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Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
By MizFit | February 26, 2009
Today’s guest post is from Dinneen Diette of Eat Without Guilt. (I know. I love the website name as well. Talk about cutting to the chase & bottom lining it.)
Dinneen’s main focus is helping women make peace with food and, if they lose weight in the process, then it’s the full fat icing on the proverbial protein cake (get it? everything in moderation? treats are good? no? oh, ok.)
As this week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I asked Dinneen to stop by and tell us what that means to her.
As a weight loss coach and mentor, I help many women lose weight, look better AND feel better, and I’m constantly meeting women who struggle with food and their weight. And I get it, as I’ve been there myself.
For years I struggled to lose weight, and even when I was finally “thin,” I spent many more years eating low-fat, low-calorie, and low-tasting foods. Food and eating was not an enjoyment for me. Any food I ate that was remotely decadent or a “bad” food, left me feeling guilty and eventually lead me to overeat. And so started a vicious cycle of dieting, losing weight, putting it back on, dieting again, and on and on.
What I ate either helped me lose weight, or gain weight, or so I thought. It wasn’t until a trip to Italy, and then a few years later living & working in France, did I learn that I could enjoy foods without guilt, lose weight and stay slim.
My world was literally turned upside down. And so was my life.
And so began a journey of education, self-awareness, and self-growth that led me to the extraordinary life I live today. I can eat the foods I love, and still stay healthy, and yes, slim.
As a weight-loss coach and mentor I help women and men lose weight, get healthy, and feel good about themselves. And part of that is helping them with their relationship with food.
You see, it wasn’t’ until I changed my relationship with food was I able to lose weight and keep if off, and without deprivation.Even Oprah Winfrey has had ups & downs with her weight and, in my opinion, she will not keep it off until she has a healthy relationship with food. (for more about my thoughts about Oprah and her weight, visit my blog post from earlier this year).
In my business I’ve come across women (and young girls) who suffer from an eating disorder. Eating disorders arise from a variety of physical, emotional, and social issues, all of which need to be addressed for effective prevention and treatment.
This week, February 22-28, 2009, is the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. If you suspect, or know, someone suffering from the disease please visit the website of the National Eating Disorders Association. There you will find an abundance of information and resources to help support those affected by eating disorders. It is there to help a friend, family member, colleague, or loved one get help.
In the United States alone, over 11 million people suffer from an eating disorder, and millions more suffer with a binge eating disorder. More people die every year from an eating disorder than any other mental illness. Yes, it’s that bad and that prevalent.
Also, statistics say that more than one in three ‘normal’ dieters progress to pathological dieting (that is, it becomes a very unhealthy obsession with food & weight).
So help spread the word.I see too many women, of all ages, obsessed with their weight and their bodies – and they look fine! In my mission to help women lose weight and be HEALTHY, it is also my mission help women feel good in their body, no matter what the scale says. Now that is something to be proud of. I sure am.
That’s all I have for you today.
I leave you with that & ask you to reach out to someone you love this week.
Someone you know is struggling and offer to lend a hand.
Be the ear she needs to simply listen without judgment.
Be the voice of encouragement when he mentions he’s thinking about reaching out for help.
Love YOURSELF enough to realize that you are worth it & deserve to be freed from the constraints of disordered eating.
If you want more information:
Resources for women and girls.
Resources for men and boys.
Resources for family and friends.
Additional links/information.
Topics: Food Glorious Food |
February 26th, 2009 at 4:32 am
Miz Thank u for having Dinneen guest post. Over the last month or so I have come to the realization that the reason that I’m at this current weight is dieting. Ever since that first time I joined WW my obsession with food and weight was taken to unhealthy extremes. I have been practicing all things in moderation and I can tell you that since doing that my obsession with food has decreased. It’s hard to change 20+ years of food/weight obsession, but one day at a time, right? I’m learning to love myself, faults and all!!
February 26th, 2009 at 5:19 am
Oh MizFit.
The words you left us with hit so close to home.
Thank you for this post.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:37 am
I had no idea that was this week.
Thank you.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:41 am
Thanks, Dineen! Nice to see your thoughts here. I also want to add, as someone who struggled not with food, but with over exercising, that the signs can fool you. Over exercising is a big, lesser known problem, born out of the same reasons. Exercise = good for you, though not when taken to extremes.
