Food: The Good Girl's Drug: How to Stop Using Food to Control Your Feelings

Acknowledgments xi

Foreword Jennifer Nardozzi xv

part 1 understanding what's going on between you and food

1 Would Someone Please Explain Why Can't I Stop Eating? 3

What is Binge Eating Disorder, and Do I Have It? 8

What Eating Disorders Can Do to Your Body 10

What Exactly Is a "Binge," Anyway? 11

How Many People Binge Eat? 14

Are All Bingers Overweight? 17

Does Food Make You Miserable? 19

2 Sound Familiar? A Few Things Emotional Overeaters Have in Common 22

Eating in Secret 23

Lying About What We Eat 27

Vowing to Start Over 30

Eating Crazy Stuff 32

Choosing Food over People 34

3 Oh, So That's How We Got This Way 39

Your Genes 40

Your Family's Economic Situation 42

Your Family Traditions 44

Your Mom's Relationship with Food and Her Body 46

part 2 let the healing begin! how to start getting sane about food

4 It's Not About the Food: What the Real Problem Is, and How to Fix It 57

What's Self-Esteem Got to Do with It? 58

Do You Expect Perfection? 60

Exercise: What Are Your "Shoulds"? 63

Do You Suffer from Black-and-White Thinking? 68

Exercise: What Irrational Beliefs Do You Have? 72

How Traumatic Experiences in Our Pasts Push Us Toward Food 74

Exercise: What Are You Avoiding? 81

5 Yes, You Can Interrupt a Binge 84

Trigger: Stress Overload 86

Exercise: Impulse Substitution 90

Trigger: Anger 91

Trigger: Anxiety!!! 94

More Binge Triggers 98

A Very Real, Very Serious Binge Trigger: Depression 99

Strategies for Avoiding a Binge and Getting What You Really Need 100

6 The Emotional "Toolbox" Every Young Woman Needs 110

Tool: Physical Activity 112

Yoga: The Perfect Exercise for Binge Eaters? 117

Tool: Support 118

Tool: Therapy 123

Therapy 101: What Is It, How Do I Pay for It, and Where Do I Get It? 127

Tool: Reading 130

Tool: Meditation 132

Meditation 101 135

Tool: Spirituality 137

7 Learning to Love Your Body (or at Least Not Hate It) 144

Body Image Quiz 145

For Women, Body Hate Starts Early 147

Society's Idea of What's Beautiful 149

Media Images 101: A Quick Reality Check 152

Sometimes Body Image Isn't About Your Body at All 154

Exercise: The "Then What?" Game 155

Exercise: Track Your Negative Body Thoughts 159

Creating Your Own Idea of What's Beautiful 160

8 Healthy Girls Don't Diet 165

But What if I'm Truly Obese? 172

Get Back in Touch with Your Hunger 173

Exercise: Start a Food and Hunger Journal 175

Create a Plan for Feeding Yourself Well 176

Eat a Balance of Foods 182

Give Yourself a Fighting Chance! 186

Know that the Way You Eat Will Change Again and Again 188

part 3 living your life without relying on the good girl's drug

9 How to Deal with Friends, Loved Ones, and Food Pushers 193

Food and Your Friends 194

Should You Tell People You Date About Your Food Issues? 199

Dealing with Loved Ones Who Don't Get It 203

10 What Life Is Like When You Get Sane About Food 209

What Does Being "Recovered" Really Mean? 210

Why It's Important to Celebrate All Your Little Victories 213

Letting Go of the Good Girls's Drug Is Hard, but It's So Worth It 214

Resources: Where to Go for More Help 219

Support Groups 101: How to Find One Near You 219

Further Reading: Recommended Books 221

Online Resources: Recommended Websites 222

Eating Disorder Treatment Centers: Inpatient and Outpatient Programs 223

Sources Cited 225

Experts 229