How to Prepare for the Holidays When You Have an Eating Disorder

The holidays are a special time of year for so many people. Spending time with family, eating delicious foods, and doing holiday activities that you only experience this time of year. For some people, the holidays are a hellscape. When you are dealing with an eating disorder or eating disorder symptoms, it can feel overwhelming to spend time around people and food when you are uncomfortable in your body and have a difficult relationship with food. People with eating disorders often feel guilty because they want to be able to relax and enjoy themselves and enjoy the most magical time of year but they’re stressed out. 

If you have an eating disorder and you dread the holidays, I get that it’s difficult for you, and you wish you didn’t feel this way but you do. First, I want you to honor and respect what you feel. You don’t need to try not to feel that way. Use self-compassion and be gentle with yourself. Perhaps you and I can just make a game plan for how to prepare for the holidays instead? Let’s do it

Eating Disorder Coping Skills for the holidays 

There are numerous ways to manage and cope that will be effective and helpful to you. The ones that I have listed may not be all that you need, and that’s ok. There are more options than just these to help you get through the holidays. These are a few to consider trying. 

Accept the holidays are challenging

As I said before, you don’t need to try and convince yourself to love the holidays. Pretending you are fine is just another attempt of shoving emotions down that will bubble right back up later. Having an eating disorder during the holidays is difficult. There’s both food and people you are uncomfortable with, and that’s understandable. Accepting that the holidays are challenging doesn’t mean there’s a need to feel more anxious and work yourself up further about it. The holidays might mean more anxiety, and it also might mean that you feel eating disorder triggers. It’s expected that this time of year will be harder for you. 

Create a Plan

There’s no need to bust out the spreadsheets or create a PowerPoint. I know you may be tempted but we don’t need that robust of a plan. You still need to allow flexibility in your life and recognize you don’t have all the control over the outcomes. The type of plan to focus on is focusing on the big picture. What type of coping skills do you think you’ll need during this time of year? Think about giving yourself space to use coping skills to prepare for events that are centered around food and people and consider what self-care you will use after to recover. Consider how you will cope with anxiousness when it arises. Be careful that you aren’t using more eating disorder behaviors to compensate for food you’ve eaten or will eat.

Recognize your triggers

Knowing beforehand what your triggers might be are important. You can’t anticipate everything that will be triggering, and that’s not what we are trying to do. I’m sure you have a good idea of potential pitfalls for yourself might. If you know Aunt Jan is going to complain about her weight or say how bad she is for eating the fudge, let’s anticipate that might be triggering. Remember that people in your life will not understand eating disorders even though you desperately want them to. You will have family members using disordered eating behaviors and they probably still won’t get it. It’s unbelievably frustrating and triggering. Consider how you’ll take care of yourself and cope when triggers arise. 

Use your voice 

You do not have to suck it up and pretend you're ok. It’s ok to politely ask Aunt Jan to change the conversation. It’s ok to use your voice and tell people you are uncomfortable with the conversations about dieting and weight in the new year. They might not understand, and you might feel guilty making a request but that doesn't mean you shouldn’t do it. Sometimes anxiety can grow stronger when you don’t speak up and share that something is bothering you. It’s not an unreasonable thing to ask to change the topic when you are uncomfortable even if it’s not about eating, food, or body image. Advocate for yourself. Your thoughts and opinion matter. 

Reach Out to Supports 

This time of year is one of the most important times to utilize the people in your life that are safe. Identify the people you are comfortable with being open about how you feel. Arrange beforehand to check in with them about how you are doing and feeling during the holidays. You don’t have to try and do this on your own. Do whatever works for you as far as contact with supportive people. Sending a text when you are struggling and need to talk about how you feel can take the edge off during a difficult time of year. You don’t have to do this all yourself. People care about you and want to help.

Resources for trying to navigate eating disorder recovery during the holidays

Your eating disorder recovery matters and needs to be prioritized regardless of the holidays. The National Eating Disorder Association provides a holiday round-up of resources to help you navigate your eating disorder recovery. These resources can not only help you utilize coping skills and manage your triggers but can also help your family members and friends know how to support you.

