Author Archives: Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Eating disorders in midlife

Not Your Teens Eating Disorder: What you need to know about eating disorders in midlife.

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Unfortunately, eating disorders in midlife are on the rise.  Many eating disorders in adult women may go undiagnosed because of the mistaken belief that older women don’t develop eating disorders.   It is true that adolescent girls are at a higher risk, but women of all ages are at risk for developing and maintaining an eating disorder.

Adult women usually present with eating disorders in the three following ways:

  1. An eating disorder was developed earlier in their life. That is, as an adolescent or young adult the individual developed her eating disorder, but never fully recovered.  Adequate treatment, motivation to change, social & family support, etc. are all necessary for a full recovery.
  2. The second scenario is similar to the first, an eating disorder developed in adolescence or early adulthood and the individual fully recovered through treatment.  But, then in midlife, a relapse took place either in response to environmental, social, psychological and/or physical stressors and the eating disorder returned.
  3. In this last scenario, which is the least common, is that the onset of the eating disorder first occurred in midlife. That is to say, the individual had no pre-existing eating disorder. The most common type of eating disorder that starts in mid-life is binge eating disorder (click here to learn more about binge eating disorder).

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common binge eating myths

5 Common Binge Eating Disorder Myths You Need To Know

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Accurate information & challenging misconceptions is an important first step in getting treatment for binge eating disorder.  The phrase “binge eating” gets used a lot in the media & pop culture.  I have gathered some common myths about binge eating disorder (BED) that I have seen over my 15 years of working with clients with eating disorders.

  1.  Myth:  Overeating regularly at meal or snack time is considered binge eating.

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Dieting increases risk for an eating disorder

Why Dieting is Hazardous to your Health

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We are knee-deep in the diet culture.   Messages about what we should and shouldn’t eat are everywhere: social & print media, TV, on food labels and even well-meaning friends and family.

We forget that food is necessary to survive. Food is not optional. Dieting makes us think we can go without carbohydrates, fats or other food groups. But, we just can’t. Food and eating are not about willpower, it is about biology.

Dieting leads to food preoccupation

The most basic function of our brain is to keep us alive. When our basic needs are not being met, our bodies experience stress. Our brain sends us alerts to get us what we need. Most diets aren’t sufficient in energy (calories) or macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein & fat). Therefore, our brains alert us that we need to eat.
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Eating disorders and anxiety.

Understanding the Anxiety-Eating Disorder Connection

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Types of anxiety

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common types of mental health disorders in the U.S. They affect up to 18% of the U.S. Population. There are several different kinds of anxiety disorders including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder. In this post, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) will be discussed.  GAD affects approximately 3.1% of the population. Women are more likely to experience GAD than men.

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

 

We all experience worry from time to time. It is normal to feel anxious before a test, a job interview or other big events. Normally, after the event, like a first date for example, the worry disappearsContinue reading→

food addiction

Feeling Out of Control with Food? Could it be Food Addiction?

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There is a lot of controversy around food addiction…

Among clinicians, there is much debate if food addiction is a bonafide diagnosis. Some believe absolutely food can be addictive. In fact, science shows that our brains are activated in the same way it is with drugs when we eat highly palatable, good tasting food.

People who describe themselves as food addicts have a compulsive drive to eat, even when they are not hungry.  Eating, perhaps, to soothe emotions or to “check-out”.  Short-term overeating feels good. But, long-term it can feel pretty uncomfortable.  There is a sense of loss of control described by people who feel like they are food addicts. Furthermore, attempts to stop overeating are made, but with little success. Sounds similar to drug or alcohol addiction, right?

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Pefectionism

Perfectionism: Striving to be perfect.

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Who doesn’t want to be perfect, right?  What’s wrong with perfectionism? We all want things to go well for ourselves in our career & school and personal lives.  Setting high standards can lead to high achievement.

Perfectionism, on the other hand, is striving for things to be perfect in most aspects of life, all of the time.  And when things don’t go perfect, as things often don’t in life, the person who suffers from perfectionism is self-critical and blaming.   This self-criticism, which often is intended to motivate, actually leads to poor self-esteem, extreme fear of failure and procrastination (“I can’t do it perfectly, so I won’t try”).  Perfectionism is a losing proposition.  We are human.  We are going to make mistakes.  Being perfect all of the time is an impossible standard to meet. Studies show that perfectionism can lead poor self-esteem, burn-out, procrastination, chronic stress, poor relationships, depression & anxiety, eating disorders and increases the risk for suicide.Continue reading→