The second EDIT™ Principle involves everything about INTUITION – how to use one’s intuitive wisdom for guidance about eating, exercise, and everyday life. This intuitive wisdom is what we can also call the insight of the Intuitive Therapist within us all. People with eating disorders typically only hear the chatter of their eating disorder (ED) mind. But as EDIT™ Practitioners, we model the voice of the Intuitive Therapist (IT) until clients can her IT within themselves. The EDIT™ process involves having ED-IT dialogues with clients. Here’s what this might sound like:

ED (false self) – “I follow the rules and do what I should do.”

The “rules” involve eating, exercising, and other eating disorder behaviors, as well as countless expectations of others. The false self adopts these rules as ones own, unaware that they are being imposed from outside influences. Many rules contradict each other, which is a setup for the rules to be broken, followed by attempts to resume the rules with even more rigidity. The false self is adamant that it is moving in the right direction, without realizing it is blindly going in circles.

IT (True Self): “I trust my intuition, in all areas of my life.”

Intuition is an inner knowing, a gut feeling, an awareness which comes without any logical analysis – it is the “voice” of the True Self. Intuition is accessed to guide all decisions, including career direction, family and relationship choices, as well as eating and exercise selections. The True Self may listen to the others opinions, then discern whether they are in alignment with ones own values. The True Self has an inner compass, which always points in the right direction.

Try this “taste” of EDIT™ – Reasons WHY We Eat

Click on the image below for a downloadable worksheet which you can use to explore how the concepts of intuition can be applied to eating disorder behaviors. Discuss the three reasons WHY we eat, and guide your client to trust their INTUITION for the type and amount of food their body needs.

Scroll below the image for guidelines about using the worksheet.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT

I’m feeling low on energy, and need a snack…
I just finished dinner, and want something sweet…
I’ve just had a stressful day, and want my favorite comfort food…

Can you relate to eating for these three different reasons? The first is the body’s PHYSICAL NEED for food – or, HUNGER. The second is a PHYSICAL DESIRE for specific foods although not necessarily hungry, for example, dessert – also called APPETITE. The third is an EMOTIONAL DESIRE for specific foods, as a means of self-soothing – referred to as COMFORT. It’s normal to eat for all three of these reasons – and eating disorders reflect being out of balance with why we eat. Eating disorder recovery is about restoring this balance, through Intuitive Eating.

As a little more background information for you as an EDIT™ practitioner – I developed the terminology for these three reasons why people eat as an outcome of my own research. I observed the eating patterns of people who reported never having had an eating disorder, and noted that the reasons people ate fell into three main categories. My original terms were “Physical Need,” “Physical Desire,” and “Emotional Desire” – which I have since simplified as “Hunger,” “Appetite,” and “Comfort.”

On a typical day, people without eating disorders reported eating for the three different reasons with these percentages: Hunger (75-100%), Appetite (0-25%), Comfort (0-10%). What this means is that some days, a person might eat in this distribution: Hunger (75%), Appetite (15%), Comfort (10%). Another day, perhaps their proportions may be: Hunger (90%), Appetite (10%), Comfort (0%). Occasionally, people without eating disorders reported: Hunger (100%), Appetite (0%), Comfort (0%). However, most often, people without eating disorders ate with some percentage for all three reasons.

When I ask people with eating disorders the reasons why they eat, I often find different ranges for different types of eating disorders. For example, people with Anorexia typically report something like: Hunger (100%), Appetite (0%), Comfort (0%). However, many anorexics resist eating even if they do feel hungry, and only eat if they feel extreme hunger. In contrast, people with Bulimia or Binge Eating Disorder typically report something like: Hunger (0%), Appetite (25%), Comfort (75%). These individuals may actually eat some of the time because they are hungry – but to them it might seem like they are eating because they “want to” but don’t really “need to.” These individuals especially identify with eating for comfort, noting that they use food as a means of coping with intense emotions. People who identify themselves as having a Food Addiction report a slightly different percentage, usually something like: Hunger (0%), Appetite (75%), Comfort (25%). These individuals tend to relate to the concept that they are drawn to the taste of food and “love to eat,” but are less aware of using food as a means of emotional coping.

When you use this worksheet with your clients, begin by explaining the three reasons why people eat. Next, ask your client why they tend to eat on a typical day, so you can get a sense of their percentages for each of the three reasons. Ask your client why they think they “should” eat – any they will probably say something like, “I should only eat when I’m hungry” – which is what many weight loss programs advocate. Emphasize that it’s OK to eat for all three reasons, and then encourage your client to being their journey of Intuitive Eating by simply noticing their current eating patterns. Encourage them to gently ask, “Why am I about to eat right now?” Non-judgmental awareness is the first step in eating disorder recovery!

