ladies and gentlemen, i present to you: the 15th carnival of eating disorders!
anorexia
an x-ray technician talks about three generations of women with eating disorders. she describes anorexia as an addiction:
unlike other addictions, anorexia is something you don’t do. to be an alcoholic you have to find alcohol to drink. drug addicts have to buy drugs. anorexics just stop eating. you can stop giving your body nourishment and get high.
body image
the body image project is an online project searching for women and girls of all ages to share their individual experiences and feelings about their own body image perceptions. the goal of the project is “to have women and girls take that brave step to share their stories, break the hold these perceptions have and ultimately reveal to those who share and to those who view this site – you are not alone. to share your story, simply email your words to bodyprojectsubmission@gmail.com. an example of such an entry is that of a 51-year-old woman who says
gravity and hot flashes have begun to take their toll, but i still love my body. it is strong and healthy, hasn’t failed me yet and has given life and nourishment to three wonderful children.
bulimia
this here is an interview with virginia deberry and donna grant, authors of gotta keep on tryin’
Q: bulimia is not something often discussed in the african american community, at least to my limited knowledge. what was your purpose in having gayle afflicted with this disorder?
A: we are always interested in exploring health issues, particularly those that supposedly don’t affect “us””the african american community. also, eating disorders are typically thought of as affecting teens and young women, but there are a growing number of more mature women, dealing with the pressures of family, career and staying youthful and slim, who are affected. whether it is bulimia, or binge eating, there are a lot of us who use food emotionally. food abuse is an issue that donna has struggled with during her life”at least since fifth grade, when she started hiding boxes of drake’s cakes in her desk drawer at home so she could eat them without anyone knowing. our aim is always to get people talking, particularly about issues that make us ashamed. shame keeps us silent, and silence makes us powerless.
in gotta keep on tryin’ we had gayle use food to “choke back” her emotions, to stay in control. but she had always been slim”she used to tease pat about her weight. she has no interest in appearing fat, so the binge and purge cycle began. bulimia fit the character, so we went with it.
orthorexia
the article on orthorexia at every woman has an eating disorder is interesting because of the many comments contributed to it – from people who suffer from it, from health professionals, etc. definitely worth a read.
eating disorders – a cultural view
the graham menzies foundation presents an article with very strong feelings about the cultural aspect of eating disorders. (i’d be interested in hearing what therapydoc and laura think about it).
because of their remote location, the fiji islands did not have access to television until 1995, when a single station was introduced it broadcasts programs from the united states, great britain, and australia. until that time, fiji had no reported cases of eating disorders, and a study conducted by anthropologist anne becker showed that most fijian girls and women, no matter how large, were comfortable with their bodies. in 1998, just three years after the station began broadcasting, 11 percent of girls reported vomiting to control weight, and 62 percent of the girls surveyed reported dieting during the previous months.
eating disorder bloggers survey
are you actively eating disordered or eating disordered recovered? do you have a blog in which you address your struggles with an eating disorder? then rachel from the f-word wants to hear from you.
yo-yo dieting
in the pleasures and perils of enchantment!, laurayn bellamy asks
what prompts people to be “yoyo” dieters? yoyo dieters are successful dieters; they can lose weight on just about any diet you can throw at them! but at some point in the weight loss process, they begin the process of undermining their protocol. most recognize the earliest signs that the process of sabotaging their diets has begun; those in therapy may have gained insights that explain why they’re defeating themselves; yet – once triggered – it’s as if some kind of “doomsday” machine has been turned on. this article (part 1 of 2) suggests that the reason persons repeatedly embark on diets with hope and enthusiasm has to do with the attraction to entering a state of enchantment.
and while we’re on the topic, the weight loss dude has a perfect rant, entitled why don’t you just eat less? as is so often the case, this rant applies to all eating disorders. why don’t you just eat? why don’t you stop purging? you don’t need to exercise 5 hours a day! as james says, geesh, if it was that simple, we would have done it a long time ago! at any rate, his post is a great description of what happens with yoyo dieting.
that, my friends, concludes this edition of the carnival of eating disorders. if you have or know of an interesting article on eating disorders, please send it in, using this submission form. the next edition will be out on april 30, 2008.