Talk of the Town - Love your body February 12 2003

“It’s so great to laugh again,” says Kristin Huss now that she’s in her seventh month of recovery from anorexia.

When you think about eating disorders, there’s a mental picture of a teenager with low self-esteem or a stick-thin supermodel. You don’t envision a successful, married 28-year-old.

In 1999, when Huss developed anorexia, she found herself deep in denial. How could this happen to her? She tried it all — therapy, books, counseling. Stressed out and frustrated, Huss began to lose hope. The older she got, the less hopeful she was that she’d find a cure.

That all changed the day she turned on the television and saw a news interview with Dina Zeckhausen, a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and the founder of Eating Disorders Information Network. The Atlanta organization aims to give a more personal touch to the treatment and education of eating disorder patients — something Zeckhausen felt national organizations fighting the same cause could not do.

Moved by Zeckhausen’s “friendly aura” during the interview, Huss called for help. Now, one year later, she is back at a healthy weight and works closely with EDIN to continue to help save lives. Each year, the organization sponsors a Listen to Your Body Week including a Beyond the Looking Glass Gala and a walk in honor of a young Atlanta girl who recently died from anorexia. For 51 weeks, you are told to improve your body — for just one week, EDIN asks you to love it.

-- Charli Penn

?Listen to Your Body Week takes place from Feb. 16-24 and includes performances, lectures, workshops and a memorial walk. 678-770-7369. www.edin-ga.org. Also see Headcase.