Eating disorder therapy in Utah is a good option

Therapy can do wonders for you when you are in the midst of an eating disorder or disordered eating. You don’t have to keep feeling overwhelmed by food. You can stop the binge and restrict the cycle. You don’t have to keep putting off therapy because you don’t think it’s “that bad” or “other people have it worse.” You deserve to get help before your eating disorder gets any worse. You are not wasting time by going to therapy. Therapy can help you develop the skills necessary to deal with triggers and to be able to manage your anxiety better. You can stop hating your body so badly. I love being an eating disorder therapist because I get to help you address all of the areas of your life that might be impacted by your eating disorder. I promise eating disorder therapy can help if you are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to heal. Don’t know what to talk about? I promise there are plenty of topics to address in eating disorder therapy.

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah

You don’t have to keep feeling stuck with your relationship with food. You can stop hating yourself and get off the hamster wheel of repeating the same cycles over and over again. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Center has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery 

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah

I know how hard it is to be able to find an experienced therapist in your town that knows how to treat eating disorders. There are so many parts of Utah that don’t have access to this. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. You don’t have to travel to your therapy appointments but can join your therapy session from the comfort of your home through video chat. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy. My clients love online eating disorder therapy, and I believe you will too. 

Online therapy means I work with clients in Logan, Salt Lake City, Cedar City, St. George, Provo, Heber City, and more!

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service offered at this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, EMDR therapy, anxiety therapy, body image therapy, counseling for college students, and therapy for birth trauma. Schedule a free phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and eating disorder therapist at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a master's degree in social work from Utah State University as well as two bachelor's degrees, one in psychology and one in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She has been treating eating disorders since 2013 and loves working with women who are desperate for eating disorder recovery. in treating eating disorders, Ashlee likes to use EMDR to address underlying negative beliefs about themselves as well as help women heal from past experiences. When Ashlee is in the therapy room, she enjoys spending time exploring the red hills in St. George, Utah on her e-bike.  

Other Blog Posts written by an eating disorder therapist in Utah

• Why College Students Develop Eating Disorders 

• What to Expect from Eating Disorder Therapy 

• A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy 

• 5 Reasons to Go to Eating Disorder Therapy 

• Online Eating Disorder Therapy: A Therapy Guide

• Everything You Need to Know About Eating Disorder Therapy

• 6 Things Not to Say to Someone with Binge Eating Disorder 

Why College Students Develop Eating Disorders

Being a college student is a vulnerable time to develop an eating disorder. There are many factors that make college the perfect storm for disordered eating behaviors to occur, and for many, this is just the beginning. Around 15-20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis with a much higher percentage of college students with disordered eating. Having a fraught relationship with food in a college impacts the overall mental health of college students. 

The National Eating Disorder Association shares that eating disorders impact people of all different genders, religions races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body sizes, and weights. Contrary to what you have been led to believe in school or by society, you can’t tell if someone has an eating disorder based on their outer appearance or weight. The minority of eating disorder cases are below weight while most people with eating disorders are of “normal” weight or “overweight”. Eating disorders are deadly at any size or weight. 

College students with eating disorders are able to hide their eating disorders from their family and friends and even themselves. Living away from home or not having consistent contact with parents makes it easier for an eating disorder to grow and thrive. This is not to say that living at home or seeing parents often will stop someone from developing an eating disorder. This just may be one risk factor for developing an eating disorder but there are plenty of people using eating disorder behaviors right before the eyes of family members and friends. Eating disorders are sneaky and easy to get away with. 

What are the factors that put college students at risk for developing an eating disorder?

College is a challenging time and a time of tremendous social development. There are numerous factors that make it easy for an eating disorder to develop in college students. This is not an exhaustive list but some factors to consider. 

Increased stress and anxiety

I look back on my college years, and I don’t even know how it was possible to deal with the academic rigor required on top of other stressors. Working with college students as a therapist and hearing all that they are trying to juggle, puts me in a state of awe and bewilderment. I see college students struggle with high-functioning anxiety and don’t realize they are struggling with anxiety. This time of life is incredibly stressful. College students are leaving home, trying to manage all of these new responsibilities and relationships they are developing. For many people, college is the first time many start dating, and college students struggle with dating anxiety. 

Perfectionism 

The clients I have worked with shared showing signs of being a perfectionist in high school and earlier but perfectionism seems to really flair up in college years. College students are worried about maintaining good grades to keep their scholarships, to get into graduate school, or maintain their standing in athletics. It’s enormous pressure to do well in college for many college students. Perfectionism can also translate into struggling with body image issues and wanting to have a perfect body and appearance. Developing an eating disorder often starts out with wanting to lose weight but can progress into perfectionism around food and eating. 

