Eating Disorders Before and After Bariatric Surgery–What You Need to Know

Eating Disorders and Bariatric Surgery [Image description: purple scrabble tiles spelling "Eating Disorders and Bariatric Surgery"]

Health professionals often recommend bariatric surgery for patients with larger bodies. A large body size, referred to in the medical world as “obesity,”—a term we will not use unless citing medical data— is not the same as an eating disorder. Yet, there is an intersection. A considerable number of people considering bariatric surgery may have …

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This Halloween Let Them Eat Candy!

Halloween candy and intuitive eating [Image description: 2 young children in costumes hold pumpkin pails of candy they've collected on Halloween}

This was first written by Katie Grubiak, RDN in 2015 and published on a national blog site. It has since been removed and is posted here with permission by Katie Grubiak, RDN, dietitian for people of all ages. Katie’s Six Tips To Make Halloween Fun–and Help Raise Intuitive Eaters Halloween is a favorite holiday for …

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What is Diabulimia?

Diabulimia in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of purple scrabble tiles spelling "diabulimia"]

By Carly Poynter, AMFT Diabulimia is the combination of diabetes—“dia”—and “bulimia.” While diabulimia is not a medical diagnosis, this term describes the comorbid diagnosis of an eating disorder and type-1 diabetes. Medical provider refer to diabulimia as ED-DMTI. Type 1 diabetes is a medical condition—an autoimmune disease. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune system …

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Eating Disorder Organizations Supporting Diverse Bodies

Eating Disorder Organizations in the US Supporting Diverse Bodies [Image description: purple scrabble tiles spelling "Eating Disorder Organizations"]

As an important value in our practice is supporting diverse people with eating disorders, including those in larger bodies.  There are many US-based eating disorder organizations and nonprofits that share our mission and do good work.  Learn more about them below. National Alliance for Eating Disorders The National Alliance for Eating Disorders, previously known as …

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Shopping While Fat

Sharon Maxwell shopping while fat in recovery in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a happy fat woman holding clothing at the Plus Bus in Los Angeles, CA]

Shopping While Fat–And Recovering by Sharon Maxwell, Practice Manager Growing up, I loved the concept of shopping. But as a fat person, I rarely actually enjoyed it. It wasn’t that I didn’t like shopping or finding new things. However, an invitation to go shopping with friends meant that the message that my body was intrinsically …

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Can’t Horseback Ride Because of Your Size? That Might Just Be a Load of “Horse Shit.”

Horseback riding when fat [Image description: back of a fat person with long flowing blonde hair and a purple shirt, riding a horse]

  By Carolyn Comas, LCSW, CEDS-S, Clinical Supervisor Can you horseback ride if you are fat? Navigating the world in a fat body can be frustrating and may feel disheartening. There are, unfortunately, some activities and spaces that do not accommodate people in large bodies. When someone in a big body encounters spaces that do …

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How a Health at Every Size(R) (HAES) Approach Can Help With Eating Disorder Recovery

Health at Every Size and Eating Disorder [Image description: black larger bodied woman eating a donut] represents a potential client receiving Health at Every Size Counseling at Eating Disorder Therapy in Los Angeles, California

Eating disorders are not only about body image. Nor have they only recently arisen in response to societal pressures to be thin. In fact, eating disorders date back to at least the 13th and 14th centuries, when it was observed that women were fasting to demonstrate religious devotion. However, today eating disorders do occur in …

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How We Set Recovery Weights

How we set recovery weights [Image description: Drawing of a doctor weighing a teen patient] depicts potential person with an eating disorder receiving therapy in Los Angeles, California

If you have an eating disorder, or your child has one, there is a good chance that weight gain will be an essential part of the recovery process. This is true not just for people in objectively small bodies, but also for people in larger bodies who are diagnosed with Atypical Anorexia, a weight-biased diagnostic …

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When You Have Adapted a Health At Every Size Approach and Your Family is Still Stuck in Diet Culture

When You Have Adapted a Health At Every Size Approach and Your Family is Still Stuck in Diet Culture [Image description: photo of a crack] Represents a potential chasm between a patient in California receiving HAES eating disorder therapy and their family still stuck in diet culture

For many of my patients who have firmly joined the anti-diet camp and embraced a Health at Every Size® (HAES) approach to health, dealing with family members entrenched in diet culture can be a minefield that is tough to navigate. Let me say that I get it! I also have friends and family members who …

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