Pursuing recovery from an ED can be very challenging when you have thought for so long that food is the enemy. Pushing the boundaries of your ED to nourish yourself often brings up uncomfortable emotions, which often leads people in recovery to find comfort in following familiar, maladaptive thought patterns that seem impossible to ignore.

I often discuss with my clients the difference between their logical or “healthy” brain, and their illogical or “eating disorder/unhealthy” brain. Your ED thoughts are pushing you to continue behaviors that disrupt your life. Your healthy brain wants you to recover and has your best interest in mind. When you have given your ED brain a voice and say in your actions for so long, it can be difficult to allow your logical brain to take over. So, how can we distinguish the two?

Some signs your illogical brain is taking over:

Thoughts about obsessive exercise and pushing yourself to tiredness/exhaustion
Labeling foods as ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘healthy’, ‘unhealthy’, ‘clean’, etc.
Thoughts that have not come up in a while start to resurface (example: worrying about the nutrient content of certain foods you were previously comfortable with eating)
Demonizing, limiting, or excluding a food group like carbohydrates or fats
Believing that people will like you more or think of you differently if your body was smaller
Not allowing yourself to enjoy fun foods
Eating before events in fear they will not have acceptable food options

Ways to support the logical brain:

Consistent meetings with your dietitian and therapist
Eating consistent meals & snacks to stay adequately nourished
Journaling illogical thoughts and their replacements with logical thoughts
Opposite action = doing the exact opposite of what your ED brain is telling you (example: eating a balanced meal when ED brain is telling you to skip a meal)

A few things to remember:

Your ED thoughts tend to be more dominant in times of stress, when a triggering event occurs, or in certain environments that are heavily influenced by diet culture.
ED thoughts may never fully go away, but the frequency can be greatly reduced and not impact your behaviors.
Do not underestimate the importance of prioritizing lifestyle behaviors like stress management, sleep, and social connection. Poor management of these can make it easier for your illogical thoughts to take over.

Recovery is possible. Extra support is always available for you at Lemond Nutrition. Send us a message or give us a call to work with a dietitian!

Written By: Hannah Bjerke, MS, RDN, LD