I just finished reading Tom Venuto’s excellent book, “The Body Fat Solution“, and will be reviewing it here later this week.  For now, all I’ll say is that it includes a thorough discussion on emotional eating, which I thought was one of the most valuable parts.  Needless to state, eating for comfort - or in response to other “triggers” that have nothing to do with physical hunger - makes it difficult, if not impossible, for many people to achieve their weight loss/fitness goals.  Fortunately, Tom has extensive, first-hand experience with helping his clients and readers get their eating behavior(s) under control.  You can get a quick feel for his approach by reading his BurnTheFatBlog post on the subject: “5 Steps to Beating Emotional Eating“. 

What’s becoming apparent to me, however, is that emotional eating – as Tom describes it - is just one end of a continuum that leads to disordered eating… and it can be hard to draw a sharp distinction between the two.  Reading Frank Bruni’s recent New York Times Magazine article, “I Was a Baby Bulimic“, really brought that home.  Bruni is – ironically – a professional eater: he’s the Times’ restaurant critic.  His hidden struggles with food and eating behavior are detailed in his book, “Born Round: the Secret History of a Full-Time Eater” – which will be published next month.  From the Amazon review:

Bruni struggled with over-eating since he was a boy growing up in a food-focused family in White Plains, NY. From adolescence through adulthood, Bruni was on the losing side of maintaining a healthy relationship with food, and eventually his inability to control his hunger–manifested in bulimia, convenience store binges, and bouts of sleep eating–defined his life. There aren’t many books out there dealing with what it’s like to be a man with an eating disorder, and even though his story is peppered with humor, Bruni’s disgust at himself as he yo-yo’s up to size 42 khakis at the Gap and endures years-long patches of celibacy, leaves the reader aching in empathy.

Self-doubt about his appearance causes him to sabotage any chances at happines as he makes lame excuses to postpone dates in the hopes that he’ll drop those few extra pounds before he might have to reveal himself. And throughout the book he’s banking on being slimmer in the future–whether it’s a few days, weeks, or months–and sacrifices truly appreciating the present, even when he’s holding prestigious jobs at Newsweek and the New York Times.

But it’s not just Bruni’s article (which is adapted from the book) and accompanying slide show that tug at the heartstrings: it’s also the outpouring of comments that follow…his story resonated with A LOT of people.  Not all the commenters are struggling with full-blown eating disorders, of course, but many of them ARE struggling.  As Professor Kathryn Zerbe notes, people can reach the point where their difficulties with food and body image substantially interfere with the quality of their lives, even if they don’t meet all the criteria for a diagnosis. If I had to summarize the comments in one word, it would be ”gratitude” – to Bruni for speaking out, and reaching out… A sample:

“I have struggled with overeating my whole life, being stopped for a brief period of anorexia. I have yo-yoed 100 lbs repeatedly….What to do? I never knew before reading that post that anyone else was like me.”

“…my partner feels such shame and loathing, and doesn’t even have anywhere or anyone to talk about it with. At least for women there are millions of books, articles, websites, encouraging us not to hate ourselves. For men, not so much.”

“As someone who has suffered my entire life with an eating disorder it was comforting to read such an honest reflection of Mr. Bruni’s relationship with food.”

“Last night as I was leaving work one of my patient gave me a box of chocolates as a present for my efforts on her behalf. I ate all the darks before going home and left disgusted at myself. I tossed the box in the trash, ashamed at myself.

This morning I came in and ate the rest.

I disgust me.”

Unfortunately, people often suffer in unnecessary silence, when food/eating issues – from one end of the continuum to the other - are all too common…even the rich and famous aren’t exempt.  Bruni’s candor in revealing his problem made it easier for many of his commenters to discuss theirs.

Do you see yourself in Bruni’s story – or somewhere in the continuum?  If so, Tom’s advice – both on his blog and in his book – is a great place to begin.  Dr. Zerbe also recommends a variety of resources in her Times Q & A’s: “Readers Ask: Eating Disorders” and “Seeking Help for Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge Eating“.