I’ve already had the great opportunity to speak with many women about their recovery from eating disorders and emotional eating (you can find the interviews here). I hope to regularly feature Q&As with individuals who’ve recovered from eating disorders, binge eating, negative body image or any kind of disordered eating. If you’d like to share your story of recovery, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com.

How many of you have dieted? How many have tried your best to stick to a diet but end up overeating? Or have a history of restricting your food and then binge eating? This is a common cycle for so many of us. A cycle that we rarely talk about. A cycle that brings us shame and makes us feel like failures. All of which takes us further and further away from honoring and listening to our bodies and our needs.

Every Monday features a tip, exercise, inspiring quote or other tid-bit to help boost your body image. For many of us, Mondays are tough. We may feel anxious and stressed out, anticipating an arduous week, especially if we didn’t get much rest and relaxation during the weekend. These kinds of feelings don’t create the best environment for improving one’s body image. In fact, you might be harder on yourself and easily frustrated. You might even feel like you’re walking on egg shells – with yourself! With these posts, I hope you’ll have a healthier and happier body image day, that’ll last throughout the week.

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. It can be anything you do that’s healthy and helps boost your body image. I’d love to hear from you!

Do you love yourself? Do you love yourself unconditionally? Do you even like yourself? You may have never even considered it. Say “self-love” and many people think conceited, vain and narcissistic. Or hokey, in a kumbaya-sorta way. But after today’s post, I hope you see loving yourself a little differently. Not as selfish. Not as unnecessary. And definitely for you.

Thanks to Stephanie at the wonderful blog Radical Hateloss, who sent me the info, I discovered a movement called “Madly In Love With Me.” According to the founder, Christine Arylo:

“Madly in Love with METM is a self-love movement. It was created to raise the awareness of self-love among women and girls around the world…and to provide a pathway that gives those women and girls the guidance, support, wisdom and inspiration they need to freely and fully live and love the women they are, free of self-criticism, self-hatred, and self-abuse.”

She also writes:

Do you dare to fall madly in love with yourself, and…

• Take care of yourself, not just everyone else
• Design a life that supports you, not depletes you
• Create relationships full of unconditional love
• Celebrate who you are today, not who you may be later
• Focus on what you’ve done, instead of what you haven’t
• Express–instead of repress–your body, …
  Continue reading… »

Every week, I try to feature a woman’s story of recovery from anorexia, bulimia, emotional eating or any other kind of disordered eating (BTW, if you’re interested in sharing yours, email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com). Recently, I’ve started asking about everyone’s favorite resources, including books and websites. So today I wanted to compile a list of all these resources in hopes that you might find them informative and inspiring.

Books and other resources have the power to move us,  shake long-held beliefs and change our perspective. When we read about the realities of healthy eating, the diet industry, the world of airbrushing, we start to open our eyes to the constant barrage of myths we’re fed every day. When we read about someone else’s story of struggle and recovery, we start to see that getting better is possible. When we read about the various tools and tips for overcoming an eating disorder and improving our body image, we start to take action.

Personally, I love reading something that feels as though the author is writing my story, as though she knows very well what I’m going through. I love writing that challenges me and, at the end, I’ve learned something important and I feel better.

Below, you’ll find a list of recommended resources on everything from anorexia and bulimia to body image and healthy eating from the women who’ve been there and found them valuable. I also added a few of my favorites to the mix.

I’ve already had the great opportunity to speak with many women about their recovery from eating disorders and emotional eating (you can find the interviews here). I hope to regularly feature Q&As with individuals who’ve recovered from eating disorders, binge eating, negative body image or any kind of disordered eating. If you’d like to share your story of recovery, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com.

I’m so pleased to feature my interview with Michelle Myers, who recounts her struggles with anorexia. Below, she talks about how a near-death experience and her faith inspired her to seek recovery, the important role her family played, the misconceptions about eating disorders and more. Her story, like all the women who’ve generously shared theirs, is insightful and uplifting.

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Michelle Myers, and I am living a life today that I never thought was possible: one that is free of calorie counting and obsessive exercise. Food is no longer my enemy. I am not afraid to eat. I have bigger concerns in my life than worrying about getting fat. There was a point where I was enslaved to starving myself, and I couldn’t see past the bondage.

Ironically enough, I actually work in the health and fitness industry now. I own my own business called Myers Cross Training. I focus on helping others get spiritually and physically fit using fun-focused workouts, balanced nutrition and moderation in all areas of life. My husband, James, is the young adults pastor at Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, so our occupations continually overlap. We love working together to point others to a greater purpose in life.