©2018 by Dr. Dorie McCubbrey. Dr. Dorie is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Licensed Addiction Counselor who is passionate about training professionals to effectively guide clients in recovery from eating disorders, through her Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ Certified program. She also meets with clients at her treatment center, Positive Pathways PLLC, located in Evergreen Colorado. Learn more at: https://www.drdorie.com

Article may be reprinted with this author bio.

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Want more that this “taste” of EDIT™? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE – GET CERTIFIED

The post Be True To Your Self appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. She guides her clients to learn the real facts about nutrition – in this article, you’ll learn the facts about fats. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle about becoming a client (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

My name is Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – and I’m a Registered Dietitian who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders. In some of my other blogs, I discussed how essential it is to consume carbohydrates and protein. Now let’s look at another vital macronutrient – fat. Yep, the forbidden word, fat! It seems like currently the media is on a ‘carbohydrates are bad’ kick but many of us recall the 90’s fat-free craze. Almost all food naturally containing fat, became fat free. Cheese would no longer melt, potato chips caused gastrointestinal problems because of the Olestra being added instead of fat and our pans were never the same again as even oil or degreasers were forbidden. Even though the media moved onto different trends, this fad still hangs in the back of our minds and I often have clients who are still convinced that fat is bad.

To answer the common question, Will Eating Fat Make Me Fat – let’s review the different types of fats:

Saturated: found in animal-based products and tropical oils – meat, eggs, dairy, palm oil and coconut oil. They are typically solid at room temperature. These used to be thought of as bad fats but more studies are showing that as long as these are consumed in moderation, they are not harmful.

Unsaturated (poly, mono and omega’s): typically found in plant oils as well as fatty fish – olives, nuts, seeds, avocados, salmon and tuna. These are known for having huge health benefits. They are being used to treat schizophrenia and depression, prevent blindness, decrease cholesterol levels and help with healthy skin and hair.

Trans Fat (partially hydrogenated fat): manufactured fat found in processed foods. Because this is not a natural fat, the body does not know how to process them properly, therefore these fats are linked to increased risk of heart disease. As of June 18, 2018, all partially hydrogenated fat must be eliminated from food.

Fat is essential for many reasons. To begin with, it provides the amazing flavors and smells when we cook. Three pounds of our brain is water. If we removed the water, we have over half of the brain containing fat which includes cholesterol and unsaturated fat. This is critical for our brain to communicate. If you imagine dropping a pea into a jar of olive oil, it will float around but if the jar does not have oil in it, the pea will clink around in there. The same thing happens in your brain. When clients eliminate all fat from their diet or begin to lose too much weight, the brain actually shrinks. This leads to increased risk of dementia and depression as well as increased eating disorder thoughts. Rationale tends to decrease considerably, especially when it comes to not overthinking food choices and having a healthy body image.

So – back to the question, Will Eating Fat Make Me Fat? It is true that fat is more calorie-dense then carbohydrates and protein – meaning that each gram has more calories. But it’s important to remember,  “everything in moderation.” Let’s focus on trying to eat some fat throughout the day so we can have the healthiest brain possible.

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Looking for guidance with NUTRITION? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Will Eating Fat Make Me Fat? appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. She guides her clients to learn the real facts about nutrition – in this article, you’ll learn the facts about fats. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle about becoming a client (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

Sugar addiction – a behavior of binge eating sugary foods – is a problem reported by many people, especially at this time of year, when Halloween candy is so prevalent! Some “sugar addicts” attempt to abstain from sugar, only to find that restriction can trigger binge eating. As I discussed in a previous blog, carbohydrates are essential for health, and sufficient carbohydrate consumption can reduce cravings for sweets.

Now, let’s look at the importance of protein. I find very few of my clients are fearful of protein, which seems to stem from the messages from the media telling us that if we consume lots of protein, that means we will lose weight and fit into society’s view of perfection. I specifically just read an article saying protein can help us lose belly fat. Honestly? Let’s think about that a minute. How can eating a chicken breast cause fat in our belly to shrink?

Keep in mind that everything we eat breaks down into calories. If we over consume calories, we gain weight; if we restrict calories, we’ll lose weight. We should consume a variety of nutrients from all food groups. We do not gain or lose weight from certain foods, but rather from calories. For example – if we eat fat, it does not immediately turn into fat in the body, nor does protein foods immediately turn into muscle in the body. All food breaks down to calories and the body uses them where they’re needed or burns off what isn’t needed.

To better explain this, let’s say you overall eat a balanced diet and your weight is maintaining. If you all of a sudden decide to eat an additional 500 calories of protein each day for a week and the next week decide to switch that and instead consume an extra 500 calories of butter; you will still gain the same amount of weight both weeks because you over-consumed calories. You won’t gain muscle weight when eating the protein and weight in fat when you consume the fat. That’s not how our body works.

