National Eating Disorders Association

Although it may start that way for some, anorexia is not “a diet gone too far.” No consciously chosen diet would take you to the point of organ failure. In reality, an eating disorder is so much more than that — it’s your brain detecting a stressor (real or perceived) and focusing on escaping from that stressor. [...]

Holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Eve can be tough for eating disorder survivors. I consider myself “in recovery,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is easy. I was first diagnosed in 2014 and have off and on dealt with eating disorders since that time. I have written in another article my main coping skills that [...]

Today, I want to celebrate how far I’ve come in my eating disorder recovery. I also want to help anyone else who currently struggles with disordered eating, of all kinds, to know that recovery is most certainly possible. I have been in recovery off and on since 2014, when I was first hospitalized for anorexia [...]

When I was 10 years old, and the 1990s turned into the 2000s, I remember thinking to myself: “2020 is so far away, I’ll probably be dead by then.” A part of my subconscious knew I would barely make it to 2020, if at all. But here I am, in 2020, with a beating heart. [...]

Despite some major advances culturally, socially and medically, eating disorders are still commonly misunderstood. On top of that, it’s not easy for many with eating disorders to communicate or describe what is and isn’t helpful as they’re trying to navigate the complexity of their illness. Supporting someone with an eating disorder doesn’t just mean driving [...]

When you develop an eating disorder (ED) at a young age, things are often different. From the way you interact with those around you, to the thoughts in your head. I developed anorexia before I was 12. And there is a hard truth that many people — with and without ED — ignore. The longing [...]

Many eating disorder treatment programs emphasize the sentiment that “food is medicine.” “Nutrition will restore weight that needs to be restored.” “Nutrition will fix medical complications.” “Nutrition will help to maintain your set point theory weight.” “Nutrition will help your mood disorders and obsessive thoughts to decrease.” “Eating is the best way to fight the [...]

Editor’s note: If you live with an eating disorder, the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “NEDA” to 741-741. To the friends who left me because of my anorexia, You left me in my worst point of weakness, when I was tired of fighting and knocking [...]