2. How and when did your eating disorder start? What do you think contributed to it?

While I’ve always been hard on myself regarding my physical appearance, my eating disorder really began late into high school. My family moved before my junior year of high school to a small town, and it was very difficult to break in and make friends. I had never had trouble making friends before, so I …

Every Monday (with the exception of today ) features a tip, exercise, inspiring quote or other tid-bit to help boost your body image. For many of us, Mondays are tough. We may feel anxious and stressed out, anticipating an arduous week, especially if we didn’t get much rest and relaxation during the weekend. These kinds of feelings don’t create the best environment for improving one’s body image. In fact, you might be harder on yourself and easily frustrated. You might even feel like you’re walking on egg shells – with yourself! With these posts, I hope you’ll have a healthier and happier body image day, that’ll last throughout the week.

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. It can be anything you do that’s healthy and helps boost your body image. I’d love to hear from you!

I’ve decided to create an inspiration board to fuel, motivate and enliven my writing. When I’m having a tough time finding ideas or it’s been a rough day, I can turn to my inspiration board for comfort, a creativity boost and essentially a visual reminder of what’s important.

Many professionals use inspiration boards regularly, including interior decorators, fashion designers and wedding planners. Even moms can use inspiration boards to get daily inspiration.

So I was thinking why not do the same to improve your body image. Call it your very own body image inspiration board, which will help inspire, empower and boost your image.

For many of us, our size and self-worth are intertwined. Or our size may affect our daily life. We may count calories, diet, engage in fat talk and just have crappy days in general. We may stop taking care of ourselves because we think that we don’t deserve it.

An inspiration board can serve as your reminder of what’s important in your life; it can be your cheerleader. It can be there to remind you that you deserve to take good care of yourself.

Here are some suggestions for what to put on your board:

1. Inspiring quotes. Do you have a few favorite quotes? Put …

Last Friday, I featured part one of my interview with Linda Bacon, Ph.D, author of Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, and nutrition professor and researcher in the Biology Department at City College of San Francisco. She debunked many of the misconceptions we have about weight loss and the obesity epidemic.

Today, in part two, Linda talks more about the meaning of Health At Every Size, the problem with weight-loss programs, how to truly honor and listen to your body…and more!

(Oh, and I know that Mondays are usually the day I feature a body image tip or two, but stay tuned for that tomorrow.)

4. Q: Why do you think we don’t hear about the research (e.g., that diets don’t work and we can’t really control our weight) in the media or from our own primary care physicians, who’re the experts who typically advocate weight loss in the first place?

A: We all grow up in the same world. We’re all exposed at birth to cultural assumptions, and we see the world through the lens that we’ve been taught. We reach a point that these assumptions become the basis. I think about this a lot. For instance, I have a really hard time believing that the world is round. So why don’t we fall off the world? You need a flat surface, and I’m sure when it was first suggested that the world is round it seemed so counter-intuitive. Who are those creative thinkers that are able to let go of their assumptions and look at the evidence in a new way?

We’ve believed in the calorie balance equation for so long, we know that energy just doesn’t disappear. Calories stay on the body unless we burn them off. It’s clear scientifically, but it’s hard to believe that we have no control over this, especially since we all have personal experiences of being able to beat the calorie equation. You temporarily see your weight changing and it seems to get confirmed. It’s very hard to believe that there’s something going on behind the scenes that isn’t congruent.

We see that heavier people are much more likely to …

Fat is vilified in our culture. That, unfortunately, is a fact. We think that weight loss will lead to many a splendid thing, including health and success. We think diet and lots of exercise will help us lose weight and maintain it. We’re always on the lookout for the next secret to weight loss, some pill, supplement, new workout craze, anything that’ll bring us closer to reaching our goal.

But there’s a reality that we rarely hear about that seems overshadowed by shows like The Biggest Loser, which illustrate big losses, and media attention, fear and unhelpful regulations about the obesity epidemic. Schools ban cupcakes while grocery stores reward thinner employees. Our assumption of larger bodies being unhealthy is deeply ingrained.

That’s why I’m so thrilled to present part one of my interview with Linda Bacon, Ph.D, author of Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, a book that reveals the reality behind weight loss and dieting. Linda is a nutrition professor and researcher in the Biology Department at City College of San Francisco. She’s also part of a movement called Health At Every Size, which emphasizes health, not weight. It doesn’t demonize fat and it doesn’t encourage weight loss. Instead, it encourages honoring and listening to our bodies, moving our bodies and eating in a flexible way.

Below is part one of my eye-opening interview with Linda, where she presents solid research about the many, many weight-loss misconceptions that we accept every day as facts.

1. Q: Can you talk about some of the biggest misconceptions about weight loss and the so-called obesity epidemic?

A: There’s this basic idea that many people believe in called the calorie balance equation:  As long as you take in fewer calories than you spend, you’re supposed to lose weight. Unfortunately, we don’t control that equation to the degree we think we can.