Foods containing protein are broken down to smaller molecules in our body called amino acids. Examples of a few protein-rich foods are meat, dairy products, eggs, nuts, lentils, soy, tofu and tempeh. Protein is essential for our body to build muscle, since muscle is made up of amino acids. We have to be physically active, though, in order to use protein we eat to make muscle. This can include walking or light activity.

The other essential reason we need to consume protein is that it is needed to send the signal to your brain that you’ve eaten and help you feel satisfied. This is why diets push consuming more protein. If you eat toast for breakfast, it has very little protein, so your brain is not told you’ve eaten and that’s when clients start to notice sugar cravings and overeat the rest of the day. However, if you had a couple of eggs or Greek yogurt with your toast, the brain gets the signal that you’ve eaten and less cravings tend to happen, which means decreased over-consumption of calories.

So if you find that you never feel satisfied during the day or constantly crave sugar as in a “sugar addiction,” try to have a bit more protein for breakfast and see if this helps!

*****

Looking for guidance with NUTRITION? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Sugar Addiction: Eat More Protein and Crave Less Sugar appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. She guides her clients to learn the real facts about nutrition – in this article, you’ll learn the facts about fats. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle about becoming a client (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

As a dietitian who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, I enjoy educating my clients about the role of nutrition in eating disorder recovery. Eating well isn’t just about weight gain or weight loss – it’s about feeding your brain so you can think clearly and feel in balance emotionally.

You’ve probably heard this statement from your parents, teachers, or dietitians – “Eat your green veggies!” If you are in recovery from an eating disorder, this may seem like yet another “food rule,” which you either take to an extreme by over consuming these foods, or, you may rebel and eat very few green veggies.

Have you ever wondered, “Why does my brain need green veggies?” Consuming enough folate-rich food is often talked about in the news as a way to assure having a healthy pregnancy. So, since folate so important for women who are pregnant, is folate important for non-pregnant women, and men, too? Recently, a great deal of research with folate has been done, which everyone should pay attention to, as it effects the health of the brain.

Folate is commonly found in deep green veggies, such as spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, and broccoli. In addition, it is found in whole grain cereals, lentils, and black, navy or kidney beans. When we eat folate-rich food, it is converted in the intestine into a substance called L-Methylfolate, which goes into our brain and makes the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. You may have heard of the importance of having a good balance of these neurotransmitters in the brain, because of their role in having a balanced mood.

Proper levels of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine can help reduce depression and anxiety – and overall, when these neurotransmitters are in balance, we have a sense of wellbeing. If the balance in your brain is off, medications can be helpful. Seventy percent of clients have to get their medications changed, or feel no real shift in their depression or mood, which has stumped doctors for years. It turns out that many of these clients lack a key component to convert folate to L-Methylfolate. If there’s no L-Methylfolate for your brain, then you can’t make serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine and therefore can’t feel relief from depression.

If you have tried numerous antidepressant medications, are consuming enough folate in your diet, and you still suffer from symptoms of depression – it may be worth talking to your psychiatrist or medical doctor to request a blood test to determine if your body does not make the component to convert folate to L-Methylfolate. If you are deficient, then you can take a supplement to treat the deficiency, your medications will start working correctly, and you can feel better!

*****

Looking for guidance with NUTRITION? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Eating Disorders and Nutrition: Your Brain Needs Greens appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Emily Johnson, who is a Registered Psychotherapist and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Emily completed her internship and continued to work under my supervision for several years, at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who is passionate about helping athletes in recovery from eating disorders. She is an amateur athlete who has overcome her own eating disorder, and finds “intuitive exercise” to be a healthy part of her recovery.
– Dr. Dorie

There are many things about the world of fitness modeling that makes an eating disorders therapist cringe. Most notably, there’s the very strict dieting, and also the large amount of time spent on intensive workouts at the gym. Less obvious – but extremely concerning – are the body image issues that arise from quests for physical perfection, as well as comparisons with other fitness models, along with judgments during competitions and photo shoots. And then there are those who are not fitness models, but who compare themselves to the images of fitness models in magazines. Stacking yourself up against another person, who may or may not be healthy in their pursuit of perfection, is never helpful.

As an eating disorder therapist, I’ve worked with many current, former, and prospective fitness models, and while I do believe that some people can navigate that world unscathed, for many it is a slippery slope into dangerous waters, and many don’t know how far down they’ve gone.

So what makes the difference between a healthy approach to fitness modeling, and an eating-disordered approach to becoming a fitness model? The most important thing to consider is the motivation for fitness modeling. Is it the external validation? A desire to look like someone you saw on the internet or in a magazine? To make an ex-partner jealous? A desire for the “perfect” body? Or, for the enjoyment of challenging yourself?

