3 simple steps to get freedom from bingness…

I had always been a victim of binge disorder. Now when people see me they cannot tell but my past was all about trying to free myself from bingness. I was never a slim trip hot figured girl. I was a chubby and healthy kid.

Right now I am 50kgs but a year ago, I was 90+ kgs. No one believed I would be 22yrs old only. I was made fun of, I was being mocked and I was thrown insults at. I lost my 3 best friends because of this disorder, and from that day on I decided to cure this disorder with the support of my parents and new friends.

Following are some of the ways I got freedom from binge eating disorder:

1. Divert your mind from food: We all are passionate about our goal in life. We always cut off all the things that pull us back from our goals. Similarly, I diverted my mind from excess food that pulled me back from meeting my binge-goals. I did not think about food; instead created a hobby of writing, when frustrated with hunger.
2. Go for walks: Walking is a good exercise. Even if we do not like to work out, brisk walking always helps to maintain body weight. I made a schedule of eating early and then hour of walking twice a day kept me healthy and fresh. This slowly made me disorder free.
3. Keep a healthy balanced diet and follow it: Prepare a healthy balanced diet and follow it regularly to recover from the binge. I prepared a diet with the help of my parents and strictly followed it. It is not very hard, but it requires patience and no giving up attitude.

I saw the change in myself slowly and after a year, I came down from 90 to 50. Now, people who did not talk to me because of my weight are waiting for me to talk to them. Believe in miracles…they do happen.

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A Letter from mother of Binge Battler

Dear all,  

It is not at all easy to see your loved ones suffer. Despite being smart and strong …when it comes to our loved ones, it goes out of window. This happens especially when your children are in the chair of victim. I am proud mother of two beautiful young ladies. I will cut short the story and you will get idea what had happened.

One day I was just cleaning up one of my daughter’s room and I came across lots of food packets and chocolates. When I say a lot means a secret stash full of it. I was so worried and tensed. So, I being Google generation mom, immediately asked Google and I came across something called Binge Eating Disorder. It is a situation, a disorder where a person is hungry even after having a tummy full meal. I decided to confront her and later that evening I did.  

I confronted her with politeness and patience. She talked to me about her problem and we together decided to overcome this Binge Eating. We both tried in our own ways and for starters, I took her packets and chocolates. Whenever she felt like eating she came to me and we talked and shared hours of sharing our views about various topics.  

Initially, it was very hard because of mood swings, but all you need is to be a mother at that time. After 5 days, we came across website of Remuda Ranch at The Meadows and we contacted them. We took admission for 45-days therapy. Today, after 60 days, I got my beautiful daughter back.  

Remuda Ranch is the Best Binge Eating disorder Treatment Centre in Arizona since 25+ years. Visit it once, and you yourself will know. It is THE PLACE for all kinds of eating disorders. They assign staff of 2 for every patient. I would forever be grateful Remuda Ranch for giving me my daughter back.

 Trust me it is not that hard. Take that from mother of Ex-Binge Eater.    

Good Luck all,  
Mother of Ex-Binge Eater

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There often comes a point in a woman’s journey through eating disorder recovery, when she begins to see her body in a different light. Instead of hating it for its “flaws” and trying to punish it into perfection, she begins to appreciate it for all of the things it can do and all of the places it carries her.

This kind of radical self-acceptance can be hard to come by. The media and the culture surrounding us are continually blasting us with images of which types of bodies are acceptable and valued and which are not. Being able to set all of that aside and love what you see in the mirror every day requires courage, self-determination, and sense of one’s higher purpose in life.

That’s what makes stories of people reaching these revelations so inspiring. We want to give you a chance to share your story of learning to celebrate the beauty of your own unique body and soul.

Was there a major turning point in your eating disorder recovery where you finally accepted and appreciated your body? At what point did it happen, and what led you there? In what ways did it change your life?

Send a 500- 1000 word essay to asauceda@themeadows.org. The first ten essays to be chosen for The Remuda Ranch at The Meadows blog will receive a free Remuda Ranch blanket as a special gift!

Submit your essay by Jan. 15, 2017. We look forward to reading your incredible stories!
 

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Every single day, she battles her disease -- there is no respite.  

Because she is severely malnourished, she does not think clearly, her thoughts are disordered and her perceptions are skewed. Positive self -esteem is non-existent.
 

Every day, she feels bombarded by images of skinny females everywhere: smiling from magazine covers, mocking her from television ads. They are perfect; she is not.  

She is profoundly depressed and just plain exhausted.  

No matter how hard she tries, she will never be “good enough.”

Deciding that life is simply not worth living is not that much of a stretch.

This is what life feels like to many women who struggle with eating disorders.

Eating disorders are physically devastating diseases. The medical consequences of anorexia and bulimia include everything from anemia and bone loss to intestinal issues and infertility.

The good news is that if caught early and treated, most of these medical problems can be reversed and health restored to the individual. However, what can not be reversed is mortality—a full 10 percent of those struggling with an eating disorder will die from it.

These deaths often occur as a result of cardiac damage or other extreme medical complications, but a lesser known cause of death is suicide. The risk of suicide is multiplied many times over for those who suffer from co-occurring eating disorders and depression.

Eating Disorders and Depression

Some studies indicate that as many as 90 percent of women with an eating disorder are also clinically depressed. For some, depression leads to an eating disorder. For others, the eating disorder results in depression. No matter which comes first, together, they are a deadly combination. The rate of suicide among those struggling with both depression and an eating disorder is markedly higher than in those who struggle exclusively with depression.

Being very underweight and malnourished can cause real, physical changes to the brain and body that are known to lead to the negative moods that are often associated with depression. These mood states can intensify feelings of not being good enough, that are so common among people with eating disorders. The focus on perfectionism that is often associated with eating disorders, can also contribute to depression as it sets one up for failure by setting completely unrealistic expectations. The symptoms of depression and the symptoms of the eating disorder are often so deeply intertwined that it can be difficult for a treatment professional to find ways to help their clients who struggle with both to untangle and free themselves from them. And, since the eating disorder behaviors are often used as ways to cope with extreme feelings of shame, self-hatred, and hopelessness, once people who do manage to let go of their eating disorder behaviors may find themselves facing an overwhelming and painful depression. As complicated as the combination of these two disorders can be, there is hope. Treatment programs that provide a combination of different approaches—physical, psychological, and spiritual—tend to have the best chance of helping a person with a dual diagnosis of depression and an eating disorder get into recovery.

