Beating Your Eating Disorder: A Cognitive-Behavioral Self-Help Guide for Adult Sufferers and their Carers

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Beating Your Eating Disorder: A Cognitive Behavioral Self-Help Guide for Adult Sufferers and Their Carers......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Praise for Beating Your Eating Disorder......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Who is this book for?......Page 13
Final points before starting......Page 14
Who are the authors of this book?......Page 15
Acknowledgements......Page 16
About the authors......Page 17
First things first: staying physically safe and well enough to use the help provided in this book......Page 19
Question one:
``Do I have an eating disorder?´´......Page 21
Question two:
``Does my eating problem really deserve any attention?´´......Page 23
Question three:
``What can I do if I care for or live with someone with an eating disorder?´´......Page 25
Question five:
``So what do I do now?´´......Page 26
The key elements of CBT......Page 28
Your journey through CBT: some landmarks......Page 29
What is CBT self-help?......Page 30
``I'm not sure that I'm ready to change´´: a quick word about motivation......Page 32
If you are a carer......Page 33
Whoever you are......Page 34
Section 2 For the sufferer......Page 35
Some important definitions......Page 37
Myths to dispel......Page 38
Motivational states......Page 41
The pros and cons of having an eating disorder......Page 43
The balance between the pros and cons of your eating disorder......Page 47
Accepting responsibility for change......Page 48
Becoming your own therapist......Page 51
What to expect......Page 52
Giving yourself the best chance of success......Page 53
Summary......Page 59
Section 3 The CBT self-help program......Page 63
8 Start here: how to use this program......Page 65
Practicalities......Page 66
Anxiety and safety behaviors......Page 67
Final tips on maximizing your chances of success......Page 68
What do I need to get started?......Page 69
How long will it take?......Page 70
Some basic facts you need to know: psychoeducation......Page 71
Taking stock: where am I now, and how did I get here?......Page 74
Where do I want to get to?......Page 75
9 The practical steps of CBT for your eating disorder......Page 76
Step 1: Developing and maintaining your motivation......Page 77
Recording your eating......Page 78
Understanding how your eating is linked to your weight......Page 79
Weighing yourself......Page 80
Regular, healthy eating......Page 82
A few practical tips to help you change your eating patterns......Page 83
Changing the content of what you eat......Page 84
Healthy eating plan......Page 86
How can I get to normal, healthy eating from where I am now?......Page 87
Summarizing what you have learned......Page 88
Challenging your thoughts......Page 89
Changing your eating: exposure......Page 96
Systematically changing your eating: behavioral experiments......Page 97
Step 4: Addressing negative thoughts and feelings about your body......Page 101
How did my body image develop?......Page 102
What maintains my body image?......Page 104
Beginning to change your relationship with your body......Page 105
Practical steps to addressing your body image......Page 106
Behavioral experiments......Page 107
Surveys......Page 108
Step 5: Addressing residual difficulties......Page 109
Keep yourself aware of what you are doing and the risks......Page 110
Where to next in this book?......Page 111
Section 4 For carers......Page 113
Stop blaming yourself......Page 115
Why didn'
t I notice before?......Page 116
Should I feel so stressed and impotent?......Page 117
Dangers of collusion......Page 118
What about the rest of the family?......Page 119
Where can I get information?......Page 120
How can I keep the sufferer interested in change?......Page 121
I am a friend of the sufferer: how can I help?......Page 123
Supporting the sufferer while they are following the self-help program outlined in this book......Page 124
Before you go any further......Page 127
What has stopped me seeking help before, and what might stop me now?......Page 129
Who should I talk to?......Page 132
Preparing for your assessment......Page 133
What treatment will I be offered?......Page 134
Coping with waiting......Page 135
Attending your first session of CBT......Page 136
The therapeutic relationship......Page 138
Willingness to talk about method......Page 139
Willingness to talk about the process of therapy......Page 141
What can I do to help my loved one get help?......Page 142
So why is it so hard to help my loved one?......Page 143
Section 6 Letting go of the eating disorder......Page 145
16 The journey of recovery......Page 147
Are there healthier alternatives to my eating disorder behaviors?......Page 148
What if I cant make all the changes now?......Page 149
Can I stay ``a bit anorexic/bulimic´´?......Page 150
What if the eating disorder comes back?......Page 151
Forewarned is forearmed......Page 154
Review sessions......Page 157
A word of warning:
the risks of weight loss......Page 158
Dealing with other issues......Page 159
Bone structure......Page 160
Fertility......Page 161
Will my eating disorder have had an impact on my children?......Page 162
Who is this new person?......Page 163
Who was to blame for the eating disorder?......Page 164
For the carer......Page 165
Organizations that offer eating disorder-specific support for sufferers and carers......Page 167
Do you recognize any of the following features in yourself?......Page 168
The Minnesota Study......Page 169
Attitudes and behavior related to food and eating......Page 170
Emotional changes......Page 171
Physical changes......Page 172
Significance of the study......Page 173
Appendix 3: Complications of food restriction and low weight/anorexia nervosa......Page 174
Appendix 4: Complications of bulimia nervosa (especially laxative abuse and vomiting)......Page 177
Dehydration......Page 180
Other problems......Page 181
Appendix 6: The effects of laxative abuse on physical health......Page 182
Dehydration......Page 184
Other problems......Page 185
Compulsive activity......Page 186
Risks of excessive exercise......Page 187
Self-induced vomiting......Page 188
Diuretics/water tablets......Page 189
Long-term weight changes......Page 190
How do long-term and short-term weight relate?......Page 191
Hunger......Page 192
Concentration and ability to do academic work......Page 193
Appendix 12: General points to help normalize your food intake......Page 194
Appendix 13: Healthy eating......Page 195
Appendix 14: Examples of different foods and the food group that they belong to......Page 197
How much carbohydrate do we need?......Page 199
Summary of functions of fats in the body......Page 201
What are healthy levels of fat in the body and in the diet?......Page 202
Appendix 17: Diary sheet......Page 203
Appendix 18: Thought record sheet......Page 204
Appendix 19: Planning a behavioral experiment......Page 205
Appendix 20: Your therapy blueprint......Page 206
References cited in this book......Page 207
Further reading: other self-help books that you might find useful for additional problems......Page 208
Index......Page 209