How Not to Recover from Your Eating Disorder

Many people don’t recover from dysregulated eating because they insist on doing things exactly as they always have done them and can’t seem to break out of that rut. My hope is that writing about what to do in order to stay stuck might actually help you get unstuck. Toward that goal, here are 10 […]

#RealDeal Editor Shares New Recovery Yoga Site!

Hey #RealDeal followers!  I’m launching a new site for those in recovery called “NOURISH Recovery Yoga” — a place where you’ll find the latest facts and research about yoga / mindfulness / meditation.  My goal is to create and share online tools and resources to assist those in the recovery process — there’s also a few prevention programs […]

Which Stage of Change Are You In?

Most of us probably were raised to believe that if you want to change, you simply need to try hard enough and you will. In some circumstances, that can be true. Pushing yourself a wee bit more can sometimes initiate or accelerate change. But most of the time that we say we want to change, […]

Knowing the Difference Between Prodctivity and Creativity

So many dysregulated eaters are also folks who feel a pressing need to stay busy all the time. Not just busy doing anything old thing, mind you, but filling their time with properly productive endeavors. Sadly, many are potentially or highly creative individuals who have let their need to be productive co-opt their creativity. In […]

Why the Biggest Loser Participants Are Now Big Gainers

I never watch “The Biggest Loser,” the hit TV show. It has always made me cringe and want to cry. Why? Because eating and weight is my field, I’ve known for decades that diets don’t work long term and can actually make you fatter. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that science knew […]

Eating Is Not a Life Skill

A client who’s recovering from alcoholism mentioned in a session that when she was anxious, she really, really, really craved a drink. We talked about how having a drink would affect her afterward—the shame and remorse she’d feel—and how, by drinking, she’d really, really, really be missing an opportunity to practice crucial life skills. Addictions […]

When You Can’t Get What You Really Want, You Eat

When dysregulated eaters think they can’t get what they really want in life, they too often turn to food. They’re not hungry (not a smidge!), but end up on a mission to find something edible to satisfy them. And heaven help anyone who gets in their way. I know just what this process is like […]

Maintaining a Stable Sense of Self

Many dysregulated eaters find it difficult to keep a stable sense of self at all times, that is, to hold a core, positive regard for themselves that is undeniable and unwavering—no matter what. With an unstable sense of self, you feel fantastic about yourself when you’ve done well or when people like and praise you, […]

Self-compassion Is the Key to “Normal” Eating

Many people lack self-compassion, but it’s especially crucial for people who’ve come to hate their food failures and bodies. Make no mistake, lacking self-compassion puts you on the fast track to self-hate, so it’s a quality that none of us can afford to be without. First off, self-compassion is not: accepting unhealthy habits, giving up […]

Support #GivingTuesday and Mental Fitness

This December, the Mental Fitness nonprofit (we manage the #RealDeal body image site) is participating in the December giving #GivingTuesday, a national month of giving! Our nonprofit’s goal is to raise at least five thousand dollars ($5,000) towards our 2016 programming that connects evidence-based mental wellness programs to schools across the nation in an effort to get […]

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