faulker053

Patients, Facebook friends, and friends of friends contacted me in horror after reading the NY Times article on the Biggest Loser. Weight re-gain is inevitable. Most if not all of it.  And metabolic rate is screwed too. The control you believed you had? Doomed to dissolve. The hope you were given that you'd finally made it to your goal size or weight—or were getting closer—shattered. Overweight, obese, underweight or average size—the feelings knew no size boundaries. Fear. Anxiety. Hopelessness. Panic. The pain of regain extended well beyond the 14 Biggest Loser contestants studied and their loved ones. It was felt by those of you who shared their struggle and their joy and sought inspiration from this outrageous, extremist show.  The NY Times summarized the research: by 6 years after the show’s end, all but one participant studied had either regained some weight or gained beyond their starting weight; 4 contestants are now heavier than before they tortured themselves w...

Seeming quick fixes can be so tempting. This week’s inbox held the following message from an old patient: “I was watching Good Morning America and they had Monica Seles on, admitting she's suffered from binge eating disorder (BED). They announced a medication they are now using to treat BED, Vyvanse, also used for ADHD. I looked it up and side effects include weight loss. Have you ever recommended this drug for BED? Do you feel it is effective for BED? Can people with BED take this med to lose weight? Do they think if you have BED you must be overweight and this medication can cause weight loss? Which would perhaps (in their minds) solve the bingeing? That small ED voice that lurks deep from within is screaming 'get me that drug! Get me that drug!' so I can lose weight. WTH?!" I’m glad she was brave enough to share what she was wondering, as I’m sure she’s not alone in her curiosity. Aren’t you wondering what this means for you? Let's start by clarifying a few t...

I'm not posting this to brag nor, I'll add, to solicit more emails.  We can't tell just looking at you who's living with an eating disorder. And I certainly don't want those of you who are not in such a great place to feel worse about your apparent lack of recovery; I'm aware that's how some of you may think. Perhaps you, too, have come a long way on your journey toward recovery, in ways you rarely stop to acknowledge. (SHOUT OUT: identify what you have done well with today!) Rather, I write because of what could have happened to Leah. And about what usually happens, to those with Binge Eating Disorder and other eating disorders. So please read on! "I hope you are doing well and a Happy Belated Birthday!   I just read your latest blog post and it made me quite happy and blessed for our time together. I am happy and proud to say that I am doing great and haven't used food to deal with my emotions.   I am still in therapy and it is a big help but I ha...

It took me years to grasp this not-so-deep expression.  Rather than focusing on the  full  vs.  empty,  I'd get stuck with the  half  part .  So while viewing a cup as half  empty  suggests looking at what's missing, and seeing it as half  full  connotes a positive outlook, I simply couldn't see it. The  half  empty description seemed rather positive to me. I mean, at least it's  only   1/2 missing! I'm not sure I ever really contemplated  half  full—as in "it's just not good enough". Take a look at the image to the right. What do you see? And when you look at your body?  Do you focus on all that's good about it, or get fixated on those parts that disgust you? When you reflect on your eating yesterday do you highlight where you slipped, or acknowledge what was in place? When you consider how you've eaten over the past week, do you recognize your mindfulness or your balance? Or can’t you get p...