With taking in fewer calories, if your body doesn’t like what’s happening, it can do things to compensate. If you try to diet to lose weight, you’ll see yourself losing weight initially because your body doesn’t react immediately; however, there’s a point when your body …

I’ve already had the great opportunity to speak with many women about their recovery from eating disorders and emotional eating (you can find the interviews here). I hope to regularly feature Q&As with individuals who’ve recovered from eating disorders, binge eating, negative body image or any kind of disordered eating. If you’d like to share your story of recovery, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com.

In part two of my interview with eating disorder survivor and advocate Kendra Sebelius (see her fantastic Facebook page and Twitter account here), she talks about media misconceptions, why she became an advocate and specific ways families can help. You’ll also find a long list of recommended resources – and much more.

If you haven’t read part one of Kendra’s interview, please check it out here.

8. What are some misconceptions about eating disorders, particularly how they’re portrayed in the media?

There is often a lot of media about anorexia and bulimia, but the majority of people who struggle with eating disorders do not fit nicely into these DSM boxes. A majority of people fit in the EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) and BED (binge eating disorder) descriptions. Since I am an advocate I read a lot of articles, and search daily for ones to post on my Voice in Recovery Facebook page.

I think eating disorders do get a lot of great press. I do worry more about trash media articles, because often the articles sound cliché, and make it sound like eating disorders are a willpower issue and not a complicated biological, chemical, cultural, environmental disorder. Some articles make it sound like people choose to have an eating disorder. I know a lot of the pro-ana websites say it is a lifestyle – which is absolutely untrue and dangerous.

I think there’s also a lot of media attention on those who struggle with eating disorders, and a lot of people sharing their story of their struggle, but often I wish there would be more news on recovery. I personally felt lost in recovery because I had no idea what recovery meant, what it …

I’ve already had the great opportunity to speak with several women about their recovery from eating disorders and emotional eating (you can find the interviews here). I hope to regularly feature Q&As with individuals who’ve recovered from eating disorders, binge eating, negative body image or any kind of disordered eating. If you’d like to share your story of recovery, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com.

I’m really excited to present this interview with Kendra Sebelius, also known as A Voice in Recovery. Kendra is a very active eating disorder advocate. She has both a fantastic Facebook page and Twitter account, where she posts relevant news, research, articles, blog posts and discussions. I think she does an amazing job. Being an eating disorder advocate is a full-time job and Kendra already has a demanding full-time job as an accountant.

Below, she talks about her struggles with eating disorders and substance abuse and her road to recovery. She shares some important insights about emotions and her keys to recovery.

Tomorrow, in part two, Kendra talks about misconceptions in the media, books and websites she recommends for recovery, how parents can help and more!

Like every woman who’s shared her experiences and journey to recover from eating disorders, Kendra is incredibly courageous and generous in telling us her story. Thank you so much, Kendra!

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an eating disorder and substance abuse survivor. I am a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a girlfriend, an advocate and a soon-to-be aunt. I have a BA in Business Economics. I currently am a Senior Accountant/Billing Specialist at a consulting company that helps restructure and re-organize companies in financial distress. This job provides me the means to go back to school through Harvard Extension to take psychology courses to find my path in education. I do not know if it will lead me to a masters of social work, clinical psych, Ph.D, PsyD, or what, and I am OK with that at this point.

I want to help people. Whatever path I am taking on in this journey of life, I will find a way …

Every Monday features a tip, exercise, inspiring quote or other tid-bit to help boost your body image. For many of us, Mondays are tough. We may feel anxious and stressed out, anticipating an arduous week, especially if we didn’t get much rest and relaxation during the weekend. These kinds of feelings don’t create the best environment for improving one’s body image. In fact, you might be harder on yourself and easily frustrated. You might even feel like you’re walking on egg shells – with yourself! With these posts, I hope you’ll have a healthier and happier body image day, that’ll last throughout the week.

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky@gmail.com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. It can be anything you do that’s healthy and helps boost your body image. I’d love to hear from you!

All of us, at some point in our lives, have bashed our bodies. And for some of us, it’s as routine as brushing our teeth:  In the morning, as we crack open one eye and catch our reflection in the mirror,  we instantly notice how fat our arms are. We say some snide remark to ourselves about their pitiful shape. After lunch, we comment to ourselves about the thickness of our thighs. After dinner, we think about our bulging bellies. At night, we do a full body scan in the mirror and just say “Ugh” before collapsing into bed, falling asleep to a litany of negative thoughts.

I’m just too fat. I wish I were a size six. What’s up with all these rolls around my stomach? They complement me but I really don’t look that good today. Are those the signs of  a double chin? All this salad-eating and the scale still hasn’t budged?

These types of thoughts can slowly sabotage our efforts to improve our body image. They may prevent us from accepting ourselves as we are, right now, at this very instant, not five or 20 pounds from now. Bashing our bodies can not only lead to body dissatisfaction but also to life dissatisfaction.

According to Teri Hugo Hirss, the expressive movement therapist at Green …