Treatment for Eating Disorders and Depression

Recovery from any behavioral health disorder is a process. It takes time and commitment on the part of the patient and her loved ones and compassion and expertise from doctors and health professionals. One key to effective treatment is helping people change the way they think both about themselves and their relationship with food by treating the depression and the eating disorder at the same time. Tailoring treatment to the individual is also essential. Some need more of an emphasis on emotional and trauma work. Some need more of an emphasis on the way they think about food and their body image.

The experts at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows take a careful assessment of each client at the beginning of their treatment process to recommend the best course of action based their personal history and diagnoses. We help clients work through the issues that are contributing to their disorders in all aspects of their lives: self-perception, relationships with friends and family, relationships with food and nutrition, and spirituality. We offer everything thing from individual counseling to equine therapy in our efforts to help our clients find hope again and build happier healthier lives.

If you have any questions about eating disorders and depression or our programs, please call 866-332-1140, or send us an email.

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Binge Eating disorder – a nightmare for every girl. Binge eating disorder causes when a person is either depressed or anxious or dissatisfied. It commences slowly but its effects are life threatening. Binge eating disorder (BED) is actually the most common eating disorder in the United States. BED affects an estimated 2.8 million people in the United States, according to a national survey. It is seen mostly in teenagers who have a pressure of maintaining academics and social life. There are 5 important facts about Binge Eating:

• Binge eating disorder has a 3X effect on the number of people diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia combined.
• Binge eating disorder is way more common than breast cancer, HIV, and schizophrenia. 
• Research shows that binge eating is being wrongly associated with overweight and obese but you can be obese and not have binge eating disorder.
• 3.5% of women struggle with binge eating
• 25% of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging for weight managing.

What to do? How to seek help? Remuda Ranch - Inpatient Binge Eating Disorder Treatment

Our program focuses on healing the underlying pieces of the puzzle so that you can find relief. This is not a weight loss program even though our residents often do lose weight. Our team focuses on each patient individually planning her schedule. Binge Eating also effects mentally thus we counsel patients and make them mentally strong. We take into consideration root cause of a problem and treat the patient accordingly. So, come to Remuda Ranch for all SHE-Disorders. 

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3 important questions regarding Bulimia that are answered by Remuda Ranch

What is Bulimia?

Bulimia is characterized by enormous food consumption, followed by self-induced vomiting. This is often accompanied by laxative abuse. Bulimia should not be ignored considering minor because on a long run it could give permanent damage to the body. Many times, in order to reduce weight or to be slim, self-induced vomit is done. It is harmful because that could affect Esophagus, Stomach, Intestine, Lungs, Kidney, Heart, Skin and Teeth. These may prove hard on the human body. A person with this disorder may binge and subsequently purge, between 20 and 30 times a day because the human body is not designed to take in such a huge amount of food at one time.

Unlike an anorexic, who is proud of her strength and appearance, a girl or woman with bulimia suffers a tremendous amount of shame and guilt, which results in low confidence. Even she knows that consuming thousands of calories, then purging, is useless.

What are the Symptoms and complications of Bulimia?

Following are the symptoms of Bulimia:

• constant fear of gaining weight

• uncontrollable eating behavior

• eating food at the point of uneasiness

• forcing vomit or exercise / workout

• Abusing laxatives, diuretics or enemas post-eating

• Constant use of dietary supplement

• Preoccupied with body weight at the cost of daily routine

Following are the complications of Bulimia:

• Injury to the Esophagus

• Injury to the Intestines

• Lung Damage

• Injury to the Stomach

• Severe Kidney and Heart Complications

• Injury to the Skin and Teeth

How is it cured?

If you find these symptoms, do not try to cure Bulimia by yourself. It could prove fatal for your health. Recovery from a Bulimia disorder is easily possible. It's happening every day at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows. So, Come to Remuda Ranch for Bulimia treatment and have life lasting freedom from Bulimia.

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Anorexia - more harmful than you think it can be…

Anorexia is often called as anti - obesity. It is very common prevailing symptom in the individuals who aren’t confident about their body. It has many misconceptions about it as people have no awareness about it. Anorexia is a complex eating disorder with 3 main features:

• Refusal to maintain a healthy body weight
• An intense fear of gaining weight
• A distorted body image

Anorexia brings Depression, Emotional Trauma, Loneliness, Insecurity, Pressure to be perfect, etc. with it. There are two types of anorexia:

• Restricting Type - weight loss is achieved by restricting calories (following drastic diets, fasting, and exercising to excess).
• Purging Type - weight loss is achieved by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics.

Anorexia in teens is very common because they have constant pressure to look good, have slim figure and to be beautiful. What teens do not understand is they are beautiful the way they are. Being healthy and being anorexic are two different things and that is explained at Remuda Ranch.

Remuda Ranch is Anorexia Treatment Center that has treated anorexia and disorders for more than 25years. Thus, here we have professionals and experts that schedule whole therapy and workshop schedule which could help retain therapy for life.

Remuda Ranch has psychiatric and primary care provider, a registered dietician, a licensed master's or doctoral-level therapist, a psychologist and registered nurses. We do not just cure anorexia but also depression, anxiety, substance abuse or trauma. In addition to individual and group therapy, patients engage in experiential treatments such as art, body image, equine and challenge course therapies. Every patient here is taken care at Remuda Ranch personally without defining time limit.

Remuda Ranch is Anorexia inpatient treatment Centre that is the solution for any kind of Anxiety or disorder.

Dr. Patricia Kirby Appointed Medical Director of Remuda Ranch

Patricia O. Kirby, M.D., was appointed medical director of Remuda Ranch at The Meadows. Among other responsibilities, Dr. Kirby will be responsible for the supervision of staff psychiatric and medical providers for the 12-bed critical care unit which provides 24-hour nursing, medical and psychiatric care to patients struggling with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Dr. Kirby is a skilled psychiatrist who has been practicing in Arizona for over 15 years, including five years in private practice with Arrowhead Professional Group (Glendale, AZ) and as a hospitalist and psychiatric consult-liaison at Thunderbird Banner Hospital (Glendale, AZ). She has also previously worked as a staff psychiatrist at Remuda Ranch at the Meadows, Gentle Path, and The Meadows, as well as an attending psychiatrist at Remuda Ranch. She is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology since 2003. Dr. Kirby received her Doctor of Medicine from The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

“I’ve had the good fortune of working at Remuda Ranch in various capacities over the past 15 years ago, so I understand its roots and how it has flourished," said Dr. Kirby. "I’ve witnessed firsthand how much recovery goes on here and how our low relapse rate makes Remuda Ranch a true industry leader. I’m eager to incorporate parts of Pia Mellody’s Meadows model into Remuda Ranch while staying true to what we stand for. I have a clear vision about how to forge ahead, and I’m eager to get to work.”

