June

accomplished

Feeding the Body, Feeding the Soul

In our society, eating is much more than a means to nourish and energize our minds and bodies. Although eating is a basic necessity, it has come to represent so much more in a society of abundance. Eating is a source of pleasure. Connoisseurs visit renowned bistros and "ooh" and "ahhh" as they savor warm duck salad, braised endive, and other delicacies. Eating is also a social activity. We go to restaurants and cafes not to meet our daily nutritional requirements, but to enjoy the company of friends, family and lovers, to be entertained, to be seen in hip eateries, and to delight in a sensory experience.

Food is also a means by which we define ourselves culturally and as individuals. Different cultures have cultivated their own method of preparing, arranging, spicing, and eating food. Most families have recipes that have been passed down for generations that reflect their cultural and familial identity. And most people have favorite dishes.

Eating can also have political and economic significance. Vegetarians may have very strong feelings about not eating meat. Other people might resist supporting certain food industries, or food producing countries.

Food is also used by many people as preventative medicine. Scientists make claims about the cancer fighting properties of carrots, oat bran, or leafy greens, and many people adjust their diets in the quest for longer lives and better health. Diet is also entwined in attaining physical fitness or society's version of the perfect body. And for many, eating is a means of satisfying insatiable emotional appetites. There is so much more significance to putting food in one's stomach then there is to, say, putting gas in your car.

Food consumption is not simply about physical sustenance and nourishment, but is an inseparable part of society and self-perception. And this is how the phenomenon of disordered eating has crept into our daily lives. Eating is no longer a simple activity born of necessity, but has become a complex foray into the psychological worlds of control, desire, discipline, and satisfaction.

Body Mass Index

Your BMI = 21

A Body Mass Index value of equal to or greater than 30 is considered obese


A Body Mass Index value of between 25 and 29.99 is considered overweight


A Body Mass Index value of between 19 and 25 is considered healthy


A Body Mass Index value of between 16-19 is considered underweight


A Body Mass Index value of below16 is considered severely under nourished

These cut off points can be inaccurate for certain body types. The BMI is based on very limited information and does not take into account muscular individuals whose weight may be considered high for their height.

Note:
According to the Federal Obesity Clinical Guidelines, your BMI value puts you in the healthy category -- congratulations!

Anorexia Nervosa Index

Severity of Anorexia Symptoms Your score = 76
Mild	Moderate	Severe

Your score indicates that you fulfill some of the DSM diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa.

According to this test, your condition is severe and you exhibit many of the additional signs and symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa.

This score is reason for concern since this test suggests that your eating attitudes and/or habits are extremely unhealthy. You are clearly at serious risk for developing a more severe eating disorder such as Anorexia Nervosa. You need to see a physician and/or therapist immediately regarding your disordered eating patterns.

• A refusal or reluctance to maintain body weight at or above the minimal normal weight for your age and height.
  
• An intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat.
  
• Feelings about body weight or shape that do not correspond to actual body weight or shape.
  
• Abstinence from eating food, even though you make it for other people to eat.
  
• A tendency to check your weight frequently.
  
• An acute awareness of calorie intake.
  
• Feelings of guilt, anger, or self-loathing following a meal.
  
• A tendency to ignore the sensation of hunger.
  
• A "high" feeling following a period of starvation.
  
• A tendency to cover and/or disguise weight loss.
  
• A preoccupation with getting thinner.
  
• A tendency to follow eating rituals.
  
• An over-reaction to insignificant weight gain.
  
• A low body temperature.
  
• The belief that life would be better if you lost weight.
  
• The belief that people would like you better if you lost weight.
  
• Fatigue.
  
• Unhealthy feelings about food.
  
• A lifestyle that is driven by weight.
  
• Rapid decrease in body weight.
  
• Excessive concern with your body weight and/or shape.
  
• More than 5 headaches per month.
  
• Spells of dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness.
  
• Brittle hair.
  
• Depression.
  
• A tendency to lie about your weight.
  

Coping Strategies for Anorexia Nervosa

Disordered eating is a psychological problem. It is a condition that individuals can rarely beat on their own without the help of medical and psychological professionals. Don't cause yourself additional pain by attempting to heal yourself, but seek help from professionals and from people that are close to you. Allow yourself to be guided through the healing process.