Thanks for brining this week into the light, MizFit…it’s so important to be aware of as it affects so many men and women.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:52 am
good point Stacey.
There really is a need for a week filled with EXERCISE: SOME IS GREAT TOO MUCH ISNT information/focus.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I am with Bea.
The final sentences really have me thinking about a few important people in my life.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:08 am
I didn’t know it was this week.
Thanks for always being my fitness guidance counselor.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:09 am
I’m glad to see DD mention binge eating. I was looking at Live Strong.com’s article on eating disorders and no mention of eating disorders or disordered eating that leads to obesity.
That’s something that bugs me. America’s obesity problem is a disordered eating problem for the most part, yet how often do we read about research and treatment compared to other eating disorders? Not so much as far as I’ve seen.
Bummer.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Thanks for having Dinneen guest post today Miz. The roller coaster ride of eating based on emotions, peer pressure, social stigma and other forms , i.e. wacky family values, makes it hard for the majority of individuals to know how their bodies work with the food for fuel mantra. Getting to a point of awareness and healthy eating is a like climbing Mount Everest without a Sherpa. As soon as a guide arrives and leads/points you in the right direction the trip is easier.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Thanks Dinneen and thanks Miz for taking the time to post about a decidedly unglamorous but important subject matter.
My .02 cents are that everyone should click the links even if you think you aren’t touched by ED.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:09 am
YES Tom.
we all need our Tenzing Norgay.
(anyone? reference? movie?)
And Linda? Im decidedly not a LiveStrong fan.
Miz.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:27 am
I’m so glad that you talked about this today. A lot of us online are struggline with ED (some don’t even realize they do). Thanks!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:34 am
wow. I feel like I could have written this myself. It took a long time to get to the point where I would feel full and satisfied again after eating. I had ruined my body so bad from a stint with anorexia. I was down to a size 2 from a 12 and I still thought I was fat. It took someone calling me a bag of bones and birth control to put some weight back on. I still constantly struggled for many years. It made me make some bad decisions because I was the ultimate perfectionist and thought I could do everything on my own. That is a main reason that I never college was because I felt like I could do with out it. I was better than the college. I had CONTROL. I actually had no control over anything, but food was the one thing I could control. But, it actually controlled me and ruined certain parts of my life. I am lucky that my friends stuck with me through that hard time in my life and they are life long friends.
I now have real control over my life and everything having to do with that. I love running and I’m happy in my size 10 pants. I know I’m not meant to be smaller than a size 8 or 10 because I have a medium bone mass. I was lucky to get that back along with my nice muscular legs. I was complimented on them pre-surgery yesterday. They said I had nice “runners legs”. That made me feel way better than any size of pants or anything else.
Ok.. listen to me now. I’m feeling great and rambling too. I hope this blog reaches out to many people who are struggling. Even if it helps just one.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:39 am
great article!!!
and a wonderful goal for this week..thanks Mz!
xo
February 26th, 2009 at 7:48 am
That’s a really great website, thanks for this post! Although I have been maintaining my weight for a couple of years now I still find it hard to 100% enjoy food without guilt even when I’ve consciously made the choice to eat whatever it is.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I have to echo Linda - it is good to hear someone talking about the other side of the ED coin - the disordered eating that leads to obesity instead of an unhealthily low weight. It is ALL disordered - and it all stems from that unhealthy relationship with food.
Balance and moderation in all things - definitely the philosophy by which I am trying to live my life. Food needs to nourish and fuel my body, and while I need to enjoy and savor it, it should not be a source of emotional support, comfort, and entertainment - or an enemy I regard with fear and loathing. It seems I have always swung to one extreme or another, and it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve finally started learning to look at food as something good I do for myself, and something I control rather than something that controls me.
It’s a constant process and I’m not “there”, by a long shot, but I’m on my way. Hopefully, with people like Dinneen out there spreading the word and awareness efforts, more of us will start to realize that we are dealing with an actual disorder that needs to be addressed, and NOW.
V.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Great guest post! Thanks for bringing my attention to this week! I’ll definitely reach out to a friend who has been struggling for quite some time!
Thanks for the encouragement!