Chris Diamond, Executive Director of Remuda Ranch, is happy to have Dr. Kirby back on the team. “Dr. Kirby knows both the eating disorder population and the Meadows Behavioral Health culture. She is the perfect fit for the position.”
As for moving to Arizona, Dr. Kirby says she was drawn to the state for two reasons: its marvelous weather and its Hispanic culture. “I was brought up in a Hispanic household. My father is a surgeon who studied in his home country of Mexico and then completed his residency in Ohio. I feel right at home here.”

About Remuda Ranch at The Meadows

For over 25 years, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows has offered an unparalleled depth of care through its unique, comprehensive, and individualized program for treating eating disorders and co-occurring conditions affecting adolescent girls and women. Set in the healing landscape of Wickenburg, Arizona, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows allows for seamless transitions between its structured multiphase treatment. A world-class clinical team of industry experts examines core issues through a host of proven modalities. Providing individuals with tools to re-engage in a healthy relationship with food – and with themselves – dis-empowers eating disorders and empowers individuals with a renewed enthusiasm for life. To learn more contact us or call 866-332-2919.

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Eating Disorders Aren’t Always Obvious

Many people don’t realize that someone close to them has an eating disorder until they become dangerously ill. That’s because the signs of an eating disorder aren’t always obvious and can go unnoticed for years. Women and girls with eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes. Some will not become underweight and many don’t look malnourished or ill.

Even if an individual doesn’t appear to have a severe eating disorder, the effects of dysfunctional eating certainly can cause dangerous medical complications. These seemingly “normal” persons can still present with the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, electrolyte count, and organ damage as someone you’d recognize as having a severe eating disorder. Many of these individuals could meet the medical criteria for hospitalization, and yet, many are not receiving the treatment they need.
Anorexia and bulimia may be difficult to detect in people close to you for two reasons: personality characteristics common to women and girls who struggle with these disorders and the secrecy and dishonesty they use to hide the unhealthy eating behavior.

The Perfect Cover

Women and girls with eating disorders are often high-achievers who tend to form their personal identities around success and performance. They may be straight “A” students, highly engaged in school activities, accomplished athletes, highly successful in their careers, extreme people pleasers, and “Supermoms.” They may be very popular with their peers. They tend to get along well with others and rarely cause anyone any problems.
Unfortunately, they are also likely to “stuff” and internalize their emotions. They especially have difficulty expressing and processing feelings of anger and shame. It is common for them to hide behind a mask of positivity. That’s why, at least in the initial stages of an eating disorder, everything looks fine—great, even. It’s no wonder that most people can’t see the pain that is being hidden behind their façade.

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For Family Advocate Jerry Law, Freedom is Recovery’s Greatest Gift

The following is a partial transcript of a conversation Dan Griffin had with Jerry Law as part of his Men in Recovery video series. Jerry is an interventionist and the Director of Family, Education, and Leadership Training at The Meadows. Through his role at The Meadows, he works with families of clients who are in treatment to help them understand how they can support their loved one and begin their own process of healing.

DAN: What is the greatest gift recovery has given you toward being the man you always knew you could be?
JERRY: Really, there’s a one-word answer for me, and that’s freedom. The very first time I drank alcohol— not the first time I tasted it—but the first time I really drank it, I was 17 and I had a blackout. It just kind of went downhill from there.
For the next 30 years, I continued to drink off and on. I’d drink more and then less and then a lot more and a little less—until I was drinking daily. I couldn’t not drink.
When I reached that point, I tried everything I could think of to quit. Like the old joke says, “Quitting’s not hard, it’s staying quit.” Everything I tried didn’t work.
Finally, I found the divine paradox of recovery, that victory comes from surrender. When I finally embraced that and began to do what others who were successful in recovery were doing it really set me free. Now I’m free, not only from alcohol, free to live my life. That’s the greatest gift that recovery has given me.
DAN: Freedom has come up multiple times in these interviews with men in recovery. It starts with the freedom from the addiction, and then you realize, “Oh, my God, I can actually do this.” Your freedom then begins to expand and expand. I’m free to be in a relationship as myself. I’m free to be in this world as myself and mean “yes” when I say “yes,” and mean “no” when I say “no” and live authentically in both my professional life and my personal life.
JERRY: That is so true. Like a lot of us, I grew up with some trauma and learned at a really young age how to shut down and close off and be inauthentic and lie really well. In recovery I learned that it’s okay to just be who I am—what a gift!

Relationships

DAN: That’s what is so wonderful about The Meadows. You get to look deeply at the childhood piece. You get to look at the artifice that you’ve created and the authentic person within. As men, we get to look at the boys that we were and the men we’ve forced ourselves to become in light of The Man Rules. In recovery, there’s the freedom to be the men we really want to be and not be bound by those Man Rules. I’m free to be the man I want to be; I don’t have to be the man everyone else thinks I should be.
JERRY: The societal definition of what a man is, certainly in the United States, is so warped. It’s based on “Boys don’t cry, and “Man up.” Those rules work in some areas of life, but they sure don’t work in relationships.
In school, we had the debate team, where we learned to spar and verbally defend our position. Those are wonderful skills to have in many areas of life, but when we go into relationships and use those skills they just blow up in our faces. What we needed to have in school in addition to a debate team was a resolution team, because in a lot of cases nobody taught us how to resolve differences. So we try to stumble our way through and we make a mess of it. Then we turn to something—mood-altering chemicals or behaviors—to get some relief from the pain we’re in over these unresolved conflicts.
DAN: Stephen Bergman, M.D. says it leads us to be agents of disconnection. We aren’t relearning how to be in relationships in recovery, we’re learning how to be in relationships for the first time. What is so powerful for me is that we’re constantly moving from connection to disconnection to reconnection. It’s the reconnection piece that is so difficult, particularly for men. The more vulnerable the relationship, the more difficult it is to repair.
JERRY: Absolutely. And the more fear, the more anxiety I have about connecting the more I’m unable to have trust.
DAN: I talk about this in my book A Man’s Way Through Relationships. When we move into vulnerability and intimacy, sometimes we’re not prepared. A lot of men are constantly walking around the landscape of each other’s lives not knowing where the landmines are and never knowing when we’re going to step on a landmine that blows up the relationship. I’ve seen this happen with so many men, where they have a close, vulnerable, connected relationship until one disconnection happens and one person just says “I’m done.”
JERRY: Well, we tell ourselves that if this is what a relationship is, if it’s going to have this kind of pain, count me out. I just won’t do it. I’ll be a mile wide and an inch deep with everyone. But, pain is just a part of a relationship. It just comes with it.
DAN: But, it’s sad. It’s sad that that’s what we’ve done to men. We kind of stand outside and judge men’s inability to connect. I always say to people, if you’re one of those couples that don't fight, that scares me. It’s the ability to withstand the disconnection and the conflict and come back and compromise. I’ve found that in my marriage and in my closest relationships, that’s everything.

