Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder: Reclaim Yourself, Regain Your Health, Recover for Good »

Johanna S. Kandel, Founder and Executive Director of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of Central Florida. After a ten-year battle with various eating disorders, she founded The Alliance in October, 2000. Kandel has mentored many women during their treatment, helped spread information on eating disorders and advocated for eating disorder legislation on a state and national level.

There is life beyond your eating disorder—and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it.

Johanna S. Kandel, founder and executive director of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, struggled with her eating disorder for ten years before finally getting help. Now fully recovered, Kandel knows firsthand how difficult the healing process can be. Through her work with The Alliance—leading support groups, speaking nationwide and collaborating with professionals in the field—she's developed a set of practical tools to address the everyday challenges of recovery.

Library Journal

As happens with many mental difficulties, eating-disorder victims are often told, "Just eat more. Get over it." Of course, it isn't that easy. Kandel, founder and executive director of the Alliance for Eating Disorders and a member of the Eating Disorders Coalition and National Eating Disorders Association, struggled under the yoke of her own condition for a decade. So she comes to the subject with firsthand experience and great understanding and, as a former victim, here offers a metaphoric hand to hold. Intended for use in addition to medical, nutritional, and psychological treatment, this book explains why some people are susceptible to eating disorders and offers coping mechanisms for the various types of hurdles encountered on the road to recovery. VERDICT Readers with any sort of obsessive-compulsive behaviors may find these suggestions useful, but the book will be especially good for those suffering from anorexia and bulimia. Highly recommended.—Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH

Foreword Adrienne Ressler xv

Preface: My Mission 1

Chapter 1 Food Fight 7

Profile in Recovery: Allison's Story 31

Chapter 2 Give Up the Guilt and Reclaim Your Power 35

Genetics-At Least Part of the Answer 36

Make That Information Work for You 40

Nobody's Perfect-Not Even You 41

Change Doesn't Come Easy 46

Chapter 3 Learn to Use All the Crayons in Your Box 49

How Many Crayons Are in Your Box? 50

Getting Comfortable Takes Practice 55

Put In Your Application for Recovery 58

Sinkies and Floaties-What Pulls You Down and What Gets You Through? 60

Don't Fall for the Bait and Switch 62

Chapter 4 Kicking Off the Other Shoe 63

No, the Sky Isn't Purple 66

Knocking Down the Wall 68

Don't Start Out as a Downer 70

And the Real Secret Is 73

Profile in Recovery: Jasmine's Story 75

Chapter 5 From Recovering to Recovered-It's a Process 81

How Long Can You Be Recovering? 82

Each Moment Is a New Opportunity 84

Why Does It Have to Be So Hard? 88

Nothing Is Written in Indelible Ink 90

Remember-You're Still You 92

To Build an Army, You Will Need to Recruit Some Soldiers 94

Your Recovery Affects Others, Too 97

Keep Track of Your Mile Markers So You'll Know When You've Arrived 98

Chapter 6 Beware of Fake Security Blankets 103

Sometimes a Security Blanket Might Not Be a Blanket at All 109

The Danger of Trading One Addiction for Another 111

Never Put All Your Marbles in One Jar 113

Another Way of Looking at It: Diversification of Assets 114

Let Go of the Old to Grab Hold of the New You 116

Profile in Recovery: Jamie's Story 117

Chapter 7 Getting to the Heart of the Artichoke 123

Are You Willing? 124

Try Out New and Better Tools 126

Start with the Outer Leaves 126

Getting to the Core 131

Chapter 8 Laila, Rosie, the Incredible Hulk and Other Powerful Healthy Voices 137

Name Your Voice 141

Change Your Focus to Change Your Mind 143

Sometimes It's Hard to Do It Alone 143

Becoming Self-Considerate: Let Your Healthy Voice Take Care of You 144

Profile in Recovery: Molly's Story 148

Chapter 9 Talking Back to Ignorance 155

People Aren't Mean; They're Just Ignorant 157

We Live in a World Full of Ignorant Messages 159

Sometimes They're Just Worried or Trying to Help 161

Listen with Your Healthy Ears 162

Chapter 10 Bridezilla Meets Brideorexia and Other Triggering Occasions 169

The Madness Begins 171

Going for the Gown 172

Messages from the Bridal Industry and Others 176

Bridezilla or Brideorexia? 177

Stay Focused and Just Say No 179

Whatever the Occasion, Keep Your Eye on the Prize 180

Afterword: re(Define) (Real)ity^TM 183

I Define What's Real 184

Recovery Means Steering Your Own Course 186

Me 101 186

Accept the Gift That Is Offered 188

What I Wish for You 190

Getting Help 193

Index 205

Acknowledgments 211

About the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness 215

About the Author 219