Eating Disorders

How do you know if you’re doing too much of a thing? One possibility is in what the apostle wrote: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’ – but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12-13, NIV). Not everything we can do is beneficial to us, and even when we have the right to do something, when that thing becomes our master instead of our servant, something needs to change. There’s a sense in which we live at an amazing time when it comes to food. You can drive to a grocery store and get spices, fruit, grains, drinks, vegetables, and proteins from across the world, something that people set sail on long voyages for in previous centuries. There’s a glut of cooking shows, tutorials, and masterclasses available to motivate and help you prepare tasty food. All this notwithstanding, our relationship with food can be complex and messy. Food is often a major area of inequality, as some are calorie-deficient while others have a surplus. Food can also play a role that goes beyond sustenance. It can become a source of comfort and a way to deal with difficult emotions and situations. Emotional eating is a struggle that many have, and it can be quite damaging to your well-being. The Deep Connection Between Food and Our Feelings Food isn’t something that just sustains our bodies. We form bonds of fellowship over meals or drinks, and these relationships can last a lifetime. For many, some of their fondest memories are connected with food in one way or another. It could be a gathering like Thanksgiving dinner, a first date, cherished childhood memories at a particular sweet or dessert place, and so on. Food [...]

Eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (overeating disorder) can be fatal without treatment. Recovery from overeating disorder and other eating disorders is possible. Tips for Overeating Disorder Recovery Seek professional help. Overeating disorder can coexist with anxiety and mood disorders. You may struggle with poor body image, negative self-worth, and low self-esteem. The compulsive behavior tricks you into believing you lack self-control and are helpless. This is not true. The first step is to seek professional help. One option is to contact our office at Plano Christian Counseling to schedule an appointment with a license counselor. Stay away from the scale. We can become obsessed with the numbers on the scale. If you struggle with body dysmorphia, poor body image, or low self-esteem, you may need to avoid the scale until you are well into recovery. The number on the scale is simply a number that relates to gravitational pull. It does not consider how much muscle you gain in your workouts, fluid retention, or any other factor. Plano Christian Counseling offers faith-based counseling to help individuals struggling with body image issues, low self-esteem, and related concerns. If you are a woman, your weight may fluctuate throughout your cycle, weighing more on the days leading up to your period and during the week of ovulation. Consider using a tape measure to track the lost inches and smaller clothing sizes instead of the scale. Identify negative self-talk. How do you talk to yourself? Are your words worse than you would say to others? We are often harder on ourselves than we are on others. Critical and negative self-talk belittles your motivation and self-esteem. The negative thoughts you hear may be echoes from words spoken over you in the past. You need to learn to let those [...]