Bloom Book Club - Winter Selection
Bloom Book Club is a recovery community focused on reading and discussing books as they related to mental health wellness and recovery.
Bloom Book Club is a recovery community focused on reading and discussing books as they related to mental health wellness and recovery.
For our Winter selection, we'll be reading You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap) How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can, Too.
About the book…
Once, Tammy Strobel and her husband were living a normal middle-class lifestyle: driving two cars, commuting long distances, and living well beyond their means. Now they are living the voluntary downsizing — or smart-sizing — dream. In this book Strobel combines research on well-being with numerous real-world examples to offer practical inspiration. Her fresh take on our things, our work, and our relationships spells out micro-actions that anyone can take to step into a life that’s more conscious and connected, sustainable and sustaining, heartfelt and happy.
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A message from Amber ~
“I chose this title for our Winter selection because more than ever, I’m feeling like this year has been a time of reflection and introspection. We have all had our own challenges with 2020 and I know I am looking forward to new beginnings for 2021. However, this life of quiet isolation and being at home has definitely not passed me by as a special time. That said, I am looking for new ways to bring happiness into my life and one of the best ways is to live with less.” ~ Amber
Join Us!
Interested in becoming a Bloom Book Club member? We read a book every quarter with themes advocating Intuitive Eating, HAES, positive body image and more. Check out some of the benefits:
The Book Club includes:
LIVE discussions of the current selection members can attend as a group.
Action challenges and homework assignments emailed directly to you to help you implement the material of the reading.
The ability to vote and recommend upcoming selections.
A separate, private Facebook group with weekly discussions, live videos and lively debate about the current selection.
A way to improve your learning, continue your recovery and promote positive change without attending sessions or webinars.
You can join us for free or just $5 a month (billed annually).
Bloom Book Club - Summer Selection
Bloom Book Club is a recovery community focused on reading and discussing books as they related to eating disorder recovery.
For our Summer selection, we'll be reading Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, by Linda Bacon, Ph. D.
Bloom Book Club is a recovery community focused on reading and discussing books as they related to eating disorder recovery.
For our Summer selection, we'll be reading Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, by Linda Bacon, Ph. D.
Begins May 15! (but feel free to join in anytime)
The excerpt about the book from Amazon:
Fat isn’t the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn’t match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates “thin” with “healthy” is the problem.
The solution?
Health at Every Size.
Tune in to your body’s expert guidance. Find the joy in movement. Eat what you want, when you want, choosing pleasurable foods that help you to feel good. You too can feel great in your body right now—and Health at Every Size will show you how.
Health at Every Size has been scientifically proven to boost health and self-esteem. The program was evaluated in a government-funded academic study, its data published in well-respected scientific journals.
Updated with the latest scientific research and even more powerful messages, Health at Every Size is not a diet book, and after reading it, you will be convinced the best way to win the war against fat is to give up the fight.
Join Us!
Interested in becoming a Bloom Book Club member? We read a book every quarter with themes advocating Intuitive Eating, HAES, positive body image and more. Check out some of the benefits:
The Book Club includes:
LIVE discussions of the current selection members can attend as a group.
Action challenges and homework assignments emailed directly to you to help you implement the material of the reading.
The ability to vote and recommend upcoming selections.
A separate, private Facebook group with weekly discussions, live videos and lively debate about the current selection.
A way to improve your learning, continue your recovery and promote positive change without attending sessions or webinars.
For a limited time, you can get membership access to the Bloom Book Club fora LIFETIME for just $25.00. Click the link below to learn more.
Self Care and Saying No Through the Holidays
Sometimes, the best way to take care of yourself is to learn to say no. If you don't love the green beans and you're only eating them because you feel like some "food rule" has told you to eat all your veggies, or because they were there, then mark this as your freedom to say no. Instead, choose to eat items at the holiday meal that you truly love.
Since I was a small child, I remember the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals as always being a time when everyone would eat to past fullness. It was normal and common to fill the dinner plate to the brim and then go back for seconds...sometimes thirds. There have been many holidays in my past in which I can remember feeling sick afterwards, finding it necessary to even go lie down right after dinner to "sleep off" the meal.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with some over indulgence at the holiday meal time. Some may refer to this eat past fullness as a binge, but according to the DSM V and the diagnostic criteria for Binge Eating (link to archive blog), eating past fullness or eating more than others normally would only applies if it occurs in a situation in which others do not normally eat more than usual. In this case, the overeating behavior would not apply as a binge eating episode because it is normal for overeating to occur during the holiday season.
