Category: Types Of Eating Disorders

How do you feel about your body today?

Your chances of developing an eating disorder increase from the moment you think you don’t look good enough. You may overeat a couple of times, and then avoid eating entirely for the rest of the week. Or, if you do consume regular meals, it’s also possible to force yourself to push the food back out afterward.

What is shame? And, why is it so impactful in the life of a person with an eating disorder? — Judy Scheel Ph.D., L.C.S.W., CEDS

It’s truly saddening to know that a lot of men and women go through this condition because they feel as if their weight makes them laughable. The folks around them, in reality, may contribute to such negative notions as well instead of alleviating them.

In case you’re ready to overcome your eating disorder, though, consider getting group therapy.

You Can Meet People With Same Issues In The Past Or Present

The primary advantage of signing up for group counseling is that you will never feel as if you’re the only person facing this problem. It’s possible to come across others who deal with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating. Despite the different names, causes,and symptoms, the fact that you all developed the disorder because of self-image issues is real.

Now, when you go to a group therapy session, you’ll notice that the individuals there are in various stages of regaining their life. Some may just be as troubled as you are, while others are already halfway through the process. Even the ones who recovered from the illness may still be there to share their healing stories.

Motivating each other to get past the eating disorder, therefore, won’t be very difficult.

For those in the eating disorder community, it is an exciting time as progress is being observed. — Greta Gleissner LCSW

You Have A Strong Support System

Eating disorders, just like any mental health disease, can be too shameful to talk about in front of your loved ones. There’s always the fear of being rejected or disowned once the truth comes out. Thus, some patients tend to hide – and worsen – the problem.

You can expect the opposite, however, if you receive counseling. Especially when you obtain it with a few individuals, you can instantly feel the others’ belief in your capability to overcome the eating disorder. They will also cheer you on unconditionally and give you the confidence to face your fears. You may even acquire life-long friends from that cluster.

Eating disorder treatment involves a variety of tools and strategies for helping clients to reclaim their lives. However, one important element is helping them to learn how to identify, process, and cope with their emotions in ways that align with their life values. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

You’ll Feel Safe There

Last but not the least, getting group therapy entails that you will be in an environment where judgments are scarce.

Counseling sessions don’t aim for you to feel like everything is going well and that you aren’t battling issues within yourself from the get-go. They want you to accept that you experience the latter so that they can start helping you to feel the former. After all, that’s the first step to recovery.

The days when it seems awkward to talk about your situation in front of other people won’t last long. You’re ideally around patients with similar dilemmas as you, so you won’t feel judged before you speak.For sure, it is significantly different from being in the outside world where even strangers may assume that it’s OK to depreciate your problems or pull you down further.

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.

Continue reading “Things To Remember If You’re Starting A Relationship With An Anorexic”

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, it may imply that he or she requires more time to feel okay with being around people or food in general. Hence, you should ask where their response is coming from instead of getting upset whenever your spouse declines a social invitation.

 

You Cannot Expect Old Habits To Die Fast

The fact that your better half is on his or her journey to recovery does not entail that he or she is capable of thwarting past habits now. Your partner is still working hard to cut their ties to the eating disorder; that is why you might see their old self-seeking

 

 

through sometimes. Despite that, it is vital for you to keep your expectations in check to prevent pressuring your loved one.

Emotional avoidance, is described as actions that are intended to prevent an emotional response from occurring, such as fear, anger or sadness. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

Stressful Situations May Still Trigger The Disorder

Many things can occur if the recovering eating disorder patient faces stress on a daily basis, but the return of the disease is on top of the list. In case the problems do not get resolved immediately, your spouse may consider going back to binge-eating as a quick fix to the stress.

Will that be beneficial for your marriage? No. For that reason, you should make it your task to free your better half from stressors as often as possible. Divide the household chores equally, for instance, or cover some of their activities without being asked to do so. If you have kids, make sure that you are fulfilling your parenting duties well. In other words, do everything to make life easier for your partner until he or she can handle stress on their own.

 

To Sum Things Up

It is too early to claim that your marriage will not meet roadblocks on your spouse’s way to recovery. There are plenty of temptations and situations that may cause their eating disorder to return any moment, and that might bring forth arguments between you two later. However, if your support never wavers, it may help your better half to stay on the right path.

 

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 blaming them for acquiring the disorder, therefore, you ought to assure your better half that you are with them throughout the healing journey and that you feel proud of their decision to defeat bulimia.