~rupal
February 26th, 2009 at 8:02 am
This hit home for me and I know that it’s time for me to focus on me or I can not be the mother & role model I wish to be.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Thanks to Dinneen for the guest post, and to you Mizfit for the following:
Love YOURSELF enough to realize that you are worth it & deserve to be freed from the constraints of disordered eating. So important! Thanks for the reminder.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Yes, this is THE Dinneen who wrote the guest post today (thanks Miz Fit!!)
I must say I am so touched by all your wonderful and supportive comments. What a way to start my day. I’m touched, and I’m honored.
Really honored that Miz Fit asked me to guest post, and even MORE honored that YOU, her followers, have expressed your own concerns, insight, and feelings about something that is sweeping this country - eating disorders.
And I come across more & more people that ALSO suffer from Binge Eating - and not diagnosed as an “eating disorder” - but still suffer w/an inside conflict with food & eating.
One does not need to be THIN to suffer w/this. Many MANY women (and men) of ALL shapes & sizes suffer from this. Hence the reason I do what I do.
In my perfect world no one would diet, and we’d all have a healthy relationship with food and our bodies. And NOURISH our bodies with food, not torment them.
Thank you again for your wonderful comments everyone. Thank you, from deep within my heart.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Wonderful. It’s scary how EASY it is for healthy eating to spiral out of control into disordered.
Thanks for the links as well… and that’s one of the best parts about traveling, to understand how other cultures “deal” with food and to realize that food is a really great and enjoyable thing.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Great post.
When figuring out what to give up for Lent, I was torn, because I didn’t want to attatch morals to food, but had no idea what to give up (and I’ve tried doing good deeds, but it becomes a *must* and I start becoming resentful of the good works). Then BK and I got engaged, and we were sent a cookie bouquet (which I ate for breakfast, with my coffee, one cookie a day), then it was Valentine’s and there were more cookies (from my mom) and chocolates. Then I realized that I was eating more sweets, but at the expense of the things that were so good for me (The oatmeal was replaced with sugar cookies, lunch with chocolates, etc.).
So I realized that I wasn’t doing right by myself, and decided to take a break from sweets (and of course all I want is a chocolate glazed donut) for my own sanity. I haven’t noticed any ED thoughts yet (although it’s only the second day).
And it’s not the same thing as the year I tried to fast throughout Lent, to “really see” what it’s like (although I allowed myself a small meal, like a bowl of cereal with a banana, at night).
February 26th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Great guest post!
I had no idea of what week it was (half the time, I’m not sure what day it is….)
Thanks for pointing out that not everyone with an eating disorder is a rack of bones.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:35 am
[...] MizFit added an interesting post on Eating Disorders Awareness Week. | mizfitonline.comHere’s a small excerptFor years I struggled to lose weight, and even when I was finally “thin,” I spent many more years eating low-fat, low-calorie, and low-tasting bfoods/b. bFood/b and eating was not an enjoyment for me. Any bfood/b I ate that was remotely decadent b…/b [...]
February 26th, 2009 at 8:40 am
What a wonderful post, and thank you for the link to Dinneen’s blog… I’m going to check it out now.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:01 am
I think that getting to a healthy relationship with food is something I have been working on consciously and subconsciously for the past 2+ years. I’m a lot closer than I have even been before, except when I try to focus on”losing weight” that’s when my brain goes haywire. So basically, I totally agree whith what Dinneen is saying about food and “dieting”. It has proven itself to me at least.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 am
great post! this is just what i needed TODAY!
February 26th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I’m glad she mentioned Europe. France, Italy, the residents seem to have–for the most part–an emotionally and physically healthy relationship with food. Yet, they’re culture is so food-oriented. And the cuisine mighty tasty.
Here, it’s beyond pathological. Even those who sincerely try to lose weight overlook the big elephant in the room–the untreated disorder. And many try to do it alone, with sadly predictable results.
What are we not getting?
I had no idea it was national eating disorder awareness. This is desperately needed for so many struggling out there in blog-dom.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Great post. I read her blog and think shes very inspirational and love how she helps others with what she has learn from her experiences.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:44 am
This guest post really touched me. Thank you for posting it, Miz, and thank you Dineen of course for writing it! I went through a phase about a year and a half ago when all I want was to be French because I’d read several books about how sane that culture’s approach to food and eating is. It still makes me a bit sad that I’m still not French. It seems like all the self-help books in the world can’t grant me that!
