Are You Disordered with Food?
You may have never considered that your problem with your weight is because you have an eating disorder. So often people think an eating disorder is only anorexia or bulimia and more recently binge eating disorder. But any destructive, secretive, struggle with food and what and how much we eat falls under the umbrella of an eating disorder.
Consider the questions below and answer honestly if this is the behavior you currently struggle with or have in the past.
Do you find yourself consuming foods even when you aren’t really hungry?
Are there certain foods that you feel a loss of control over?
Do you struggle with portion control?
Do you ever feel sluggish or fatigued after eating?
Do you feel physical withdrawl when trying to abstain from certain foods?
Does the thought of cutting out certain foods forever make you feel anxious or angry or resentful?
Are you a chronic dieter?
When you start a diet, do you regularly cheat or “fall off the wagon?”
Do you constantly/frequently think about food? Are you always planning/thinking about what you’re going to eat or make to eat next?
Do you regularly eat beyond the feeling of fullness?
Do you sometimes feel like you just can’t stop eating?
Do you ever binge/eat a large amount of food in a short time?
Do your social activities center around food?
Do you plan your life around when you will eat it where?
Do you eat in secret?
Do you lie to others about what you’ve eaten?
Do you turn to food in stressful/emotional situations?
Do you sometimes eat so much that you feel physically sick?
If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, you may have an addiction to food or an eating disorder.
It’s okay to reach out for help. Our disorder thrives in secret, but when we “come out” and shine a light on our affliction we can begin the process of recovery.
Don’t let your eating disorder tell you that you can start to get well in January, you can start getting well now. You can have a food sober Christmas and feel not only victorious, but come out ahead on January 1st. There’s nothing magical about January 1st that’s going to make recovery any easier.
if you’re not sure where to start and you don’t want to go at it alone, then consider joining my eight week Food Addiction and Recovery program that myself and my friend @CoachJessyca (on IG) run.