Eating disorders involve more than what you don’t eat. Recovery requires a holistic approach | Zach Stafford

I survived an eating disorder, and found that a regimented program helps me eat more and exercise less. It’s not a silly thing to be excited aboutOne late-summer morning a few years ago, Lauryn Lax was at her gym in Green Hills, Tennessee, where she spent almost six hours every day. She was frail – weighing in at just 79-pounds – but pushed through her strenuous workout, just as she always did. What she didn’t know was that a group of nine fellow gym-goers had been watching her weight decline for some time and were quite worried: they didn’t know if Lax was dealing with an eating disorder or another medical condition, but they felt like they should say something. They’d already decided to approach

The top 10 books about addiction

Sex, food, envy, drugs, dreams and drink: addiction is never simple and rarely forgotten. SJ Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep and now Second Life, shares his top 10 titlesI’d been working on my second novel for a while before I realised what it was really about. I’d been thinking about online lives, about how social networking allows us to present multiple versions of ourselves to the world, identities that are both highly curated and tightly controlled. At the same time, I’d been musing on how our sense of self is never really fixed, yet we tell ourselves one historical narrative, constantly rewritten to make sense of the changes in our lives. It can be all too easy to look back on the person that we

‘I feel guilty but I hate my body’: a feminist confesses

She’s a campaigner. She counts calories 24/7. Thinking about food takes up more energy than her career. Does Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett have an eating disorder?Here’s a fact I’m uncomfortable admitting: I could tell you, in order, every single food item that I have ingested in the last 72 hours. I could also, with a fair amount of accuracy, tell you how many calories each of those meals contained, and how I felt while eating them. (The Cheesy Wotsits I had on the way to a party the day before yesterday? Guilt. One hundred calories but, hey, I needed something to line my stomach. The lentil and Quorn sausage stew last night? Fine, but I made sure I didn’t have too many bits of sausage. The Marmite on toast

Insomnia: How to Have a Good Night’s Sleep

Most people have hard time going to sleep and staying asleep at some point in their lives. While these periods of sleeplessness can come and go, here are some tips to help when sleep isn’t coming as easily as you’d like. During the Day: Don’t Nap. Try not to nap during the day. Napping may make you feel less tired before bed. Avoid Alcohol. Try to avoid alcohol even if you feel it helps you relax before bed. Alcohol can cause sleep disturbances that you may not be aware of or make you wake up during the night. Exercise Regularly. Regular exercise during the day can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Try to stick to exercising in the morning or early