More responsibilities

Going to college means dealing with more responsibilities than you’ve ever had before. Regardless if parents are helping out financially or not, being a college student means doing things you may never have had to do on your own before. Paying rent, going grocery shopping, knowing what courses to take and signing up for classes, cooking for yourself, and much more. It can difficult to be able to manage to have enough money to pay for food and then find time to cook. College students lose weight and find they get more attention and compliments on weight loss making them believe this is what they need to keep doing. This progresses into disordered eating. 

Loss of direct support 

Moving out of the house and going to college usually means less face-to-face interaction with parents, family members, and other supportive people in your life. This can lead to greater stress and anxiety. It also means less help with food and cooking or not having someone aware of disordered eating behavior. People with anxiety can lose their anxiety and start eating less. This leads to weight loss, which can progress to disordered eating. 

Fear of “the freshman 15” 

When an overachiever is told that they are going to gain at least 15 pounds their freshman year of college, they not only might not want to gain weight but they will achieve even better and lose weight. It’s scary to think of your body changing along with the pressure to be thin in this society. What isn’t told about the freshman 15 is that you are continuing to go through puberty your freshman year of college. Your body isn’t done developing just because you graduate high school. Your body might need to gain weight because it’s still growing. However, this fear of weight gain can be a precursor to eating disorder behaviors. 

Comparison to others 

We live in a world that is about comparison and competition. Social media makes this substantially worse. Seeing airbrushed, sculpted, and filtered bodies naturally increases body dissatisfaction. College seems to bring up more compared to more people than you were used to in high school. On top of this, there is pressure to date and get married in college, especially in Utah. There is more pressure on appearance and to be attractive. College students might start changing their bodies through weight loss because that’s what they believe they need to do to be attractive. Eating disorders start in what seems like a harmless attempt to lose weight. 

Collegiate athletes 

A particularly vulnerable population of college students are those that play college sports. Weight gain in college sports especially for women is often given a negative reaction or negative consequences. Watching SUU gymnastics meets at the centrum, makes me realize how conscious these athletes have to be in their uniforms and with others seeing their bodies. Many sports can show the importance of not gaining weight. In order to not gain weight or maintain weight, athletes might start restricting and avoiding foods. 

What are eating disorder symptoms?

There are numerous eating disorder symptoms and they are often hard to spot. These are some of them to look for: 

• Weight loss or dieting 

• Refusal to eat certain types of foods 

• Restricting food groups 

• Skipping meals or decreasing portions

• Avoiding activities where food is involved

• Isolating from friends and family

• Preoccupation with body size and weight 

• Obsessing over food and eating

• Anxiety around food and eating

• Irritability and mood swings

• Fluctuations in weight 

• Digestive issues 

• Menstrual irregularities

• Difficulty regulating temperature

• Insomnia and sleep issues

• Hair Loss

• Dry skin 

• Weakened immune system

• Excessive exercise

• Loss of interest in things once previously found interesting

• Drinking excessive amounts of water

• Eating large quantities of food 

• Shame around eating 

• Rituals around eating

• Cutting food into small pieces 

• Low self-esteem related to body image

Eating disorder therapy can help 

Struggling with your relationship with food can become all-consuming. You start avoiding situations where food is involved. You think about food more than you would want to. It’s tough when you feel stressed and overwhelmed with your body and appearance. You desperately wish that you didn’t feel this way but that doesn’t seem to change much for you. You might feel embarrassed thinking about talking to someone about your eating issues because you are afraid of judgment or being told that there’s nothing wrong with you so why would you think you need therapy? I know it’s a scary position to be in. I also know it’s hard to know what to expect in eating disorder therapy. I also know how much eating disorder therapy could help you if you’re struggling. You don’t have to try and figure it out alone. As an eating disorder therapist, I want to help anyone that desires to feel better and will do whatever it takes. Seeing an eating disorder professional could be life-changing, and you deserve to have your life changed for the better. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah

You don’t have to keep struggling with your eating disorder. Even if you don’t think your eating concerns really meet the criteria for an eating disorder, I don’t want that to stop you from reaching out for help. You don’t have to keep living this way because you don’t think it’s bad enough. Eating disorder therapy can help you. This Utah Counseling Clinic has an eating disorder therapist specializing in treating eating disorders. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders 

3. Begin eating disorder treatment

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It’s important to be able to work with a therapist that specializes in treating eating disorders. Utah has many areas that don’t have an eating disorder therapist in their town. This means that in order to access therapy, you have to drive a distance to meet attend your therapy appointment. I know how inconvenient and difficult this is. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy means that you don’t have to leave home to meet with an eating disorder therapist. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy and doesn’t have to interfere with your life as much. The clients I work with end up loving online eating disorder therapy.