Work and Leadership

JERRY: I love what C.S. Lewis said: “Pain is God’s megaphone.” He didn’t say it’s his club, he said it’s his megaphone. Sometimes we’ve got to have that pain to recognize that something is wrong and the ask ourselves what we’re going to do about it.
DAN: Unfortunately, so many men are socialized to think that the problem is someone else…
JERRY: Particularly when we’re talking about men in the workplace. Men are typically in a workplace environment 8 to 10 hours a day. Workplace culture often promotes disconnection. it promotes being one up, and it promotes power-driven relationships. Then, we leave this environment and walk through the door at home at the end of the day only to find that our dogs have more authority than we do. Everyone at home—our spouse and our kids, they want to be in more connected relationships.
When men are at work, it’s all about power, all day long. Taking off that hat and putting on the spouse/ parent hat is difficult, and we often just don’t know how to do it.
DAN: That is so true. It’s really about how do we teach men how to be congruent in their business and personal lives. One doesn’t have to be that different from the other. Men can be vulnerable and share power at work, but can also translate some of his leadership skills from the business world to his life at home. We can all be more thoughtful about how we connect and how we work together.
JERRY: You’re right, Dan, It really is about congruence, because there are business skills that translate into home life successfully, and there are relationship skills from home life that translate into the business world successfully. You just have to learn with whom you can be vulnerable because not everyone is safe.
That’s what is so great about recovery. When you’re active in a recovery community you get the opportunity to learn how to be vulnerable around other people, and then transfer these skills into home life and work life and the community at large.

Families of Addicts

DAN: That is so true. The recovery community really shifts how men are allowed to show up. We do get to practice vulnerability and make mistakes and go through all of the pains of relationships.
The work you’re doing with families is so important because no person with an addiction lives in a vacuum, so I think it’s absolutely wonderful.
JERRY: We still live in this society that wants to brand addiction in strictly moral terms. But, it’s not about being bad, wrong, and stupid; it’s about being ill and doing things that may be bad, wrong or stupid. When families get their heads around that idea—“Oh, you mean my loved one isn’t just an awful person? Oh, okay here are some ways I can understand what’s been going on…”—then families get to experience the freedom of recovery as well.
DAN: And then, of course, they get the opportunity to look within which may or may not feel like an opportunity. But, it certainly helps to facilitate healing. Freedom is such a wonderful gift—in our personal lives, in our relationships and in the work that we do. It allows us to live our mission and to have a purpose.
Thanks for taking the time today, Jerry. I always like to let my guests have the last word, so take us home…
JERRY: I always tell families to educate themselves on addiction For me, freedom came from an getting education about the disease of addiction and what it really is. So, I say to families, if you’ve got someone who’s struggling, get help, and reach out. There’s so much help available. In some ways, our anonymity in the recovery world is our own worst enemy because there’s so much help available but many people just don’t know about it. So to men who need help: reach out. And to families who need help: reach out because it’s available.

Dallas and Houston Screenings of ‘The Student Body’

We’re proud to sponsor two upcoming screenings of The Student Body, a 2016 documentary that features the story of two brave high school girls who take a stand against bullying and explore the complex and controversial truths behind the childhood obesity epidemic. The film won the Independent Spirit Award at the Sedona International Film Festival.

The first screening will take place in Dallas on Nov. 1. The second will be held in Houston on Nov. 2. Tickets are free, but you do need to register.


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Dr. Vicki Berkus Named Remuda Ranch at The Meadows Senior Fellow

We are pleased to announce that Vicki Berkus, MD, Ph.D., CEDS, has been named a Senior Fellow for Remuda Ranch at The Meadows. She will be instrumental in assisting Remuda Ranch’s efforts to maintain it’s treatment programs at the cutting-edge of eating disorder care. Dr. Berkus will also share her knowledge and expertise with patients and provide training for the therapeutic staff.

In her previous role as Medical Services Advisor at Remuda Ranch, Dr. Berkus served as a consultant, speaker, and general advocate for continued excellence in the treatment of eating disorders. Dr. Berkus specializes in adolescent and adult psychiatry, eating disorders full spectrum, and sports psychiatry. She has served as president of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp), holds eating disorders certification (CEDS) through iaedp and is a current board member and head of the iaedp education committee.


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Fear(less) bites back

Jumping out of a plane with a complete stranger on my back. Going bungee jumping. Convincing my family to go on crazy thrill rides with me. No fear of anything ever happening to me. I was invincible. Had someone asked me what being fearless meant years ago, even months ago, this most likely would have been my response.

That is until that January morning I sat on my couch and cried. I wasn’t invincible at all. I was slowly killing myself, and suddenly, that girl who was so ‘fearless’ was now fearing for her life.
After two months of treatment I realized that being fearless isn’t about any of the above stated items.
Being fearless means waking up every day and living life. Every time that I choose to eat a meal or a snack that aligns with my meal plan. Challenging myself and eating ice cream because I want to. Realizing that even though I relapsed months into recovery, I had the choice to get back on track. Being open and honest with my husband, support team and my treatment team, and letting them be open and honest with me (even if I didn’t want to hear it). Going shopping and buying clothes that fit my new body. Crying, and crying hard when I need to, not worrying about who sees me. Sharing my story with others in hopes that maybe I have impacted at least one person. Voicing my opinion and setting boundaries when I feel triggered or uncomfortable in a situation. Being my authentic self, eating what I want to eat, wearing what I want to wear and acting goofy without fear of judgement. Even when things seem bad, knowing that I am loved, I do enough and I am enough.
That is what fearless means to me.

