“Life Itself is the Proper Binge”

The urge to binge or over-eat may not seem like a problem to most of us. It is a common feeling that arises once in a while and we don’t mind giving in to it. But is this urge frequent? Can you not help but go on binging ? even though you end up feeling bad or guilty about it? Do you look for food at times when you are feeling low or hurt by something? If this is the case, you might be suffering from what is recognized as  Binge Eating Disorder.

Binge Eating Disorder is a form of eating disorder found in approximately 5% of the general population, with a higher prevalence amongst women as compared to men. Whilst it is not yet classified as a separate illness under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth edition (DSM-IV), binge eating disorder is recognized and treated separately from other eating disorders such as Bulimia or Anorexia. Read more »

Greetings!

Sovereign Health of California presents Diane Keddy, as our Guest Speaker at our recurring Monthly Network & Educational Luncheon, on March 14, 2012.

Diane Keddy is a Registered Dietitian and nutrition therapist who has specialized in treating addictions for over 25 years.She has counseled people with eating disorders and chemical dependency in numerous treatment settings, including inpatient, outpatient, residential and currently her private practice in Newport Beach. Diane is a frequent presenter at local and national conferences, and recently spoke on food addiction for the American Dietetic Association and the Orange County Dietetic Association.

She has written extensively on the subject of eating disorders for both professionals and consumers. You can read her Nutrition Hotline articles for Eating Disorders Recovery Today at www.eatingdisordersrecoverytoday.com

Diane enjoys helping her clients find the right path for them to have peace with food. For more information, please visit her web site at www.dianekeddy.com

Following is the schedule program for March Luncheon on March 14, 2012:

• 11.00 am-11.30 am – Registration
• 11.30 am-12.30 pm – Lunch & Networking
• 12.30 pm-01.30 pm – Presentation by Diane Keddy
• 01.30 pm-02:30 pm – Optional Tours

Check out the complete detail here

If you are not able to attend the event, you can view the presentation live by clicking on the following link:

Catch Diane Keddy Live at 12:30 pm on March 14, 2012 by clicking here.

REGISTER NOW TO RSVP

• The introduction of western television in Fiji caused a dramatic increase in the rate of eating disorders.
• One in every four TV commercials puts out some sort of message about attractiveness.
• One study documented that watching music videos featuring thin women led to an increase in body dissatisfaction
• In a survey carried out by People magazine, 80% of those who took part responded that images of thin women on TV and in the movies make them feel insecure.
• Actresses Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, as well as singer Diana Ross all meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia.
• Model/Actress Elizabeth Hurley stated in Allure magazine “I’ve always thought Marilyn Monroe looked fabulous, but I’d kill myself if I was that fat.”
• Pamela Anderson is 5’7” and weights 120 pounds. She is supposed to be the voluptuous ideal yet she is 11% below ideal body weight. In contrast, Marilyn Monroe set the beauty standard for her generation at 5’5” and weighed 135 pounds. Today her agent would probably tell her she had to lose weight!

It is irrefutable that the media has had a major impact with regard to the increase in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The population is constantly bombarded with images of over-thin models and messages reinforcing the idea that, to be happy and successful, we must be thin. We are constantly told that fat is bad. Magazines, newspapers, television advertisements – everywhere you look you will find references to ‘thin’. Not only adults are affected – these images and messages are reaching our younger generation, with the result that many adolescents often feel flawed or disfigured if their weight and body shape does not conform to that of ultra-thin models and actors. Can you name 5 current female television personalities who are overweight?

Isn’t it about time that the media owned to a responsibility for the current trend?

Mention eating disorders to the majority of people and they will probably imagine someone who is ‘stick thin’ or emaciated. They cannot picture someone who is overweight or obese.

Admittedly, anorexics and bulimics will often present in this way – but not all eating disorder sufferers are obsessed with starving themselves.

Binge eating disorder, often triggered by stress or trauma, is a condition which, for most sufferers, means that eating has become something that they can no longer control. They are powerless to stop or even slow the rate at which they are ingesting food. Without the accompanying bingeing or purging associated with bulimia, sufferers experience rapid weight gain which, in turn, impacts on the individual’s physical health and mental well-being, as well as personal relationships and social development.

Binge eating disorder is not simply occasional overeating; nor is it having the odd extra slice of cake or pizza. Sufferers experience this problem on a regular basis and are often ashamed of their behavior, withdrawing from social life in order to hide their inability to control their eating habits.

