Runaway Eating!
Power Surge™ Live!
Host: Dearest
Guest: Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.
Runaway Eating:
The 8-Point Plan To Conquer
Adult Food And Weight Obsessions

About Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.

Runaway Eating: The 8-Point Plan To Conquer Adult Food And Weight Obsessions

Dearest: Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, is a Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a professor of nutrition and the director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. In her new book, Runaway Eating: The 8-Point Plan To Conquer Adult Food And Weight Obsessions, "Runaway Eating" sheds light on the physical and psychological factors that drive runaway eating and show women how to regain a healthy relationship with food. Strategies are provided for dealing with problematic eating behaviors, particularly those that affect women in midlife. In understanding our eating disorders, the authors examine the underlying causes of runaway eating and address the complex array of factors responsible for its increase in recent years. More and more women, especially those between the ages of 35 and 60, are developing symptoms of runaway eating as they struggle to cope with the stresses of menopause, empty nest syndrome, caring for ailing parents, work overload, and cultural emphasis on youth and beauty. The authors also explain why some of us are more likely to develop runaway eating, and what keeps this behavior going -- even when there's a desire to stop. Whether readers occasionally binge, restrict their food intake, exercise excessively, or purge, the authors offer help and hope. Their 8-Point plan for recovery offers simple strategies beginning with identifying the triggers that set off runaway eating, understanding the importance of eating on time, rerouting thinking, transforming moods, alleviating anxiety, defusing depression, finding alternate ways to deal with the factors that perpetuate runaway eating, managing menopausal symptoms and paring down perfectionism. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Power Surge, Dr. Bulik. Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: It's great to be here! Dearest: Dr. Bulik, what, exactly, is "runaway eating?" Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: Runaway eating is a term that we coined to capture all of those people who don't have frank eating disorders but who fly just below the radar of major eating disorders. This can include things like occasional binge eating, excessive exercising, constantly struggling with a diet. Dearest: Dr. Bulik, I've asked numerous weight specialists -- what with so many diet books being published, so many diets and diet centers -- even online these days, why is it that obesity is at an all-time high in this country? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: That's an excellent question! Probably one of the best ways to gain weight is to go on an extreme weight loss diet. Remember, this is NOT a diet book. One of the things that Nadine Taylor, my co-author, and I say is that any diet that you go on with the intention of reaching some goal and then going off it again is a fast track to failure and to weight gain. The plan that we offer in Runaway Eating is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Dearest: For those who have successfully lost weight on various programs, what accounts for the recidivism? Case in point, I read an article where it said that of those who have lost weight, 90% gain back in first year, 97% in the first five years and that .03% keep it off a little longer, but, then, there's no guarantee that they won't gain it back. What are your thoughts on these statistics? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: That's precisely what I was talking about before. You can regain all the weight when the diet is over, and that's evident in those numbers. Those people who decide to make a permanent lifestyle change are those who keep the weight off. Dearest: What constitutes a "permanent" lifestyle change? By that, I mean, what has to happen for one to make that commitment to permanence when so many things haven't changed in her life? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: A permanent lifestyle change is basically making decisions for yourself. One of the things that midlife women do is to place everyone else's needs before their own. Until women can wake up in the morning and think that they're making a change for themselves and forever, it's unlikely that it will stick. Going on a diet to please your husband, to reach some societal ideals, to fit into a dress is not the way to make permanent change. In fact, these often lead to resentment and angry eating. Dearest: So, how does one go about identifying her triggers? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: A trigger is any cue, either in the environment or internal, that leads you to unhealthy eating or exercise behaviors. For example, you go clothes shopping in the mall. You say to yourself, everything makes you look fat. You walk out of the department store and see the Food Court. You drown your sorrows in Cinnabon. An example of an internal trigger: you have a fight with your husband, feel horrible all day and that horrible, sinking feeling is a mood cue or trigger that sends you straight to the pantry. Recognizing your own personal triggers is the first step in conquering runaway eating. Dearest: But, to me, something's amiss. For many of us, we walk out of that mall, we walk away from feeling angry at ourselves for not fitting into the clothes we want and we fall back into the same pattern. Why does this happen again and again? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: Food is a very powerful short-term fix and at that moment, when you're feeling down, it gives you an immediate boost. You remember the boost, but what you don't remember is the crash afterwards. Because after we do the eating, not only do we feel bad because we didn't fit into the clothes, but we feel bad about eating. Our brains remember the rapid comfort from the Food Court, though. Dearest: But, that rapid comfort isn't comfortable at all - after we come to the realization that what we're doing is really bad for ourselves. Case in point, I've been cocaregiving an elderly mother. I would leave her house at 5 in the morning after being up most of the night and stop at the 7-11 and buy everything wrong to satisfy the frustration and emotional feelings of taking care of my mother. I recently stopped that habit because I knew I was only hurting myself. I stopped buying all the junk and have been able to keep up with it for 2 months now. I'm amazed, but it really worked! Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: That's a perfect example of a situation where everyone else's needs come first and the only thing that you get it the short term boost from food. You found a strategy to break the cycle and replace it with a healthier alternative. These cycles are difficult to break but it's so important to pat yourself on the back when you're successful. Midlife women are very good at criticizing ourselves, but we need to work harder at rewarding our successes. Angel0508: I have been told that you shouldn't diet when you are in peri or menopause, just eat healthy. What do you think is right? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: I totally agree. It's one of the most important times in your life to eat healthful foods on a regular basis. It's the most important time in your life to keep physical activity high because most women in perimenopause become less active and that's what leads to weight gain at that time of life. This doesn't mean just going to the gym and exercising, but also taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking away from the store entrance, standing up to change channels instead of using the remote. If you add all the energy that we save with our modern technological devices, it adds up to about 6 pounds a year. I'm not saying to go down to the stream to wash your clothes, but be mindful of increasing your activity. If you think about when you were kids and what your TV looked like, it probably had bunny ears with aluminum foil. People had to get up to change the bunny ears all night long to change the channel. Now we don't have to do any of that. TV used to be sport. Now it's a passive activity. Angel0508: What foods are good to prevent hot flashes and night sweats? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: One of the things that we recommend is soy. Studies have shown that in Japan hot flashes are very rare. Soy can be very helpful in reducing hot flashes and night sweats. Dearest: You talk in your book about midlife being an especially stressful time for women - and why women tend to turn to food as an acceptable vice - to comfort or console themselves, or just to put off dealing with their troubles for a few minutes." Is it that we're smacked in the face with so many issues to deal with at midlife that eating becomes a more significant problem? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: Yes. Lots of people are asking me why midlife women and why now. We went through a period where women had to be thin. Then we had to be thin and fit. Then, in the next period, we had to be thin and fit and perfect. Now it's even worse - we have to be thin, fit and perfect and not look like we're ever eating. With midlife women having so many roles and so many being in the workforce the pressure to be perfect and not appear to age is greater than ever before. The message that we get is that if we're not doing something to make ourselves look younger, there's something wrong with us. Our culture lost the niche for the healthy, happy midlife woman. Dearest: Along with this changing midlife mind-set, many of the things women concerned themselves about before perimenopause, they simply don't care about, or better yet, obsess over any longer. Can the perfectionism and weight -- and how they appear or look to others be part of that? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: I think it's complicated. On one level, they say they don't care but what I hear from my patients is they still feel horrible. After they eat, they feel guilty. They may not have as much time to deal with their appearances, but they still compare themselves to younger, more fit women which is very self-deprecatory. They still get down on themselves for not looking the way they should or want to. Dearest: Thanks for the excellent reply, Cynthia. Yvonne4747: I am about 10 pounds overweight, but my skin has become so flabby. Is there any hope on improving my flabby skin at age 52? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: The best thing that I can recommend is focusing mostly on fitness and health. Get a regular exercise plan that includes not only aerobic activity but also strength activities. Including strength training in your exercise regimen can increase lean body mass. A personal trainer can help introduce you to this. Strength exercises can help improve your tone. Rrlobdell: I was successfully losing weight for a few months, but now my weight loss has come to a screaming halt after losing 25 pounds. I need to drop at least another 25. Can this be because of menopause? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: Reaching plateaus during weight loss is common and you should plan for it. So, rather than saying that your weight loss has come to a screaming halt, you might want to examine that thought process and replace it with a healthier thought such as, "I've done a great job losing 25 pounds and my body is adjusting to the new weight". Instead of thinking of weight loss in large, 25 pound, increments, it's better to think of smaller increments like 5 pounds and plan for the next plateau. Each plateau you reach, it's important to congratulate yourself for the success you had, get ready to increase your activity some more because that's the best way out of a plateau. NurseJulie: How can I get over sugar cravings? I get them every night after dinner, no matter how healthy I have been eating during the day and eating just a little of it does not do the trick. Because of this I cannot lose a pound! Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: The most important thing is to make sure you're eating breakfast and I don't mean a breakfast bar running from your house to the car. A proper breakfast with a fruit, a carbohydrate, a dairy, a protein, if you can handle it. People who skip breakfast have increased weight by bingeing during the evening. NurseJulie: I usually have a Revival soy shake. Dearest: A Revival soy shake should make you feel satisfied and full in the morning. It's loaded with protein, has carbs and gives you tremendous energy -- to say nothing of what it does for menopausal symptoms. I've used it for 7 years. Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: The second suggestion is to increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates through the day. Focus on whole wheat - be sure you check the label. Also good are oats. Complex carbs can help stop the cravings throughout the day. Third, try a piece of fruit like an apple cut into small pieces, and a glass of water. Because many people think that craving will get stronger and stronger and stronger, we tell people that the natural pattern of the craving is that it gets stronger like a wave, then comes back down. You have to get over the crest of the wave. Dearest: Cynthia, can you share the eight points you refer to in your book Runaway Eating, to conquer adult food and weight obsessions? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: The first one is to eat on time and in time. This is to help teach your body when it's hungry and when it's full. Through years of eating and dieting, we've lost our innate ability to know when we're hungry and when we've had enough. The second we talked about before: identify your triggers. The third is to reroute your thinking. Look for those unhealthy thoughts like: "I've already blown it, so I might as well eat the whole thing" and change to a healthier alternative like "Just because I've had one piece of chocolate cake doesn't mean it's the end of the world. I'll go for a walk instead of finishing the cake". The next 3 have to do with your mood. The first one, rather than using the quick fix of food to get you out of a slump, is to look for alternatives that don't hurt you like favorite music, or a hobby. Alleviating anxiety. We're surrounded by anxiety in this day and age. Anxiety is one of the prime triggers for hand-to-mouth activity. Sometimes we don't even notice we're eating when we're anxious. Diffuse depression. If you feel depressed or down every day for 2 weeks or more, you might not have the energy to combat your runaway eating. You need to get your mood under control by seeing your doctor or counselor, then you can get a handle on your eating. The seventh is to manage your menopausal symptoms. Many of the techniques that we give for runaway eating can help with menopause. We all have many thought processes about menopause like we are going to gain weight in menopause. We need to examine these thought myths and replace those with healthier alternatives, as well. And finally, the eighth is to pare down perfection. Perfection isn't striving for excellence - it's striving for the impossible. In our book we provide exercises for not trying to be perfect because perfectionism fuels runaway eating. Dearest: Low carb diets have been the diet du jour for quite a while, but seem to be losing favor now to low-fat diets. You talk in your book about low-carb diets triggering Runaway Eating. Can you please elaborate? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: We're especially concerned with low-carb diets in people who tend toward depression. We don't know this for sure yet, but low-carb diets may decrease the seratonin in the brain and increase depression and anxiety. We already know that these are mood triggers for runaway eating. Dearest: Very interesting. Thanks for that information! Lizzi: I am taking an antidepressant and had initial weight gain. My weight gain has stabilized and the medications are working but my weight won't go down. Is this something I will just have to accept for now? Any suggestions? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: What antidepressant are you taking? Lizzi: Wellbutrin and Buspar. Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: You're correct. Often there is weight gain associated with some antidepressants, but the important issue is to focus on what's most important in the treatment. If the depression is truly impairing your life, then you have to ask yourself the questions, what's more important to me - having my mood be better or carrying around a couple extra pounds for the rest of my life. A healthy stable mood is very important, too. Rrlobdell: Can weight gain and depression be directly blamed on menopause? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: We know that the menopausal period is one of those times of life when women are at increased risk for depression but most of the weight gain around this period is due to decreased physical activity although changing estrogen levels may also play a role. Dearest: Cynthia, in closing, what would you like to say to women at midlife about weight issues? Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: In closing, I would say there's hope for midlife women with runaway eating who are ready to take a turn in the direction of permanent, positive lifestyle change. Don't give up! Dearest: Cynthia, thank you for a fascinating and very informative chat about runaway eating, weight loss and strategies to achieve weight satisfaction. I highly recommend everyone get a copy of Dr. Cynthia Bulik and Nadine Taylor's newest book, "RUNAWAY EATING." Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.: Thank you so much for having me - it was wonderful being here. I enjoyed the opportunity to be here with you all!

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