What is Disordered Eating?
Eating Disorder vs. Disordered Eating...
Eating disorders and disordered eating are similar issues but also very different. I want to spend some time today talking about the two, especially the symptoms and healing from disordered eating.
Eating Disorders
There are four different types of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder and was just recently recognized and added to the DSM-V. If you are wanting to learn more about binge eating disorder and how to find freedom check on this recent post.
We often see these disorders show up in movies, TV shows or on the covers of celebrity magazines.
Eating disorders affect between 1-3% of the population or around 30 million people every year and they need to be taken extremely seriously. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder I wanted to encourage you to get help today!
A great place to start is by calling the National Eating Disorders helpline at 800-931-2237.
Disordered Eating
Today I want to talk about the symptoms, daily effects, and healing from DISORDERED EATING.
Disordered eating is defined by irregular eating behaviors that greatly impact an individual's overall quality of life.
Disordered eating is different from an eating disorder because it is much less severe and not a diagnosable mental illness.
50-75% of the population struggles with disordered eating to some degree and that is an alarming rate! Disordered eating comes from diets and the cultural expectation to be thin. This cultural expectation produces a variety of symptoms keeping people preoccupied and overwhelmed with food choices and body image.
The symptoms of disordered eating include:
Frequent dieting
Anxiety associated with specific foods
Chronic weight fluctuations
Rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise
Feelings of guilt and shame associated with eating
Preoccupation with food, weight and body image that negatively impacts the quality of life
A feeling of loss of control around food
Using exercise, food restriction, fasting or purging to "make up for bad foods" consumed
Obsessively counting calories, carbs or points
Maybe you can identify with some of these symptoms. I have struggled with several of these symptoms myself and remember being at my worst feeling so hopeless about trying to lose weight while feeling crazy around food.
I want to offer you encouragement and hope that you can find freedom around food and with your body and step out of disordered eating as a way of life.
Disordered eating affects many areas of daily life including:
Concentration. Sometimes thoughts about food and body can be so consuming and prevent productivity.
Social life. Eating patterns can negatively impact your social life if you are constantly preoccupied with food or your body while in social situations.
Coping Skills. Sometimes eating food is the best coping skill you have available to bring relief from a stressful situation.
Discomfort & Anxiety. Disordered eating might cause you to be all sorts of uncomfortable and anxious in your life.
Disordered eating can be all-consuming and extremely overwhelming. To have anxiety, rituals, preoccupation, guilt, loss of control and restriction can make eating feel like a full-time job.
Healing from Disordered Eating
As a first step towards healing, I want to encourage you to think about why food, weight and body image are a struggle for you? When did these struggles begin?
Food and body struggles often arise because we are struggling with other areas of our lives. Food is something in life we feel like we can control so if we can just control our food and our bodies then sometimes we think everything else will get better. But unfortunately, it does not work this way. What's going on in your life that is causing stress and potentially being covered up with the control of food?
Here are a few tips to help you escape the disordered eating trap.
Practice Intuitive Eating. Intuitive eating relies on your body's signals and preferences to tell you when, what, and how much to eat. You know yourself the best and your body was created with the ability to give you all the cues necessary to sustain itself.
Ditch Dieting. Diets are typically restrictive in terms of the quantity of food and a variety of foods. Stay away from diets of any kind including Paleo, Keto, Whole 30, etc. All diets cause mental and emotional overwhelm, deprivation eventually leading to binge eating behaviors. It is important not to restrict foods or cut out food groups as this is diet-like behavior and will only lead down a path of disordered eating.
Here are a few helpful posts to check out about dieting and intuitive eating:
8 Signs You Are Stuck In Diet Mentality
Exercise for fun not for weight loss. Find a form of movement that you enjoy so it can be sustainable for life. Working out for the motivation to lose weight is a difficult habit and mindset to maintain.
Stop negative body talk. The mindset you have about your body has huge effects on your overall sense of wellbeing and embodiment (or what it feels like to be in your body).
Read intuitive eating & body love books and listen to podcasts. This is a phenomenal way to escape the shame and loneliness of disordered eating. Read. Listen. Learn a different way of eating and being in your body. Knowledge is so powerful. As a result, these resources promote immediate change.
Check out this post for The *BEST* Intuitive Eating & Body Love Resources.
Throw away your scale. Weighing yourself every day or every week is only bringing harm to your self-esteem. Your value is not based on the numbers on the scale.
Get counseling. Disordered eating, unfortunately, shows us it is extremely common for people to struggle with body image and food issues. These issues do not have to run your life and you can find freedom. As a therapist it might seem obvious I would recommend counseling, but this could be an extremely fruitful and beneficial step.
Disordered eating is an overwhelming and pervasive problem, consequently, our culture does not do a great job promoting a different path.
Body positivity, intuitive eating, health at every size, and body acceptance can be a reality for you!
Having a positive relationship with food begins in your mind not with what you put in your mouth. Take an assessment of your own eating habits this week and take ONE step in the direction of healing, neutrality with food, and eating intuitively.
In Freedom,
Chelsea
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201402/disordered-eating-or-eating-disorder-what-s-the
https://www.eatright.org/health/diseases-and-conditions/eating-disorders/what-is-disordered-eating
Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.