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Showing posts with the label Weight suppression

So you think you're recovered from an eating disorder? Take this quiz to find out.

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1) Recovery is about weight gain. Period. The simple answer?  It just might not be going the way you planned.  False.  Now don't let your eating disorder get all excited, saying "See! I told you so!" Weight restoration is surely a must for those who have fallen from their usual weight or in the case of kids, their weight for age and BMI curves. That is, their expected pattern of gain based on their age and their weight history. For kids, falling off their usual growth curve suggests a problem. It shouldn't be praised or rewarded, but evaluated. (Pediatricians, did you read that?!) But if someone's weight was high due to unhealthy behaviors such as binging, emotional overeating, or general disregard for satiety, and weight dropped with improved eating and coping, weight gain is likely unnecessary. Simply reaching a healthy range based on the charts also isn't enough. Perhaps your restrictive eating and suppressed weight began as a young teen, and you've liv...

What doctors must know about eating disorders.

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I want your input. I need to hear your voices. For EDAW 2015, I have volunteered to present to two medical residency programs—one in Boston, MA and one in Providence, RI on what doctors need to know about eating disorders.  I've incorporated recommendations from twitter responders and from Aspire , but I welcome more input. Here's what I have to share with new doctors so far: Avoid the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach .   Patients rarely volunteer behaviors they feel ashamed of—bingeing, purging, diet pill and laxative abuse.   So providers need to ask. Nicely. Casually. Non-judgmentally. Include basic ED screening questions at routine visits. Early action is not just for college admissions . Eating disorders are best identified early and treated promptly. We wouldn’t simply wait it out to see if blood sugars simply turn around in a patient with type 1 diabetes. Take eating disorders as seriously as you would cancer, or The time is now for improving medical management of...

Fat and Always Hungry? No, cutting the carbs won't cure your weight struggle.

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It’s 10 AM Sunday and quite frankly, I’d much prefer to be leisurely finishing my coffee after my blueberry pancakes-topped with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and heated real maple syrup. But Ludwig and Friedman’s Always Hungry? Here’s Why piece in the NY Times  today compelled me away from my plate. To start, let’s get a title change, please, let’s say Here’s What We Think based on virtually no research at all. This is an opinion piece stating two doctors’ theories about why we get fat and what we should do about it. Period. But with the sensational image and title you, like most people, will be drawn into more myths about weight management. Here’s where we agree—and disagree Do you just eat bread for your meal? Agree : There are factors outside of your control that may contribute to your size. Genetics and the presence of fat cells exert their influence. Once you have gained to a higher weight with an increase in fat cells, you will be fighting an uphill battle to lose that weight...