Observe

Assuming you want to help your beloved in overcoming the illness, you need to watch their behavior carefully. That is the most straightforward technique you can use to identify the symptoms or trigger factors for bulimia without forcing the truth out of the person. It will then allow you to assist your significant other more until they finally eliminate the eating disorder.

Motivate

Although you two are partners for life, the health condition remains a problem that only your significant other can solve. You may push the patient often, get therapy with them, or go on a hunger strike yourself, but your efforts will still fall short if the individual has no motivation to fight the disorder. Thus, you have to think of ways to make them realize that it is better to get rid of bulimia now than later.

Strive

A usual reason why someone becomes bulimic in the first place is that he or she has a distorted perception of beauty. In their head, you are gorgeous if you are as skinny as Barbie or the typical runway models. It may be challenging to wash that idea down the drain, but that does not mean that you should throw the white flag in quickly. Just work through every obstacle with them, and the excellent results may soon follow.

 

 

The healing process when it comes to bulimia can take weeks, months, or perhaps years, depending on the patient’s drive to beat it. By all means, you can try overcoming the eating disorder with tips from other survivors online. In case you want to get advice from a professional, though, you may look into psychotherapy, couples counseling, et cetera.

When it’s clear that the issue warrants professional attention, loved ones can still feel helpless in their attempts to intervene. But if you suspect a loved one is engaging in an eating disorder- express your concern lovingly and without anger, identify the specific behaviors that worry you, and encourage them to get the support they need and deserve by making resources available to them. — Lisa Ferentz LCSW-C, DAPA

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 Her Secret Stash Of Food

Binge-eaters have a habit of hoarding sweets, chips, bread, or any foodstuff they like. It is either they are afraid of not having enough treats to munch on or they merely want to avoid sharing food with others.

Once you find the hiding place, your beloved may try to lie regarding the matter and tell you that it is for everyone in the house. However, you should know better than to believe that, primarily if the stash happens to be under a floorboard or in a locked cabinet.

3. The Individual Often Eats Large Portions Of Her Meals

Someone with this kind of disorder solely thinks of getting as much food as possible in their mouth and down the digestive tract. For that reason, you may notice that the person only chews a large bite once or twice before swallowing it. Worse, they might finish an entire meal without even tasting it.

You will generally see this behavior from a fellow who hasn’t had food for days. Considering your significant other can eat three to four times daily but still wolfs down their nourishment like a famished individual, then that is another sign that you have a binge-eater in your hands.

4. Your Partner Tries To Hide The Evidence From You

The deal about folks who have an eating problem is that they are both aware and ashamed of what they do. So it is not infrequent to find these people stowing away empty containers and wrappers at the weirdest spots where you might not search, e.g., shoe rack, flower pot, toolbox, et cetera.

 

 

The fact that an individual has the determination to go through such troubles displays that your beloved is not okay. When you confront your partner about the indications above, though, the chances of getting an immediate confirmation from them are slim. That can be because: 1) the person fears you will reject him or her due to the disorder, or 2) they are in denial themselves.

Remind yourself that you are not saying that you must give up bingeing forever. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

If you still feel strongly for your better half after the revelation, you have to help them overcome binge-eating. Your patience and willingness to guide your significant other towards the recovery path, nevertheless, is among the greatest acts of love you can demonstrate.

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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 to the possibility of binge eating.

On the other hand, people also acquire BED due to expectations. If they do not reach their weight goals on time, they feel more frustrated and guilty with themselves, which leads them to eat even more.

Just because someone is overweight does not mean he or she binges or overeats. — Jennifer Kromberg PsyD

Society

Society dictates and influences the way you see your body. Chances are, you’ll feel more obligated to do something just so your body image conforms to the standard of society. And once you fail to reach this, your feelings of embarrassment and shame might trigger binge eating.

Psychological Reasons

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Those who struggle with BED exude the following characteristics:

• Feelings of loneliness and isolation
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Unaccepting with his or her body image

These psychological factors drive a person to binge eat. The desire to eat a lot even increases once these psychological factors concur with other mental health disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

People sometimes take BED for granted. Little do they know it leads to adverse effects such as increasing the health risks and messing with both your physical and mental health. By engaging in healthy lifestyle strategies, you can address this bingeing problem and live a happier and healthier life.

With practice, you can learn how to sit with and ride out the urges that you experience. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

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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 recovery.

