Men Hiding Eating Disorders Too

Today I've published an article on my website contributed by Anthony Organ who is interning at a journalism project called The Conversation. Nice name.


You will find it published here http://eating-disorders.org.uk/men-get-eating-disorders-too-guest-blog/


I wish a had a tenner for all the men I've met who have eating disorders.  Not in treatment mind you, journalists ask me if I am seeing more men in treatment and I say no I don't, but I meet them everywhere else, at dinner parties where they confess their struggles or in my day to day life outside the office.


They are remarkable for hiding their struggles; maybe because they do feel ashamed at their lack of control over their food and their weight. They hide their struggles inside exercise compulsions, marathon running, daily visits to the gym to work out, taking lifestyle drugs or steroids, purging - but not thinking how serious this is - you name it, I've seen how they hide their terrible struggles with control of food.


I think it will always be the same despite all the publicity; looking into the future I can't really see that it will change, men finding a million terrible ways to control their eating behaviour but never accepting that they are out of control.  It's really good that it has all come out into the open, like homosexuality.... but I still cant envisage a time when guys will willingly come forward for treatment if eating begins to rule his life.


So if you are a guy reading this blog, go and check out my website, if you don't want therapy we can offer you coaching to put your eating and body image difficulties behind you. So that you can be happier and more effective in your life.

Tips For Working with Anorexia

Everyone needs help with anorexia.


No one fully understands it. Even people who suffer don't really understand it. Anorexia doesn't happen because your mother didn't love you enough or because you were teased in your childhood.


Many people live with low level anorexia - perhaps we call them "orthorexics" or they just happen to run marathons every week.  They are quite thin but they say that they just look after themselves. Since they aren't skeletal we just pretend that they don't have "issues".


Even people who had quite serious anorexia once upon a time find that it doesn't really ever go away.


So I'm going to write some of my thoughts about anorexia on my website blog. They are just to help us all think out of the box. I am not going to pretend that I have all the answers about helping people to stop starving, stop running marathons or going on long bike rides when the rest of us are happy to sit by the fire and rest. In fact if they don't want to stop doing what they are doing, I wouldn't have a chance.


So here we are, the first post on my lovely website is here at http://eating-disorders.org.uk/tips-for-working-with-anorexia/


 If you want to help me with your comments and ideas please do. I need and welcome your input.
Love to you all.

Go Enjoy Your Toast

Carbohydrate phobia is now officially a new psychiatric disorder. No, I'm joking, but Hannah Devlin Science Correspondent of the London Times says that almost half of all women and men are scared to eat carbs, which are an essential part of a normal healthy diet.


Carbs do some very important things in our body which cannot easily be replicated by proteins and by fats.  Not being nutritionally trained, few people really know what carbohydrates really do. They are swayed by rogue messages from daft so-called health professionals.


And few people know how much carb they should be eating. It is about 250 grams per day, but what does that mean? Its actually a bowl of cereal, some fruits and vegetables, a bit of pasta, some lentils and beans and a few bits of toast. Who is measuring?  I don't.


If you drink alcohol, that's where the trouble creeps in since the carbs are dense and the body isn't quite so sure what to do with them.


I've written more about carbohydrate guilt in my website blog. Follow the link to http://eating-disorders.org.uk/carbohydrate-phobia-go-enjoy-your-toast/




And let me know what you think?  If you want to fight your carb phobia and get your life back, I will support you in your fight. Its a crazy world we live in and your carbohydrate phobia might keep you thin and it might not and it will certainly make you less happy.

Does Anorexia Ever Really Go?

Reading an old account of a 10 year struggle with anorexia written by Lizzie Porter in The Times led me to wonder if anorexia ever really goes.

I was thinking about this because yesterday I was speaking to colleagues about their treatment of a 17 year old girl who was in hospital with anorexia but that was a while ago.  The team feel stuck. Her body mass index is 19 now so she is relatively safe. Should they go on and on with therapy?

Endless therapy can teach a person that they cant cope on their own, so I worry a little about this. We all have times in our lives when we may need someone to support us But this support can be a double edged sword. A lot of therapists are guilty about keeping someone in an endless treatment loop.

Life is stressful and the old backups of tribes and old wise people just aren't there to keep us going any more. But do we have to keep treating people who are possibly OK for now?

I've had letters from people with anorexia who feel completely in thrall to their illness even after many years. If it is so bad that they barely function then yes, some kind of help is needed but which help will this be?

As for the rest, if we are coping and safe we may have to learn meet life on our own. Perhaps find friends to support us rather than "experts".  I fear to convince people that the only way they can survive it to be with a therapist.  Food for thought.

For my really main big blog about whether anorexia really ever goes, check out this link.

http://eating-disorders.org.uk/does-anorexia-ever-really-go/

Enjoy your Xmas and have a Happy Flourishing 2014

Obesity Academics For Sale

Today I found myself arguing quite passionately with a member of the NICE Obesity coordination team against the proposal that obese diabetics be put on a very low calorie liquid diet programme.

I suspect that there are interested commercial organisations who are interested in both the proposal and the research which has led to it. What about all the evidence that show the possible long term effects of these diets on weight maintenance, addictive behaviour,  binge eating and subsequent ill health?

About a year ago I read a most favourable review about VLCD diets from Dr Ian Campbell who was a very prominent person in the National Obesity Forum. I wondered where this enthusiasm came from.  Not one word about their potential side effects.  Dear oh dear!

I would guess that most of these commercial weight loss operations - any of them, get an obesity academic on board to lend authority to their operations. Susan Jebb perhaps the most prominent was adopted by Rosemary Conley and by Weight Watchers in 2010. 

Shame on individuals who take the Kings Silver which essentially prevents them from speaking out at any time against the practices of the organisations that they represent. Good treatment? The obese and sick hardly have a hope.

Rebecca Adlington's Body Image Woes

Rebecca Adlington is an inspiration and a star. She has an amazing body and mind which have worked together to give her two Olympic awards, including gold medals.

But she is being tormented about her looks on social media and her tormentors are making her sad. How can we all bear this?

I have written her an open letter which I wont repeat here, but you might like to follow this link. How can we all support her in distancing herself from Appearance Bullies who are nobodies in their own lives trying to pull down people who have put their heads above the parapet.

Anyone who thinks it is a useful life quest to look like a beauty queen of dubious talent needs to have their head examined. Lets celebrate something different.

For my open letter visit below

http://eating-disorders.org.uk/an-open-letter-to-rebecca-adlington-about-appearance-bullies/

Anorexia NOT Increasing In Children?

In 2013 there was a media storm about increasing rates of childhood eating disorders that was picked up and chewed over relentlessly by eating disorder organisations.

Except by us. At the National Centre for Eating Disorders, when asked to comment about these new terrible findings, we said. Are you sure this is true?

Denying exciting and terrible news stories doesn't make good press. But we let the tide wash over us and like every tsunami it all drained away.

Now our thoughts have been confirmed. It appeared that journalists have been using the wrong information. This is wrong, and the terrible headlines should be disconfirmed.

For the new evidence and for our more detailed thoughts about childhood eating disorders please follow this link to our website.  http://eating-disorders.org.uk/anorexia-in-children-not-increasing/

Eating disorder organisations like us need not rely on alarmist stories to gain publicity. There is no need to shock the public in order to keep ourselves in profile. We must both  respond to real need and also to calm things down when they are lies, distortions and misinformation.