Can You Have an Eating Disorder Without Being Underweight?
There is a significant gap between what an eating disorder actually is and what many people have been taught to recognize. Public perception, media portrayals, and even healthcare systems have long reinforced the idea that eating disorders are defined by visible thinness, leading many people to believe that body size determines whether someone is “sick…
Compulsive Eating, Muted Signals, and How to Get Hunger Cues Back
Many people think of hunger cues as a simple feeling in the stomach that tells us when to eat and when to stop. In reality, our relationship with hunger is far more complex. Hunger and fullness are part of an intricate communication system between the brain and body, one that can become disrupted for many…
Residential vs. Virtual Eating Disorder Treatment: How Do I Know Which Is Right for Me?
When you’re living with an eating disorder, choosing a level of care is rarely a simple decision. Leaving home for residential treatment can feel intimidating, disruptive, and even frightening. At the same time, staying home with virtual care may feel safer, more convenient, or more practical. For many people, the choice brings up questions about…
The Interpersonal Impact of Eating Disorders: 10 Ways Friendships Can Change
Eating disorders can change friendships long before anyone has language for what is happening. Over time, they begin shaping relationships as well, often creating distance between people who genuinely care about one another. Part of what makes this so difficult is that friends and loved ones are often responding to an illness they can only…
Eating Disorders During Perimenopause
Perimenopause marks a period of significant physical and emotional change for many people. It can make the body feel harder to read, and that disconnect can be destabilizing for someone with an active eating disorder or a history of one. A change in appetite or weight distribution can become evidence to interpret. It likely carries…
7 Mantras To Support You In Eating Disorder Recovery
Struggling with negative self-talk is not uncommon for those with eating disorders. A powerful tool to combat these thoughts and empower yourself in recovery is using mantras or affirmations. Negative Self-Talk and Eating Disorders You may be wondering what the connection is between eating disorders and negative self-talk. The way you feel about yourself and…
GLP-1 Medications, Food Noise, and the Risks Behind the Cultural Moment
GLP-1 medications were developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but they have since migrated into mainstream weight loss culture with a speed that outpaced any serious public conversation about what they do and who they were designed for. Along with this rapid expansion has come a new term—”food noise”—used to describe the persistent mental preoccupation…
Subtle Signs Of An Eating Disorder, Part 1: Food Rules
TL; DR Eating disorders don’t always appear dramatic or obvious. Many people experience subtle, normalized behaviors that quietly restrict flexibility, increase anxiety around food, and weaken trust in hunger cues. These disordered food rules can exist even if weight seems stable or eating looks “normal” from the outside. Maybe you haven’t lost an excessive amount…
Managing Fear Foods: Developing An “All Foods Fit” Mentality
Whether you are on a diet or struggle with an eating disorder, you probably have a list of foods that you’re comfortable eating. You probably also have a list of foods to avoid at all costs. These are also known as safe foods and fear foods. Eating Disorders and Control: Sticking to Safe Foods As…
Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms And Effective Treatments
TL;DR Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder involving cycles of binge eating followed by behaviors meant to compensate, such as vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise. These patterns are often hidden and driven by shame, body image distress, and emotional coping difficulties. Treatable with therapy, nutrition support, and team-based care, Bulimia nervosa (usually shortened…