Navigating Body Changes During Pregnancy

Body changes in pregnancy can be tough for some people. This may be especially true for those who are in recovery from an eating disorder. However, due to our culture which is rife with anti-fat bias and diet talk, anyone can struggle.

The following are some tips from an eating disorder therapist:

1. Advocate for blind weight checks at the doctor.

Now, it’s important to note that some doctors may not make this easy. However, it is your right as a patient to ask for blind weights and to stand on the scale backwards during your doctors appointments.

Often they will include the weight in the patient portal, so it’s helpful to develop a plan for how you will cope with this.

You can also ask your therapist to write you a note if you feel scared about asking your doctor about blind weights. Our team of therapists at Hillary Counseling are always happy to advocate for our clients.

2. Buy clothing that fits your current body and that is comfortable.

We totally get it, spending money on maternity clothes is not always something that is do-able or feels like something you want to invest in. However, “buy nothing groups” on Facebook can be one way to get free maternity clothing. Also websites like Poshmark or Thredup are affordable options for used clothing to fit your changing body.

One idea is to invest in a nice pair of maternity leggings with a very stretchy maternity waistband to wear throughout your pregnancy and then rock a lot of larger t-shirts. You could also purchase a few inexpensive maternity dresses.

If you are wearing clothing that is too tight, it’s only going to serve to make you feel uncomfortable in your body. It’s so important to get clothing that fits and that you feel good in.

Doing a maternity photoshoot can also feel empowering for some!

3. Remind yourself that your body is your child’s first home-how amazing is that.

We get emotional thinking about this concept and encourage you to remember that your body is your child’s first home. Your body is serving the amazing purpose of growing your baby and this is something to celebrate.

Your worth is not found in the appearance of your body or your clothing size. You are inherently worthy. Your body is doing an important job right now of growing your future child.

When your brain is ruminating on your body size or body changes, remind yourself of the amazing things that your body is doing in growing this child. Think about how you can practice kindness and compassion towards your body, even if you don’t feel great about its appearance.

4. Seek out a therapist who specializes in body image and pregnancy.

Seeing a specializing therapist for body image and pregnancy can truly be a game-changer.  General therapists typically don’t get much training in either topic.

You deserve as much support as possible during your pregnancy journey. You don’t have to struggle with negative body image in pregnancy alone and without support.

Our team of therapists at Hillary Counseling offer therapy for body image struggles and eating disorders in pregnancy. We also work in collaboration with other perinatal specialists in our care of clients.

The Bottom Line

Pregnancy can be tough on many fronts–from body image struggles for some, to nausea, food aversions, fatigue, and other physical and emotional symptoms.

You deserve to be kind to yourself and your body throughout this process.

It’s important to note that you do not have to love the appearance of your body to practice kindness and compassion towards it.

Your body is doing the amazing thing of growing your child and keeping you alive, it deserves your kindness.

Looking for guidance in Milwaukee? Our clinicians at Hillary Counseling specialize in helping you explore these topics and more. Reach out to take the first step toward deeper self-discovery.

Connect with one of our Therapists in Milwaukee, WI, and Across Wisconsin

If you’re interested in learning more about counseling, you can send us a message here or follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Hillary Counseling to schedule an appointment

  2. Meet with a caring therapist for your first session

  3. Start receiving support from the comfort of your home!

Other Services Offered with Hillary Counseling

Our holistic therapists are here to help you when it comes to your mental health! We offer a variety of mental health services to support individuals and couples based in Milwaukee (or who live in Wisconsin). Sessions are available both in-person at our office in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, as well as virtually for anyone in the state. We offer anxiety treatmentteen therapygrief counselingonline therapy, couples counseling, eating disorderstraumaOCD therapytherapy for college students, men’s issues, neurodivergent affirming therapy, and LGBTQ+ therapy.

ARFID Eating Disorder…7 Things You Should Know

What is ARFID?

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder involving an extreme avoidance or low intake of food. Below are seven facts that you should know about ARFID.