Online counseling means I work with clients in Cedar City, St. George, Provo, Heber City, Logan, Salt Lake City, and more. I work with college students from Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, and Utah Tech University. 

Other Mental Health Services Provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided at this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services offered by Maple Canyon Therapy include birth trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, counseling for college students, body image therapy, and anxiety therapy. I would love to be able to help you feel better. Schedule a phone consultation to see how we can work together. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in eating disorder treatment at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a bachelor's in psychology and family life and human development from Southern Utah University. Ashlee obtained her master's in social work from Utah State University. She has been working with eating disorders since she was a student therapist at USU Counseling and Psychological Service in graduate school. She believes fully recovering from an eating disorder is possible through therapy and utilizing other supports. Ashlee loves helping clients practice self-compassion and believes this is critical for healing. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys riding her ebike through Southern Utah. 

Other Blog Posts From Maple Canyon Therapy

• Body Image Issues: 4 Ways to Cope 

• 3 Topics to Address in Eating Disorder Therapy 

• What I Love About Being An Eating Disorder Therapist 

• A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy 

• Supporting Someone With Negative Body Image: 4 Tips From a Body Image Therapist

• 5 Reasons to Go to Eating Disorder Therapy 

• 5 Things I Would Never Do As An Eating Disorder Therapist

How to Prepare for the Holidays When You Have Anxiety

It doesn’t matter how much you love the holidays, they can still be stressful. When you have anxiety, it can feel like an intense time of year to navigate all of your feelings. You can have good relationships with family and friends but still, feel anxious when thinking about showing up to an ugly sweater party or the annual family Christmas gathering. It might not just be people that make you anxious but it can be all of the expectations and to-do lists that are expected of you. Maybe you struggle with perfectionistic tendencies and want things to go just as you envisioned them, and all of that can cause anxiety. It can be challenging to try and enjoy yourself when you’re feeling stressed, worried, and anxious.  You might just be trying to survive the holidays.

How do I deal with anxiousness during the holidays?

Many people deal with high-functioning anxiety and don’t realize it. You may have symptoms of anxiety without recognizing it because you chalk it up to stress or you’ve always felt that way. You might have a picture in your head of what anxiety is, and you know you don’t have that. That doesn’t mean your experience is any less valid or that your feelings aren’t something to focus on. It’s not my intent to make you feel like you need an anxiety diagnosis because believe it or not I don’t always think diagnoses are always that helpful. What is important is that you acknowledge and connect with your feelings. Followed up with you to find ways to take care of yourself and cope effectively. 

Ways to deal with anxiety during the holidays

I hope it goes without saying that this list isn’t meant to be the only list of coping skills you should use when managing anxiety. These are just a few examples of suggestions to prepare for the holidays when you struggle with feeling anxious. 

Cope ahead 

This is one of the best coping skills when it comes to potential possible holiday anxiety. Coping ahead means that you make a plan in advance to utilize coping skills. What’s the situation that might trigger your anxiety to increase? Decide what is the best way of dealing with this situation is. Consider finding ways to lower your stress and anxiety before you are put in that situation by utilizing self-care strategies. If you know you have to go to Christmas dinner with your in-laws with whom you have a strained relationship, make sure you have a plan before and after to deal with your stress. 

Give yourself space 

The holidays are stressful when you have Christmas shopping to do, parties to host and attend, Santa Claus to assist, etc. Trying to cram it all in at once can make things even more stressful. Take your time. Don’t do it all at once. Spread things out in your schedule so that you can make sure you take time to take care of yourself. You need time to decompress, lie on the couch by the fire, and enjoy the holiday season. The goal of the holiday doesn’t have to be to cram in as much. Sometimes the holidays need to be about giving less. 

Practice self-compassion 

What you don’t need right now is to judge yourself or use self-criticism for why you feel anxious. You might believe that helps motivate you to keep it together but it does the exact opposite. You will feel less motivated and likely to adhere to your goals long-term when you’re mean to yourself. Practice being kind and having self-compassion. People get confused that self-compassion is enabling them to do things outside of their values. What it really is is being gentle with yourself WHILE you do the things that are important to you. It means being patient and kind to yourself for being a human. What better time than the holidays to start practicing being kind to yourself? 

