Whether you have body image issues, disordered eating or are in recovery from an eating disorder, it’s important to recognize your problems and work to resolve them prior to pregnancy or motherhood.

As authors Claire Mysko and Magali Amadei write in their excellent book, Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby*:

If you know you have food and weight issues and you want to go into motherhood prepared to deal with them, that doesn’t mean you’re selfish. It means you’re smart, savvy and self-aware – and we think your kids will thank you for it.

In their book, Mysko and Amadei, who both struggled with and recovered from eating disorders, include a valuable checklist with healthy tips for before and during pregnancy and after your baby’s birth.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit to help boost your body image — and kick-start the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

{via Flickr}

This weekend I was reading this inspiring e-book, and I was especially struck by what Susannah Conway wrote:

…building a relationship with the woman you see in the mirror is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

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Anxiety underlies eating disorders, and eating disorders, in a sense, become a way to cope with the tension and rumbling nervousness.

One way to treat EDs is to focus on a person’s values and help them realize that eating disorders, while they might minimize anxiety temporarily, interfere with these values. (And, of course, are dangerous.)

Today, I’m pleased to present my interview with Emmett R. Bishop, Jr., MD, FAED, CEDS, medical director of adult services at the Eating Recovery Center, who discusses this technique, which at the Eating Recovery Center, they’ve termed values-based anxiety management.

Below, Dr. Bishop discusses how he helps patients with eating disorders discover their values and alleviate their anxiety. He also includes a tip for individuals who don’t suffer from EDs.

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Here’s part two of my interview with Sam, who writes the blog Quantum Vegan. Below, Sam talks more about eating disorders and recovery.

Specifically, she discusses how families can help a loved one who’s struggling with an eating disorder, recommends several ED resources and explains what recovery means to her.

You can read part one of our interview here, where she recounts how her eating disorder started and what helped her recover.

By the way, if you’d like to share your story of recovering from an eating disorder, ditching dieting or overcoming body image issues, don’t hesitate to email me! You can reach me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com.

Today, I’m honored to present my interview with Sam, a freelance writer who authors the cooking blog QuantumVegan.com. (Cool name, right!)

Below, Sam talks about how her symptoms spiraled into an eating disorder, what helped her recover and how she copes with setbacks.

If you’d like to share your story of recovering from an eating disorder, ditching dieting or overcoming body image issues, don’t hesitate to email me! You can reach me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit to help boost your body image — and kick-start the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

{Lake George; taken with my iPhone}

When it comes to improving our body image, I talk a lot about putting life into perspective and getting out of the body bubble. The bubble that gives you tunnel vision, so all you see are hips, thighs, low-cal foods, calorie counts and women’s magazines.

What I mean about gaining perspective is enjoying the many experiences that life has to offer. Because when we pay close attention to our amazing surroundings, family, friends, hobbies and other favorite things to do, we naturally focus less on our supposed physical flaws.

{via pinterest; originally from here}

Sally from Already Pretty recently wrote a post on style strengths. (By the way, if you’re not familiar with her blog, check it out; it’s seriously amazing.)

She says:

…there are some things we’ve nailed. Some things we do so well that we could do them half asleep. Some things that have become trademarks, and that we take tremendous pride in executing perfectly. Let’s chat about THOSE things, shall we?

After reading her post, I immediately thought about body image. Cultivating a positive body image is a process, but over time, there are parts of the process that we, too, have nailed down. Parts that seem a bit easier now. Positive parts that come to us automatically.

{via flickr}

When it comes to things I’m an expert in, unfortunately, comparing myself is top on the list.

I compare myself to others like it’s my job. I’ve mostly stopped the body comparisons. But my comparison-making has simply morphed.

Instead of someone else’s body, I focus on other parameters like profession, success, home life and happiness. Instead of weight and size, I notice myself focusing on and fretting about other numbers like blog comments and pageviews.

I’ve written about my comparison-making ways before (see here and here). So why am I writing about them again?