Going Back to College with an Eating Disorder

Being in recovery from eating disorder can be a scary and isolating experience. Hannah Grice struggles with anorexia and just started her first week of college. She describes what the experience was like, and how she is staying on track with her recovery at TheMighty.com:

“As a freshman, I found myself pondering the typical dilemmas of a college student. What if I gain the “freshman 15”? How am I going to keep all of my classes straight? Can I have a social life and an extra-curricular filled schedule all while maintaining my GPA?
But, I also found myself pondering the typical dilemmas of an individual with anorexia. What if I relapse again? How am I going to keep myself ‘sane’? Can I maintain recovery? These are the “intrusive thoughts” they talked about in treatment.”
Recovery from anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, or binge eating disorder requires correcting and recalibrating your perception of your body, your food, your emotions, and the world. Only so much can be accomplished during eating disorder treatment. Maintaining recovery in an ever-changing world requires a lifelong ongoing process of adaptation and growth.

Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder Workshop

If you are stable in recovery and are ready for the next stage, The Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder Workshop is for you. It was developed by Remuda Ranch at The Meadows Senior Fellow Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDRD, and will help you to identify the areas of your life that are still impacted by your past eating issues and negative body image. This workshop will encourage you to use all of your senses, learned skills, and innate talents to thrive in your life without ED. For more information call 800-244-4949 or contact us online.

An Eating Disorder Survivor Shares What She's Learned

Nicole Cowper, who began struggling with anorexia at a young age, has written an insightful and moving article about her treatment, her setbacks, and the lessons she’s learned from battling her eating disorder.

In her pre-teen years, her anorexia was so severe she had to be hospitalized. While she was in the hospital, she had a heart attack brought on by months of starvation. Even though the event was frightening and potentially fatal, it did not mark the end of her eating disorder.
She writes,
“I would like to say that this was the reality check I needed. It took a lot of work and involved me having to be admitted to an eating disorder recovery facility for nine months. My days revolved around every type of therapy under the sun: horse therapy, art therapy, music, meditation, group, family, and one-on-one. I knew so much about therapy that I was basically the Freud of 13-year-olds I’m now 21 and happy at what I’ve accomplished and who I’ve become.”
She goes on the share five lessons she learned that helped to guide her through the beginning stages of recovery and that continue to guide her today. Her hope is that if you are currently struggling, or know someone who is, her advice might help along the way.
Read more of Nicole’s story at TheMighty.com.

How Parents Can Help Prevent Eating Disorders

Eating disorders—from anorexia, bulimia, and orthorexia to binge eating disorder — are extremely complex conditions that are caused by a variety of biological and social factors. A combination of genetics, temperament and personality, traumatic experiences, societal pressures, and environmental factors each play a role to varying degrees for each individual.

Scientists are currently working to better understand the biological or biochemical causes of eating disorders. We understand more about these factors now than we did 20 years ago, but there’s still a long way to go.
There is, however, a bit more certainty when it comes to the psychological, social, and interpersonal factors that often correlate with eating disorders. Study after study has shown that low self-esteem, living in a culture that places extreme value on achieving the “perfect body,” troubled peer and family relationship, and a history of physical or sexual abuse are all strong risk factors for developing an eating disorder.
As a parent, there is very little you can do without advanced medical interventions to influence your child’s genetic make-up or biochemical processes. But, there is a lot you can do to try to mitigate the psychological and emotional risk factors for eating disorders.

Developing Body Positivity from an Early Age

Here are few do’s and don’ts that may help your child develop a healthy attitude about his or her body and prevent the onset of an eating disorder:

You Are Not to Blame for Your Child’s Eating Disorder
As a parent, it’s true that you do have a significant amount of influence on your child’s emotional and social development. However, this does not mean that if your child develops an eating disorder, it is all your fault. You can do everything “right” as a parent, and still have a child who struggles. That’s because though you are a strong influence in your child’s life, you are not the only influence. Brain chemistry, messages from the media, peers, and your child’s own personality all play a role.
It’s also important to remember that if your child does have an eating disorder, you are not alone. One of the most beneficial things about Family Week at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows is that family members get to meet other families of patients struggling with ED, and discuss their pain, their similarities, and their differences in safe, open environment. Developing these types of support networks is critical to the healing and recovery of both the patient and his or her entire family.
For more information about how Remuda Ranch at The Meadows can help, call us at 866-390-5100.

Horses Are Helping Patients Overcome Eating Disorders

Horses have played an important role in the history of Remuda Ranch at The Meadows. The word “Remuda” refers to the group of horses used to give rest and provide a fresh start for the journey ahead.
Back before Remuda Ranch was an eating disorder treatment program, it was a dude ranch. Horses helped ranch guests get a fresh start along the dusty desert trails; today, these extraordinary creatures help women and girls get a fresh start along the road to recovery from eating disorders.

Why Does Equine Therapy Work?

Why do so many of our patients find working with horses to be such an essential part of their healing process? Maybe it’s because horses offer them unconditional acceptance. It is not typically in a horse’s nature to be judgmental or critical. So, when working with them, patients are finally able to shed their fears of not being good enough, and their fears of being imperfect.
Remuda horses are gentle, affectionate creatures who display a natural curiosity about the world around them. A patient may come into the program with a fear of horses or fear related to other areas such as commitment or responsibility. As the bond between patient and horse develops, these fears and other feelings of anger or inadequacy often dissipate. What’s more, as a patient cares for a horse, it helps reduce her focus on herself. Spending time together, whether riding, grooming or communicating on any level, the two develop a relationship of mutual respect and trust.
Working with these large animals also gives our patients an opportunity to learn healthy new skills. Each patient discovers how to practice effective communication and achieve the proper response from her horse.
One success builds on another and in no time, her feelings of self-worth, confidence, and effectiveness return.

Equine Therapy at Remuda Ranch

Once a Remuda Ranch patient is deemed medically stable, she is able to attend equine therapy sessions led by an Equine Specialist and a Mental Health professional. These shared equine sessions provide meaningful and life-changing experiences. The session can be as unique as each person, as they shares aspects about their perception of the events. In equine therapy, we build an emotionally safe environment by encouraging each person to share their own reality and what it means to them.
Rather than instructing or directing solutions, we allow our clients to experiment, problem-solve, take risks, employ creativity and find their own solutions that work best for them. That’s because we believe that all people can find the best personal solutions for themselves when given the opportunity to discover them. The same is true whether completing their equine activity or managing their eating disorder.

Treatment for Eating Disorders

Equine therapy is just one of many ways we teach women and young girls how to cope in their daily lives and feel confident and at ease without resorting to dangerous eating disorder behaviors. We take a multifaceted approach tailored to the needs of each individual patient. Types of treatment include individual and group therapy, culinary training and nutritional counseling, trauma work, and optional Christian programming, and much more. Call us today to find out how we can help you or a loved one 866-390-5100.

