

And for those of you doubters out there, scenario 3 is not impossible. The wonderful thing about TRULY listening to your hunger and cravings, is that you’ll learn to feed your body just what it needs when it needs it. You’ll come to realize that your body doesn’t want M&Ms 24/7. Don’t trust me? Give it a try and let me know your results.

What are your thoughts about eating with true satisfaction? Impossible? Frightening? Exciting? Share!

If you like this post, you'll likely enjoy this post on hunger.

 

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