1. ARFID vs. Picky Eating: ARFID is different than picky eating

While picky eating and ARFID may have certain similarities, ARFID is differentiated by the level of physical and mental distress that eating causes. Someone with ARFID may have difficulty chewing or swallowing, and can even gag or choke in response to eating foods that give them high levels of anxiety. The anxiety can also cause them to avoid any social eating situation, such as a school lunch or birthday party.

With ARFID, foods may be avoided based on physical characteristics such as texture, smell, and appearance, or based on past negative experiences like choking or vomiting. Before being added to the DSM-5 in 2013, ARFID had been known as feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood, or eating disorder, not otherwise specified.

2. ARFID can cause serious health issues

One of the most common results of ARFID is significant weight loss or failure to gain weight and grow for those who should be in a growth spurt. Significant levels of nutritional deficiency may require higher levels of care for medical stabilization. Another common result is high levels of stress, especially around eating in social settings.

3. ARFID patients are not overly concerned with weight loss or body image

Even though weight loss is a frequent symptom of ARFID, it’s important to note that this isn’t the reason for avoiding food. The lack of a preoccupation with body image or a fear of gaining weight is one way that ARFID differentiates itself from other eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Despite this, the consequences of ARFID may be just as severe.

4. ARFID may occur in people of all ages and genders

While ARFID is more often diagnosed in children and adolescents, it may occur in adults. This might include those who went untreated as children and have a long pattern of selective eating based on sensory concerns or feelings of disgust with new foods. While some eating disorders are more often found in females, ARFID is much closer to an even split, or possibly even more common in males than females.

5. Many people with ARFID have co-occurring behavioral health conditions

It is common for people who are diagnosed with ARFID to have a co-existing anxiety, mood disorder, or another condition, such as autism spectrum disorder. If a medical condition that impacts appetite or eating is present, the degree of food avoidance must go beyond what would be expected for the medical condition to be classified as ARFID.

6. ARFID treatment is effective

Hillary Counseling’s ARFID treatment is effective and includes cognitive behavioral therapy, with a specific focus on exposure and response prevention. We develop a list of anxiety-provoking scenarios on an individual basis known as exposure hierarchies. Starting with repeated exposure to the least stressful scenarios, patients reset their anxiety levels and gain confidence. Patients also learn coping skills for long-term recovery.

7. ARFID has psychological and physical symptoms

Psychological signs can include:

  • Fears of choking or vomiting
  • Lack of interest in food or appetite
  • Picky eating that becomes worse
  • Limiting food intake to particular textures
  • Complaints of upset stomach or feeling full around mealtimes

Physical signs can include:

  • Stomach cramps and other gastrointestinal complaints
  • Cold intolerance
  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Sleep-related issues
  • Fatigue

If you think you may have ARFID or another eating disorder, please reach out to us.

Connect with one of our Therapists in Milwaukee, WI, and Across Wisconsin

If you’re interested in learning more about counseling, you can send us a message here or follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Hillary Counseling to schedule an appointment

  2. Meet with a caring therapist for your first session

  3. Start receiving support from the comfort of your home!

Other Services Offered with Hillary Counseling

Our holistic therapists are here to help you when it comes to your mental health! We offer a variety of mental health services to support individuals and couples based in Milwaukee (or who live in Wisconsin). Sessions are available both in-person at our office in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, as well as virtually for anyone in the state. We offer anxiety treatmentteen therapygrief counselingonline therapy, couples counseling, eating disorderstraumaOCD therapytherapy for college students, neurodivergent affirming therapy, and LGBTQ+ therapy. We would be honored to support you in learning new coping methods to help strengthen your relationship.

What is Lipidema? Exploring the Connection Between Lipidema and Eating Disorders…

Lipedema is a progressive condition primarily affecting the distribution of adipose tissue in the body, causing disproportionate fat accumulation, particularly in the legs, hips, bum and sometimes arms. While adverse physical symptoms generally characterize it, it’s important to understand the link between Lipedema and eating disorders. It’s arguably one of the most important topics in the Lipedema community and isn’t spoken about enough, yet the connection between the two is so apparent.

