- Hey everybody.
Today, we're gonna talk about eating disorders,
or more specifically,
what the early signs of an eating disorder are.
There have been many online conversations
about disordered eating versus eating disorders
and questions about whether or not
we're sick enough to get help,
and just so many other things like this.
And that's why I thought it could be helpful
to go over some of what I consider
to be the most common early signs of an eating disorder.
And if you have any of these,
yes, you are sick enough for treatment.
Yes, you are deserving of care.
In fact, it doesn't matter how quote on quote sick we feel.
We are all deserving of care and can benefit from therapy.
So reach out and speak up,
because it can and will get better.
The first sign is when our thoughts begin
to shift more toward food,
whether that is getting binge food,
hiding food, getting out of eating food,
or having only food that's deemed healthy around.
This focus or obsession with food is truly
the beginning stages of an eating disorder.
And part of the reason I get so upset with social media
and the health industry,
with people sharing what they eat in a day
or doing sponsored posts for diets or other products,
it can influence how we feel about ourselves
or even normalize
what I would call eating disorder behavior.
And this quote on quote health industry
makes billions every year by trying to tell us
that the way we look isn't okay.
And then in order to be attractive or successful,
we have to buy their diet products
or join their fitness regimen.
It's all garbage.
And it can push us down the path to obsession with calories,
exercise, or get us caught up in the restrict binge cycle.
Now, our thoughts can also be focused
on the compensatory behaviors like needing to exercise
to earn or make up for the food that we ate.
Even if we don't act on it,
we may start to have thoughts of purging or other ways
of getting rid of the food.
If we feel like a lot of our brain space
is being filled up with thoughts like this,
it's time to reach out and get some professional support.
The second sign is when we find ourselves using food
as a way to reward or punish ourselves.
Now, I know many of us, you know,
we may reward ourselves with dessert or other treat
after a long day or something like that.
But when this starts to be the only way
that we will give ourselves permission
to eat certain things, then it becomes an issue.
Kind of tying this into the first sign
and having to earn certain food.
We should feel free to eat something we crave,
when we crave it.
And not have any other thoughts about it.
On the more binged focus side,
we may allow ourselves to have this treat,
and then suddenly feel completely out of control with it.
And it can feel impossible to only eat until we're satiated.
And instead we end up eating too much,
possibly feeling sick or uncomfortable as a result.
And when we've allowed ourselves to have this treat,
regardless of how much we've had,
we can then punish ourselves with food,
not allowing ourselves to listen to our bodies
and eat when we're hungry and stop when we're full.
We can start withholding food as a way to punish
the bad quote on quote, bad behavior of having the treat.
Or swinging to the other side and be punished
by making ourselves eat a lot more than our body needs.
So either way, if we are using food as a way
to reward or punish ourselves, we have an eating disorder.
Sign three is that we start to put our food thoughts
and eating disorder based needs above all else.
We can be late to work or school,
not connect with friends or family,
and even isolate more than ever before
due to our need to control our environment and food intake.
When we put our eating disorder urges above other things
in our life, those other things can cease to exist,
but it can be hard to recognize it first.
And even if we can tell it's happening,
we may not really care.
Remember, an eating disorder is a coping skill,
and because we don't have other coping skills
or built up resiliency in our life,
it's something that we need to have to numb us out
from something bigger and more painful going on.
Therefore, we can only care about keeping
that eating disorder around,
and everything else can just start
to feel just less important or possibly even annoying.
Which leads me into the next sign,
is that our relationships will begin to suffer.
If we are placing more value on keeping
our eating disorder coping skill around,
the other people in our lives will be able to feel it.
They can ask why we don't return their calls and texts
as often, or why we don't want to get together anymore.
We could even get into fights with those we love
because they've challenged our eating disorder behaviors
or plans, and possibly have even asked, you know,
why we're doing what we're doing or push us to get help.
While they can have the best of intentions,
it can end up pushing us away because we aren't at a place
where we're able to admit that we're sick
and therefore be able to hear what they're saying.
And the next sign is engaging in secret behavior.
When we begin to engage in eating disorder based actions,
we can innately know that what we're doing is odd
or wouldn't be accepted.
Therefore, we can want to hide it
from our family and friends.
We can prefer to eat alone,
because we don't want anyone seeing how we have to do it,
or how much we eat or what we have to do after we eat.
There can be these rituals that we create
around avoiding, procuring and getting rid of food.
And we can become very upset if anyone tries
to get in the way of any of those routines or rituals.
Which pushes us to do a lot of things in secret,
behind locked doors and out of earshot.
It's because of those behaviors that many of my patients
have told me that they waited so long to ask for help.
Engaging in these things can cause a lot of guilt and shame.
Coming clean about what's going on and what we've done
can be terribly difficult and embarrassing.
Although I will be honest,
it's vitally important to our recovery.
And the final early sign that I want to address is that even
if we don't like or want to do the things
that our eating disorder voice tells us to do,
we feel compelled to do it.
In other words, we can't stop using food as a coping skill.
No matter how obvious it is to us and those around us
that it's not healthy or good.
Eating disorders are mental illnesses.
It's not something we choose to do or something
that's done for vanity.
It's a coping skill for other things going on in our life.
And until we find other healthier ways to cope,
it's going to still bother us and push us to do things
in an effort to control our bodies, our environment,
and our life.
All the while creating more chaos and lack of control
than ever before.
And I do want to address the fact that COVID
has changed some of these signs and symptoms.
And it's why many of you have told me
that you are like thriving this year.
I'm feeling so good.
But I can't help myself, if we dig deeper into why that is.
I'm pretty sure we're going to uncover the fact
that it's only because we're able
to use our eating disorder with more freedom.
There aren't as many get togethers, dinner parties,
people aren't going out to eat as much.
So even though it feels easier and less stressful right now,
it's very possible that it's actually taking a huge toll
on our mental health and our recovery.
And if you can relate to any of these signs,
please reach out for some professional help.
Believe me when I say that you are sick enough.
You deserve to get some support and care.
And with the right help, it can get better.
And of course, there are more signs and symptoms
that we could have an eating disorder.
So please feel free to leave any others that you think
of in those comments down below.
Thank you so much for watching,
and I will see you next time.
Bye.
(soft music)