-Slow heart rate
-Low blood pressure
-Risk for heart failure
-Reduced bone density (osteopenia, osteoporosis, stress fractures)
-Muscle loss and weakness
-Severe dehydration
-Kidney failure
-Fainting
-Low blood sugar
-Weakness/fatigue
-Dry skin
-Hair loss
-Obsessed with "good" vs "bad" food
-Feelings of guilt around food
-Fear of certain food
-Extreme control of food
-Intense fear of body composition
-Distorted self-image
-Excessive exercise
-Calorie/macronutrient obsessing
-Lack of emotion/mood
-Isolation/social withdrawal
-Fear of eating around others or in public
-Preoccupation with food
-Difficulty sleeping
-Amenorrhea or menstrual irregularities
-Constipation
-Low blood pressure
-Risk for heart failure
-Reduced bone density (osteopenia, osteoporosis, stress fractures)
-Muscle loss and weakness
-Severe dehydration
-Kidney failure
-Fainting
-Low blood sugar
-Weakness/fatigue
-Dry skin
-Hair loss
-Obsessed with "good" vs "bad" food
-Feelings of guilt around food
-Fear of certain food
-Extreme control of food
-Intense fear of body composition
-Distorted self-image
-Excessive exercise
-Calorie/macronutrient obsessing
-Lack of emotion/mood
-Isolation/social withdrawal
-Fear of eating around others or in public
-Preoccupation with food
-Difficulty sleeping
-Amenorrhea or menstrual irregularities
-Constipation
-Abdominal pain
-Headaches
-Frequently being cold
-Restricted dieting
-Feeling extremely upset when others don't understand your eating style
-Extreme eating styles - fasting, juicing, cleansing, detoxing
-Not eating enough or adequately around/during training sessions
-Feeling guilty about missed workouts and eating
-Headaches
-Frequently being cold
-Restricted dieting
-Feeling extremely upset when others don't understand your eating style
-Extreme eating styles - fasting, juicing, cleansing, detoxing
-Not eating enough or adequately around/during training sessions
-Feeling guilty about missed workouts and eating
Do not let your unhealthy relationship with food or your body affect your health, how you treat your body, quality of life or relationship with others.
This week you have the opportunity to educate yourself through various national organizations who are raising awareness of eating disorders and a disordered style of eating during National Eating Disorder Week.
Every day you have choices you can make with your body.
You can love yourself or you can beat yourself up.
You can use your body or you can bash your body.
You can accept who you are or hate who you are not.
You can eat for you or you can eat according to the masses.
You can eat for you or you can eat according to the masses.
If you are struggling to have a healthy relationship with food and the body, remember the following:
-You are not bad
-You are not ugly
-You are not stupid
-You are not a failure
-You are not uesless
-You are not a nobody
-You are not bad
-You are not ugly
-You are not stupid
-You are not a failure
-You are not uesless
-You are not a nobody
-You are amazing, beautiful, one of a kind, talented, caring, loved, alive, special, hard working, motivating, inspirational.
- Appreciate all that your body can do. Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams. Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you—running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc.
- Keep a top-ten list of things you like about yourself—things that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like. Read your list often. Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about yourself.
- Remind yourself that “true beauty” is not simply skin deep. When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you carry yourself with a sense of confidence, self-acceptance, and openness that makes you beautiful regardless of whether you physically look like a supermodel. Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of your body.
- Look at yourself as a whole person. When you see yourself in a mirror or in your mind, choose not to focus on specific body parts. See yourself as you want others to see you–as a whole person.
- Surround yourself with positive people. It is easier to feel good about yourself and your body when you are around others who are supportive and who recognize the importance of liking yourself just as you naturally are.
- Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not “right” or that you are a “bad” person. You can overpower those negative thoughts with positive ones. The next time you start to tear yourself down, build yourself back up with a few quick affirmations that work for you.
- Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good about your body. Work with your body, not against it.
- Become a critical viewer of social and media messages. Pay attention to images, slogans, or attitudes that make you feel bad about yourself or your body. Protest these messages: write a letter to the advertiser or talk back to the image or message
- Do something nice for yourself--something that lets your body know you appreciate it. Take a bubble bath, make time for a nap, find a peaceful place outside to relax.
- Use the time and energy that you might have spent worrying about food, calories, and your weight to do something to help others. Sometimes reaching out to other people can help you feel better about yourself and can make a positive change in our world.
A few of my favorite articles on learning how to have a healthy relationship with food and your body:
If you live near/around/in Jacksonville and need help working with a team of RDs who specialize in eating disorders, contact my friends at Preferred Nutrition.
You are not alone.
Get the help you need from a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders now so you can start living the life you have always wanted to live.
Get the help you need from a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders now so you can start living the life you have always wanted to live.