Understanding Lipedema

Lipedema is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed as obesity, cellulite or Lymphedema due to its aesthetic similarities. It’s thought to be hereditary and affects predominantly women, leading to an abnormal buildup of fat tissue in certain areas of the body. The fat distribution, especially in the earlier stages, is often described as having a ‘pear-shaped’ figure or a ‘column-like’ appearance to the legs.

The Link Between Lipedema and Eating Disorders

A study consisting of 100 patients with Lipedema found that 74% had a history of eating disorders, 12% had periodic binge eating attacks, 8% had bulimia and 16% had anorexia nervosa.

When we consider that the average percentage of women with an eating disorder globally is around 10%, the glaringly obvious link between Lipedema and eating disorders becomes more apparent.

The constant cycle of restricting food intake for women with Lipedema derives from the fact that they struggle to lose Lipedema fat with traditional diet and exercise methods. Lipedema tissue does not respond in the same way as ‘normal’ fat, therefore we resort to extreme measures when we do not see the results we so desperately crave.

Contributing Factors

  • Body Image:
    Lipedema can significantly alter a woman’s body shape and lead to feelings of self-consciousness and body dissatisfaction. This altered body image often contributes to the development or exacerbation of eating disorders.
  • Weight Management:
    Women with Lipedema often struggle with managing their weight despite efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This frustration may lead to extreme dieting or other disordered eating habits.
  • Misdiagnosis:
    Lipedema is frequently misdiagnosed, leading women to seek alternative explanations for their physical symptoms, including turning to restrictive diets or excessive exercise to control their weight.
  • Emotional Impact:
    Coping with the chronic discomfort and physical changes in the body associated with Lipedema can be emotionally challenging. This emotional distress may increase vulnerability to developing eating disorders as a way to cope with difficult feelings and emotions.

“Fighting the Family Hips”

For some women with Lipedema, their disordered eating began during early adolescence. When overt signs of Lipedema showed in Suzanne’s arms and legs at age 12, her parents – who were unaware of her condition – put her on a diet.

“There was a lot of talk about, ‘Fighting the family hips,’” said Suzanne, who now believes from her own diagnosis that her two sisters also have Lipedema.

Suzanne continued to restrict her eating into adulthood. “It got gradually worse and worse,” she admitted. At her lowest point, she was consuming only 800 calories a day.

Society’s obsession with thinness leads girls and women with Lipedema to starve themselves, or binge and purge, because simply eating a healthy diet won’t radially change the thickness of their limbs.

“I got smaller, but the issues I had with proportion in my legs and arms didn’t go away,” Suzanne clarified. “You could literally count my ribs, but I still couldn’t wear shorts without terror because of my ‘fat legs.’”

Like Suzanne, Olivia had no idea she had Lipedema when her brother made fun of her as a teen for having large legs. “It was the 2000s, so think legs in skinny jeans were in,” she said. “The looks at the time were flowy on top and tight on the bottom – the most uncomfortable and unflattering thing for a girl with Lipedema.”

Olivia had a short-lived eating disorder at age 17, and then maintained disordered eating habits for around a decade. This is unfortunately the case for so many women suffering with both conditions.

When Claire was in her early 20s, she would go for days without eating. “I didn’t know I had Lipedema when I was trying to starve myself,” she shared. “I just thought I was fat.”

Claire received a wake-up call when she fainted in the shower after four straight days of fasting. “I got spooked and went back to eating ‘normally.’” she said.

However, during her early 40s, she embarked on a series of fad diets and over-the-counter pills. “I got really depressed, thinking there must be something seriously wrong with me,” Claire admitted.

Seeking Professional Help

If all of this sounds familiar and you suspect you suffer from Lipedema and an eating disorder or someone you know does, it’s crucial to seek professional help. Both Lipedema and eating disorders are complex conditions that require specialized care and treatment.