Another area to consider is eating. If you are a fitness model, ask yourself how you feel if or when you eat something not on your meal plan. Would you even dare let yourself? Do you shrug it off, or do you try harder the next day to cut calories, reduce carbs, or spend an extra half hour working out to compensate? And if you do go off your meal plan, does that mean the rest of the day is blown and you might as well eat as much as you can before tomorrow when you vow to be extra strict?

Answering “yes” to questions like these is a red flag that you are heading into an unhealthy relationship with food, disordered eating, or a full-blown eating disorder – carefully justified  within the structure of training and meal plans.

Perhaps you’re not a fitness model, but you can relate to the quest for body perfection. You may be waiting until you get in shape to feel better about yourself, to be more confident, to start dating, to try something new, and so on. Maybe you tell yourself, “I’ll wear that when…”, or “I’ll hang out at the beach when…”, or “I’ll start dating when…” These are signs of an unhealthy body image. These are the motivations that will lead you on an elusive quest for happiness, when the key is to learn how to love the body that you have.

If you read this article and wonder if you might have a problem, or know you have a problem, there is hope. It is possible to have a healthy relationship with food, feeling freedom from rigid meal plans. It is possible to go to the gym because you want to, not because you have to – and to find enjoyment in the challenge, not in how others judge you. It is possible to love your body regardless of what weight, size, or body fat percentage is.

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Looking for guidance with INTUITIVE EXERCISE? EMILY JOHNSON, MA (the author of this blog article) is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and is currently employed by an eating disorder treatment center. Although she does not work with clients unless they are patients at the center, Dr. Dorie is available to meet 1-on-1 with athletes with eating disorders.

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Fitness Modeling and Eating Disorders appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.

I’d like to introduce you to Janelle Hunt, who is a Registered Dietitian and an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician. Janelle worked with me at my previous office location in Denver, Colorado. She is a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, who specializes in nutritional counseling for people in recovery from eating disorders. In this article, you’ll learn about how a dietitian who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders can help you as a client. If you’re “hungry for more,” please contact Janelle (see bottom of article).
– Dr. Dorie

My name is Janelle Hunt, and as a Registered Dietitian, I’m excited to be joining the team of therapists at Positive Pathways! I’ve specialized in treating Eating Disorders for the past twelve years, and I am an EDIT™ Certified Counselor who can offer nutrition counseling and much more. I welcome the opportunity to be a guide on your journey of recovery!

What can I expect when I work with a dietitian?
I’ve found that many of clients have either had bad experiences with dietitians or are confused at the role an eating disorders dietitian can play in their recovery. First of all, I’m not going to change everything you are currently eating! I focus on taking the judgment out of what you eat or don’t eat and help you learn to understand your intuitive cues. Your current and previous behaviors and dietary intake have likely played the role as a coping tool, so it’s important to understand this and give yourself grace during the recovery process. We work together as a team, and I find a balance to point out ways we can work on adjusting your dietary intake to help you decrease behaviors and meet your individual goals.

What can I learn about nutrition to support my recovery?
Certain nutrient deficiencies or the way we eat can greatly impact depression, anxiety, mental function, as well as how we feel physically. So, it’s my job as an eating disorders dietitian to guide you to achieve an overall better sense of well-being. I will help you work on eliminating your good and bad thinking around food as I believe we can incorporate all food into our lives and enjoy it. Many clients who have struggled with disordered eating often have a significant amount of nutrition knowledge, but I can help you sift through this information to determine facts vs myths. I work at your pace but am here to help push you just outside of your comfort zone.

My hope is that this helps clarify my role as an eating disorders dietitian, and helps to ease any fears. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like to set up a complimentary consultation. I hope to meet you soon!

*****

Looking for NUTRITION COUNSELING? Contact Janelle Hunt, MS, RD – the author of this blog article. She is an EDIT™ Certified III – Eating Disorder Treatment Clinician, and has a specialty in nutritional counseling for eating disorders. – EMAIL JANELLE

Interested in a FREE consultation with Dr. Dorie? Dr. Dorie is passionate about her method of Eating Disorder Intuitive Therapy (EDIT)™ to help people overcome eating disorders and addictions.  She provides customized counseling for eating disorders and alcohol / drug addiction at her Positive Pathways treatment center in Evergreen, Colorado – and EDIT™ eating disorder training and certification for coaches and clinicians worldwide. CALL 303-494-1975 – EMAIL DR. DORIE

The post Eating Disorders Dietitian & Nutrition Counseling appeared first on INTUITIVE THERAPY™ | Healthy Weight Loss | Eating Disorder Recovery Coach.