Things To Remember If You’re Starting A Relationship With An Anorexic

Dustin Forte

 |  Nov 8, 2019

Patients with eating disorders experience many conflicting and competing emotions. — Judy Scheel Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CEDS

In a world where everyone is still trying to fight discrimination, it is heart-warming to know that you do not mind being with someone who has anorexia nervosa. If it is in a different scenario, the person with an eating disorder – or any disease, for that matter – may find the love quest impossible to conquer. However, you can now say that everything is indeed fair when it comes to relationships and war.

Despite the general openness, you cannot be too careless with many stuff, especially regarding word choices. The last thing you want is to trigger the condition or hurt your special someone’s feelings. Here are further things to remember if you wish to start a relationship with an anorexic.…

What Marriage With A Recovering Eating Disorder Patient Looks Like

Dustin Forte

 |  Nov 1, 2019

Is your spouse on his or her way of healing from an eating disorder?

Finding the strength to say no to yourself whenever you want to overeat or abstain from eating for days is never easy. For your better half to be in the recovery mode, therefore, it must mean that you both had a life-changing experience for your better half to decide like that. So, congratulations are in order.

Most people who have never had an eating disorder and those who have recovered feel deep compassion for the sufferer. — Judy Scheel Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CEDS

Regardless of that, it is best not to let your guard down until months or years after your significant other makes that decision. Any eating disorder is like an addiction that can quickly come back if you do not avoid its trigger factors.

In case you cannot gauge what marriage looks like now with someone who is recovering from anorexia, bulimia, and other conditions, let us offer you a vivid description of that.

You Need To Check Their Feelings Regularly

Considering you used to ask your spouse how he or she was feeling every morning when the disorder was still active, you should continue doing that even during the healing period. It is normal for doubts to enter their mind at some point, especially if the recovery takes longer than expected. As their ultimate caregiver, however, you have to ensure that your man or woman will not let conflicting emotions get the better of them once again.

It is not common for the intervention of a higher level of care for eating disorder clients to be a tricky one, demanding both grace and firmness to support the scared client with making an accountable choice. — Dawn Delgado LMFT, CEDS-S

Invitations To Gatherings Do not Get An Immediate Yes

Eating disorder patients are prone to bailing out of social events without prior notice or contemplating for too long about going to the occasion. If your recovering significant other still does that, …

How To Help Your Partner Heal From Bulimia

Dustin Forte

 |  Oct 25, 2019

Have you ever considered what it might be like to deal with bulimia nervosa?

You feel the need to step on the scales practically every day. Achieving size 0 does not satisfy you – in fact, you might often try to have a smaller measurement than that if it is possible. An increase in your weight by half a pound, therefore, can drive your mind off the edge and choose to either abstain or not stop eating to appease yourself. But then again, the latter action will undoubtedly upset you even further, so how you see your body might worsen.

Eating disorders reflect complex psychobiological stressors. They also occur with complex nutritional imbalances and may be understood as efforts to regulate affect through food and food-related behaviors. — Leslie E. Korn Ph.D., MPH, LMHC, ACS, NTP

The cruel truth is that many people had similar issues at one point, yet only a few will admit, “Yes, I had bulimia once upon a time.” The condition is a symbol of weakness for some, you see, so patients cannot bear to imagine what will happen if others find out about their bulimic past.

For this reason, in case your partner comes up to you one day and tells you that he or she is on the recovery path for bulimia, you should first thank the heavens for the revelation. It most likely took everything from that person to open up regarding the illness. However, they did it since you earned their trust and love.

Now, you must focus on how to help your significant other heal from bulimia.

Because patients deny the severity of their condition they cannot accept the effects of malnutrition on heart, brain, organ and bone health. — Judy Scheel Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CEDS

Empathize

It is vital to comprehend from the get-go that no one likes to listen to a harsh-talking fellow. Your partner already knows that carrying the condition is not good; hence, they are working on removing it from their system. Instead of …

What’s Wrong? 4 Signs That Your Beloved Is A Secret Binge-Eater

Dustin Forte

 |  Oct 18, 2019

In order to change your eating patterns, you have to have a conversation with the part of yourself that is criticizing you for the way you eat. — F. Diane Barth L.C.S.W.