Simply knowing they have Lipedema can help so many women in their recovery from disordered eating. Suzanne was in recovery when she was diagnosed with Lipedema.

“I understand now that my body has a condition that is separate from how much I work out or eat,” she said, noting this prevents her from relapsing. “Now my focus is on being and eating healthy, without so much preoccupation with eliminating cellulite.”

When Claire finally discovered she had Lipedema at age 50, she felt relieved. “I finally found what was so seriously wrong with me, why I could only get to a certain point in my weight loss,” she said. “I’m certainly kinder to myself. I don’t beat myself up like I used to. My depression lows aren’t as low.”

Olivia’s Lipedema ‘diagnosis’ came from a plastic surgeon, but she said it’s clear visually and palpating her legs that she has the condition. “I think just realizing I had Lipedema helped me develop a healthier relationship with food,” she stated.

Unfortunately for us, the lack of awareness and support for women with Lipedema makes diagnosis extremely difficult. So much more needs to be done. The healthcare system seems to have failed us. I hope Lipedema will be recognized as the life-altering condition it is in the coming years.

Woman with great body image

If you have, or suspect you have Lipedema, consulting with a knowledgeable specialist who understands the condition is essential for proper diagnosis and management.

If you’re also struggling with an eating disorder, reaching out to a mental health professional or eating disorder specialist is critical. Treatment may involve therapy, nutritional counseling, and in some cases, medical intervention.

Please remember, this is not your fault. In the majority of cases, Lipedema is hereditary or caused by hormonal factors.

Connect with one of our Eating Disorder Therapists in Milwaukee, WI, and Across Wisconsin

If you’re interested in learning more about eating disorder counseling, you can send us a message here or follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Hillary Counseling to schedule an appointment

  2. Meet with a caring therapist for your first session

  3. Start receiving support from the comfort of your home!

Other Services Offered with Hillary Counseling

Our holistic therapists are here to help you when it comes to your mental health! We offer a variety of mental health services to support individuals and couples based in Milwaukee (or who live in Wisconsin). Sessions are available both in-person at our office in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, as well as virtually for anyone in the state. We offer anxiety treatmentteen therapygrief counselingonline therapy, couples counseling, eating disorderstraumaOCD therapytherapy for college students, neurodivergent affirming therapy, and LGBTQ+ therapy. We would be honored to support you in learning new coping methods to help strengthen your relationship.

Article by: Sophie of Lipidema and Me

Child practicing intuitive eating

Raising An Intuitive Eater

There’s been a lot of talk about intuitive eating lately, which got us thinking: If we can learn to eat intuitively, when did we learn not to?

No matter how you diverged from your natural eating style, it’s possible to get it back—and support your children in maintaining theirs, say Sumner Brooks, MPH, RDN and Amee Severson, MPP-D, RDN, authors of How To Raise An Intuitive Eater. “We don’t need to teach intuitive eating; children naturally do this. We need to support them in their natural eating behaviors,” Brooks says.

Understanding Intuitive Eating—for Your Kids and for Yourself

There’s often a misunderstanding of what it means to eat intuitively. Many people think that intuitive eating is all about cravings and appetite—just eat what you want when you want. But that approach doesn’t consider the whole picture. A more complete definition is complex. The definition of intuitive eating that we use is from Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole (pioneers of intuitive eating), which encompasses the complexity of the human eating experience and our relationship to food: instinct, thought, and emotion.

Our instincts, which are controlled by our reptilian brain and help us survive, compel us to seek food when we’re hungry. Instincts are the reason restrictive diets don’t work long-term. If you are in a calorie deficit for an extended period, your body goes into survival mode, so you constantly think about food and you are determined to seek it out in order to survive.

We’re human, though, so we can also think and use our logic and reasoning to make our eating decisions. We can ask questions like: What am I doing today? How much energy do I need to do what I need to get done? What can I eat that will help me feel good throughout the day? Logic is a great benefit that helps us eat in a way that fuels us and keeps us feeling as good as we can.

Our unique instincts, thoughts, and emotions make up our personal intuitive eating experience.

