Because Binge Eating Disorder Week has ended, today, I’m wrapping up the week with several pieces that address this common (and highly treatable) disorder. I hope you find these helpful!

What does binge eating disorder (BED) look like? A powerful and inspiring post from a woman recovering from the disorder.

An excellent piece from Marsha on the facts about BED, including causes and effective treatment.

In honor of Binge Eating Disorder Week, I’m republishing posts that focus on dispelling pervasive myths about binge eating disorder (BED) and tools for overcoming this common disorder.

Remember that BED is a real disorder, and it’s highly treatable.

Learn more about the online campaign here. Also, check out these valuable posts from eating disorder experts, including Amy Pershing and Cynthia Bulik.

Today marks the first day of Binge Eating Disorder Week, an online campaign to educate people about what binge eating disorder really is (and what it isn’t).

This week I’m republishing Weightless posts that focus on dispelling common (and damaging) myths about BED, along with information on treatment and recovery. (I’ve edited these pieces and combined the interviews.)

Please learn more about this campaign here.

Also, today, is Memorial Day here in the U.S. It honors the men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our country. I’m incredibly grateful to our military. And I’m incredibly grateful to this country.

Instead of my usual body image booster, today, I’d like to talk bout dieting. That’s because, today, is International No Diet Day (INDD).

INDD was started by Mary Evans Young, the director of the British anti-diet campaign “Diet Breakers” and author of the best-selling book Diet Breaking: Having It All Without Having To Diet.

Today, it’s celebrated all over the world.

{via etsy by Debbie}

One of the biggest reasons we turn to food for comfort is disconnection. We’re disconnected from ourselves. 

As author Julie M. Simon writes in her book The Emotional Eater’s Repair Manual, “You’re cut off from your most basic signals, your emotions.” In her book Julie shares a helpful strategy for reconnecting to ourselves.

{via etsy by VickieWadeFineArt}

Stress can spark disordered eating. While the relationship between the two is complex and varies by person, many people turn to food — or away from food — in times of stress. Controlling food intake becomes a way to cope.

In other words, “many people react to stress by under- or over-eating,” according to Jamie Manwaring, PhD, a primary therapist at Eating Recovery Center’s Child and Adolescent Behavioral Hospital.

When stress strikes, kids may also seek comfort in bingeing or restricting how much they eat.

{via etsy by Elle Moss}

As a partner, family member or friend, you might be unsure about how to help your loved one during the holidays. You want to support them through this potentially tough time. But you just don’t know how to go about doing that.

Here’s some insight from the experts at Eating Recovery Center that might help.

This is the last part of my interview with Dr. Katja Rowell, M.D., a feeding specialist and author of the must-read book Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents’ Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More. (I highly recommend it for all parents!)

Below, Dr. Rowell reveals the practical and effective ways parents can help their children build a healthy relationship with food. Specifically, she follows Ellyn Satter’s evidence-based feeding models: The Trust Model and Division of Responsibility. I wish these models were standard practice in every pediatrician and dietitian’s office.

Dr. Rowell also discusses healthy eating and feeding in our earlier interviews on Weightless. Be sure to check out parts one, two and three.

Learn more about Dr. Rowell at her website, and read her fantastic blog. Also, check out these valuable additional resources from Dr. Rowell’s website.

One of the things I love about feeding specialist Dr. Katja Rowell’s new book Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents’ Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More is that it debunks many damaging myths about what it means to raise a healthy child with a healthy relationship with food.

The problem with these myths is that they steer parents in the wrong — and unhealthy — direction. They often cause kids to obsess over food and create needless conflict between parents and their children. Mealtime becomes a battle.

Below, in part two of our interview, Dr. Rowell shares seven common myths and facts on everything from limiting portions to forbidding foods to controlling weight.

Love Me, Feed Me is truly a comprehensive, wise and practical guide in nourishing your child, ending food obsession and addressing common concerns, such as developmental delays and sensory problems. And, ultimately, it empowers parents to connect with their kids through feeding.

Learn more about Dr. Rowell at her website, and read her fantastic blog. Also, check out these valuable additional resources from Dr. Rowell’s website.

November is National Adoption Month, so I wanted to talk about an often neglected yet critical concern for adoptive and foster families: problems with feeding.

It’s a very complex issue, but kids who are adopted or in foster care tend to be especially susceptible to eating struggles. And, unfortunately, the resources on feeding are scarce. Or, if parents do receive advice, it’s often misguided, exacerbating the problem and leading kids to obsess over food.

That’s why I’m so honored to present my interview with Dr. Katja Rowell, MD, a family doctor and feeding specialist. I’m a huge fan of Dr. Rowell and her positive work in helping parents raise healthy kids. (I’ve also interviewed her before on Weightless.)

Recently, she’s published an excellent book called Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents’ Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More. It dispels common — and damaging — myths about healthy feeding and is packed with evidence-based practices for helping your child build a nourishing relationship with food.

It’s a compassionate, practical and safe resource, which I highly recommend to all parents. (By the way, you can win a copy below!)

In part one of our interview, Dr. Rowell delves into why adopted and foster kids struggle with eating and how a healthy relationship with food is at the core of children’s happiness.

Learn more about Dr. Rowell at her website, and read her fantastic blog.