If you're concerned that someone close to you has started to develop an unhealthy relationship with food or exercise, we understand that alongside your worry, you may also be confused about how you can support them.
Here, we'll provide you with trusted advice and information around the following:
One of the most common early signs of an eating disorder is a preoccupation with food and/or exercise. A person may spend more time speaking about food, looking for recipes online, and cooking and baking for others.
You may also notice:
As an eating disorder progresses, you may also pick up on certain food rituals and behaviours around meal times, such as:
When someone has an eating disorder, they'll often continue to add more rules and rituals as time goes on.
A person struggling with an eating disorder will often have a disordered relationship with exercise too. If you're concerned that someone is showing the early signs of an eating disorder, you may have started to become aware of the following:
A person who's developing an unhealthy relationship with food is likely to keep track of their food and fitness. This tracking will be strict and regimented, where they monitor some or all of the following:
Over time, tracking food and fitness can prevent people from being able to listen to signals from their body. Rather than focusing on what their body wants and needs, they come to rely on rules and restrictions outlined in tracking apps and devices to dictate how they should eat, drink and exercise.
Studies have shown that using diet pills and laxatives increases the risk of someone developing an eating disorder. The products disrupt the normal functioning of the body and prevent a person from paying attention to their bodily cues.
You may notice that the person is dissatisfied with how they look. They may express this to close family and friends, and they believe other people see them in the distorted way in which they see themselves.
Discussing this dissatisfaction is one of the early signs of an eating disorder. However, that can disappear as a person becomes more unwell and tries to hide their thoughts, feelings and behaviours from people who have expressed concern.
When someone has an eating disorder, they'll often start to lie to other people about their eating and their exercise in an attempt to maintain control.
Some comments and behaviours that you may have started to notice include:
This deception is something that typically worsens over time, as the person attempts to hide what's going on from other people.
When someone is struggling with an eating disorder, this can impact their mood. They may become irritable and angry more quickly than usual, and they may also seem sad and reserved.
These mood changes can happen for a number of reasons. If the person is restricting the amount of food they eat, nutritional deficiencies may mean they have less control over their emotional regulation. They may also become more irritable or angry when conversation turns to their food intake and exercise, as they're likely to feel criticised.
Someone who has an eating disorder is also likely to struggle with their self-esteem and body confidence. This in turn can cause them to feel upset and low in mood.
At Life Works, we’re pleased to be able to offer free, same-day therapy assessments for potential eating disorder clients.
The eating disorder therapy assessments will take place over the phone or via video call with a member of our specialist therapy team. The assessment will consist of:
There are a number of treatment options available for people displaying the early signs of an eating disorder. This may include psychotherapy, nutrition education and medication if appropriate.
Common treatment paths include:
If you'd like to find out about the treatment options that are available at Priory, please visit our eating disorder treatment page for further information.
Additional support groups and resources to help people with eating disorders