What Disrupting the Intuitive Process Looks Like

Parents mean well, but sometimes, without even realizing it, they say things that can deter a child’s intuitive eating process. Some examples are asking, “Are you sure you’re hungry?” or “Are you just thirsty or bored?” before your kid eats something. Or it can sound like, “You don’t really need that.”

These little questions and comments can accumulate and eventually instill distrust in your child’s ability to follow their own instincts. Then they begin to question themselves: Maybe I am just thirsty or bored; maybe I don’t need this, even though it sounds really good right now.

Another thing that we often see is parents comparing eating styles with another child’s or labeling children as “good eaters” and “bad eaters.” This adds to the constant attention and judgment our society has concerning eating and food preferences. It can be overbearing for a child—they know when their parents care a lot about what they’re eating or when there’s not a certain type of food in the house—they notice and feel it all.

Ways Parents Can Help Their Child Eat Intuitively

It’s important to know that we don’t need to teach intuitive eating; children naturally do this. We need to support them in their natural eating behaviors and they will learn to self-correct, if needed. You can compare it to when a child is learning to walk. We don’t try to keep them from falling. To become competent walkers, they must explore, wobble around, and fall and get back up again. But we don’t let them learn to walk in a parking lot or on the street. We keep them surrounded by safe boundaries that allow them to find their way. There’s a balance of exploration and boundaries when it comes to raising an intuitive eater, too.

Tuning in to yourself and your child is essential. It’s ultimately about making mealtime a positive experience that leaves them feeling good and satisfied. Here are some things that can help:

Have a flexible and reliable feeding routine. This helps provide some structure but also a safe space for them to learn how to listen to their body, feed themselves regularly, get enough to feel satisfied and try new foods. We recommend keeping a pretty loose schedule. For example, plan for the family to eat a snack around this time each day and meals around these other times each day but with enough flexibility that allows for the natural flows of life—unexpected schedule changes, changes in timing of hunger, etc.

Have desirable food options. A child should know that at every single meal and snack, there will be enough food for them and there will be enough food that they want provided for them. For example, you can provide your child with a pound of Brussels sprouts in one meal—that would be more than enough food in terms of volume—but if your child refuses to eat Brussels sprouts, then that really is not enough food for them.

There should be something they want to eat with each meal. We don’t need to force them to eat things they don’t want. If you know they like strawberries, then make sure strawberries are on the table, rather than pressuring them to eat bananas if they are averse to them.

Offer a combination of familiar and new foods. This doesn’t mean every single meal has to include a new vegetable and a new fruit, but generally doing this over the course of a week or a month, whatever is best for your family, is great. Repeating staples and family favorites works, too.

Stop pressuring them to eat. Just stop. If you need to bite your tongue to stop yourself from making a comment, we suggest doing so. We’re (kind of) joking, but we use that example because it’s that crucial. If you feel the urge to say something about their food or eating, pause and notice the discomfort inside yourself. Let it dissipate and allow your child to make the decision—they are more than capable of doing so. Ultimately, we don’t want our children to develop disordered eating patterns.

Talk about anything else other than what they’re eating during mealtimes. Let the food be there. If you find yourself wanting to talk about food, you can shift the conversation and instead ask them how they are doing or feeling. It distracts from the food and helps you connect with your child. It’s okay to express enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction about what you are eating, of course, but the goal is to place more attention on your child than on the meal.

Model intuitive eating. Parents are often unaware of how our systems and culture influence our eating preferences and patterns, and we unconsciously pass these ideals, behaviors and anxiety on to our children. When parents relearn and model intuitive eating, it can make a tremendous difference, since our children are very attuned to our actions.

For some parents, this may mean eliminating diets or restrictive eating or doing deep inner-child psychological work (many of our eating patterns are ingrained from a young age). It could also mean making conscious decisions to release control of your child’s eating, trust that your child can self-regulate, and give them the freedom to experiment and learn.