Being in love is marvelous, isn’t it? Words are optional between you and your partner since your eyes and body language can do the talking. You have someone to share your ups and downs with as well, and loneliness becomes the least of your worries. Furthermore, you suddenly turn into a very understanding person – more accepting than you have ever been – to the point that you concentrate on their good side and pay zero attention to their bad habits.

Of all the fantastic things mentioned above, there is just one idea that might become an issue later in the relationship: your decision to overlook your beloved’s weird mannerisms. That is especially true if the person secretly has a binge-eating disorder, and yet you chalk up their unusual behavior around food to personal preference instead of asking about it. Thus, you may not be able to help your significant other in getting rid of the illness.

To cancel that possibility, check out the signs that say that your partner is a closet binge-eater.

When you push your body to produce without giving it the fuel it needs to make that happen, it’s like demanding your car go 100 miles on an empty tank of gas. — Lisa Ferentz LCSW-C, DAPA

1. She Goes On A Diet But Never Loses The Extra Weight

How many times have you heard your better half claim that he or she will curb the food temptations already to flush out the unwanted fats?

Hopefully, the number that comes to mind is equivalent to the instances in which they genuinely shed off the extra pounds. In case your partner has been dieting for as long as you have known him or her – but to no avail – that may be an indication of an eating disorder.

2. You Found

Top Reasons Why You Are Binge Eating

Dustin Forte

 |  Aug 26, 2019

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Binge Eating Disorder (BED) refers to eating vast amounts of food, without feeling hungry, to forget and drown out emotions. The person then feels shame and guilt after engaging in this act. So, what drives a person to binge eat? This disorder comes from a complex combination of several factors, be it sociocultural, genetic, or psychological. Let us explore these causes one by one.

Depression

Almost 50% of individuals who binge eat have depression. However, experts are not yet sure whether binge eating causes depression or the other way around. Nevertheless, depressed people most likely came from a stressful life event, such as the death of a family member or physical and emotional abuse. Feeling the emotions brought about by the trauma leads them to overeat and wallow in pity.

During the holidays you are literally surrounded by triggers that could lead to disordered eating behaviors. — Danielle Swimm LCPC

Family

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There are two ways to acquire BED from the family—either through the genes or lifestyle. Approximately 90% of those diagnosed with BED get it genetically through a parent with the same condition. Professionals say that neurobiological components occur inside the body. This activity leads to these individuals losing control of their eating behaviors.

Your parents’ genes might also increase the sensitivity of dopamine, a hormone responsible for stirring pleasure after a reward. Hence, you’ll feel more attracted to the idea of binge eating being your prize.

Having BED also depends on your family’s behavior. Remember, the habits you observe from your family or other people close to you will most likely influence the way you eat. If you see that your dad or mom overeat often, the tendency is that you’ll see this as acceptable behavior.

Extreme Dieting

Implementing your diet process in the wrong way may lead to binge eating. It happens whenever individuals follow improper diets like eating too little or skipping several meals. The more you practice these, the more you’ll feel hungry all the time, and this can lead …

Self-Help Practices During Recovery From Eating Disorders

Dustin Forte

 |  Aug 19, 2019

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It seems to be the “perfect storm” for binge eating to rear its ugly head and demand more of your attention. — Danielle Swimm LCPC

Enlisting the help of a professional or even of your family, friends, and relatives is indeed the best treatment for eating disorders. You are one step towards your goal. But recovery will not always be successful if you do not in any way cooperate with your healing.

As doctors and psychiatrists would say, your utmost cooperation will be the best treatment. What they are all referring to is self-help. Just because you are suffering does not mean that you cannot help yourself as well. It may seem contradictory, but there are lots of ways that you can have self-care.

Don’t worry! We will take this step by step. We’ll start with the easiest:

Treat Yourself

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It is time you stop beating yourself up! You are beautiful whatever you look like. Let go of the negative emotions slowly. Do this until you see the positive aspects of things more than that of the negative.