Anorexia Nervosa is an illness that attacks your ability to cope. It weakens precious self-esteem and provides a negative means for controlling internal and external circumstances that otherwise create chaos in your environment. In order to fortify your self-esteem and to end the chaos that you seek to avoid, you must lean new coping strategies. Some coping strategies that may be effective are:

Self-affirmation - Everyday, speak to yourself out loud and within your head. Say, "I will learn better ways to cope - I can recover". The more you repeat it, the more you will begin to believe it!

Writing - Keep a journal, write down all of your thoughts and feelings. By writing them down you are beginning to accept them as your own. Once you accept your feelings and emotions, you can then move toward finding new ways in which to cope with them.

Trust Someone - Find someone you can trust and lean on him or her when you are having difficulties. This person can be a friend and family member, a therapist, etc. Trust may not come easily at first but it is a necessary step in learning to communicate in a healthy fashion.

Find an activity you enjoy - When you feel the pressures of life creeping up on you, quell the urge to impose order through food by throwing yourself wholeheartedly into an activity you enjoy. This might mean any number of things; taking long leisurely walks, painting, or talking on the phone to friends, etc.

Bulimia Nervosa Index

Severity of Bulimia Symptoms Your score = 52
Mild	Moderate	Severe

According to this test, the severity of your condition is moderate and your score indicates that you exhibit some of the additional signs and symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa.

Your eating attitudes and behaviors are seriously problematic and you are clearly at risk for developing a more severe eating disorder such as Bulimia Nervosa.

• A tendency to eat, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is significantly larger than what most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.
  
• A sense that you lose control of yourself when eating during binges.
  
• Swollen glands.
  
• Sore throat.
  
• Tooth decay.
  
• Dry skin.
  
• Self-evaluation unduly influenced by body shape and weight. (Ex: The belief that life would be better if you lost weight.)
  
• Your mother was obese.
  
• Low body temperature.
  
• The belief that people would like you better if you lost weight.
  
• Fatigue.
  
• Unhealthy feelings about food.
  
• A lifestyle that is driven by weight.
  
• Major fluctuations or rapid increase of body weight.
  
• Excessive concern with your body weight and/or shape.
  
• More than 5 headaches per month.
  
• Spells of dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness.
  
• Brittle hair.
  
• Depression.
  
• A feeling of embarrassment by quantity of food capable of ingesting.
  
• A tendency to lie about your weight.
  

Coping Strategies for Bulimia Nervosa

To gain control over emerging Bulimia is to gain control in your life. Binging and purging are two negative coping mechanisms that can be modified. Remember that change takes time and you may find it difficult to control your eating behaviors at first. But with perseverance and support, it can be done!

Take some time to look at your behaviors. Analyze past binge-purge episodes, noting when they happened, what mood triggered them, what was eaten, and any anything else that might be useful.

Next, begin your healing journey by avoiding any kind of restrictive or regimented diets that can lead to severe hunger pangs. Instead, try eating regular meals with low-calorie snacks in between. Finally, keep the foods that are usually eaten during a binge episode out of the house. This will help you overcome urges to binge.

Here is a strategy that may help you control your need to binge:

• Delay eating for 10 minutes.
  
• Distract yourself from the craving.
  
• Distance yourself (physically) from the food item and/or the trigger.
  
• Determine how important it is for you to eat this item.
  
• Decide what is a reasonable amount to consume.
  

General Eating Attitudes

Your score = 50
Healthy	Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy

You're eating attitudes and habits are moderately unhealthy. Somewhere along the line your body image has gone awry. Unfortunately, the ever-present media does not reflect reality in its depiction of the perfect body. It is of utmost importance to recognize this disparity and to learn to be critical of the images thrown at us by the media. The perfect body is a healthy body. Your perspective seems to have been affected by society's unfair messages that food is bad, eating is evil, and calories are the work of the devil. Take time to re-evaluate these internalizations and begin the essential journey to acceptance of your body as it is. Eat well, exercise, and stay healthy!

</center>



Music: 10 - Atreju Meets Falkor