Looking for more guidance, contact us to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation with one of our Milwaukee Intuitive Eating Therapists.

 

 

jackolanterns

Intuitive Eating Tricks for Halloween Treats

“Halloween” and “candy” are almost synonymous, and this can be a confusing time for us to know how to handle the sugar overload that’s heading towards us like a high-speed freight train, especially for those struggling with and eating disorder and working in recovery.

Most individuals spend their time thinking about costumes, decorations and haunted houses weeks before the big day but individuals who are recovering from an eating disorder are often inundated with thoughts of body image and weight disturbances when shopping for a Halloween costume and walking the candy aisles.

Shopping for a Halloween costume, navigating parties, and being faced with Halloween candy, treats and drinks are just a few of the many ways that Halloween can trigger your eating disorder in unexpected ways. Being mindful of these potential triggers and arming yourself with coping tools to support your recovery is vital. Whether you are trick-or-treating, attending a Halloween costume party or passing out candy with your friends, these triggers may creep up on you before you know it.

Halloween Treats and Binge Eating

Halloween in recovery can mean binge eating can be more likely during times of stress and increased anxiety. During this particular holiday, stress and anxiety may be caused by feeling pressure over Halloween to dress up, attend a Halloween party or potluck, pass out candy and purchase candy. From chocolate bars and candy corns to lollipops and gummy bears.  Halloween can lead to candy overload, which can lead to intense urges or action to binge. Depending on your eating disorder, you might have kept yourself from indulging in Halloween candy in the past; you might have binged on it after everyone had gone to sleep, or some combination therein. If you are still in recovery for your eating disorder it is recommended that you have a recovery action plan to help with the triggers.

Understanding your reasons for binge eating, along with learning how to deal with stress and anxiety through other coping strategies are beneficial to your health and recovery. Here are some tips for your recovery action plan to help you avoid binge eating on Halloween this year.

1. Practice Mindful Eating. This starts with allowing yourself to use all of your senses in choosing to eat foods that satisfy you while nourishing your body at the same time. You obtain the opportunity to acknowledge your genuine responses to food, such as your true likes and dislikes, without any judgement. Eat with awareness of your senses.

2.Remember to have regular meals/snack throughout the day. Try eating three regular meals and two snacks to prevent cravings that can lead to overeating. Have a game plan for the potluck. Meaning look at all the foods before you take a plate. Figure out which foods seems the most appetizing to you and which foods you know you are hungry for. Plate your food, allowing yourself to enjoy what you are eating. Give yourself permission to stop eating when you feel satisfied.

3. Feel empowered to use your voice and seek support. Identify who you support system is going be for the Halloween festivities. Strategize with your support system on what type of support you may need and what that will look like.

4. Practice Self-Compassion. When you start experiencing feelings of guilt and shame, practice self-compassion. Self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a “stiff upper lip” mentality, you stop to tell yourself “this is really difficult right now,” how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment? ~Kristin Neff

Halloween costumes and body positivity

There are many ways that Halloween in recovery can be challenging. Clothing shopping can be triggering for individuals who are in eating disorder recovery, especially costume shopping. Costumes tend to be on the skimpier side and our society tends to praise women who show more skin and wear less clothing on Halloween. Regardless of where you are in your eating disorder recovery, it is important to feel comfortable in any costume you wear. Whether it is a homemade costume or a store-bought costume, you should feel comfortable and exuberate self-confidence in your costume.

If you feel that a costume will trigger you to have negative thoughts then here are some ideas to try instead of dressing up; 1.  to try a different costume that you feel comfortable in 2. buy a Halloween t-shirt instead of dressing up 3. wear Halloween colors in clothes that make you feel good.

Regardless of where your Halloween takes you, the most important part is practicing self-care. This is at the root of most recovery-minded decisions. Self-care means spending time with people who support your recovery, and giving yourself permission to enjoy that Snickers!

If you feel like you would benefit from support when it comes to your relationship with food, reach out to us at info@hillarycounseling.com to schedule a FREE initial consult with one of our eating disorder therapists.