I see disordered eating almost everywhere, almost all the time. I know this may sound like a bold statement so today I will take time to explain myself. If you are interested in a relatively short read about eating disorders, this article would be a good start. There are a few missing elements in this discussion but overall, it is a good summary of eating disorder signs.
Let’s go through these signs together and discover how they can be quite easily spotted among our family members, work colleagues, friendship groups and in the society in general. We all swim in the diet culture after all.
First, let’s tackle the signs related purely to eating behaviors:
- Making excuses not to eat – if only I got a penny for every single time someone said that they can not eat (or eat as much as they are hungry for) because they need to go to the gym later to burn it off or because they will go out for a dinner later or some other reason – I would be a very rich individual! Why do I call it an excuse? Because not satisfying your natural hunger when you feel it can only lead to restrict-binge cycle. Because having several meals a day is a normal eating behavior so saving yourself for a larger meal later is disordered eating behavior.
- Cutting out whole food groups – well, this one does not need much from my side, does it? Who is not cutting out sugar or even all carbs (keto dieters’ likes on my posts are really funny by the way) these days?
- Limiting the diet to healthy foods – another one, that I don’t think I need to convince you about, do I? We are all on a healthy eating train…
- Greater interest in food in general – talking about what is good / bad, talking about how much to eat / not to eat, talking about favorite foods, planning and talking about preparing meals. Never ending stream of food obsession wherever I go.
- Eating in secret or bingeing – well, since it is mostly done in secret, the only way I can tell you are engaging in these behaviors is by hearing you say, for example:
- I feel “out of control” around certain foods, or/and
- I am “addicted” to certain foods
Both are tell-tale signs for me, that you participate in reactionary eating after the period of restricting (certain) foods. And I have heard these two statements a lot!
Second, here are some of the signs related to the physical aspects of the body:
- Weight changes over time – I have not yet met a single person who has not informed me that they need to go on a diet again because they have just gained x amount of weight. We are all doing way too much weight-fluctuating as we try to cheat our weight set points.
- Negative comments about one’s own body, weight or shape – yes, this is so common that I will not even bother.
- Checking one’s own body frequently – obsessive checking (sometimes even more than once a day) of one’s weight for example is not very unusual. I received once an expression of pure shock when I responded to a health provider that I do not know what my exact weight is 🙂
- More intense or frequent exercise – especially around New Year’s resolutions time, everyone seems to be intending to add more movement. In itself, not an issue but sadly often mentioned with a derogatory self-assessment of being lazy, fat, unfit – you name it. This has nothing to do with a joyful, mindful movement we can engage in to feel amazing!
The final third group of signs (as mentioned in the article linked in the beginning of this post) is about mental or emotional states, and I will focus on two of them here:
- Increased anxiety – I would venture to say that it is possible that disordered eating is simply a sign of anxiety. So, the controlling and obsessive behaviors around food, exercise, and body appearance we see in the society today, may actually all stem out of the anxiety problem itself. I strongly believe that the culture that focuses on meritocracy, self-improvement, and productivity cannot result in anything else but increased anxiety levels in the society overall.
- Social isolation – the phenomenon of social isolation is written and spoken about very often these days. Here, I would just encourage you to look for and find your community – people you can be yourself with. Those who will not judge, criticize or worse, shame you into trying to fit in. Be a unicorn and find other unicorns like you!
Have you noticed that one or more of the above signs could apply to you or someone you know as well?* I would not be surprised. As I mentioned, I see them almost everywhere, almost all the time. If you are concerned about someone else, I would highly recommend reading the section of the article that covers having conversations with a person you may be worried about.
I wish my family, friends and doctors had been given such a guide, when they tried to help my disordered eating when I was a teen and young adult. They were mistaken to think that because I was a “fat” child, the only way to deal with my “overeating” was to put me on a diet. Unfortunately, I often see parents still applying the same method to their “overweight” children – diet and exercise. Sadly, this is the exact opposite of the approach that can be so much more helpful: normal eating (intuitive eating), no body shaming, no blaming, no controlling…
I hope you are finding these writings helpful – feel free to let me know your thoughts and do contact me if you are curious to learn more.
* If you are concerned about yourself and would like to explore these topics in more details, recently I have listed several great books to check out. I would also highly advise seeking an eating disorder treatment if serious disordered eating behaviors are prevalent. Untreated eating disorders are unlikely to resolve on their own and sadly, they can result in dire health consequences. Please do seek professional help.
AGGA Coaching 
Leave a comment