Prioritize sleep and rest 

Don’t laugh at this one thinking that it’s impossible. If you don’t sleep well in general it’s hard to imagine sleeping well during the holidays. Hear me out though! This is the most important time to get enough rest and sleep. If your anxiety is higher than usual then it’s going to take more energy from you. You need the energy to be able to show up for the people you love and care about. You need energy for yourself to keep your mental health intact. If you have trouble sleeping, prioritize relaxing and resting. You can only focus on what’s in your power and control. 

Expect that you will feel anxious 

It’s important to go into the holiday season with realistic expectations. It’s not realistic to think that you won’t have any anxiety around a stressful time of year. It’s possible that you won’t feel any anxiety but maybe not likely. When you feel anxious about the holidays, don’t be alarmed or critical of yourself. Ride the wave of anxiety and recognize that it will pass but nothing is wrong with you because you’re struggling. 

Working with an anxiety therapist can help 

One of the most common times for clients to reach out for therapy is after the holidays. Many people feel like you do. The good news is that anxiety therapy can help you manage your anxiety better regardless of the time of year. Some of us are more prone to anxiety than others but anxiety can also be symptomatic of something else. If you deal with anxiety, it’s possible there’s something in your history that might be worth dealing with. As an anxiety therapist, I want to be able to help you cope with anxiety better but also lower your overall anxiety in general. Maybe the goal for next year is to work on yourself and become a more balanced version of yourself. 

Start anxiety therapy in Utah

You don’t have to feel overwhelmed with anxiety. Feeling anxious doesn’t have to cause distress. Anxiety therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Clinic has an anxiety therapist specializing in anxiety therapy that can help. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for anxiety 

3. Find relief from your anxiety symptoms

Online Anxiety Therapy in Utah

It can be hard to make your schedule fit another appointment. Some people feel far too anxious to try and find an office space to meet. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online counseling is just as effective as in-person therapy but much more convenient. 

Online therapy means I can work with you wherever you’re located in Utah. I work with clients in Salt Lake City, St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Provo, Heber City, and more. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy

Anxiety therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided by this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, eating disorder therapy, counseling for college students, birth trauma therapy, and body image therapy. Schedule a phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a bachelor's in psychology and a bachelor's in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She obtained her Master's in Social Work from Utah State University. Ashlee loves working with women and helping them find relief from their symptoms of anxiety. She sees many women struggling with feeling anxious but being determined to keep it all together. Ashlee uses an acceptance and commitment therapy approach to help her clients find relief and distance themselves from negative thoughts. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys spending time outdoors experiencing all parts of Utah but especially enjoys the warmer weather at Zion National Park in Southern Utah.

Other blog posts from Maple Canyon Therapy

• An Anxiety Therapist’s Top 5 Tips For Calming Down 

• 7 Ways to Cope With Seasonal Depression

• 3 Self-Care Destinations To Visit In the State of Utah

• You Might Never Be Fully Ready: Why Try Therapy Anyway

Eating Disorder Symptoms: What Are They?

Eating disorders aren’t as easy to spot as you may think. They are so sneaky that people that have eating disorders don’t realize they have an eating disorder. Family members and loved ones miss them all the time. Nobody is to blame but yet parents and family members lament that they can’t believe they had no idea. When I worked at an eating disorder hospital, I facilitated a family support group. Time and time again family members expressed having immense guilt for not knowing sooner. It’s a common experience, and many wonder how it could be possible to not have a clue that someone they love was engaging in eating disorder behaviors. 

Eating Disorder Symptoms are easy to miss

One reason why you may not recognize eating disorder symptoms in a loved one or in yourself is that our society glorifies disordered eating behaviors. Intermittent fasting can be a symptom of anorexia but it’s rebranded as something else. Eating disorder symptoms can have a different name but it doesn’t change that it’s disordered. Dieting and body bashing is such common practice that nobody even bats an eye anymore. It’s scary. As an eating disorder therapist, I’m losing sleep over seeing eating disorder symptoms hidden in plain sight. 

It’s not your fault for not knowing about eating disorder behaviors and symptoms. However, if we all know more and educate ourselves on them we can prevent the people we love from experiencing more suffering and pain. When you understand the harmful impact of dieting and place emphasis on appearance, you can stop using those behaviors and thus prevent more eating disorders. It’s my goal to help educate you on eating disorders and their behaviors. 