Dual Diagnosis, Addiction and Eating Disorders: Self Destructive Behavior

It is fairly common for people to struggle with both an addiction and a mental health disorder at the same time. This is known as a “dual diagnosis,” or having at least two conditions that co-occur and interact with one another. Just how someone suffering from depression may habitually binge drink as a way to self medicate, someone suffering from anxiety, depression, OCD, self-harm or PTSD can develop an eating disorder as a means to cope with her underlying mental disorder.

Dual Diagnosis and Eating Disorders

Lately there has been a growing body of evidence to support the similarities between eating disorders and addictive conditions like drug addiction and alcoholism. The American Society of Addiction Medicine now holds a wider definition of addiction to include not just drugs and alcohol, but also “process” addictions like food. This is because all of these substances have a very similar effect on the brain.

Natural stimulants like taking care of our bodies, healthy amounts of exercise, being praised or being in love trigger special reward centers in our brain, making us feel good. These reward centers can also be activated through artificial means like drug use, alcohol, and food abuse such as binging, purging or even starving.

Chemical addiction and eating disorders arise from many of the same sources and display some of the same characteristics. Both conditions:

• Include common risk factors: family history, imbalances in brain chemistry, stress or childhood trauma
• Appear during stressful life transitions like the loss of a parent, a divorce or puberty
• Arise from low self-esteem, depression or anxiety
• Involve a pattern of compulsive behaviors
• Involve a preoccupation with a substance or activity
• Are chronic conditions that produce severe or potentially fatal side effects

  Self-Destructive Patterns of Addiction and Eating Disorders

  When the reward center of the brain is stimulated inappropriately, specifically through drugs, alcohol, or food abuse, it stops functioning the way it was intended to. These stimulants create a false sense of temporary happiness or relief with damaging consequences. An individual who struggles with an addiction or eating disorder may have a personality type that is prone to impulsivity, extremes and high anxiety and this creates a need for greater amounts of stimulation in order to feel well. Relief created by unhealthy stimulation only creates a greater risk for dependency and addiction forming habits. Despite severe medical complications, it is difficult for individuals struggling with addictions to give up their addiction, as in the case of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, alcoholism or substance abuse.
  
  

  Treatment of Eating Disorders and Alcoholism/Substance Abuse

  Since the addictive nature of eating disorders and alcoholism/addiction is similar, and the underlying issues pertaining to both conditions may overlap, it is crucial to treat eating disorders and addiction simultaneously in the recovery process. At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, our comprehensive treatment team addresses the various needs of women and girls with co-occurring disorders through medical, nutritional and psychotherapy treatments. Our trauma-focused and brain-based approach helps us find and treat the root cause of the patient’s addictions and behavioral disorders.
  
  At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, we understand the seriousness of dual diagnosis. In a safe and nurturing community composed of their peers, people are guided on their journey of recovery by examining the underlying causes of their eating disorder and co-occurring disorders. The goal is for these individuals to gain the courage to face difficult issues including grief and loss; heal from emotional trauma; and become accountable for their own feelings, behaviors, and recovery. Please call us at 866-390-5100 or complete the form on our website to find out if our program is right for you.
  
  

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Understanding the Difficult Eating Disorder Patient

By Vicki Berkus M.D., Ph.D., CEDS, Remuda Ranch Medical Advisor

When they first begin treatment, patients often struggle and insist on “doing treatment their way.” I tell my patients’ families that they can typically expect a phone call after two or three days, during which they are likely to hear, “Get me out of here! They don’t understand me!”

To gain some insight into what a patient’s experience was like I went undercover and entered a treatment program as a patient struggling with laxative abuse. I packed my suitcase, hid laxatives in my hair and in the handle of my suitcase and walked through the front door.

My process as a patient started with the intake interview where I had to tell a complete stranger some of the most private things about me.

Once I was admitted, I was given an exam gown and my luggage was removed to be searched. I had to change into the exam gown in the shower so that the nurse could see whether I was hiding anything. Then, I was again questioned and went through a physical exam. I had blood drawn, an EKG, and weight taken without hearing or seeing the results. I then was allowed to eat and read the orientation packet.

I was exhausted after three hours of being somewhere I didn’t want to be, talking to people I didn’t trust and having no support (or perceiving that I had no support.) Throughout my stay, I was told when to eat and when to sleep, and had most of my personal items taken from me and locked away.

Finding Empathy for Struggling Patients

I knew as a doctor and eating disorder treatment professional that the purpose of all of this wasn’t to make me feel like an infant, but to make sure I was medically stable and safe in that environment.

Many of our patients don’t quite understand that. They are angry, tired, lonely, and scared. It takes courage to go through treatment.

My insight increased over the next few weeks as I ate with peers, attended Family Week, and sat in process groups observing the patients’ progress. Overall, it wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience for me; I can’t imagine having an eating disorder in my head and trying to go through this process. I’m glad I had a chance to experience it first-hand so that I would not longer have to base my assumptions on my limited perception.

Today, I tell my patients that I don’t expect them to like treatment or even want treatment; but, if they know deep down that their way isn’t working to just do it anyway. I think the key when trying to help eating disorder patients is to set boundaries and be firm while including incentives in their treatment that they can earn.

Starvation, biochemical changes in the brain and body while re-feeding, and co-occurring mood disorders all exacerbate the disease and the lack of control over emotions and behaviors. I think back to my residency days when I was on call every other night (at age 43) and remember that without proper sleep and nutrition, I was not fun to be around.

Think about the last time you were trying to function without the right amount of sleep or food, and try to remember how you felt when dealing with your patient or loved one as they enter into eating disorder treatment.

Remuda Ranch Can Help

The experienced staff at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows understands the pain that eating disorders can bring. There is hope. We can help you or your loved one get on the road recovery.

Our beautiful campus in the heart of the Sonoran Desert offers patients large rooms, indoor and outdoor horse arenas, a swimming pool, and a challenge course. Among the lush landscapes, patients are surrounding by peace and tranquility while they work with our team to overcome their eating disorders and dual diagnoses, and find peace within. Call us today 866-390-5100 or reach out online.

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Rewards Matter for Eating Disorder Patients

By Vicki Berkus M.D., Ph.D., CEDS, Remuda Ranch Medical Advisor

People who are struggling with their eating disorders (ED) and refusing to cooperate in treatment often need rewards they can work toward. Being in treatment would be hard for anyone; but, it’s especially hard for adolescents and for those who don’t yet have coping skills or a mind that’s fed well enough to fully function.

