Oh New Years… The start of a new year, a fresh start, a time to really start living life…right? The truth is, I used to make New Years Resolutions. They typically involved things like ‘see my friends more’, ‘work harder’. The most common resolutions Americans make are to lose weight, eat healthier, and make more money. I would like to propose something new for you to try this year; NOT making any resolutions. I am not saying that it is wrong of you to want to make your life better…
Read MoreAs I’m sure you are aware the holidays are in full swing. Many people assume that everyone loves the holidays. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year…right? For some it is, for others it may be the most difficult time of the year. For people with eating disorders, the holidays can seem like a downright scary movie. People with eating disorders are often scared of food, terrified of groups of people, and frightened of heightened emotions. The holidays are filled with all three of these! If you are struggling with an eating disorder, then this is likely the most dreaded time of the year.
Read MoreI hear people talk about what they think they should be eating all the time. Not just in my work with clients with disordered eating in Denver, but also in the rest of my life as well. You’ve probably also heard it in everyday conversation “I should eat more vegetables” “I shouldn’t eat this dessert” “I should eat more protein” etc, etc. The question is… is it okay to should on yourself about eating something?? The answer: sometimes… and, it’s complicated.
Read MoreI’ve come to realize that people love to comment on what someone else chooses to eat. If you were to eavesdrop at any restaurant table you might hear various forms of “Did you hear the latest news? You shouldn’t eat olive oil, butter is back in now. Have you heard about the new Keto diet? Are you Paleo? I’ve heard that carbs make you fat. I heard that you shouldn’t eat grains and meat together. Maybe you should try juicing. I stay away from white foods” and the list goes on and on.
Read MoreThe holiday season is upon us, and with that you may be subjected to a whole new level of diet culture rhetoric. As we know from my blog about diet culture– it is the status quo – and therefore many folx are not even aware of the fact that they are spreading diet culture messaging. Ugh. In our office here in Denverwhere we provide mental health and nutrition counseling for people with eating disorders, disordered eating, and/or body image struggles I have printed out the Intuitive Eating Bill of Rightsso that clients can remember their rights throughout this holiday season. It is a helpful reminder of boundaries you can set to take care of yourself while celebrating with family or friends.
Read MoreWe are thrilled to announce a new member to the Omni Team, Melissa Knudson, registered dietitian! Melissa comes to us with over 25 years of experience in the field of eating disorders, chronic dieting, and family based treatment and education of eating disorders. She recently moved to Denver from Michigan in order to be closer to her family. Melissa brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we are so excited to bring her on board.
Read MoreSelf-care is about honoring and nurturing your self. It is about setting boundaries, getting acquainted with what matters to you and what your needs are, and setting your life up in a way that is attentive and supporting of you! Self care is attuning to your wants, needs, and desires and creating a life that allows you to meet those for yourself. It can look a million different ways – but the intention behind self-care is to fill yourself up so that you are equipped – emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually – to tackle your day-to-day tasks and obligations.
Read MoreHalloween is synonymous with many things; dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and yes, candy. Candy has become something that many people, whether they are struggling with disordered eating or not has become something that the general public fears or thinks is “bad”. The truth is there is no reason to fear candy. All of the things said about this food are simply not true. Let’s examine the most well-known myths about candy so that you and your kids can enjoy candy this Halloween, or any time!
Read MoreIf you think about it, inspiration is all around you when you take a minute to soak it in. I am grateful for all of the sources that bring me inventiveness, creativity, and joy on a day-to-day basis. I hope that this post reminds you to seek your own sources of inspiration in your recovery, your path of self-growth, or simply in your everyday experiences.
Read MoreBeing a therapist that blogs and posts on social media is weird. You put yourself out there all the time, but also try to maintain some sense of privacy and hiding. Here are 5 things I’ve wanted to post about/ blog about that I have shied away from for various reasons.
