Ten Lesser-Known Signs of Eating Disorders
Although eating disorders are most commonly associated with weight changes, countless other symptoms of eating disorders are excluded from most mainstream narratives. From hydration habits and eating rituals to body hair, most small signs of eating disorders go unnoticed. Identifying subtle eating disordered behaviors can help ease your recovery as you work to unlearn these habits or even help identify an eating disorder in yourself or someone else.
By: Samreen Khan
Below are ten lesser-known signs of eating disorders that may seem familiar to you or a loved one:
Drinking Too Much Or Too Little Water
Overhydration and dehydration can often accompany disordered eating habits. Many individuals feel the need to “cleanse” their bodies by drinking excessive amounts of water or drinking water in place of eating food when they are hungry. On the other hand, it is also common for someone with an eating disorder to deprive themselves of water. These reasons may range from avoiding bloat to self-punishment.
Not Eating Around Other People
Isolation is prevalent for those who struggle with eating disorders. Eating can be a shameful experience for many. People with eating disorders often wish to avoid the anxiety that comes with facing comments about their food or appearance from others, regardless of whether they come from a place of judgment or concern.
Being Preoccupied With Others’ Eating Habits
At the same time, eating disorders are illnesses that thrive on self-comparison. For this reason, many individuals with eating disorders find themselves fascinated by the eating habits of those around them. They may cook or bake food for others but not eat any themselves. They might also encourage others to eat foods they do not allow themselves to eat.
Eating at Abnormal Paces Or Specific Times
People struggling with eating disorders often either eat extremely quickly or slowly. This can be attributed to specific rules regarding how long each meal must be or indicate a lack of control around food. Other standard mealtime rules regulate when meals are eaten. This includes rules that space out meals, causing anxiety for the individual when they eat too soon or too late after their last meal. It can also mean that they only feel comfortable eating certain foods at exact times during the day.
Frequent Trips to the Bathroom Around Mealtimes
Although it may seem innocent, consistent bathroom trips before or after meals often indicate engaging in disordered behaviors such as purging to ‘make up’ for the food the individual has eaten or will eat.
Cutting Food Into Small Pieces
Cutting food into small pieces is another eating ritual that can serve as a way to control what they are eating. Similarly, some individuals will only eat with small utensils, such as using teaspoons to eat foods generally eaten with regular-sized spoons.
Developing Lanugo (The Sudden Growth of Fine Body Hair on the Arms and Chest)
Many people with eating disorders experience malnutrition. When the body becomes malnourished, it cannot provide energy to maintain functions such as retaining adequate amounts of body heat. This hair growth is the body’s way of maintaining a normal body temperature by trapping heat within the hair.
Constant Fidgeting
Although fidgeting can be attributed to many things, a sudden increase in fidgeting may signify an eating disorder. Because exercise and eating disorders are often so closely intertwined, many individuals can feel guilty if they are not in constant motion.
Over or Under Seasoning Food
Seasonings can bring ease or anxiety for those with eating disorders. Some people may relate to overdoing the seasonings to make “safe” foods more palatable or intentionally spoil the food. In contrast, others will shy away from seasonings as a form of control.
Consuming Excessive Amounts Of Food-Related Media
Eating disorders create a fixation on food that extends beyond mealtimes. Individuals with eating disorders may obsessively watch videos of others eating or making food or follow food-centric social media accounts and blogs as a way to satisfy this preoccupation with food.
Eating disorders go far beyond altered appearances. More often than not, they consume several parts of one’s daily life and routine. Being aware of these more elusive disordered habits is necessary to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding eating disorders.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues. In addition to our full-time Day Treatment Program and Weeknight Intensive Outpatient Program, we offer high-quality programming, nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, and various other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns.
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This post was written by BALANCE Blog Intern, Samreen Khan.
Samreen is a senior high school student with an ardent drive to de-stigmatize mental illness and eating disorders. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she experienced the harmful effects of “fitspo” culture firsthand for most of her childhood. Throughout her own recovery journey, she became passionate about deconstructing diet culture and raising awareness about eating disorders in her everyday life. Samreen began extending her own ideology of intuitive eating and body neutrality to others by publishing her own writing online when she was fourteen, and has since received several awards for her prose and poetry. She has conducted research on the biological and evolutionary implications of familial mental illness, and is currently taking college-level Sociology and Psychology courses with hopes to delve further into the social and cultural constructs that bolster disordered eating, especially within marginalized communities. She’s grateful for the opportunity to combine two of her strongest passions — writing and mental health — by working with BALANCE!