When we think of eating disorders in America and the rising Obesity epidemic, we often fail to realize that while over eating is a major concern, so is not eating enough. People make extremely poor choices all of the time when it comes to food. Some would blame part of this on Hollywood, while others would still blame it on the fact that some people (especially women) are so obsessed with “looking good” that there is often no other alternative except to cut back on what they eat.

Our bodies need nutrition. If we don’t get the proper amount of nutrients through the foods that we eat, then our bodies begin to suffer. What do you think your brain runs off of? When you eat, the food is turned into energy that helps us maintain certain functions. If you cut back on eating the amount of food you should be consuming, you may realize subtle changes such as the inability to focus, trouble sleeping, increased irritability as well as loss of energy.

The true way to eat healthy is to make wise decisions when you go food shopping. Before you head to the grocery store, make a list of the things that you need. After you’re done making the list, look over it and read it out loud if you have to. Do you really need that package of soda? If you feel the need to have your soda fix, why not opt for sugar free and caffeine free instead? How about that bag of potato chips? You could probably just ditch it all together. However, if you feel that you must have potato chips, why not opt for potato chips that are baked and lightly salted versus the other brand? There are always healthy alternatives when you go shopping.

Some may complain that the reason they eat so unhealthy is because unhealthy food is more accessible and cheap. While this may be true, think about how much more money you’ll have to spend in the long run on doctors’ bills once it is discovered that you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol! Snacking on nothing is just as bad as snacking on things that aren’t good for you. As a general rule of thumb, if you stock your refrigerator and pantry with predominantly healthy foods and snacks, then you’re more likely to eat healthier. It just makes sense, doesn’t it? The next time you find yourself thinking about skipping that meal or opting for the fast food restaurant, stop yourself for a second and reflect on whether or not the decision you are about to make is good for you. A little thought can go a long way.

If you are still concerned about your diet, consider this. The fastest way to get in shape and stay that way is to combine a healthy diet with a moderate amount of exercise. If you’re not the exercising type, there are plenty of other groups out there that get together, which is something that is extremely encouraging. The funny thing of it all is that you burn calories more than you think. Therefore, a moderate amount of exercise (say about 30 minutes at least 5 days per week) is all you need!

Are you sick of dieting because it doesn’t work long term? Are you too scared to stop? If so, you are probably trapped in the familiar and very popular world of yo-yo dieting. This is really a form of an eating disorder or disordered eating. The lack of stability in caloric intake, exercise, etc. results in your body going up in down in weight as you switch between diets. And of course “fall off the wagon”.

So what? You know diets don’t work, but you have no idea how to stop. If you stop now, then you will gain weight back that you lost following whatever program you are on. But furthermore you are probably tired of missing certain food groups, events and other parts of life that involve eating. So now what?

Well, my recommendation is actually really simple. You have to make the choice to NOT diet. That means doing the media purge: tossing all books, magazines, articles, etc. on diets, fit bodies, fab diet pills, etc. And when diets, eating, etc. comes up during a meal with friends or during a conversation you have to politely draw the line. That’s right food is not a topic for you any longer. And politely change the subject.

This is going to be a NEW diet of its own. Complete with the fun regime you are used to when starting a new “diet plan”. Except this time it is going to be for life and you aren’t going to have to carry around a book to follow directions and seek out creative recipes for lasagne without any carbs.

I am so excited for you to become a Fed Up Girl and QUIT diets for life. Oh and the most common question. Will I gain weight? Go out of control? NO. If you finally allow yourself what you want and pay attention to hunger signals you will actually get in the best shape of your life.

How can an individual not focus on food? Every time the television is on the headlining news is broadcasting an actress or model who is suffering from an eating disorder. When standing in line at the local grocery store look to the right and see the assorted array of candy bars and gum loaded with sugar. Then look to the left and the assorted magazine’s and tabloid newspaper’s telling us about the latest actress or model with an eating disorder. All day long messages are sent out through all forms of media telling us about our health, diet, exercise, nutrition, medications available to melt fat, or to not crave food any more.

This leaves a person stuck whirling with unanswered questions and concerns. How many times have youseen or heard of a famous person battling with an eating disorder? The reality of eating disorders is they affect every one, men, women, young, old, black, white, Hispanic and does not discriminate. How is not a word to use if youwant to recover from a food addiction? Expecting to get a simple answer to how it began is futile. So many factors are involved in the how? And why it began?

In order to recover from eating disorders you need to start with where you are right now. Have an eating disorder assessment done, based on the information gathered your next course of action with be outpatient or inpatient eating disorder treatment program. Eating disorders thrive on keeping the individual isolated, full of shame and guilt. The person affected feels alone and doesn’t believe they can ever stop. If you are ready to get help look into following up with an eating disorder treatment program to learn how to live your life without focusing on food?

Joanna works for the Women’s Behavioral Program. She has overcome adversities and shares her hope with anyone she comes in contact with. Joanna is a known published author in the Bariatric and Weight Loss Community, she has spent the last 13 years helping to inspire and motivate people on the value of the body, mind and spirit connection.

Bulimia and the brain was the topic of a report released in January 2008 by General Psychiatry. The report focused on female patients with bulimia nervosa and their lack of impulse control compared to women without an eating disorder. The use of MRI brain scan showed distinct behavioral differences when faced with decisions about voluntary behavior.

Bulimia nervosa plagues adolescent females and continues into adulthood. Most professionals agree that binge eating is triggered by a sense of loss of control. The act of binge eating and then subsequent voiding of food gives the sufferer a feeling of regaining that control.

During testing the MRI was able to observe the function of electrical currents that travel throughout nerve cells in the brain. The particular circuitry studied, controlled an individual’s voluntary behavior. The testing forced the individual to make decisions that went contrary to the subject’s normal thinking process. Testing was conducted with 20 women suffering with bulimia and 20 women with normal eating habits.

Test results showed the women that suffered with bulimia responded quicker and made more errors than the control group. The bulimic women when faced with conflicted reasoning showed less activity in the brain circuitry controlling voluntary behavior.

Conclusions reached during testing showed the differences in the way the brain circuits moved and how they performed. The brain activity of the women with bulimia nervosa does not seem to activate appropriately; this would imply a lack of impulse control and also an inability to make the right decision when faced with binge eating behavior.