8 Signs of Disordered Eating: Recognize and Address Irregular Eating Behaviours
Have you ever Googled “Do I have an eating disorder?” because you were worried about your eating habits? If so, this blog is for you!
Disordered eating refers to irregular and unusual eating patterns that can significantly impact your health and quality of life, even if they don’t meet the criteria for a full-blown eating disorder. These unusual eating behaviours, often influenced by diet culture, are sometimes masked as “healthy living” but more often than not very harmful. Understanding and identifying signs of disordered eating in yourself or a loved one is crucial for early intervention to prevent the development of more serious eating disorders, which can be deadly. In this blog post, we’ll explore some common symptoms of disordered eating and provide actionable tips on how to tackle them.
What is Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating involves eating behaviours and attitudes toward food that interfere with your daily life and often have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. Unlike diagnosed eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, these behaviours may not fit specific clinical categories. However, they can still cause a lot of anxiety and harm. Recognizing the early signs of disordered eating is really important for improving mental health, emotional well-being, relationships, and body acceptance, as well as for accessing the necessary support and resources, such as a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, and a dietitian.
The Impact of Disordered Eating
Disordered eating can lead to a range of negative physical and emotional consequences. These may include nutrient deficiencies, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, brittle bones, damage to your heart, and an increased risk of developing a full-blown eating disorder. Additionally, the emotional toll can be significant, leading to anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, social isolation, and a negative body image. Recognizing the signs of disordered eating is the first step toward reclaiming your body, health and well-being.
8 Key Signs of Disordered Eating to Watch For
1. Strict Food Rules
One of the most common signs of disordered eating is adhering to rigid food rules. These rules often categorize foods as “good” or “bad,” leading to feelings of guilt or shame if these rules are broken. This behaviour can include obsessive calorie counting using My Fitness Pal app, strict diet adherence (eg., keto, paleo, high protein, low carb, etc), or avoiding entire food groups that you deem as “bad” such as fried foods, sweets, high carb fruits veggies, etc.
Example: You might refuse to eat anything that isn’t classified as “clean” or feel extreme guilt after consuming something you consider “unhealthy,” “sugary,” or “toxic.” Some people might say that they are “celiac” when they aren’t, to avoid eating gluten. Or, request that the dinner part host prepare a meal that caters for their diet or bring their own food to a party because they don’t feel comfortable eating food that they didn’t prepare themselves.
Why It’s Harmful: So many reasons this is harmful! These rigid food rules can lead to nutritional deficiencies, social isolation (because your mates will be annoyed at your dietary requests), and a strained relationship with food. Over time, these behaviours can increase the risk of developing a more serious eating disorder, such as binge eating or eating in secret. In fact, every single binge eating disorder begins with strict food rules and calorie restriction. Every. single. time.
2. Obsession with Food and Weight
Constantly thinking about food, when you will eat next, what you will eat, how you will prepare the food, your weight, and your body is another sign of disordered eating. This obsession can manifest as an excessive focus on calories in/out (if this formula worked, we would all be walking around looking like supermodels), frequent weighing, or constantly checking your body in the mirror.
Example: You may spend hours tracking calories or macros on apps like MyFitnessPal, or frequently measure parts of your body to monitor changes. You might weigh every morsel of food that touches your lips, such as 1 tbsp of ketchup or eat really dry bland foods so you don’t have t worry about tracking macros and calories in condiments.
Why It’s Harmful: This constant obsession with food and weight can lead to anxiety, stress, and a distorted body image. You might stop seeing in the mirror yourself as you actually are and might see yourself as bigger or smaller depending on what you ate that day. Obviously, your body doesn’t change that quickly, it’s your mind influencing what you see in the mirror. It can also interfere with your daily life, making it difficult to enjoy meals or social situations involving food. Some people lose control over their eating and overeat at social events when exposed to chips and lollies and other yummy food they normally deprive themselves of. Others starve themselves all day so that they have a ‘calorie budget’ to eat whatever they want at the social events.
3. Changes in Eating Patterns
Disordered eating often leads to big changes in eating patterns. This can include skipping meals, avoiding social events that involve food, or consuming unusually large or small portions.
Example: You might practice intermittent fasting and avoid dinner with friends because it falls outside of your “eating window,” or you might drastically reduce your portion sizes in an attempt to control your weight.
Why It’s Harmful: These changes can disrupt your body’s natural hunger cues, leading to nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and an unhealthy relationship with food. These eating patterns can actually make you MORE obsessed with food, not less, and take you further away from the goal of weight loss. Not to mention social isolation, terrible body image, and poor mental health.
4. Secret Eating
Secret eating is a behaviour where people hide food, eat alone, or make excuses to avoid eating with others. Sometimes, people will eat normally at home and around others, but then go through drive through at McDonald’s or another fast food restaurant and eat a lot of food alone in their car in secret. This behaviour is often driven by mental or physical calorie restriction, food rules, painful emotions, and obsession with food.
Example: You might sneak snacks to your room when no one is watching or avoid meals with family to eat in private.
Why It’s Harmful: Secret eating can exacerbate feelings of guilt and shame, further distancing you from a healthy relationship with food and your body. It can also lead to binge eating episodes, as the secrecy and shame may cause you to overeat when alone and when you have access to “bad’ foods.
5. Distorted Body Image
A distorted body image goes hand in hand with disordered eating. This involves having a negative perception of your body, often leading to extreme measures such as excessive exercise or restrictive dieting in an attempt to “fix” perceived flaws.
