It Started With Pop-Tarts MP3 Version Available Now!

The audio version of It Started With Pop-Tarts...An Alternative Approach to Winning the Battle of Bulimia is now available! Listen as I tell my story personally. This recording has the usual dose of "Lori" energy, intensity and entertainment. It also includes snippets of the music behind the lyrics I wrote as part of my healing process. (Yes, that's really me singing!)

This is a great way to learn about a powerful, alternative approach to winning the battle of eating disorders. My approach includes acupuncture, several forms of body work, meditation, nutrition and supplements, creativity and working with the sub-conscious to improve self-esteem and change negative thoughts and beliefs. It offers hope, inspiration and direction to those who at "are at risk" and individuals who are submerged in this chronic cycle of abuse.

For parents and loved ones, it provides a candid look into the depths of obsession a person suffering with an eating disorder is experiencing.

This MP3 version was prepared especially for those who don't have time to read, don't like to read or just plain prefer listening through their iPods.

It Started With Pop-Tarts... goes beyond eating disorders it's packed with great information about chemical imbalances that cause cravings and binges, and provides great strategies for creating a healthier lifestyle if you're struggling with your weight or unhealthy habits.

Get your copy now, only $9.95!

http://www.lori-hanson.com/index.php?page_id=285

For those who prefer to purchase the CD Audio Book it will be available later this month, both on my website and Amazon.

In peace, balance and health,

Lori Hanson

Four Easy Steps to Help You Reduce Sugar Cravings

Do you fight food cravings? Are you constantly hungry and nibbling? What do you nibble on? Or do you even know?

Many people are caught up in unhealthy habits that are compelled by their daily diet. Yes, sometimes you eat because of emotional reasons (nervous, anxious, stressed, depressed, etc.). But what many people don't realize is that the combination of a diet filled with fast food, pizza, pasta, breakfast pastries, and other "white" flour foods with sweets (candy, cookies, chocolate, pies, ice cream, etc.) on a regular basis can contribute to your body actually craving sugar. So before you know it, you're reaching for second or third cookie at work, or having a candy bar for a snack without even thinking about it. By the time evening rolls around, you may be mindlessly eating a bag of potato chips or cookies in front of the TV after you finished diner because you still feeling the "need" for something.

Even though fruit is "healthy" for you, fruit that has a high concentration of sugar (fructose) will also contribute to these cravings. This includes fruit like honeydew, cantelope, banannas, apples, pineapple and nectarines to name a few. Concentrated fruit juices (e.g. orange juice), most pre-packaged juices you buy at the store, even "juicing" have a high amount of sugar and will can also contribute to cravings. And here you thought it was healthy!

Here are four easy steps to help you reduce your cravings and constant need to nibble.

1. Awareness
The first step to changing your behavior is understanding it by being aware of what it is. Keep a food journal for a week. Don't change anything about your eating habits, just keep track of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat. It can also be helpful to note your emotions at the time. Are you feeling happy, sad, depressed, lonely, excited, anxious? The point of this is NOT to beat yourself up, only to take note of what your eating habits are.

2. Analyze Your Journal
After keeping a food journal for a week take some time and evalute it. Do you skip meals?, are you taking in some form of sugar and coffee first thing in the morning? (Note many Starbucks-type coffees are filled with sugar!) How much coffee do you drink? Are you eating any vegetables or any brown flour foods (wheat bread vs. white, brown rice vs. white)?

3. Create a Meal Plan
After analyzing your food journal take some time to create a new meal plan for the next week. Create a plan that includes:

• A balance of carbohydrates and protein at every meal
• Make healthier choices and limit the amount of fast food in your diet
• Substitute lean meats for hamburgers and fatty beef
• Include vegetables with at least two meals everyday. Be sure to include one green leafy vegetable a day
• Substitue wheat flour choices for white flour (bread, pasta, etc.)
• Don't go more than 3-4 hours without a meal. Eat a healthy snack between meals. (Avoid low blood sugar which can contribute to cravings
• Reduce your coffee intake, or try substituting decaf for a few cups of java. Caffeine (including decaf and chocolate) contributes to cravings.
• Increase your water intake. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. This will make it easier to avoid constant snacking.

4. Reduce Simple Sugars From Your Diet

• Exchange high sugar fruits for berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• Reduce your alcohol intake. Limit wine and beer to one drink a day. Better yet, drink white liquor (vodka, gin) instead of wine.
• Reduce the number of sweets, candy and desserts. If you're used to having three or four a day, try limiting yourself to one a day, then continue to reduce your intake to a one or two times a week.

