EDA Rhode Island

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What is EDA?
Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) is a fellowship of individuals (founded in February 2000 by members of AA in Phoenix) who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover from their eating disorders. People can and do fully recover from having an eating disorder. In EDA, we help one another identify and claim milestones of recovery.

12 STEPS of EDA
1. We admitted we were powerless over our eating disorder -that our lives had become unmanageable. We finally had to admit that what we were doing wasn’t working.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. We began to believe that we could get better, that there was a fundamental healing power.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God. We decided to trust that as we let go of rigidity, we would not fall. As we took (and continue to take) careful risks, our trust grew -- in God, in ourselves, and in others.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. We looked at why we had gotten stuck, so we would be less likely to get stuck again. We looked at our fears and why we were afraid, our lies and why we told them, our shame and guilt and why we had them. (This step is the searchlight that reveals the blockages in our connection to God.)
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. We "told on ourselves." This established our authority as responsible people; we began to feel like we belonged to the human race. (This step is the bulldozer that clears the blockages in our connection to God.)
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. We began to accept ourselves as we really were, and to take responsibility for our actions. We realized we couldn’t "fix" ourselves. We had to be patient with effort, not results. We realized the results were up to God.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings. We asked God to help us accept our imperfect efforts. We began to focus on what we were doing right. As we did so, the "right" things began to increase.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. We made a list of people whom we had injured or who we thought had injured us, accepted our part, and forgave them for their part. Forgiveness brought us peace.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. After prayer and counsel with a sponsor, we went to the people we had injured (and fully forgiven) and admitted our fault and regret. Our statements were simple, sincere and without blame. We expected nothing in return. Accountability set us free.10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. We listened (and continue to listen) to our conscience. When troubled, we get honest, make amends and change our thinking or behavior. We continue to notice what we do right, and we talk about that, too.11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out. We listened (and continue to listen) to our heart. We earnestly seek to understand and do God’s will, whatever that may be on any given day. We continue to give ourselves credit for earnest effort, however imperfect.12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Having learned to trust at last, we share our experience strength and hope with others, and work to live at peace with ourselves, with God and with life.

Eating disorder organizations

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (US)
http://www.anad.org
ANAD offers many services including: counsel (through it's hot-line and response to mail/email inquiries), referral list, early detection program, education/prevention,publicity, support groups, and much more.
National Eating Disorders Association (US) Based in Seattle, Washington, the NEDA offers many resources on eating disorders including general information, treatment referrals, educational materials and much more.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center (US)
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.
Edreferral.com provides information and treatment resources for all forms of eating disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa & Related Disorders, Inc. (ANRED) (US)
ANRED is a non-profit organization that provides information about anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other less-well-known food and weight disorders.
http://www.anred.com
Women's Campaign to End Body Hatred and Dieting (US)
The National Center for Overcoming Overeating launched The Women's Campaign to End Body Hatred and Dieting in March 1995. Their Web site offers support for overeaters, as well as anorectics and bulimics.
http://www.overcomingovereating.com

Where Do Calories GO?
Based on a 1200 Calorie Daily intake:
Heart ~ 12% or 144 Calories
Kidney ~ 12% or 144 Calories
Liver ~ 23% or 276 Calories
Brain ~ 23% or 276 Calories
Skeletal Muscle ~ 30% or 360 Calories

Myspace Layouts
MORE
EFFECTS

Effects of Starvation
(The Biology of Human Starvation.
Minneapolis: University of MN Press; 1950)
~ Attitudes & Behaviors toward Food ~
Food Preoccupation
Collection of recipes, cookbooks, and menus
Unusual eating habits
Increased consumption of coffee, tea and spices
Binge Eating
~ Cognitive Changes ~
Decreased concentration
Poor judgment
Apathy
~ Emotional and Social Changes ~
Depression
Anxiety
Irritability, Anger
Laility
“Psychotic” Episodes
Personality changes
Social withdrawal
~ Physical Changes ~
Sleep disturbances
Weakness
Edema
Hypothermia
Decreased sexual interest
Eating Disorders are about feelings, not food.
Eating Disorders are not just about food and weight. They are an attempt to use food intake and weight control to manage emotional conflicts that actually have little or nothing to do with food or weight. Eating disorders do not occur in an otherwise satisfied, productive, and emotionally healthy person. People with eating disorders are struggling with a number of emotional problems. This may be a hard concept to accept. Many people with eating disorders appear to be functioning at a high level, such as enjoying success with school or work. Often, the only problem appears to be with eating. However, healthier eating habits or stronger willpower are not the missing ingredients that will make the problem disappear.
AN EATING DISORDER IS AN EXTERNAL SOLUTION TO INNER TURMOIL.
Psychological Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders:
Low self-esteem Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness
Interpersonal Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders: Troubled family and personal relationships Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight History of physical or sexual abuse
Social Factors that Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:
Cultural pressures that glorify "thinness" and place value on obtaining the "perfect body" Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths
Other Factors that can contribute to Eating Disorders: Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders. In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be unbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation.
Eating disorders are complex conditions that can arise from a variety of potential causes.
Once started, however, they can create a self-perpetuating cycle of physical and emotional destruction.
REF: www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org
My Declaration of Self-Esteem
by Virginia Satir

I AM ME

In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me
Everything that comes out of me is authentically me
Because I alone chose it - I own everything about me
My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions,
Whether they be to others or to myself - I own my fanatasies,
My dreams, my hopes, my fears - I own all my triumphs and
Successes, all my failures and mistakes Because I own all of
Me, I can become intimately acquainted with me - by so doing
I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts - I know
There are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other
Aspects that I do not know - but as long as I am
Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously
And hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles
And for ways to find out more about me - However I
Look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever
I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically
Me - If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought
And felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is
Unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that
Which I discarded - I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do
I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be
Productive to make sense and order out of the world of
People and things outside of me - I own me, and
therefore I can engineer me - I am me and

I AM OKAY

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GREAT LINK BELOW!!!!

http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/congbriefings/061302 /housebriefing061302.html
Not an Adolescent Whim: The Facts about Eating Disorders Jim Gray, Ph.D., American University
Bulimia Nervosa:
Description: Bingeing with a sense of loss of control followed by vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretics, extreme fasting or extreme exercise at least twice a week, body image overemphasized in self evaluation. Sometimes the food will be chewed then spit out. Prevalence: 3.5% of the young (15-35 years) female population. (Males represent only 5-10% of eating disordered individuals)
Anorexia Nervosa:
Description: Severe weight loss, fear of fatness, distorted body image, body image over emphasized in self evaluation, loss of period. Prevalence: 0.5% of the young (15-35 yrs.) female population Mortality:
Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, as high as 20%. Death can occur after severe bingeing in bulimia nervosa as well.
Treatment can work:
Day Hospital treatment can work. Sixteen studies using cognitive-behavioral therapy showed substantial symptom relief and increase in self esteem. Anderson & Maloney, Clinical Psychology Review, October 2001. Anti-depressant medication is useful in treating bulimia nervosa. Consequences of Eating Disorders:
Anorexia Nervosa
Heart Muscle Shrinkage Slow and Irregular Heart Beats Heart Failure Amenorrhea Kidney Stones and Kidney Failure Lanugo (Development of Excessive Fine Body Hair on Face, Arms and Legs) Muscle Atrophy Constipation Delayed Gastric Emptying, Bowel Irritation Osteoporosis Death
Bulimia Nervosa
Electrolyte imbalance, heart arrhythmia, heart failure Teeth erosion and cavities Irritation and tears in the throat, esophagus and stomach Laxative dependence Emetic Toxicity Death

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