February 26th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Oops, I’m sorry I misspelled your name, Dinneen!
February 26th, 2009 at 9:52 am
FAN-F#$%ing-TASTIC! Thank you for featuring this woman - I will begin reading her blog regularly. As much as I luuuurve food, and blog about that nearly exclusively, I am the first to admit that my relationship with it has its ups and downs, and it was only this past year that I realized it wasn’t ok to live like that. I’m a work in progress, but one of the best things for me has been reading other people’s motivational writing about exactly this - eating without guilt, so I can use all the reading material I can get my eyeballs on. THANKS!
February 26th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Enjoyed the entire post, but her last paragraph made me want to stand up and cheer. Thank you.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:01 am
It is all about self love and letting the fear go. Hopefully I’ll get there eventually. Great post thanks Dinneen and Mizfit.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I know Dineen and she is an amazing inspiration. She has such a wonderful perspective on food and eating and is a wealth of knowledge on nutrition. She brings an amazing balance of science, psychology, history and culture to her work. Not only does Dineen help you eat without guilt, she makes it really fun and interesting. How lucky MizFit’s readers and I are to have her share herself with us!!
February 26th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Great guest post! Our culture is such a hostile one when it comes to women’s body image and relationship to food. It’s hard to have a healthy approach when all around us are contradictory, harmful messages: “It’s normal to eat junky fast food all day!” and “You must be skinny at all costs!”
No wonder so many women (and men) struggle with this issue. Thanks for a compassionate and sensible take on it.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:12 am
crabby? something about your use of the word HOSTILE was really powerful to me.
such a perfect word choice.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Although I have been lucky enough to never have to struggle with an eating disorder, one of my best friends has gone from anorexic in high school to extremely obese now, and I don’t know how to help. Her attitude has always been ‘well at least I no longer have an eating disorder’. She has dangerously high blood pressure as well as diabetes. I just wish there was something I could do (from a distance) that would be helpful & not hurtful.
Thank you.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
What an important message. Thanks for posting!!!
February 26th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I find it interesting that she came to terms with food after leaving the U.S. The French certainly know how to eat without guilt, that’s for sure.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I am ever so grateful to have been raised in a home where we ate super healthy. Healthy because we had plenty of fruits and vegetables everyday, several times a day, healthy because of the great variety of foods we ate and healthy because there was room in our lives for some of the over the top decadent French food. I never realized how good my brother and I had it until I moved to the states. It is a lot harder here, without a strong food tradition not to surrender to the nutrition craze sirens…
February 26th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Great post. I didn’t realize that was this week.
As someone who has suffered from ED throughout the years (and still fight it every day), I can’t tell you how important it is to get the knowledge out there.
Thanks.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Great post, Dineen! Miz, thanks for keeping us all talking about these important issue :-).
February 26th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Great guest post. Just great. Thank you!!!
February 26th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Thank you. I almost missed eating disorders awareness week. Dinneen, I think you’re a great example. I also think women who are NOT necessarily slim but are still happy with their bodies are also fantastic examples. When I was in those highly impressionable teenage years when I could have gone either way, it made a great impression on me to see women who indulged, were a little larger, but still were successful and loved and balanced and happy. So I think we ALL can be good examples with our unique shapes.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
This was a great guest post.
For me it would be so easy to take an unhealthy relationship with food (too much) and turn it into another one (obsessing over it). It’s one of the reasons I don’t food journal or weigh daily…I can really link my mind to those numbers and find it too easy to obsess.
I don’t know as I’ll ever lose my wierd food medicating tendencies…I think healthy dieting can help you deal with food and turn it into a positive thing. It’s so good to talk about it…it’s strange how food can be such a big “thing” in life isn’t it?
February 26th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
for me so much of it is about how much power we all give to food.
Over how we feel.
Over helping us NOT to feel.
To protect us.
To make us feel as though we are exerting control on a seemingly chaotic world.
It’s so complex and yet food/eating is such a simple natural necessary thing.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Thanks for the comment on my blog. I’m definitely “getting” that I need to plan much better. I love your suggestion for keeping healthy food choices in the car for moments like that. If you have a list of options I’d love it, in the meantime I’ll see what I can come up with
Now in regards to your guest post….I agree wholeheartedly. Part of my problem is I’ve always had a very unhealthy relationship with food which included a protracted bout with bulimia in my 20’s when I finally managed to get some weight off. Part of me still worries that I may go back to it if I’m successful again, but part of me thinks I’m way past that. My priorities are WAY different now.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I love the focus on a healthy relationship with food and women feeling good no matter what the scale says. Dinneen is really great, isn’t she? Thanks for having her guest-post!
