How can you truly tell if you have an eating disorder? With so many “experts” in diet, nutrition and exercise all over social media these days — many of which with digitally altered / filtered faces and physiques online — it can be especially difficult to navigate what’s healthy and unhealthy in regard to one’s eating practices.
Signs You Might be slipping back into — or developing — an eating disorder.
Number one: The majority of your thoughts are centered around food and / or your weight.
You’re constantly thinking about your:
- Next meal
- What you just ate
- How many calories everything has
- The appearance of your body
- Clothes and how they fit
Bottom line: it’s hard for you to be present because everything in your consciousness revolves around thoughts pertaining to food and/or your body.
Number two: You feel tempted to lie or be dishonest.
Let’s imagine, for example, you have a lunch date with your girlfriends. The server comes around and you say,
- “Oh, I just had a big lunch.”
- “Sorry, I’m feeling a bit off today, I better not.”
- “I have too many food restrictions, sorry.”
But the truth is, you’re hungry, you feel fine and you can eat whatever you want.
So, you’re actually covering up your behaviors because, truthfully (maybe subconsciously), you know that others will notice or judge or worry.
Number three. How you experience joy.
Your contentment, or so you think, is often centered around the empowerment felt when you skip a meal or when you get in an extra workout.
Other signs that you might be slipping into an eating disorder, include:
- Weighing yourself much more often. Unless you’re binge eating, in which case the opposite may be true for you. Like: hiding food, looking for opportunities to be alone with your disorder.
- You prioritize exercise over all things
- Thoughts around your body have recently changed, become more negative and obsessive.
Anyone who suspects they have an eating disorder or knows for certain they do… deserves to be happy, have peace and be freed from those chains.
Reach out to someone you love and find a therapist / support group that specializes in eating disorders.
And for much more on this topic, like:
- How I used to convince myself that my unhealthy fitness / diet behaviors were okay
- Why it’s imperative to consider whether or not you use food as a coping mechanism
- How social media can play a negative role in one’s body image
Then, check out The Chalene Show episode below:
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