Recognize that you are using bingeing either as a response to physical or emotional deprivation (i.e., you aren’t eating enough throughout the day, or you are eating things yet feeling guilty about them), and/or to cope with uncomfortable or unpleasant emotions. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

Let Go Of The Stigma

The stigma of getting professional help is so over. Celebrities, social media influencers, and most people are not that secretive of their depression, eating disorders, and other mental health issues. Moreover, they are proud to have enlisted professional help without feeling any bit of shame on their part.

Do not think about discontinuing seeing the doctor. Do not fake your recovery. It will be the worst turn of your life once you stop following the recovery plan.

Follow The Prescribed Eating Habits

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Trust us: your doctor has an eating habit tailored just for you! He or she values you that much. The best you can do is to follow your prescription. But take note that you do not always have to strictly follow it right away and be all anxious about it. Take it slowly and set a deadline that is not hard for you to stick with.

Recovery patients admit that the start is always the hardest phase. But as they go along, they have found out the importance of self-help, and it became the reason why the negative voices in their heads are now quiet. Recovery may be a daily battle. It is your will to care for yourself that will get you through to see the beauty of a healed life.

The only way to clear up popular, negative misconceptions about Binge Eating Disorder, obesity and disordered eating is with continual open discussion that educates and moves towards greater understanding. — Jennifer Kromberg PsyD

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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, boredom, and depression away. Other people use food as a punishment and refuse to eat due to emotional reasons such as stress. People with eating disorders also develop severe anxiety and self-consciousness, considering their body image.

Among eating disorder patients, stress can be caused from various social and environmental factors that may include peer and societal pressures to have the ‘perfect body type.’ — Greta Gleissner LCSW

Behavioral Symptoms

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A developing eating disorder may be observed based on people’s certain behaviors and habits.

A famous sign is dieting behavior, which includes fasting, calorie counting, and avoiding particular food which they are sensitive.  On the other hand, others may be guilty of binge-eating, resulting in hoarding and consuming plenty of food.

Some may also have obsessive rituals in food preparation and eating, such as eating very slowly and cutting food into tiny bits. People have the habit of frequenting the bathroom shortly after meals to induce vomiting. They may also use laxatives, appetite suppressants, or diuretics to help with their bowel movement. They eat alone and avoid eating with others. Lastly, people with the disease are compelled to exercise excessively, sometimes affecting their social and work lives.

There are different levels and intensity of eating disorder treatment that depend on various factors such as how long you’ve been struggling with the disorder and how medically compromised you are. — Susan Albers Psy.D.

In the end, eating disorders can hinder a person from living normally. People with this disorder will push boundaries to achieve their aspired body image and weight, no matter how unhealthy the process can be. Even as they exhibit specific physical and behavioral symptoms signaling an underlying eating disorder, patients may not believe they have it. Other symptoms like psychological signs are harder to spot and would require deep and sincere interaction with the patient. The best way to save our loved ones from suffering from an eating disorder is early detection and treatment.

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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 heart, brain, and digestive system. It can also cause dry skin, hair fall, and weakness of the body.

Social Media And Orthorexia

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Orthorexia is the product of the Internet age. A study by University College London in 2017 found that the healthy eating craze on Instagram contributes to the disorder. The more you browse your IG feed, the more symptoms of orthorexia you display.

Advertising also influences our physical and psychological well-being. Every day, we see content that glorifies a particular body type and demonizes specific food groups. These can have adverse effects on our body image and push us into disordered eating. For example, frequent exposure to anti-dairy ads can lead you to abstain from eating food with milk, even if you are not sensitive or allergic to it.

Because the clean eating movement thrives on social media, orthorexia can hide in plain sight, mistaken as wellness. It also does not evoke the stigma that other eating disorders do because of the popularity and positive branding of current diet trends. You may start with a genuine desire to eat more healthily. Eventually, no food is “organic” enough, and you eschew food more than you eat them.

Eating disorders are not a choice. No one chooses to lose all of their friends, because they cannot go anywhere that there will be food. — Jennifer Rollin MSW, LCSW-C

Treatment

Frequently, people with orthorexia also have anorexia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, psychotherapy is the best treatment option for them. Therapists can help them let go of the obsession that drives their disordered eating. They can also help terminate moralistic thoughts on food and eating (e.g., “Burger is bad; salad is good.”). This way, the person can separate his or her worth from what he or she eats.

If you want to start eating healthily, consult a dietitian or a nutritionist. Not all food blogs on the Internet are accurate; the people who wrote them may not have license or training.

Remember: the key to healthy eating is a diverse and moderate diet, not restriction. When in doubt, don’t Google it; seek expert and holistic support.