Eating Disorders

What Are Eating Disorders & How To Recover

Eating disorders can damage your body, your relationships, and your mental health. But you can better understand the root causes of your eating disorder and get support along the path to recovery from the caring team at TheHopeLine.
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What Are Eating Disorders?

An eating disorder is characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, and an unhealthy relationship with food. You may eat too much, too little, or not at all. There are a variety of eating disorders, but some of the most prevalent symptoms across diagnoses include:

• Starving oneself, or eating as little as possible
• Severe or obsessive “dieting” that involves deprivation of food and/or stimulant drugs
• Going as long as possible without meals
• Becoming convinced that you are never thin enough, even if you are underweight for your height and age
• Eating too much, until you are so full you’re in pain (binging)
• Vomiting after you eat, either too relieve the pain of binge-eating, or in an attempt to lose more weight (purging)
• Eating excessively (such as finishing entire containers of food, eating much more than a suggested serving, etc.)
• Not changing your eating habits, even when a medical professional has warned you that your health and safety are at risk
• Using laxatives, diuretics, or enemas in an attempt to lose more weight
• Exercising more than recommended, beyond the point of pain and exhaustion

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to get help for your eating disorder immediately. Since your body needs to eat every day, eating disorders also become addictive behaviors, requiring additional support, mentoring, and monitoring.

Physical

Eating disorders can affect every organ system in the body. Your muscles are one of the first organ systems that begin to weaken, including the heart which is your most important muscle. The risk for heart failure rises because of your body not taking in the nutrition it needs to function properly. Your stomach, esophagus and intestinal track can suffer damage as well. Eating disorders are also linked with negative repercussions on your brain health.

Emotional

Those struggling with an eating disorder, likely face intense feelings of self-hatred and shame. You may also feel angry with yourself when haven’t met goals you've set. This cycle of self-hatred and shame can be overwhelming leading to an intense feeling of sadness. It is very common for those who suffer with an eating disorder to also struggle with depression and anxiety.

Spiritual

When you struggle with extremely low self-worth, pieces of your soul break down. Picking up those pieces and repairing your soul will be vital in your overall healing. Looking inward can be difficult at times but doing so with a spiritual mindset can help you find the strength you need to keep moving forward in your recovery. Spirituality and the search of it can be an important part in the recovery process with your eating disorder.

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Common Needs Behind Eating Disorders

Many people we talk to at TheHopeLine who are recovering from eating disorders have expressed a deeper need that drives their behavior beyond simply the desire to lose weight. Everyone’s situation is different, but many people develop an eating disorder out of an attempt to regain control in their life after a traumatic or painful experience.

Some people are trying to appease an abusive partner in a toxic relationship by manipulating their appearance. Some people with eating disorders have such difficult struggles with their body image and self-worth that they feel compelled to starve themselves, soothe themselves with excessive amounts of food, or both.
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Eating Disorder Recovery: Love and Acceptance

Whatever your situation, it’s time to stop blaming and punishing yourself for your eating disorder. You have no reason to be ashamed of your body. There are people who can help you break the cycle of unhealthy eating habits and reclaim a healthful relationship with food, along with a sense of contentment with your body.

If you believe you have an eating disorder, take a look at the following steps:

• Visit a physician who can give you the proper diagnosis, and appropriate recommendations for specialized treatment. They will likely refer you to other professionals, such a nutritionist or a psychologist, who can provide additional guidance.

• Consider a support group so that you feel less isolated in your recovery.

• Tell people you trust about your diagnosis so that they can help you stick to your treatment plan.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
The guilt from an eating disorder might lead to the idea that you are not good enough for God and that He can’t possibly love you. You may feel God has abandoned you because you didn't measure up to His standard. But nothing could be further from the truth This false belief is rooted in your self-hatred. Stop believing that lie and instead find security in the truth about how God views you. You are God's masterpiece. It says in the Bible. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10). And if you feel like your eating disorder hunts you down, seeking to destroy you, turn to this promise from God, We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:9)

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