Have you ever dieted and gained the weight back? Statistics show that sixty-six percent of the American population is overweight. Only one out of 200 dieters loses the weight and keeps it off for a year or more. Out of the 25 million Americans that are seriously dieting in the United States 40 to 60 percent are high school girls. Studies show that 35% of the normal dieters progress to eating disorders. Thirty percent of post-bariatric or gastric bypass surgery patients develop a substance addiction. The body may, but thinking remains the same. Left untreated many of these clients gain back their weight. Sadly enough, at least 50,000 individuals will die each year as a direct result of their eating change disorders. Many of the deaths are attributed to underlying problems such as obesity and/or malnutrition, and starvation.

This journey of self-exploration allows you to consider and solve for yourself: Am I physically hungry? How do I feel? What do I need? Do I need support? What am I saying to myself? We need to access where we are right now by asking ourselves many questions like: Am I eating adequate nutrition? Do I have a positive attitude? Do I have emotional intimacy with healthy individuals? This chapter allows you to discover that there is a healthier way to approach healthy eating and healthy living. It is a fact that clients of all sizes are haunted with eating disorders. It is also a fact that the past has caught up with us and we are left with the reality and frustration that the diet fads are just that, fads that are not working! Learn how dieting is an external form of control, how we disconnect from our internal appetite and Self. Know that it is possible and necessary to reconnect with our own innate abilities, eating when hungry and stopping when full. This is how our bodies were created to function in the first place. It is also of great importance to adhere to personal growth in order to honor our feelings and to realize that food does not work for emotional reasons.

Time and time again I am totally happy and amazed at the results when people can internalize new eating behaviors. For the first time in a long time they become in touch with their own body signals by being true to themselves. And surprisingly enough their metabolism is restored to health. Losing weight becomes a by-product of this new way of living. My book is designed to help you find ways of changing your eating patterns from the inside out. And it works!

Author's Bio: 

Rebecca Cooper, MA, LMFT, LPCC, CEDS, is the Founder of Rebecca’s House Eating Disorder Treatment Programs and the author of Diets Don’t Work®. For more information about her programs, call 800-711-2062 and/or see www.RebeccasHouse.org .

If you a friend or loved one that needs treatment for an eating disorder, go to www.rebeccashouse.org or call 1.866.931.1666.