{via It Gets Better Project; helps to fund anti-bullying & suicide prevention efforts}

Today I’m pleased to present this guest post by writer Brittany Lyons. Below, Brittany sheds light on an important topic: the prevalence of body image issues and eating disorders in the gay community and what might be to blame.

Brittany aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from her PhD program to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

When people think about body image or eating disorders, they usually imagine young, impressionable girls who come to hate their own bodies because they don’t match unrealistic advertisements, TV shows and movies. And, in fact, most eating disorder awareness and assistance programs are aimed at women.

However, a 2007 study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that women aren’t the only ones who need such programs, as gay and bisexual men may be just as much at risk (or even higher risk) for poor body image and  eating disorders as women. Thus, instead of just focusing on women, it is imperative that eating disorder programs focus on all groups.

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Yesterday, we discussed recovering from eating disorders. I shared my interview with Carolyn Costin and excerpts from her book,  8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience, with co-author Gwen Schubert Grabb.

One of the topics we talked about was feelings. Learning to tolerate your emotions in a healthy way is important for recovery – and for living life. But many of us, whether we have an eating disorder or not, have a tough time identifying and processing our emotions.

Interestingly, our perspective can make or break negative emotions. As Costin said: “Your emotions are your body’s response to your thoughts.” Or, “What you tell yourself affects your emotional state.”

We run into trouble when our thoughts are inaccurate and self-critical but we see them as pure fact. These are called cognitive distortions. Psychologist and eating disorder specialist Sari Fine Shepphird, Ph.D, defines cognitive distortions as “a biased way of thinking about oneself or one’s environment, including one’s body image, weight or appearance” in her excellent book 100 Questions & Answers About Anorexia Nervosa.

Carolyn Costin and Gwen Schubert Grabb have written a fantastic book called 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience. Not only are both women psychotherapists, but they’ve also been there. Costin began struggling with an eating disorder in her teens. Grabb was Costin’s client, who recovered and then became a therapist herself.

In their book, they write: “This book is about getting over an eating disorder, how we did it, how we helped thousands of others do it, and how we hope to help you do it, too.” Below are several excerpts from the book and my interview with Costin, who discussed everything from obstacles to recovery to strengthening your “healthy self.”

The 8 Keys

The eight keys are based on scientific research, both authors’ personal recovery and their work with people with eating disorders. The book includes stories from Costin’s work with Grabb and other clients of both authors. The eight keys are:

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Anxiety often underlies eating disorders. For many individuals, engaging in eating disorder behaviors helps to soothe them – only temporarily, of course.

Anxiety also contributes to emotional eating and can worsen body image issues. (How many times have you been tense and taken it out on your body? Or vice versa? Or mistook discomfort and nervousness for “feeling fat”?)

But while anxiety seems incredibly overwhelming when you’re caught in its clutches, you can do so many things to minimize your anxiety. It’s a matter of learning some skills. Here’s a list of strategies to try.

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.

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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.

There’s very little consensus about the definition of recovery in the eating disorder field. As eating disorder expert Sarah Ravin, Ph.D, told me in an interview here on Weightless:

Some research studies loosely define recovery as no longer meeting full criteria for the eating disorder. For example, recovery from AN could involve restoring weight to the point that the person is above 85% of IBW (Ideal Body Weight) and menstruating. Other research studies define recovery from AN as being at 95% of IBW or 100% of IBW and getting regular periods. Bulimia nervosa (BN) recovery is typically defined as abstinence from bingeing and purging, or infrequent bingeing and purging (e.g. once a month).

One of the problems with this definition is that it dismisses the cognitive and emotional parts of recovery. As Ravin said:

Many research studies fail to consider the cognitive and emotional aspects of recovery, which usually persist for at least a few months after weight restoration and cause a tremendous amount of distress for the sufferer. In addition, many behavioral symptoms may persist (e.g. avoidance of fats, food rituals, rigid or excessive exercise regimens) long after the person is weight restored and no longer bingeing or purging.

Yesterday, we talked about preventing and managing eating disorder relapses. Setbacks are common, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fully recover.

Like the eating disorder experts emphasized yesterday, the critical part is to learn from your relapses. (Speaking of which, Carrie, from one of my favorite blogs, ED Bites, has an excellent post today on learning from relapse.)

One of the things that can commonly trigger a setback is stress. And an eating disorder can seem like a savior when you’re struggling with a difficult situation or the anxiety of the everyday.

It fools you into thinking it’ll help you just this once.