These four steps will help to reduce the amount of concentrated sugars in your diet and curb the sugar cravings. The result? You'll feel better, have more energy and probably lose a few pounds! For more detailed information please visit my website, http://www.lori-hanson.com/ and contact me directly.

In peace, balance and health,

Do You Ask For Want You Want?

It's a simple thing - really. But how many of us ask for what we want or share our expectations with others on a daily basis? Sure, if you go into Starbucks for a double frap espresso something or other you know how to ask for what you want. But, what about the important stuff? Sometimes it's difficult to spit it out!

I remember as a young girl around 8 or 9 years old being asked to go into a store and purchase a grocery item for my mother. When I couldn't find what I was supposed to get I froze with the thought of having to ask someone where it was! I was so incredibly shy as a kid. Okay, so that has changed over the years! Now I'll ask if I can't find something within the first minute as I don't want to waste my time looking all over the store for something.

In certain relationships, those we work with, our parents, our significant other, or even our kids it's more difficult to be honest and ask for what we really want. Sometimes it may just be that we need patience and understanding as we go through a difficult time in life. Other times we may need someone to really get in our corner even though they don't agree with us and be a loyal supporter or friend. Maybe it's just letting your significant other know that you'd like more help in the kitchen after dinner, more help with the kids or help buying groceries. For men maybe it's a need to not get blasted with dialogue the minute you walk in the door. So you need to ask for a little chill time when you get home.

At work this is sometimes tough as there are often politics in play. I know for me personally navigating the corporate politics was something I didn't do well! I don't like playing games even for the sake of "x". Nevertheless, it's important to let others know what YOU need to do your job, be more effective and meet that deliverable.

If you are someone who suffers from anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders, like I did, you probably aren't good at expressing your wants and desires. But it's an important step in empowerment.

Regardless of the need or want. It's important to speak up (in a polite way) and tell that someone what it is you need, today that will make a difference. Try a softening statement such as, "I'm confused, I thought we had agreed to do "x"m or Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought you said (or we agreed) you were going to do this yesterday and it still isn't done. Did I miss something?

Defining boundaries and asking for what we need are important to healthy self-esteem and building confidence. Start with small things and work up to larger issues. Don't let other people "assume" you are doing fine when you aren't. Don't let your date assume you're fine with an activity or something they did if you aren't.

As a child I was taught to be seen and not heard and my midwestern upbringing encouraged me to always be politically correct. To not upset other people or say things I might regret. As an adult it's sometimes difficult to find the boundary on where that advice is valuable and where it isn't serving you.

So ask for what you want! And don't forget to reciprocate...ask what you can do to help someone else. You might just make their day and have a new BFF!

For more information on improving self-esteem please visit my website www.Lori-Hanson.com.


In peace, balance and health!

Do You Have Control Issues With Eating?

For some it's chocolate, others cakes and candy, for another it's that late night eating they can't resist that kills their resolve and figure. It can start at any age. As young children our diets are controlled by what our parents feed us. Some kids get too much sugar and in other households its a hallowed and infrequent treat--it's a controlled commodity.

For some people the food awareness doesn't kick in until teen or college years. But at some point many of us learn behaviors to "control" the food intake. Many others "try" to control it and have issues doing so. They end up overweight and obese.

I recently heard the story of a women whose mother put her on a diet when she was just five years old! Early priming for food issues.

Why then do some people end up with eating disorders and others just gain weight? Then there are those "normal" size people who look great but survive on a diet of junk food. Eating disorders evolve as a result of a number of factors. Having an eating disorder is vastly different from being 100 pounds overweight. Both individuals have issues with food. Both individuals are using food and their behavior to avoid dealing with issues in life. Or else they wouldn't have a "weight problem". With an eating disorder there is a significant distortion of body image from reality.

Eating disorders typically appear in adolescent or young adult girls. However some women develop eating disorders later in life. Women aren't alone, an estimated one million men also suffer from eating disorders. An eating disorder is identified by extremes. An obsession with body and weight, eating very little or eating extreme amounts. In addition many people with eating disorders usually follow rituals or patterns to control their food intake.

The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A third type is called eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) which includes variations of other eating disorders but with different characteristics.