What are the different types of eating disorders?

I don’t know about you but when I was in health class I learned about two eating disorders and the gist of it was: either you don’t eat or if you do eat then you throw it up. Even as a type that I’m cringing. There are more to eating disorders than that and there are more eating disorders than you might know about. Here are some of the most common types of eating disorders. 

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa involves restrictive eating, weight loss, and distorted body image. People with anorexia may also fail to maintain a healthy body weight even if they aren’t losing weight. Individuals with anorexia tend to restrict food groups, count calories, and have fear around eating certain foods. These individuals may engage in compulsive exercise, purge through vomiting and laxatives or binge eat. While yes, individuals experience anorexia in their teen years, people of all ages can have anorexia nervosa. It’s important to know that you cannot tell someone has anorexia by their outer appearance. In fact, we don’t diagnose anyone with an eating disorder based on their outside appearance. People with anorexia can be a normal body weight and even cases of “atypical anorexia” (most insulting name ever) people can be at higher weights. It’s important not to assume someone has an eating disorder based on their body weight. 

Bulimia Nervosa 

All eating disorders can be potentially life-threatening but bulimia is one of the most life-threatening eating disorders. This eating disorder involves episodes of binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting known as purging. Purging is medically concerning for the significant health risk it poses. Individuals with bulimia feel out of control during episodes of binging and feel powerless over how much they are eating. People with bulimia will purge as a way to prevent weight gain. They will utilize overexercise, laxatives, fasting, and diuretics as purging behaviors as well. This eating disorder is scary because of the havoc it wrecks on the body and how unbelievably secretive it is. 

Binge Eating Disorder 

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States. Binge eating disorder is the eating disorder where I notice the most shame. This eating disorder involves eating large quantities of food in a short period of time. People report feeling out of control during binge episodes as well. People with this eating disorder often eat in private and are discrete during these episodes. They feel guilt for their behaviors and may begin periods of restriction after binge eating episodes. Binge eating disorder is newly recognized by the DSM-V but is not a new eating disorder. 

Other Specified Eating Disorder

Other Specific Eating Disorder (OSFED) is an eating disorder that can be compromised of many different symptoms but doesn’t fit the specific criteria of the other eating disorder behaviors frequency. Many people would meet the criteria for OSFED and have no idea because it doesn’t fit in the box of Binge eating disorder, Anorexia, or bulimia. OSFED can be life-threatening just like other eating disorders. People are diagnosed with OSFED when they didn’t demonstrate the strict diagnostic behaviors required by other eating disorders. This eating disorder has just as many medical risks and dangers as more known eating disorders. 

Avoidant/restrictive Food Intake Disorder 

Avoidant/restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) may be the least known eating disorder. ARFID like anorexia involves restricting foods and food types. However, ARFID doesn’t have the same fears around weight gain and body image that anorexia does. People with ARFID often have anxiety around textures and the sensory experience around food. Those diagnosed with ARFID have shared having anxiety around eating foods that aren’t deemed safe. Often people with ARFID seem like picky eaters and have limitations on what they will eat resulting in weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. People with ADHD, autism and intellectual disabilities are more likely to develop ARFID. 

What are eating disorder symptoms?

Each eating disorder has a different set of symptoms and how frequently they are demonstrated. Regardless of the type of eating disorder, it can be helpful to recognize that they are symptoms of an eating disorder and that professional help may be needed. The list I have compiled of symptoms is not an exhaustive list but some of the common symptoms of eating disorders. 

Emotional and behavioral symptoms: 

Weight changes,  Dieting, and control over food 

People with eating disorders often have changes in their weight through weight loss, weight gain, or cycling between both of them. Eating disorders often begin with dieting and progress to disordered eating. People with eating disorders often feel they have no control over food or make effort to try and control food. 

Preoccupation with weight, food, and nutrition 

A common eating disorder symptom is thinking about food, body image, and calories in an obsessive way. It can be difficult to not think about these things and these topics tend to be all-consuming for a person with an eating disorder. 

Discomfort with eating in front of others 

A symptom of an eating disorder is being afraid to eat in front of others. This may be because they don’t want anyone to judge the food they are eating or be seen as someone that “overeats” or doesn’t eat enough. Eating with other people can cause a lot of distress to those with eating disorders. 

