The Lone Bench Initiative

Join us on Saturday, August 26 at 12 pm CST/6 pm BST for an engaging conversation on eating disorders in the Muslim world and the Muslim community with Nadia Shabir () and The Lone Bench Initiative ().

Eating disorders are a problem outside of the West and it’s important to recognize this and begin to provide support in these nations as well.

Islam and Eating disorders is a blog that spreads awareness about eating disorders in Muslims and The Lone Bench Initiative is the only 501(c)3 nonprofit in the United States that focuses on eating disorders in the Muslim community.

We are currently recruiting! If any of these positions interest you click the link in our bio to apply and learn more. Don’t forget to share with anyone who you think may be interested!

Repost from . Join Nadia Shabir and .ua_de to learn more about the affects of war and conflict on mental health and eating disorders. Daria fled war in Ukraine and is currently residing in Western Europe.

Traumatic life events are important risk factors for eating disorders (ED). War has been associated, in military populations, with an increased post-service incidence of ED. Additionally, a modification of eating behavior (EB) related to stress during wartime may increase the risk of developing an ED later on among civilians and those exposed to war stress during adulthood.

Please note this Live will be talking about the personal experiences of Daria and Nadia living in times where the conflicts and atrocities have escalated in many parts of the world. We are not a political forum and we are not here to promote or support any party. Please take into consideration that people suffering from eating disorders do hail from and do have connections to these war zone areas. All these events have a profound impact on mental health and trigger the vicious cycle of many mental health problems from eating disorders to anxiety to fear.

Ramadan is set to begin tomorrow at sundown. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. During this month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.

However, this can be a difficult time for many individuals struggling with an eating disorder. According to the Quran, you do not have to fast if you are struggling with an illness. Unfortunately, culturally many refer to “illness” as physical diseases and disregard mental illnesses. These ideas lead to feelings of shame and guilt and cause many families to oppose skipping fasting for an eating disorder.

Fasting can also be triggering. A person with a past eating disorder may slip into disordered eating behaviors while fasting. Additionally, fasting may mask an eating disorder. Not eating is normal during Ramadan, and this can be used to hide harmful eating behaviors.

It's okay to feel left out when your entire family may be fasting. But, remember, Ramadan is about so much more than just fasting. Its about connection: you can join your family when they break their fast. Its also about remembering God: you can read Quran or pray additional prayers. You can also find something else to "fast" from, such as social media or music.

For eating disorder clincians: It's important to broach the topic of fasting during Ramadan to your Muslim clients with an understanding of what it is and its importance. Try to involve a local imam well versed in mental health if an individual or their parents are worried about foregoing fasting. You can even reach out to a Muslim eating disorder dietitian or therapist for advice.

For more information and Ramadan resources visit www.lonebenchinitiative.org/Ramadan-2023

Here’s a reminder this eating disorder awareness and love your body week that the solution to negative body image is not changing your body. It was never the problem.

Quote from:

For Day 3 of Eating Disorder Awareness Week and Love Your Body Week, we want to highlight how it’s essential to for eating disorder prevention that healthcare professionals begin embracing the principles of Health at Every Size. With the them , this is one of the things that need to change.

This Eating Disorder Awareness Week and Love Your Body Week, we’re collaborating with Body Positive Alliance to talk about the intersection between the body positive movement and eating disorder prevention.

To the individuals whose eating disorders tell them that changing their body is the path to acceptance, to the adolescents that can now be “ethically” discriminated against by their physicians for their size, to the countless fat people who are hated and shamed simply for existing, and to everyone who is told by the ones around them that their worth depends on the size of their body…remember this.

Join the founder of the Lone Bench Initiative Maryam Faisal, eating disorder therapist Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir, and body positive author Virgie Tovar at to discuss ways to counter negative body image, body positive books, and to learn more about eating disorders. Participants will hear from the speakers and then work on an activity to foster positive body image. If you are in the area, make sure to join!

Thank you to Aubrey Hoffer, M.A. .phd for writing this blog post on what negative body image is, why it exists and how to address it. Click the link in our bio to read!

Aubrey Hoffer, M.A. is a graduate student at Arizona State University who researches body image. Her own experiences with disordered eating and body image issues fuel her research questions about how body image develops and how to promote a healthy body image for all people. She's a proud first-generation college student and hopes to complete her PhD in the near future.

You can reach Aubrey for inquiry by email at [email protected].

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table at the Houston NEDA Walk!! It was a great to meet everyone and participate in eating disorder advocacy. Thank you to for organizing this! It was great to meet the wonderful as well!

A major aspect of eating disorder prevention is fighting against society's body ideals, so here's a great opportunity to get involved in the body positive movement! Body Positive Alliance is an organization advocating for the acceptance of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance. They are currently recruiting for their summer internship program. Click the link in Body Positive Alliance's bio to learn more and apply!

A major aspect of eating disorder prevention is fighting against society’s body ideals, so here’s a great opportunity to get involved in the body positive movement! Body Positive Alliance is an organization advocating for the acceptance of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance. They are currently recruiting for their summer internship program. Click the link in Body Positive Alliance’s bio to learn more and apply!

