Do you know or suspect that someone is suffering from an eating disorder? Do you suspect that a teenager is suffering from Anorexia?
The following letter describes in detail why the people who work with CETED through inter-scientific collaboration of specialized Therapists and Nutritionists have the necessary knowledge and skills to treat any case, no matter how difficult it may seem.
Letters like this confirm that the treatment of eating disorders is attainable through proper guidance from CETED specialized experts and those affiliated with the services of diet-coaching.gr. .
The signed letter from the girl’s mother to CETED
With this letter I want to express my greatest appreciation to Ioanna Kontele, Aggeliki Sandilou and, of course, my dearest Evangelos Zoumbaneas who helped my 14-year-old daughter to get over anorexia nervosa among others, with their love and valuable knowledge..
I thought I knew
I thought I knew enough about Anorexia Nervosa. .
I have read books, I follow Mr. Zoumbaneas’ eating philosophy and I have also watched lectures of Ioanna Kontele to which I was invited to attend free of charge by Mr. Zoumbaneas. He knew I have three daughters and he wanted to help me out of selfless interest for his fellow man, pushing him to help those round him at any chance.
However, all this wasn’t enough to save my child from the monster called Anorexia Nervosa. I shive at the mere thought of being ignorant of this terrifying eating disorder. It is without exaggeration the easiest and fastest one to lead you to your demise.
A devious eating disorder
So, this eating disorder begins so treacherously, you don’t realize how it invades the human mind and slowly starts developing.
My daughter Initially stopped eating sweets in September 2023. Note that she has always had a sweet tooth. It strokes me as weird, but I did not comment on it. I thought she was getting into puberty and wanted to start being more mindful of her eating habits.
Then she reduced the quantity of her dinner, ending up having nothing but some milk each night. It was then that I became really worried. I had noticed that she had stopped smiling, there was a sadness about her and her anxiety about schoolwork had increased.
I tried to talk to her, find out what was happening but she kept me at a distance.
Mum, I want chewing gums
The following month was the worst. It was November of 2023 and we were getting deeper into the darkness and destruction.
She started asking me to buy her chewing gums. I would find numerous empty gum package in her room. But she was eating her food, always emptying her plate…or so I thought.
She started losing weight too abruptly. How was it possible to be losing weight eating what I was serving her? I later understood that she threw it all in the toilet bowl.
A couple of calls came in from her school to inform me that she hadn’t been feeling well and that I should go and pick her up. And so, I did. I still hadn’t come to realize what had been going on, or didn’t want to.
One afternoon I caught her weighing herself. I looked at the number on the scales and there came the shock: 115 pounds, 5.5 feet tall! She had been covering it with loose clothing, wore 2 pairs of trousers and 3 blouses to hide the weight loss.
I hadn’t seen her weight since May of 2023 when we had last visited her doctor. Back then she weighed 139 pounds. I tried to comfort her and make her open up to me. I asked the pediatrician to prescribe blood tests and book another appointment, to help her.
A confession in the park
After the test results, the doctor suggested we go to a specialized Children’s hospital to receive proper aid, as he found that she was underweight and fully dehydrated. After the pediatrician we didn’t return home, we went to a park where she confessed everything to me.
She explained that for the previous months she had been experiencing difficulties with food consumption, that she had begun wanting to lose weight because she watched the other girls being thin and without belly fat and wanted herself to be like that too. She confessed that at first, she threw her food in the toilet bowl to avoid me realizing she hadn’t been eating.
Then, she chewed gum as a way to handle her hunger, while she had recently managed to vomit a few times. She confessed with tears in her eyes that she had reached the point of being scared to eat to avoid gaining weight and that she hadn’t had anything to eat for the previous days.
I felt I was losing my child
There was no time to apply for hospitalization as the waiting list was too long and I felt that I was losing my child more and more with every passing hour that she was refusing to eat.
This was when I asked for my good friend Mr. Zoumbaneas’ help. He referred me straight to his collaborators Mrs. Ioanna Kontele, clinical nutritionist and therapist Mrs. Aggeliki Sandilou, both specialized on anorexia nervosa.
We began the treatment immediately. She had reached the weight of 101 pounds and was on the point of hospitalization. Mrs. Kontele embraced us and gave us clear instructions. I use “us” because this treatment does not only concern the patient himself but also his whole supporting team, namely his parents, close family cycle etc.
What made a very positive impression on me was the way she approached the child and won her trust as soon as she did. From an enemy (as my daughter had treated her at first, the person who was trying to make her fat) she became her trusted supporter.
They shouldered the burden
Even from their first meetings, Mrs. Kontele and Mrs. Sandilou shouldered our burden.
Our child said she also felt this. All we had to do was to follow the guidelines we had been given and we would soon escape our path to destruction.
Us the parents made changes to our schedule so that at least one of us would be able to be present during our daughter’s meals to help her eat. With full support, perseverance, patience, pain, communication and love, she begun eating.
Every bite was difficult and painful. Her stomach had to be trained to accept food from scratch. We got rid of the scales and we never spoke about weight again.
Every meal she would finish was a huge victory against the disorder and its horrible voice. Mrs. Kontele and Mrs. Sandilou were there for us 100% each week apart from our regular meetings, either through phone calls or written messages, 24/7.
Mrs. Sandilou on her part, helped with the psychological part which was equally important and necessary to the whole process was so she would be able to help not only our daughter but also me and my and her whole supportive environment. We were all traumatized by this whole ordeal.
I’d like to note that the therapist’s work was very difficult. My daughter is an introverted child who doesn’t easily open up. However, her meetings with Aggeliki had good results as time went on.
While the child didn’t seem to speak, she was listening. She kept what she had been listening and processed the information. They didn’t just help her get over anorexia, but also become more extroverted and boosted her confidence.
The right professionals lead to healing
My conclusion from this whole ordeal we went through Is that by accepting the problem, and through support from the right professionals, and the absolute cooperation from the parents of the child suffering from an eating disorder, healing may be achieved.
With their behavior, children “call” for help. We must have our eyes and ears open to see, hear and ask for help from the right people. We are not all-knowing beings, but parents.
My daughter has maintained a healthy weight for the past 5 months. Her period is now regular, hair loss has stopped and her hair has started going back to normal.
But the most important thing is that my child is happy. She smiles again, is confident, goes out with her friends and has started managing stress in a constructive way.
This means that not only has she gotten over her eating disorder, but she has also managed to change her way of thinking. To manage her anxiety regarding her schoolwork and come to the forefront.
Finally, let me say that it has become our habit to eat together, at least for lunch and dinner. I cannot get enough of listening to my daughter every time she says “mommy, what time are we eating, I’m hungry”.
Evangelos, Ioanna, Aggeliki, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Katerina R.
Nutritional intelligence plan
Learn more about the Nutritional Intelligence healing program here
Ask for an evaluation
Book an Initial Evaluation Session with a health expert now and receive information about all different ways of treatment.
During the Initial Session, an “Evaluation of eating behavior and the possibility of an eating disorder” will take place with the use of specialized psychometric tools.
You will get in a video call with a professional Dietologist or Therapist, specialised in eating disorders. They will give you a full evaluation regarding the extent of the problem according to the results of the psychometric tools. Duration: about 50 minutes.
If you are interested in learning more on the program you can book your own initial evaluation free of charge. For an online appointment you will find details at the end of the Diet-coaching webpage.