Did you know that there are many hidden disordered eating behaviors — and you may not even be aware of them?
Watch today's video to see some hidden disordered eating habits, thoughts and behaviors that I had when I was struggling with my disordered eating. I've also seen similar things when working with my clients.
If you prefer reading, there's a recap below!
Hidden Eating Disorder Behaviors That You May Not Be Aware Of!
Making Food for Others But Not Eating Ourselves
This is such a common thing in those who are actually really obsessed with their food and bodies. We make food for others because we want to be near food, surrounded by food, smell food, but we're too terrified to eat any of this ourselves.
I used to do it a lot: I could bake all day long and loves when people enjoyed eating what I had made, but I would maybe have a smallest piece (if even that) and that was it.
Reading Cookbooks and Finding Recipes Online
You may find that cookbooks have become your new favorite type of literature… Or the only type of literature! You read cookbooks, daydream about the recipes to make, look at food pictures online…
This was me too! Sometimes I would even make these foods but mostly for others. But I would eat them rarely or only when I was bingeing (which happened because I was so deprived all the time).
Thinking About Food All The Time
You're trying so hard to think about other things to avoid food thoughts, but food is literally on your mind all day long. That's simply because you're hungry and you are restricting!
I remember that during the time when I was writing my PhD, I would always think about food. Try to write your thesis like that, when your brain is so exhausted.
Eating Huge Volumes of Very Low Calorie Foods
This happens because we believe that we have to only eat low calorie foods, or else — you guessed it, we get fat. So we may end up eating tons and tons of low calorie foods that fill us up but don't do much to satisfy and satiate us.
I did this with apples and baby carrots all the time. These days, I still eat apples but it's pretty rare that I eat raw carrots anymore — I just had so many of them back when I was limiting my food that I don't want to see them.
Saving Your Calories for the Last Meal Of The Day
This comes from a scarcity mindset — I don't have enough mindset. If you're not giving yourself the nutrients you need, you are constantly hungry and you think that you have to also save your calories. What if you, instead, ate enough at your breakfast and during the day, so that you had enough food in your body throughout the day? Then you wouldn't be as hungry in the evening, and wouldn't have to save calories.
Especially if you're still healing your relationship with food, you have to give yourself this freedom to eat what you want. And especially if you've been constantly under eating and maybe even had Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, it's particularly important that you don't put any upper limits to your caloric intake.
Do You Want To Stop the Food War and Finally Eat Normally?
If you want to start like a normal, healthy person, stop following the rules that do more harm than good, enjoy a meal out, and truly enjoy your eating, get in touch here. I am happy to help you get there.
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