Example: You might hate how you look and frequently criticize yourself with thoughts like “I’m so ugly, I can’t go out to the beach and let people see my body,” or you might push yourself to work out excessively to change your appearance. Some people spend hours every day getting ready to appear as good as possible to cover up their flaws and bodily secrets. These people might appear exceptionally well put together and get plenty of compliments from friends about how great they look, but on the inside they still don’t feel great.
Why It’s Harmful: A distorted body image can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Actually, bad body image affects every part of your life, including relationships and sex. It’s hard to enjoy sex and relax with your partner if you are constantly worrying about them seeing your body from a bad angle. It can also drive unhealthy behaviours like excessive dieting or exercise, further harming your physical and mental health.
6. Physical Symptoms
Disordered eating can cause a range of physical symptoms, including weight fluctuations (weight loss, then weight gain, then weight loss, etc), fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails, acne, dry skin, bloating, irregular periods, amenorrhea, and vitamin or nutrient deficiencies.
Example: You might experience bloating and food intolerances because your digestive system is not getting enough food and the muscle start to atrophy over time. Or, perhaps due to eating one large meal (eg., on intermittent fasting diet) you experience constipation and bloating as your body struggles to digest all of the food in one sitting.
Why It’s Harmful: These physical symptoms are a sign that your body is not getting the nutrients it needs to function properly. Over time, this can lead to more serious health issues, including hormonal imbalances (which can lead to brittle bones), weakened immune function (hello covid, cold, flu, & cold sores), and chronic fatigue.
7. Social Withdrawal
Disordered eating can lead to social withdrawal, as people may avoid social events involving food (and so many social events involve food!) and isolate themselves to maintain control over their eating.
Example: You might choose to stay home instead of going out for dinner with friends and family, or you might avoid social gatherings where food is the focus, arriving late or making up excuses as to why you can’t try your nonna’s apple pie.
Why It’s Harmful: Social isolation leads to loneliness and depression, and is correlated with negative health outcomes. In fact, loneliness is equated with smoking 15 cigarettes per day. We have evolved as humans to need other humans to feel fulfilled, content, happy and satisfied. So, if your ‘healthy’ diet is stopping you from splitting a pizza with your best friend, think about how healthy it actually is.
8. Mood Swings and Emotional Instability
Frequent mood changes, irritability, and intense negative emotions are common in people with disordered eating. These mood swings can be triggered by food-related stress, body image issues, or the physical effects of poor nutrition. It’s a bit like the chicken-egg question, what came first? The emotional difficulties or the disordered eating?
Example: You might have angry outbursts over small changes to dinner plans because you were really looking forward to eating at a specific time and particular food. Or you might feel super upset if you overeat ‘bad’ food and feel fat for days afterwards.
Why It’s Harmful: Emotional instability can strain relationships, impact your daily functioning, and contribute to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. If left unchecked, mood swings can lead to self-harm and other harmful coping strategies.
Taking Action: Seek Support and Professional Help
If you or someone you know shows these signs of disordered eating, seeking professional help is crucial. Disordered eating can escalate into more severe eating disorders if not addressed early. Mental health professionals, including dietitians, psychologists, and other mental health providers, can offer the support and strategies needed to resolve disordered eating and give you back control over food and your body. Disordered eating rarely goes away on its own.
How to Seek Help
- Talk to Your GP: Schedule an appointment with your GP. They can help assess your symptoms and recommend a treatment plan tailored to your needs and link you with credentialed eating disorder psychologists and dietitians.
- Reach Out to a Therapist: A psychologist who specializes in eating disorders can provide valuable support in addressing the emotional and psychological aspects of disordered eating, unpacking the root causes and helping you to heal and move forward.
- Join a Support Group: Connecting with others who are going through similar experiences can make you feel part of a supportive community and make you feel less alone. Just be mindful that the group is run by a trained mental health worker and ideally it should be an in-person group as online groups can sometimes do more harm than good.
- Educate Yourself: Learn more about disordered eating, its causes, and its effects. Understanding the issue can empower you to take control of your health and seek the help you need. Most people assume they are not sick enough and delay getting help and support because they are not “skin and bones”. The physical damage that disordered eating does to your body is real, so never ever delay getting help if your eating is feeling out of control.
- Focus on Self-Care: Prioritize activities that recharge your battery and make you feel good. This might be sharing pizza with your girlfriend, walking your dogs, painting, listening to music, or doing some yoga. Make time for yourself to ensure you feel good.
Final Words
Identifying and addressing disordered eating patterns is vital to a healthy relationship with food and your body. By recognizing these signs and seeking professional support, you can work toward a more balanced approach to eating, where food is no longer a source of stress or guilt, and you no longer feel out of control around it.
Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Reach out for help and take proactive steps to change your relationship with food and your body. You deserve to live a life where you feel confident in your skin and enjoy food without fear or anxiety. If you start treatment today, in 12 months from now you will be in a much better place with food and your body. Maybe you will no longer be out of control around food and like what you see in the mirror.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog post is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical or psychological advice. While we aim to offer helpful insights into disordered eating and related topics, it is important to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or mental health provider for personalized advice and treatment. If you are experiencing severe disordered eating behaviors, mental health concerns, or other issues, please seek professional help. Our team is here to support you, and we encourage you to contact us for comprehensive care and guidance tailored to your individual needs.