Read MoreThe work of body acceptance is not isolated for you as an individual. It is not only about learning to accept yourself, likewise it is about the collective and learning to accept everyone and fight for justice for all bodies. If the world we live in continues to uphold unrealistic beauty and body standards, we will never find acceptance for ourselves. In order to accept your body you must also work toward accepting ALL BODIES. The work is in dismantling the ridiculous standards that are set by diet culture and the patriarchy.
Read MoreBecoming pregnant and having a child was something I wanted for a long time. When I finally became pregnant I was elated of course. I had heard and read all about the nausea, food cravings, and food aversions that happen to most women during pregnancy. I ‘thought’ I was prepared for anything thrown my way during this time. And while I do think I navigated it to the best of my ability, nothing could actually prepare me for what happened during those first 14 weeks of growing a life.
Read MoreI believe it is important to understand the connection between diet culture and white supremacy because I hope it stirs something up within you, that the hierarchical structure (white men being at the top) of our society is wrong and something needs to change. We must be the change. In order to make change happen, we must let go of dieting and spend our energy and time focused on ways to fight against diet culture, which in turn means fighting against white supremacy and the ways in which it oppresses all of us. This is ultimately for the collective, not just for your individual recovery from dieting, disordered eating, or an eating disorder. If we want to achieve individual recovery from disordered eating, we must also fight for this for the most marginalized of bodies and identities.
Read MoreI had an eating disorder from the time I was 16 years old until 26. Ten long years of misery. My eating disorder was not something I was proud of. I was very ashamed of it and the behaviors that accompanied it. I binged on huge amounts of food. I restricted and starved myself. I over-exercised and pushed my body to the point of exhaustion. All the while hiding behind a façade of working as a dietitian teaching others how to live a healthy life. I felt like a total hypocrite. Something had to change.
Read MoreOne of the biggest shockers for me when I left treatment was how much hard work was involved in recovery. I became accustomed to meals being planned and prepared for me, constant support for my emotions, behaviors, and meals, as well as thoroughly going over every “meal off” with my dietitian. I stepped down with less support as the weeks went on. Then came discharge day. I was finished and on my own.
Read MoreI thought it would be helpful to see my meals and snacks on this vacation to see how to intuitively eat on vacation. Often times when we are working with clients they discuss how getting out of their normal routine really disrupts their eating and they find themselves going back to eating disorder behaviors when they were otherwise doing well at home.
Read MoreI have been thinking a lot about my values recently. When I first started grad school I remember I was assigned a paper in my Intro to Counseling Theories class and the task was to write about my values. Aside from doing a values card sort with my therapist, this was the first time in my life that I had taken the time to think through my values. I recently reread the paper that I wrote about four years ago, and was surprised to see that my values have not really changed all that much, even though I feel I have grown as a person a lot over these last four years.
Read MoreToday’s blog is not really related to our typical topics or norms at Omni of disordered eating, chronic dieting, social justice, and/or body image. However, this topic is unavoidably present for me right now and feels most authentic for me to write about, so here we go. This one is for anyone out there who is or has experienced a significant loss.
Read MoreThe lists of food people avoid ranges from sugar, wheat, dairy, meat, “processed” food, even certain fruits and vegetables; the list goes on and on. When I was growing up there weren’t droves of people that couldn’t eat certain foods, or who chose to avoid entire food groups on their own volition. This leads me to wonder… are we actually causing ourselves to have more food intolerances by restricting ourselves of certain foods?
Read MoreWhen you think of the word “fear” what comes to mind? For me I have thoughts and images such as ‘scary, panic, ghosts, dark alleys, heart racing, and skeletons’. When I add the word ‘food’ in front of fear what comes to mind? For most people it’s foods like pizza, donuts, ice cream, hamburgers and fried foods. I often wonder how food has become something as scary as something that might actually be life threatening, such as walking down a dark alley alone. Food is something that is basic to our survival. How did something so essential to our lives become something that so many people fear on a daily basis?
Read More