Some typical contributors to eating disorders include issues with:

• Low self-esteem and self-worth
• Family relationships
• Control
• Abusive relationships
• Sexual abuse
• Chemical imbalances

Many times young girls who begin the behaviors of anorexia or bulimia don't realize how dangerous their habits can become. Or that they can be life threatening. The physical problems that result from continued eating disorder behaviors can be devasting. A few of the complications include:

• Cardiovascular and neurological complication
• Impaired physical development
• Brittle hair and nails
• Cardiac arrest
• Electrolyte and fluid imbalances
• Chronically inflammed neck and throat
• Worn tooth enamel and sensitive teeth from throwing up and stomach acid
• Intestinal distress such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) from laxative abuse
• Burned out adrenal glands
• Poor brain/mood function

Treatment for eating disorders must address psychological issues in addition to restoring normal weight and eliminating self-defeating behaviors and thoughts. Many individuals with eating disorders are in and out of treatment for long periods of time and costs can range from $10,000 per month to $100,000 or more per year. Insurance coverage for eating disorders many times falls short of the individual needs.

Alternative treatments are evolving. Many clinics now have a mind, body, spirit approach to their treatment. Alternative treatments can cost far less than traditional treatment programs. Through yoga, meditation and body work individuals improve self-esteem, release destructive habits and patterns, embrace their bodies and return to a normal healthy lifestyle.

For more information visit http://www.ItStartedWithPop-Tarts.com/.

In peace, balance and health!

Memories Run Deep - Why Eating Disorders Are Difficult to Treat

What's the earliest memory you have? Is it a positive memory from early childhood? Something that makes you beam with delight upon recall? Or is it something you would really rather forget? Regardless of the amount of recall you have, whether you were age two or maybe even younger your memories are all there, stored in your brain--and your cells. Yes, it's true memories are stored at the cellular level, not just in our brains.

"At the cell level everything electrical and biological is linked through our energy. Every thought, word, and deed has a physiological correlation, a cellular response to impulses that gets stored in the cell as a memory and is supported by its own particular chemistry. This has been discovered through bodywork like massage and healing modalities that release energy, our stress and painful history, is stored in the muscles of our body. Every experience from our infancy is coded in the cell," says Dr. Carlos.

This is part of why addictions and compulsive behaviors like eating disorders are so difficult to treat. To provide treatment with counseling and medication without the aid of bodywork doesn't stimulate the release of painful emotional memories and patterns that are stored in the body. Our bodies store energy associated with these memories and they create energy blocks. In order to fully recover from the disorder or addiction the energy and beliefs that no longer serve us must be released.

After releasing these energy blocks and reprogramming our brains we can create new connections and patterns. By doing this we can enable healing at the cellular level. This results in a deeper, quantum leap in releasing the past and living a peaceful balanced life free from obsession and addiction.

Dr. Joe Dispenza, has done some incredible research on the human brain and our ability to "rewire" our brains and change our outlook and results in life. Through our thoughts we can change the wiring and teach the brain to fire with different neurons. Dr. Dispensza's says:

• "The brain -- 100 million neurons firing in infinite patterns
• The patterns come from neurons that are wired together and fire together
• The mind is the brain in action -- mind is what the brain does
• Change your mind, change your brain -- change your brain, change your mind
• The biology of change -- nerve cells that no longer fire together no longer wire together
• Neuroplasty –- our brains ability to change its synaptic wiring"

This is where the mind body connection comes in. We have the ability to change our thoughts, make new synaptic connections and affect our environment just by how we think about it.

In the movie What The Bleep Do We Know?! Marlee Matlin's character Amanda saw an experiment performed by Dr. Masaru Emoto showing the affect words and thoughts have on water. The molecules of water were viewed under a microscope. Then the molecules were viewed again after being exposed to loving words or negative words (taped on the container). The water exposed to loving words showed brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. But the water exposed to pollution and negative thoughts form incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

Every thought affects the outcome you get in life. What you focus on (your thoughts, what you talk about, what you worry about, what you look for, expect or look forward to) is what you manifest. If you spend all of your time obsessed with what you see in the mirror and the hatred you have for your body...you will continue to see a body you hate. If you spend all your time beating yourself up for drinking too much, eating too much, or being a couch potato....these behaviors won't change because you're focusing on them with strong emotions (hatred, anger). If instead you spend 10 minutes every day and focus on what your life would be like and feel like--if you loved and accepted yourself (and your body) you will begin to attract different outcomes. Don't just visualize, feel the joy and excitement of your new life, the energy you have, the happiness that abounds, the relationships you have with people…use strong positive emotions to make it feel real, like you're living it today.

In peace, balance and health!

For more information please visit my website: http://www.lori-hanson.com/

Links:

http://www.dr.joedispenza.com/
http://www.whatthebleep.com/crystals/
http://www.doctorcarlos.com/newhtml/genome.html

No Quick Fix for Children's Eating Disorders

The numbers of young children getting trapped into eating disorders are on the rise. I'm seeing regular articles both in the U.S. and abroad that are commenting on the growing phenomenon. I was 14 when mine started, pretty typical. Now kids as young as eight are obsessing about their weight! There are two sides to the story.