Eating disorder treatment is not a one-sided process, but rather a multidimensional one. When this multidimensional nature is not embraced, barriers to treatment access develop. Having a greater knowledge on the parts of different cultures that may influence the development of an eating disorder or impact one's willingness to seek treatment are vital to correctly treating them. breaks down aspects of different culture and religions that may impacts one's relationship with their eating disorder and eating disorder treatment in this article. Read more here: https://www.edcatalogue.com/cultivating-curiosity-treatment-eating-disorders/

ARFID is an under diagnosed and under discussed eating disorder. The lack of awareness around it diminishes access to ARFID treatment since diagnoses are widely missed. It’s important to learn more.
Source: Sick Enough by Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani

Thank you so much to Jane Zeltser for writing this vulnerable blog post sharing her experience recovering from an eating disorder.

Read her story here: https://www.lonebenchinitiative.org/blog/what-scared-me-into-recovery

We’re excited to announce a collaborative fall baked goods fundraiser between and ! All proceeds will go towards advancing the mission of both organizations. Information on sales coming soon!

Repost from Sanjhi D. Gandhi and Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir will discuss body image, body dysmorphia, and the South Asian Community at this panel on October 11th at 7 pm EST. This is a FREE panel and we highly recommend that you join if you’re South Asian to learn more about body image issues within this community. Register at: www.loveyourbehavior.com/the-love-lab-shop

If you are located in the area, we would appreciate if you come participate in the walk to support the fight against su***de. For teenagers and young adults, eating disorders can increase the odds of su***de by up to 32 times, and regardless of age, every 1 in 5 anorexia deaths is a result of su***de. We believe that eating disorder awareness and early intervention strategies are a vital part of su***de prevention. That is why we will be at the AFSP's Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Pasadena to provide resources. Come visit our table if you attend.
Here is the link to register and/or donate: https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=8217
***depreventionweek ***deprevention ***deawarness

This alarming statistic partially helps explain the equally alarming mortality rate associated with eating disorders. Source: Columbus Park Eating Disorder Experts https://columbuspark.com/2022/02/18/10-surprising-facts-about-eating-disorders/

This statistic can be explained by eating disorder stigma (for minorities, those in larger bodies, males, religious groups, etc.), limited access to treatment (due to financial issues, location issues, etc.), inadequate resources (lack of education, lack of outpatient providers, lack of those specialized in eating disorders, etc.), and lack of recognition/awareness of signs and symptoms leading to missed diagnoses (due to myths and non-factual statements made in the media and to the public, lack of public health education, etc.).

Access to eating disorder treatment does not simply mean financial access, but also making sure that people are able to receive an eating disorder diagnosis when they meet the diagnostic criteria. Unfortunately, many eating disorders go undiagnosed due to a lack of knowledge or education surrounding eating disorders. This is also due to many of the myths around eating disorders which have been popularized by the media and the internet as well as a lack of education in eating disorders for physicians. For example 63 percent of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists were unfamiliar with the diagnosis of ARFID. (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment)

Eating disorders are a significant issue in the Muslim World. There's quite a misconception that eating disorders are only an issue in the West and the developed world. Clearly, the studies shown not only disprove that statement but also raise the concern of increasing access to treatment for adolescents and young adults in the Muslim and developing world. To read more visit this publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095234 Information for more countries is coming in Part 2. *the picture for Palestine is incorrect, I cannot go in and fix it, I apologize for the mistake*

A study of 1,947 fourteen to fifteen year olds concluded that dieting is the most important predictor of new eating disorders. This study followed these students for three years, evaluating them at intervals of six months. One of the key results from this study were that "Adolescent females who diet at a severe level are 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who do not diet, and those who diet at a moderate level are five times more likely to develop an eating disorder. The predominance of eating disorders in females is largely explained by the higher rates of earlier dieting and psychiatric morbidity." (doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7186.765)
The results of this study had important implications for adolescent medical care. In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations for pediatricians discouraging dieting saying that their "focus should be on a healthy lifestyle rather than on weight." (doi: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1649) This alarming association between dieting and eating disorders makes it imperative that dieting as a lifestyle choice stop being encouraged for all people, especially adolescents, as eating disorders maintain their position as the second deadliest mental illness.

How inaccessible is eating disorder treatment? This inaccessibility exacerbates the already high mortality rate of eating disorders. That is why we work to make eating disorder treatment more accessible. Visit www.lonebenchinitiative.org to donate today or learn about other ways to give back.

Eating disorders are a significant issue in the Muslim World. There's quite a misconception that eating disorders are only an issue in the West and the developed world. Clearly, the studies shown not only disprove that statement but also raise the concern of increasing access to treatment for adolescents and young adults in the Muslim and developing world. To read more visit this publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095234 Information for more countries is coming in Part 2.

Hello! Welcome to everyone that is new to The Lone Bench Initiative. We are a newly formed nonprofit organization. This post lists some of the programs that we offer including treatment center donations, individual grants, and education initiatives. With each program, one of the reasons why we offer such a program is listed. We hope you support us so that we can bring access to eating disorder treatment to the most people and so that we can make sure eating disorder diagnoses are not missed.
Visit www.lonebenchinitiative.org to learn more abut our programs, to find ways to get involved, and to donate. Thank you!

Sources:
Slide 2 and 3: STRIPED Harvard Review 2020
Slide 4: Eat Disord. 2018 Sep-Oct;26(5):430-447. doi: 10.1080/10640266.2018.1453629

How inaccessible is eating disorder treatment? This inaccessibility exacerbates the already high mortality rate of eating disorders. That is why we work to make eating disorder treatment more accessible. Visit www.lonebenchinitiative.org to donate today or learn about other ways to give back.