Refusing to eat certain food groups or restricting certain foods

Not eating certain food groups or specific foods is a common eating disorder symptom. People with eating disorders may allow eating specific foods but only in a very limited quantity. They do this in an attempt to gain control. 

Extreme concern with body size and weight 

We live in a society that is obsessed with appearance and losing weight. In fact, this is often a precursor to an eating disorder. However, those with eating disorders have extreme concerns about their weight and appearance. They are willing to do drastic things to maintain this. 

Engaging in body checking 

Everyone has a different form of body checking. It can range from examining their bodies in a mirror, taking note of how much room they take up in a chair, measuring their body parts, etc. This helps calm anxiety and provides reassurance that their body is the right size. If not, they might increase their eating disorder behaviors. 

Withdrawal or isolation from activities and people 

People with eating disorders have higher instances of anxiety and depression. Those with eating disorders may worry about being seen by others and believe others will be critical of their bodies. They avoid spending time with people to avoid potential criticism or judgment. 

Avoiding situations where food is involved 

An eating disorder symptom that is common is avoiding social events or situations where they might have to eat. They might avoid a birthday party because they don’t want to eat the cake or just don’t want to be seen eating in front of others. 

Abnormal rituals with food 

There are numerous rituals with food that people with eating disorders can have that I couldn’t even name them all. Some examples include cutting food into tiny pieces, chewing for long periods of time, tearing food apart, etc. Doing these behaviors may be obsessive-compulsive behaviors to relieve anxiety or to help the person not feel as overwhelmed to eat. 

Physical symptoms: 

Fluctuating weight gain or weight loss 

For many eating disorders, a goal is to lose weight. Restricting can lead to weight loss but also edema and swelling, which can lead to the number on the scale going up. This can reinforce more restricting, which may also increase water retention and inflammation. Binging behaviors can also lead to weight gain. 

Gastrointestinal issues 

It’s extremely common for people with eating disorders to have GI issues. From gastroparesis to heartburn and everything in between. Constipation, diarrhea, stomach aches, and more are all common for individuals with an eating disorder. 

Insomnia and sleep issues 

Nutritional deficiencies, stress, anxiety, depression, and more all can impact the ability to sleep. It’s common for people with eating disorders to have insomnia or other sleep issues. 

Menstrual cycle irregularities 

People who have been restricting calories can experience a loss of their period. A new cycle on binge eating and menstrual cycles has shown those that who binge eat are more likely to lose their period or have infrequent periods than those that don’t binge eat. No eating disorder is exempt from menstrual irregularities. 

Hair loss or baby hair growing on the body

Lack of proper nutrition leads to hair loss. Those who have been restricting food and calories may also start to grow baby hair over their body as a way of protection. 

Muscle loss

Lossing of muscle mass is common in eating disorders. Not only does restricting calories cause fat loss (including in the brain) but it leads to losing muscle mass as well. 

Swollen glands 

Individuals with eating disorders who engage in purging especially can have swollen glands around their faces. This ends up reinforcing to them that they are “fat” and need to continue their eating disorder behaviors. The good news is swollen glands disappear when the individual stops engaging in binging and purging. 

Remember eating disorders require a diagnosis from an eating disorder therapist or another specialist 

In order to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, you need to be assessed by an eating disorder therapist or other eating disorder specialist. Many people with eating disorders don’t realize they have an eating disorder and go on with their behaviors. Being able to meet with a therapist specializing in eating disorders can help you understand your diagnosis, and to make a plan to get help. 

If you aren’t experiencing eating disorder symptoms it doesn’t mean you don’t need help

If you look through this list, and you don’t believe that you are experiencing these symptoms, I don’t want you to walk away believing that you don’t need help. Not only do you need help but you deserve it. Everyone’s body responds in different ways, and that doesn’t mean you should prolong reaching out for support. If you don’t have eating disorder symptoms yet, it means that you’re in an even better place to work on your mental health. You don’t have to stay in disordered eating until you develop symptoms in order to warrant help. You deserve help now. You deserve eating disorder treatment.

Eating disorder therapy can help

If you are feeling overwhelmed by realizing your relationship with food is not where you want it to be, it’s not too late for help. Eating disorder therapy can help you regardless of how long you’ve been in your eating disorder. Eating disorder therapy can help you focus on changing your thoughts and beliefs about yourself and your body. You can learn to heal from past experiences that made you feel like you aren’t good enough. When you have an eating disorder it requires a team approach: a dietitian, a psychiatrist, and a medical professional. I can help you find people that are trained to help you but reaching out for therapy is the first step in helping you in eating disorder recovery. 