In the past 10-15 years the rise in obesity in young children has grown significantly. Richard Simmons has gone all the way to congress with his FIT Kids bill to preserve PE classes and get kids moving again. With all the introduction of technology (and increase in crime) kids lifestyles have changed, they aren't outside playing anymore. They aren't getting exercise. They are developing poor habits from a very early age which will haunt them their entire life. Being overweight as a young child has a strong negative impact on self-esteem which will affect each child's ability to be confident and successful in life.

On the flip side you have the kids who are absorbing all they see in the media, skinny models, skinny actors and musicians. Everything that's put in front of them on the TV, billboards and magazines portrays the picture of what they’re supposed to look like - thin and gorgeous. Here, nothing has changed except now children are taking it on. So a young child begins to control their food intake as a way to achieve the “the perfect look”. Different approach, same result - this obsession leads to poor self esteem and lack of confidence which will impact their future.

In many ways the person that's overweight and one with an eating disorder aren't so different. Both experience lack of confidence and hatred for themselves and their bodies. Both have low self-worth.

An eating disorder can have numerous contributing factors including pressures of society, troubled family and personal relationships, sexual abuse, feeling inadequate, anxious, depressed or lonely. The rituals practiced with an eating disorder give the individual a coping mechanism to avoid expressing emotions and a feeling of being in control.

Lifestyle and the family unit have changed significantly. We all well know about the increase in divorce, dual income families, super mom, soccer mom, overachiever kids, deadbeat dads and the impact this has had on the Beaver Cleaver days. But this also has a direct affect on the development of childhood obesity and now childhood eating disorders.

Young children need to understand the severity of what an eating disorder can do to their lives. If food is restricted during a child's growth phase they are at risk of stunting their growth, developing weak bones and shrinking their brains.* Many high school age kids aren't even aware that the new rituals they are following can result in death.

Awareness, prevention and early detection are critical. The earlier these symptoms are identified in young children the better chance they have of growing up with confidence, prepared for a life filled with health, happiness and balance.

For more information, visit my website http://www.lori-hanson.com/.

In peace and health!

*About Eating Disorders, Gantdaily.com, 8/23/08

Eating Disorders, Obesity, Alcoholism, Addiction, Superwoman, Workaholic – Is There a Link?

I find it intriguing as a society how differently we view each of these behaviors. Some are more acceptable or shall I say less offensive than others. And each comes with its own share of judgments and prejudices by onlookers.

The truth is, I can’t remember the last time I met someone who doesn’t have a little (or big) secret in their closet. A mechanism they use to cope with life…or a way to numb out and avoid it. We’ve just all chosen different paths of manifestation for our insecurities and/or poor self-esteem. Whether it’s at a conscious or sub-conscious level, we’re all searching. Looking for peace, happiness, health—our purpose in life.

The problem is most of us don’t even realize we’re using these behaviors to fill a void. Or what the void is. We all came into being without baggage. But as young infants and children we each picked up our share (some more than others) of baggage as we grew up. Our life experiences and the level of love and attention we received as youngsters began to shape our perception of and reaction to the world and our surroundings. We begin to react to circumstances through the filters we created to view the world based on our experiences. Ever heard the saying perception is reality? My perception of life viewed through the filter of my bulimia was completely different than how others saw me.

It’s so hard for many of us to accept and love ourselves, so we go looking for that acceptance and love in the form of food, alcohol, kudos from the boss for working 70 hours yet again this week, or being the envy of all the other mothers because of our abilities as superwoman. But these behaviors only help us to numb out and ignore the real issue.

In our current society this is made much worse (in my opinion) by the new addictions to cell phones, text messaging, iPods and the over stimulation that being attached and available to everyone 24x7 brings. As humans we need to shut down on occasion! We need to give our bodies the much needed rest, solitude and down time to reflect on life. (Just like our cell phones and computers need to shut down and reboot on occasion.) How can we get in touch with our inner voice, that deepest part of our soul that knows why we’re here and what our true needs are when we’re always running and hiding?

Funny thing is whether it’s an eating disorder, being overweight, alcoholism, drug addiction, excessive gambling or sex, superwoman, workaholic or egomaniac…there is a common thread. We’re all looking for validation, comfort, love and acceptance. And all things we need to give ourselves.

For more information please visit my website: http://www.lori-hanson.com/.

In peace and health,