February 26th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
michelle, here are a few links to start you off:
minifridge thoughts:
http://mizfitonline.com/2008/10/08/viewer-mail-the-office-fridge/
trunk snack ideas:
http://mizfitonline.com/2008/03/18/tues-tip/
more portable food thoughts:
http://mizfitonline.com/2008/06/11/viewer-mail-611/
February 26th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Wise words Dinneen.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Beautiful post, Dinneen, thanks for sharing. And thank you MizFit!!
February 26th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I kind of had a stop and think moment myself this week at the doctor’s office…..it occurred to me that I have gotten too hung up on the numbers…..and lost the focus of why I started my journey in the first place….to be healthy and enjoy life more.
I feel that learning to make peace with your body is more important than a size or a number. I am already feeling more relaxed
Great guest post today!
February 26th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
This was such an important post. And Miz, I love your suggestion of reaching out to someone this week.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Great post! I sure do appreciate the links, too. I like that there are resources for men and boys, too. My husband was overweight as a child, and he’s worried about our son (who’s carrying more weight since our active herd of neighbor boys moved) going through the same thing. It was good to find some resources that might help with us to deal with it in a way that will be helpful rather than harmful.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
I don’t know where, but I recently read an article with the message that someone had triumphed over their body by winning the war on fat. Well something like that. I remember thinking ‘no wonder women have such poor body image’ when the message is that we have to battle with our bodies to lose weight. Hating your body is such a sad thing, but learning to love it is so difficult. Maybe we should reach out to ourselves this week as well as others.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Wow. Those are staggering statistics. I had no idea it was so common. What Dinneen is doing is wonderful. What a great way to turn experience into inspiration.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Thanks Miz,thanks Dinneen. I know my relationship with food has been very rocky. I am in a funny place right now. I am the person you read about and see on commercials. My mother is elderly, my 12 year old is pre-menstral(OMG)and I am a mess trying to love myself all over again. again. Thanks for reminding me that I’m loveable. I thought so, but I didn’t have time to think so much.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Thanks for your article. Struggling with an eating disorder can cause profound isolation, fear and hopelessness. Because this illness thrives in secret, people with anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating hide their behaviours from those closest to them, hoping that no one will notice whilst hoping that someone will.
In order to begin the process of recovery, secrecy must give way to self awareness and honesty, and this can only happen in a safe, structured and caring environment.
I would also like to suggest a website with lots more information about eating disorders as well as addictions . http://www.lifeworkscommunity.com
Life Works Community Blog also gives a source of information and inspiration from some of the leading counselors at Life Works. Topics include: alcohol addiction and drug addiction, eating disorders ( anorexia, bulimia , and compulsive overeating ), depression and anxiety disorders , and compulsive disorders ( sex addiction , love addiction , gambling addiction , and codependency ).
http://www.lifeworkscommunity.com/resources/life-works-community-blog.asp
February 27th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
as someone who is putting a lot of effort into battling a binge eating disorder, I just wanted to say thanks for the post.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 am
[...] This article was written by yours truly, Dinneen Diette, and previously posted as a guest post on Mizfitonline.com [...]
March 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Congrats, Miz, for hosting such a wonderful discussion. The diet mentality is so widespread that it is considered the norm now — diets define healthy eating; conversations about eating, physical activity, body weight, body image and self-esteem reflect deprivation, guilt and shame; and as a population we just keep getting unhealthier as a result. The good news is that we at Green Mountain at Fox Run have been talking about this for over three decades, and for a long time, it seemed few folks were listening. Now the conversation is going on without us. Yay! But as we see every week, there are a lot of people out there who still need to hear the message, and take it to heart, so keep talking!!
March 26th, 2009 at 1:34 am
I love reading your post. It made sense.
February 24th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
[...] I originally wrote for the blog of Miz Fit Online as a guest post last year (you can read the original post here). But it’s message and usefulness has not changed, so I wanted to share it with you this [...]