• In one study, 3 out of 4 women interviewed said they were overweight, although only 1 out of the 4 actually was
• Four out of five women in the U.S. admit they are dissatisfied with their appearance
• 81% of ten year old girls admit to being afraid of being fat
• 42% of first thru third grade girls stated they wanted to be thinner
• One study found that adolescent girls were more afraid of gaining weight than of getting cancer or losing their parents
• Over half of normal weight, white, adolescent girls perceive themselves as being fat
• Pre-school children, offered dolls identical in every respect except weight, chose the thin doll in 9 out of 10 instances
• A study asking children to assign attractiveness values to pictures of children with a variety of disabilities found that participants found an obese child less attractive than a child in a wheelchair, with a facial deformity or missing a limb
• One study found that women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25%, even though they could correctly estimate the width of a box
• A survey in Glamour magazine found that 61% of those surveyed said they were ashamed of their hips, 64% were ashamed of their stomachs and 72% were ashamed of their thighs
• In a survey, 30% of women chose an ideal body shape 20% underweight. An additional 44% chose an ideal body shape 10% underweight
• Poor body image is one of the first evidenced symptoms of an eating disorder

• One in three women and one in four men are on a diet at any one time
• 35% of occasional dieters move on to compulsive dieting
• Two in every five women and one in every five men would trade several years of their life to achieve their ideal weight.
• The diet products industry has a turnover of $33 billion a year
• In 1970 the average age for a girl to begin dieting was 14; by 1990 the average age had dropped to 8.
• One half of 4^th grade girls are on a diet.
• 51% of 9 and 10 year old girls stated that they felt better about themselves when they were dieting.
• Whilst only 10% of high school girls are overweight, 90% of high school juniors and seniors admit to dieting.
• Over 70% of girls who purge, or use diet pills, frequently read women’s health and fitness magazines.
• 95% of those who diet, as opposed to maintaining a healthy food regime, will regain their lost weight within 5 years.

People picture bulimia sufferers as individuals who consume enormous quantities of food and then induce vomiting to rid themselves of the unwanted calories. This is often an accurate description – but not always! Some elect to indulge in excessive amounts of exercise to counteract the effects of their bingeing.

In some instances over-exercising can have the desired effect of keeping weight down – bingeing twice a week and excessive exercise a day can maintain an even body weight; but reverse the behaviors and the individual will actually become overweight.

Extreme exercise regimes are dangerous and can result in various medical complications:

• Stress fractures of bones, typically in weight bearing areas such as the feet and legs, are more common in eating disorder patients who, because of their illness often suffer from osteopenia (bone loss) or osteoporosis (brittle bones).

• Bradycardia or low heart rate occurs in response to rapid weight loss, whereby the body attempts to protect itself from further weight loss by slowing the metabolism. This can be potentially fatal.

• Amenorrhea results from significant and rapid weight loss. It results in osteopenia and osteoporosis. These are dangerous losses of bone density that can result in other more serious complications.

• Endorphin levels are increased during excessive exercise, producing a sense of well being that remains even when an individual is seriously compromising their health. Studies are being carried out to better understand the possible addictive nature of exercise.

In trying to evaluate whether exercise levels have gone from reasonable to excessive, the following questions can be asked:

1. Do you feel guilty if you miss your workout?
2. Do you still exercise when you are sick or hurt?
3. Would you avoid  going out with friends or spending time with your family, just to ensure you got your workout in?
4. Do you freak out if you miss a workout?
5. Do you calculate how much to exercise based on how much you eat?
6. Do you have trouble sitting still because you’re not burning calories?
7. If you’re unable to exercise, do you feel compelled to cut back what you eat that day?

Someone who answers ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions may be exercising too much and endangering their health as a result.

Family relationships are important to psychological health and as such the family is an integral part of the recovery process and a fundamental part of the solution.

Family Systems Therapy is a branch of psychotherapy, working with families and couples, to bring about change and development within relationships.

At Sovereign Health of California, all our programs include family therapy sessions and families and partners are included as an integral part of the patient’s treatment. All treatment programs are individually tailored to suit the particular needs of the patient, whether it is an eating disorder, alcoholism, addiction, dual diagnosis or any other form of disorder. That is why treatment at Sovereign Health of California really works. Our success rate speaks for itself!

Sovereign Health’s eating disorder treatment program also offers a transitional living program. The eating disorder transitional living program at Sovereign Health helps patients suffering from eating disorders continue their treatment in a less restrictive setting. Patients continue to have access to eating disorder treatment services whilst living in an apartment. The transitional eating disorder treatment program allows people to work or go to school, in a semi-structured setting, with help just around the corner should the person need it.

The Transitional Living Eating Disorder treatment program is designed to build upon what patients have learned in the primary eating disorder treatment program at Sovereign Health of California. Aftercare treatment is a key element in successful recovery from eating disorders and the transitional living program offers exceptional aftercare treatment services in an outpatient setting for those suffering from an eating disorder.