Just got this from NEDA and wanted to pass it around… perhaps someone out there would like to be a part of the 2009 convention?  If so, go for it!

The 2009 NEDA Conference “Reshaping Our Future: A Vision for Recovery, Research, Attitudes and Action!” will take place in Minneapolis, MN at the Hilton Minneapolis on September 10-12, 2009.
The Call for Proposals is now open. Click here to submit your proposal.

Please pass this information on to colleagues and others. This conference welcomes professionals, family members and individuals to present. Information regarding details is found in the CFP at the above link.
Thank …read more

Starting today, February 22nd, NEDA is celebrating National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
This made me start thinking about things that we could all do this week to raise awareness of EDs as well as to help put a dent in their stronghold.
Some of my ideas include:
1.  Pledging not to weigh ourselves this week.
2.  Pledging to compliment the women in our lives on something other than their figures this week.
3.  Pledging to not binge, binge and purge or starve ourselves this week.
4.  Pledging to throw (or give) away the “skinny” clothes we use to torment ourselves.
5.  Pledging to make others understand that eating …read more

NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Association, hosts a really cool online auction, “Every BODY is Beautiful“, annually and I just received an email directing me to the latest catalog entries.
All I can say is WOW!
There are some amazing items up for grabs, although I have to admit that most are well out of my price range. Fortunately for cash-strapped people like me, more items will appear each day or so as the auction’s end date (December 2) approaches, so check out this neat fundraiser on a regular basis.
(Incidentally, I’m not part of NEDA nor have I been approached by the group. I …read more

Kelly Turner from b5’s Grounded Fitness sent me a fabulous link to a Newsweek article entitled “It’s Not Just White Girls“. 
I really liked the way the article set about debunking (the word they use, and it’s a good one) the commonly accepted “rich white girl” definition of anorexics.
However, I would like to make one critical comment about the article:  The author committed a grave sin.  She gave sizes and weights.  That’s a no-no in the world of eating disorders reporting and smacks of sensationalism. 
Now, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt; she probably didn’t realize she was making a faux …read more

It’s my understanding that eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, once thought of as psychological disorders belonging to only “rich white girls” have now successfully crossed socioeconomic, race and age lines. 
However, in our part of the country (central Pennsylvania), I have yet to meet anyone with an eating disorder who is not Caucasian.  In fact, most of the women of color with whom I discuss this topic are shocked at the notion of starving themselves. 
I’ve met plenty of Latinas and female African Americans who totally embrace their curves and would never think of letting them go.  But at the same time, I’ve …read more

My last post got me thinking about Barbie, that plastic gal we all love to hate… only to love again.
I had plenty of Barbies growing up, and I adored them.  I dressed them (sometimes in clothes I “designed” — Project Runway, here I come!), I created homes for them, I made them talk to one another, I really connected with each and every one.  But I don’t think I ever wanted to be like Barbie, to be perfectly frank.
I know that NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) uses Barbie to make a point about real women’s figures, but I’m not so sure …read more

ALERT!
The following are answers to a quiz that can be found at Liberty Kontranowski’s Teen Style Lounge, a site devoted to all things related to teen fashion. 
Before reading the rest of this post, why not jump to Liberty’s site first and test your ED knowledge?
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1.  FALSE
(Though many anorexics are very thin, bulimics are often of normal weight due to their constant bingeing and purging.  It’s difficult to eliminate all the calories consumed during a typical binge — often 10,000-20,000 calories… or more… in one setting — so weight loss may not be a symptom of bulimia in many individuals.) 
2.  FALSE
Though anorexia and bulimia are typically documented …read more