Privileges as Rewards

To encourage patients to follow their treatment plans, most programs use levels of activity as rewards. Anything that patients tend to look forward to–going on outings, going to a movie, more exercise time, eating somewhere other than the treatment group table for a meal—can serve as motivation for patients to adhere to their treatment regimens.

I used to be stopped in the hall by my patients with requests. “Can I _________?” they would say. They couldn’t help themselves. The idea that their entire treatment team would have to make the decision, not just me, was not in their thoughts at the moment of the request.

I decided to come up with a system that would help them know exactly what they needed to do to earn one of the privileges they wanted.

Actions Replace Words

I would have patients fill out a “request sheet” every Monday. On the sheet they were asked to write down what they wanted to do most at the end of the week – exercise more, go on an outing, etc. They also would have to write down what would be required for them to be allowed to do what they asked. (e.g., eating 100 percent for the three days prior to the activity, or not needing to be reminded to limit their movement when sitting.)

Depending on each patient’s need, the clinical team would either set the criteria for them or the patient would sit with the therapist to develop the criteria. Either way, the patient knew and agreed upon exactly what they needed to do on their part to get the added perks.

I was amazed at how quickly their behavior changed. Instead of finding me and putting a lot of energy into “making their case,” they would get excited for the change and for the challenge of meeting their goals. They would then hear from the clinical team by Thursday what the weekend would look like in terms of activities and changes.

It sounds simple but ED patients are adept at holding onto the yardstick that compares their peers’ eating disorder behaviors to their own. The ability to put on “emotional blinders” and focus on their treatment is just not in their skill set in the beginning of treatment. Having structured reward systems help them to achieve that focus.

A Team Approach

It is important for treatment teams to be consistent with patients and for each team member to be fully up to date on the latest information about their behavior and their risks. Patients need to know that the team members have access to their daily behaviors including, meal consumption, fluid consumption or daily weights. They also need our united front on the decisions we make that have such a significant impact on them during their treatment.

At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, we use a consistent team approach every day and work with each person individually based on their strengths. With the support of our teams, our patients achieve much greater success toward their recovery.
If you would like to find out more about Remuda Ranch, please call 866-390-5100 or contact us.

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A Story about a Cat - Remuda Ranch Eating Disorder Treatment Program

By Vicki Berkus M.D., Ph.D., CEDS, Remuda Ranch Medical Advisor

I have learned that I will not win a “battle of wills” against a patient with an eating disorder.
They have perfected setting rules for themselves and the last thing I want to do is give them more rules. I also don’t expect a new patient to immediately trust me; I know that I need to earn the trust. If a patient refuses to talk about their eating disorder or refuses to tell me what they would be willing eat, I start by finding a way to get them to just talk—about anything.

A Story about a Cat

One of the most difficult patients I’ve met in my career actually said to me, “Dr. B, don’t look at me. I don’t deserve to be looked at.” Where do you start from there?

This patient was extremely shut down. The only thing she was willing to talk about was her cat. So, we visited about her cat for a while. Once she started to relax, I asked her if she would be willing to imagine that her cat had an eating disorder and write a story about it.
She did an amazing job! (I tried to get it published but no luck.) She was able to clearly and beautifully articulate her own fears and feelings as long as she was able to imagine that it was all about the cat.

Finding a Way through Shame

I had another patient who was 16 and had lost her hair and her teeth to her disease. She refused to talk about her eating disorder. So, I asked her what she would like to talk about.

She told me that she would talk about her heroin use but not her eating disorder.
So, we started there. Not long after, she told me she had dropped out of high school because the kids would snatch off her wig and laugh at her baldness. She was filled with shame and guilt. As a result, she had only eaten one piece of hard candy, ½ cup of yogurt, and a half of bagel each day for the last year. It can be hard to imagine someone needing that kind of control.

Eventually, she was able to start talking about her eating disorder, but we had to go at her pace. To push her too far too fast might have ruined any chance I had at developing a rapport with her.

Meeting Patients Where They Are

The hardest part of our work as eating disorder professionals is establishing relationships with our patients that allow trust to develop. I frequently start by asking them what they would be willing to try. It may be a smoothie or a quarter cup of a supplement like Ensure or Boost. It may be talking about a beloved pet, or a co-occurring disorder rather than the eating disorder itself.

I also try to provide patients with the information they need in order feel ready to try. For example, if their fear of eating includes fear of the pain that they feel in their GI tract when they eat, I will talk to them about how together we can address the pain and come up with a plan to make it less painful. I will also often order abdominal films for patients so they can look at it and see why they are not “going to burst” with one more mouthful.

Most importantly, I try to remember that with each suggestion I make, the eating disorder is pushing the patient to make the opposite decision. It will take the entire treatment team to help the patient through this difficult phase of their recovery.

Remuda Ranch Can Help

One of the most important goals to achieve while in treatment is to learn how to live life with your Eating Disorder (ED). Remuda Ranch at the Meadows uses a 45-day curriculum to teach the skills you will need to live with ED and move toward life-long recovery. Call us today for more information: 866-390-5100.

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Accepting the Past as an Asset in Recovery

By Aleah Johnson, The Meadows Alumni Coordinator
What if I were to tell you that all aspects of your past would be used as an asset? Would you believe it or would you instantly regret and want to change it?
I have a love/hate relationship with the word "acceptance." As a stubborn addict, I am not supposed to agree with everything, right?

What is Acceptance?

Acceptance is defined as "the act of taking or receiving something offered." Sometimes I really have to stop and take inventory of the things in my life, both personally and professionally and ask myself if I am fighting or if I am accepting.
One of the most crucial bits of advice I have learned in recovery is to accept my past as an asset. It is important to accept ourselves where we are on our journey and be able to leverage ourselves for good.

The past is a place or state of being in an earlier period of a one's life, career, etc., that might be thought of as shameful or embarrassing. We have all done things in our past that we may not be proud of— choosing to resist or deny our past only leads to more suffering. Acceptance allows us to live in the present moment and not "future trip" or worry about the past.

Resistance is often about control; the more we try to control our lives, the more out of control they get. Acceptance allows emotional balance and gives us the ability to accept people and things exactly as they are, even when we can't see the WHY or when we're not getting what we want.

Finding Serenity

Acceptance is a key solution to our problems. When we are disturbed, it is because we find some person, place, thing, or situation—some fact of life—unacceptable. We can find no serenity until we accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at that moment.

