Disordered Eating & Eating Disorders

Researchers think there are many people with eating disorders who are also suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. There are strong links between eating disorders and a history of childhood sexual abuse and/or adult rape.

Eating disorders can be a way of coping with feelings or situations that are making the person unhappy, angry, depressed, stressed, or anxious. They are not the fault of the person suffering, and no one chooses to have an eating disorder. They are complex psychological issues and have surprisingly little to do with food with you dig really deep into them.

Disordered eating doesn't just mean eating disorders. It includes the binge and restrict cycle, the dieting cycle, restriction of amounts or times of food, overeating in the name of a cheat day and then fasting the next day. Sometimes a person’s symptoms don’t exactly fit the expected symptoms for the clinical criteria for eating disorders. In that case, they might be diagnosed with an “other specified feeding or eating disorder” (OSFED).

Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating “pure” food. Food considered “pure” or “impure” can vary from person to person. This doesn’t mean that anyone who subscribes to a healthy eating plan or diet is suffering from orthorexia. It is not currently recognised in a clinical setting as a separate eating disorder.

People with bulimia are caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food (called bingeing), and then trying to compensate for that overeating by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively (called purging). Someone with bulimia will place a strong emphasis on their weight and body shape and may see themselves as much larger than they are (links to Body Dysmorphic Disorder).

A person suffering from anorexia may develop “rules” around what they feel they can and cannot eat, as well as things like when and where they’ll eat. They may engage in body checking behaviours such as weighing and measuring themselves regularly (links with obsessive-compulsive features) and they may experience body dysmorphia (a distorted view of their own body).

Intuitive Eating (IE) is a brilliant approach for making peace with food. But after years of dieting, disordered eating or full blown eating disorders, embracing Intuitive Eating can be a very daunting task. It’s also not suitable for everyone, right away. It’s therefore important to assess honestly, where you’re at with food and eating, before you dive into Intuitive Eating. Here’s some questions to help you assess your readiness…

There are loads of great podcasts presented by dietitians, nutritionists, doctors, and therapists. Often, they feature other experts on their shows. It’s a fantastic way to learn a lot about a topic and hear some of the discussions and debates on an issue. Here are my favourite podcasts on Health At Every Size®, Body Positivity, and Intuitive Eating.

Diet culture is life-threatening, toxic and damaging to both our physical and mental health. It can also spread like wildfire through the family tree. Many of the women on my courses have spoken of their friends, mothers, sisters and aunts dieting. If you struggle with disordered eating now, I can pretty much guarantee that someone in your circle has experimented with diets, body-shamed you or body shamed themselves in front of you. Can you relate to my story?

In this article I cover what is meant by ‘Binge Eating Disorder’, how it is diagnosed, the definition of a ‘binge’, the difference between binge eating disorder and Bulimia and the health issues associated with BED.

Emotional eating is NOT an eating problem. It's a coping mechanism for difficult emotions and therefore cannot be treated by dieting or restricting foods. To overcome emotional eating you must learn how to manage your emotions, here's how.

Here’s how the discovering Body Positive community helped put me on the path to recovery from a lifetime of disordered eating…

Here are the six steps you need to take in order to recover from a lifetime of dieting and disordered eating. Be sure to download the free guides!

When it comes to our health and fitness, our mindsets (i.e. our attitudes, beliefs and assumptions) are often the hardest part of us to change. Mindset matters because it affects the relationship you have between food, exercise and your body. In this blog post we look at the difference between a dieting mindset and a healthy mindset.

Where do the lines between healthy Eating, Clean Eating, and Orthorexia blur? A look at Wellness Bloggers and the cult of wellness, inspired by BBC3's Clean Eating's Dirty Secrets and Selfridges #Bodytalk