However, I can remember my father engaging in the holiday meal time very differently. My father suffered and still suffers occasionally with acid reflux, in which sometimes certain choices with food results in having a very negative reaction for his stomach and digestion. He learned that it was better for him to start saying no to eating past fullness. He practiced saying no at family gatherings if he knew he had already ate a satisfying meal. Though at times other family members initially questioned and were dismayed at his behavior, most learned to expect and respect his decision in his eating behaviors during the holiday meal. My dad was making the choice to eat for how he wanted to feel, an intuitive eating practice.
During the holiday season it is known and nearly expected to overeat. Many find it difficult to skip out on meal selections that perhaps, they wouldn't normally eat. For example, if you don't LOVE green beans, but perhaps you still feel compelled to put them on your holiday meal plate just because they're there. Some reasons might be because you want to "get in your vegetables" or because "they were there and so I thought I would eat them."
Another common mistake some make in intuitive eating at holiday time is eating items in order to make others happy. Many individuals are blessed with multiple family gatherings, sometimes back to back in the same day, where they feel obligated to eat at each get-together. Again, it's a cultural expectation to eat during the holiday season and many fear offending the host or the cook if they skip certain food selections or if they were to not eat altogether.
Sometimes, the best way to take care of yourself is to learn to say no. If you don't love the green beans and you're only eating them because you feel like some "food rule" has told you to eat all your veggies, or because they were there, then mark this as your freedom to say no. Instead, choose to eat items at the holiday meal that you truly love. For example, this time of year may be the only time you will be able to enjoy Grandma's apple pie. The pie is something you definitely want to make room for, so why take up some of that room with green beans you don't love and can have any time of year?
During the holiday season, there can be a lot of pressure to eat ALL THE FOODS because you don't want to offend the host or the cook. This could easily turn into a problem if you are going to multiple engagements and there are multiple hosts to please. Practice saying no in these circumstances. Sure, it's plausible someone might become slightly curious about why you're not eating, but remember that most individuals will be in the same boat as you, with multiple holiday gatherings to attend in which they won't feel hungry for. Just like the experience with my father, your family members will learn to expect and respect your choice to not overindulge.
All of this to say, listen to your body's cues this holiday season. The holiday meals ARE a time to indulge, celebrate and engage in fellowship with others which usually involves food. This time of year it is considered "normal" to eat past your fullness cues and it would not be considered problematic to do so. However, if you feel it is best for YOU to pick and choos what items or meals you plan to eat because ultimately you will physically feel better after eating, know that it is not selfish or bad manners to say no.
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BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL
The Break the Mold: Building a Better Body Image Course is available for half price until 11/30/17. Click here to for more information about the course and to claim your special!
Ongoing Support for Your Non-Diet Journey
Recovery work for body image and binge eating can be riddled with lots of up's and down's along the way. It will be helpful for you to have supportive resources to turn to in times you're feeling the struggle a bit more.
(This page is continously updated. Be sure to bookmark it and visit again!)
Recovery work for body image and binge eating can be riddled with lots of up's and down's along the way. It will be helpful for you to have supportive resources to turn to in times you're feeling the struggle a bit more.
Directions: Challenge yourself to engage DAILY for at least 20 - 30 minutes in some type of helpful resource outlet. Below you will find a list of different methods and outlets for resources.
Podcasts
The Food Psych Podcast - Chrissy Harreleson, RD
Nutrition Matters - Paige Smathers, RDN, CD
The BodyLove Project - Jessi Haggerty
Life. Unrestricted. - Meret Boxler
The Love, Food Podcast - Julie Duffy Dillon
Body Kindness - Rebeccas Scritchfield, RDN
Books
Intuitive Eating - Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FA, DA
Body Respect - Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor
Body Kindness - Rebecca Scritchfield
Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight - Linda Bacon
Blogs
Immaeatthat.com - Kylie Mitchell, MPH, RDN
Thereallife-rd.com - Robyn Nohling, RD, NP
The Joy of Eating - Raychel Hartley, RD
Instagram Feeds
The Body Love Society - @thebodylovesociety
Beating Eating Disorders - @beatingeatingdisorders
Project HEAL - @projectheal
The Moderation Movement - @moderationmovement
Facebook Groups
Bloom Nutrition - Disordered Eating Support
Food Psych Podcast Listener Crew
Intuitive Eating Support Group
Join our Book Club community! It’s free!
Bloom Book Club
A supportive reading community for individuals and professionals.