Until we accept ourselves, our situations and our life, on life's terms, we cannot be happy. We need not concentrate so much on what happens in the world as on what needs to be changed in ourselves and in our attitudes. (Page 417, The Big Book)

Early in my recovery, an old-timer in one of my first meetings told me, "You can make this as easy or as hard as you want, little lady, but ultimately the choice is up to you." I fully accepted this not only as a piece of advice but also as a challenge.

Nobody is perfect and everyone has battles and struggles; this is part of this amazing journey that we call life. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. It is our job to accept all aspects, to start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can to make the best out of the life we have left.

Join The Meadows Alumni Association

If you are a graduate from any of The Meadows inpatient programs, The Meadows Intensive Outpatient program, any weeklong intensive workshop at the Rio Retreat Center at The Meadows, or a family member who attended Family Week, you are welcome to join The Meadows Alumni Association!
Sign up today to receive our monthly email newsletter and to be kept up-to-date on any relevant, recovery-related news and events in your area.

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Understanding Your Child and Her Eating Disorder

Understanding Your Child and Her Eating Disorder 

The hardest part of having a child or family member with an eating disorder is the longevity of the disease. Dads especially are used to going in and “fixing” problems; but, when it comes to eating disorders, it is not that simple.

Eating Disorder

What Is It Like Inside The Mind of an Eating Disorder Patient?

I tell parents that the unrelenting, pervasive and constant eating disorder thoughts in their child’s head are similar to what they would experience if they were wearing headphones with loud rock music while I was talking to them. I would not expect them to be able to retain the information I was giving them with the all of that “noise in their heads.”

Similarly, the malnourished brain cannot make good decisions. When your child has an eating disorder her ability to remember all the loving things you do as parents goes right out the window each time she is confronted about her food intake.

Also, the level of fear, shame and guilt eating disorder patients experience is huge. I ask the family to think about times when they were fearful. I give the example of the time I was in a tall hotel in San Diego and woke up in the middle of the night with my bed moving. I couldn’t even keep my balance on the floor. I hit the stairwell with 500 other guests and you could almost feel the collective fear that the building would collapse and we would all be killed.

That is the level of fear that those who struggle with eating disorders live with on a daily basis around their food.

What Can Parents Do to Help?

Parents frequently ask me what they can do. First and foremost, they can be parents - not food police or therapists.

It takes a team to fight these dis-eases (hyphenated purposely because of the dis-ease it causes the family). I would not attempt to treat a patient without a team approach.

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is focused on helping family members get the information and tools they need to deal with their loved ones. They have support groups, reading materials, guidelines, information on treatment centers, and a lot of options for parents, siblings, significant other to learn and deal with eating disorders.

I also direct family members to 12-step groups for support. It may be AA, CODA (co-dependency anonymous), EDA (eating disorders anonymous) EA (emotions anonymous)—any group that can offer support and a chance to voice your feelings.

At Remuda Ranch at the Meadows, we have dietitians, therapists, and primary care physicians on board to tackle these issues. The family is also considered an important part of our team; we try to educate, support, train, and encourage them through a family week process. We know we are just not treating the patient - it is a family affair. Please call our intake department at 866-390-5100, or reach out to us online, if you need more information about treatment options for a loved one, or for yourself.

 

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Overcoming Your Dysfunctional Relationship With Food

By Helen Pak, Director of Nutrition Services at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows

In the early stages of eating disorder treatment, the most important message for patients is to accept is that food is the best medicine for their illness. As they get healthier, however, it becomes necessary to shift the focus and help patients improve their relationship with food.

Changing Your Perceptions of Foods

The first step for eating disorder patients in treatment is to avoid labeling foods and categorizing them as “good” or “bad.” This black and white thinking is a dieter’s mentality and leads to a dysfunctional relationship with food. When a patient eats a food on their “bad” or forbidden list, they believe that they are bad and punish themselves by restricting, compensating, or ruminating on self-loathing thoughts. Patients can find peace with food by accepting that all foods are okay in moderation, and that foods are not intrinsically good or bad.

Reintroducing fear foods and exposing patients to a variety of foods is also an important part of the recovery process. At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, we have a strategically designed menu cycle to support overall healthy eating, and to challenge patients with some of the most common fear foods. Each time a patient is exposed then re-exposed to foods they have omitted because of their eating disorder, they learn to empower themselves and take the power back from food.

Initially, patients might benefit from understanding and accepting the fear food by acknowledging its nutritional value such as “this food is a good source of carbohydrates, which is my brains preferred source of fuel and quick energy for my body”. Understanding foods functionality and finding gratitude for food helps to lessen the guilt and shame around eating.

Finding the Pleasures of Eating

The next step for patients is to allow themselves to find pleasure in eating again. Each person’s approach to this step can be different, according to her personal needs. So, we have a variety of methods to help facilitate this phase in their treatment. One example includes refining cooking skills. If a patient learns that cooking can be fun and easy, they may also learn to enjoy eating. Also, asking them to take in the senses involved in eating— the textures, smells, presentation, and flavors and how they compliment or enhance each other— can make the process of eating more enjoyable.

Patients are given recipes to make it less overwhelming to prepare their own food. They also learn how to combine foods with varying colors, tastes, and textures to make them complement each other. When possible, fresh herbs or vegetables from our garden are picked by patients and used in recipes.

We also help patients enjoy eating by encourage creativity and acknowledging that food and cooking is an art form. At Remuda, patients partake in challenges such as Cupcake Wars or The Iron Chef where they are able to have fun, work as a team, and be creative.

We also work with patients to help them acknowledge and understand the social significance of certain foods and meals. Patients process pre-eating disorder memories of their comfort or fear foods, and they relearn how to appreciate and anticipate certain foods in specific social gatherings. Turkey at Thanksgiving, pizza with friends, ice cream or cake at birthday parties are typically part of social rituals they may have avoided in the past due to their fears. As patients admit how avoiding certain foods has negatively impacted their lives, they realize that they need to let go of their food rules and restrictions in order to regain control of their lives.

Letting Go of Perfection

For someone who struggles with an eating disorder, their relationship with food can be extremely complicated. There is a fine line between dedication to healthy eating, and an unhealthy obsession. Once patients let go of the notion that there is a “perfect” way to eat, they can begin their journey to finding peace with food.

To learn more about how we can help women and girls find joy in eating and reclaim their lives, give us a call at 866-390-5100.

Source Link: http://www.remudaranch.com/blog/item/120-overcoming-your-dysfunctional-relationship-with-food