faulker053

Monday was my birthday, celebrated with my favorite buttercream cake (which I'm still enjoying), lovely get togethers with friends and family, and a gift to myself of a new bike. But the best gift is one I must share with you. It was one sent unknowingly--she had no idea it was my birthday-- and I share it with Dana's approval. It was, coincidently, one of a couple of emails I received that day, updates on progress from patients I no longer see. I'm posting Dana's letter because I think many of you need to see it. Because I could not have crafted such a beautiful and inspiring myself. Perhaps you recall reading about her before? In summary, she had anorexia from her early teens and first presented for treatment in her late 30s. She survived too many traumas to count, and in spite of having many close friends and family members around, did not utilize them for eating disorder support. She had a family history of anorexia, and struggled later with bulimia and depression a...

The big news in Olympic history before the games even started was the yogurt embargo. Yogurt, specifically US shipments of Chobani Greek (style) yogurt, was banned from Russia because of paperwork issues. If Americans were outraged about the politics of this ban on yogurt-eating liberty, fair enough. But trust me, the impact on athletes’ nutritional status and performance was non-existent. Did Gold miss medaling for figure skating due to it? Hardly. Did Ligety capture two golds in spite of his yogurt free diet? Absolutely. Yogurt's impact on you. Did you know? That individual yogurt you’ve been buying isn’t what you thought it was. Yes, you too have had limitations placed on your yogurt.   Same price, with even greater costs, as you’ll see, so keep reading. I was rushing down the aisles of Stop and Shop last week, hitting the perimeter for the essentials. Produce, bread, eggs and yogurt, to name a few— were on the list. Not a regular ‘Stop and Shop shopper’, I was struck by the rel...

Is your eating disorder your own little secret? Do you hesitate to confide in others, fearing they just wouldn't get it? Do you wish you had support from someone knowledgable about the struggle to recover, yet safe to share with? Introducing the desperately needed ASPIRE, created by Cate Sangster, who knows a lot about these struggles, as you'll read. We connected through this blog as she embarked on her journey to recover, created a book together and are now dear friends. So read on and then visit ASPIRE! "Ask someone off the street about eating disorders and they’ll probably tell you about skinny young girls with too much vanity and not enough substance to their lives. But those of us in the know, understand that the true landscape of eating disorders looks very different to this.  Firstly we understand that eating disorders are not a lifestyle choice. They are not about vanity or attention seeking, but rather they are a severe mental illness that cannot be cured by gui...