Ask yourself what you want at the moment. List those down and try to get or do whatever you can right now from the list. Pamper yourself. Wear any clothes that you like. Adore yourself in the mirror and avoid any comparison.

Put Yourself First This Time

Stop blaming yourself. Stop overthinking what other people would say. Doing this will just hurt you and will turn the treatments in vain. Every time you are going to do something, ask yourself about your intentions. Are you putting others above you? If yes, think again and choose yourself this time around.

Do not worry about the costs incurred for this time as well. We all know that treatment and recovery may be expensive. But always remember that you are worth it. Your future will become more meaningful now that you have admitted that you need more help. Do not let simple money worries get in the way of your full …

Identifying Eating Disorders Before They Happen

Dustin Forte

 |  Aug 12, 2019

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A person suffering from an eating disorder builds an unhealthy relationship with food. They tend to eat more than what is necessary or less of what is required to nourish the body. It is a severe medical problem that can be detected and treated more quickly in the early stages. If not appropriately addressed, it can lead to detrimental long-term health consequences or mortality.

People commonly misperceive that individuals with eating disorders are “vain” or that eating disorders are all about wanting to look thin like models in the magazines. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

Eating disorders do not occur in one kind of person only. A person of any age, gender, race, size, or social status can experience having an eating disorder at any point in their life. Experts have yet to identify the exact reasons behind the occurrence of eating disorders.

Experts assess particular symptoms that can be a manifestation of the disorder. It manifests itself in physical, behavioral, and psychological symptoms. However, these signs should not be ticked off one by one like a checklist to diagnose a disorder. A person diagnosed with an eating disorder can either possess one symptom or a combination.

Physical Symptoms

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Physical signs hinting eating disorders may include bodily changes in the patient’s body. Aside from the significant, frequent weight gain or loss, other symptoms may include dizziness, lethargy, and low energy. People with this disorder also have chronic tiredness and cannot sleep well. Even during warm weather, they feel cold most of the time. In females, they may experience irregular menstruation flow while men have decreased libido.

Psychological Symptoms

It is challenging to detect psychological symptoms in anybody suffering from an eating disorder. Usually, these warning signs manifest in the patients’ behaviors and daily conversations.

Patients suffering from eating disorders have a preoccupation or obsession with food and weight. They perceive food to be only either good or bad.

For some people, they use food as sources of comfort and eat their feelings, stress, …

How Social Media Contribute To An Eating Disorder Called Orthorexia

Dustin Forte

 |  Aug 5, 2019

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The basis of the overwhelming majority of diets is to restrict one or more types of food or ingredients in food in order to achieve the goal – the promise of permanent weight loss, improved health and ah yes, happiness. — Judy Scheel Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CEDS

Paleo, keto, detoxing juices—you might have encountered these diet trends if you’re always on social media. Perhaps a close friend is embarking on his or her weight loss journey. Or maybe a celebrity you’re following has a video series on how to achieve his or her flawless body. Not everyone is undergoing a new wellness regimen, but the Internet can make it seem so. Consequently, you might feel left behind.

These latest trends can pressure many people to change their diet drastically without seeking professional help. Thus, dietitians and nutritionists worry they may see a rise in cases of an obscure eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa.

Orthorexia: Definition And Symptoms

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Orthorexia involves an obsession with “clean eating” or consuming whole foods instead of processed ones. Similar to anorexia nervosa (obsession with losing weight), it entails restricting the intake of “unhealthy” nutrients such as fat, sugar, and carbohydrates. The National Eating Disorders Association coined the term in 1998. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has yet to recognize it as an official diagnosis.

Not only do you begin to cut out foods or practice certain dietary rules with orthorexia, but you may go to extensive lengths to meet these guidelines you have established with yourself. — Dawn Delgado LMFT, CEDS-S

Diet changes that may hint at orthorexia include the following:

• Compulsive checking of a food’s nutrition facts and ingredients
• Refusal to eat “impure” foods such as dairy or animal products
• Neurotic interest in what other people are eating
• Fear of eating meals prepared by other people
• Feeling distressed when “clean” foods are not available
• Obsessive following of food blogs and posts on social media

If left unchecked, orthorexia can lower one’s metabolism, damaging the …