Begin working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

You don’t have to feel anxiety about eating and food. You can find relief from your negative thoughts. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a Utah therapist 

3. Start eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

Online eating disorder therapy allows women all throughout Utah to have access to and the opportunity to work with an eating disorder therapist. There are many parts of Utah that don’t have an eating disorder therapist in their city that has the specialized training and experience to work with eating disorders. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy without you having to leave home. 

I work with clients in Salt Lake City, St. George, Logan, Heber City, Cedar City, Provo, and more. Online counseling can suit your needs wherever you’re located. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only service this Utah Counseling Clinic provides. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and body image therapy in Utah. Sign up for a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a bachelor's degree in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. Ashlee obtained her Master's in Social Work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been working with eating disorders since 2013 when she graduated from a university counseling center. Her passion for eating disorders first started by working with college students. She has worked at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for eating disorder treatment and worked with women at all levels of care. Through professional training and conferences, Ashlee continues to expand her understanding and knowledge of eating disorders. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys exploring Utah with her husband and two Goldendoodles. 

How to Avoid Binging on Thanksgiving: Tips From An Binge Eating Disorder Therapist

For some people, thanksgiving is a holiday they love and look forward to every year. They’re thrilled to cook and bake and to be around the people they love. For others, Thanksgiving is something they feel anxious about. They don’t have a good relationship with food and worry about the consequences of what they eat on this day. They struggle to be around their family which makes them uncomfortable. Everyone has a mixed experience on this holiday, and that’s ok. 

One way people cope with uncomfortable feelings is through binging or restricting food. Even the average person, struggles to not binge or overeat on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is known as the meal that everyone binges on but that doesn’t have to be the case. If being uncomfortably full or binging is not your goal, I would love to help. 

How do I not binge on Thanksgiving?

The most important thing I need you to know is that we aren’t creating a rule that you can’t overeat on Thanksgiving. Honoring and listening to your body in the moment is what’s important. If you don’t want to binge eat on thanksgiving, I have some tips for you. 

Don’t skip meals before 

Whether you eat your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or dinner, you might feel tempted to skip the meals before. You can either be trying to compensate for the meal you’ll eat later or you want to save room for your thanksgiving feast but this ends up being counterintuitive. Restricting meals often leads to overeating when you do eat. This causes you to be overly hungry, and you are more likely to binge on Thanksgiving dinner. Eat normally leading up to your meal if you don’t want to be prone to binging. 

Eat only the things you love

When it comes right down to it, you’re eating to fuel your body and not to please other people. If you don’t like Aunt Susan’s green bean casserole, you don’t have to eat it. You don’t need to fill your plate (or your life) with things that you don’t really love and enjoy. Sometimes it helps to think beforehand about the foods you really look forward to on Thanksgiving. Plan on eating those because those are the things you like. Skip out on the food you don’t want or enjoy. You’re not alive to people, please. Take care of yourself. 

Be present while eating

Take some deep breaths before you start your meal. Put down your fork between bites. Again, this isn’t a rule, and you aren’t trying to restrict food. However, if you’re trying to listen to your hunger and fullness signals it can help to go slow. No thanks to diet culture eating slowly is another trick to restrict. That’s not what we are trying to do here. Eating slowly helps you stay present and in tune. Eating food fast will have a higher likelihood of resulting in a binge. 

Don’t plan to diet after

If you’re going into thanksgiving dinner or any of the holidays with the mindset that the diet starts on Monday or in the New year, you’re going to not just binge for one meal. You’re going to binge all weekend long or for the rest of the year. Just the thought of restriction will lead to a higher likelihood of binging. You will get into “the last supper” mentality and won’t be listening to your body. Dieting leads to a rebound in weight gain plus some in 95 percent of people. Dieting is out and listening to your body is in. 

Be compassionate, it’s just one meal 

In the end, it’s just one meal. Whether you overeat or binge, it’s ok. It’s one meal. It’s not going to ruin you. You don’t have to beat yourself up or give it any more thought. Be kind to yourself. You did the best you can. Berating yourself isn’t going to lead to long-term positive results. Try self-compassion instead. 

Binge eating disorder treatment can help

If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of restricting and binging, it can be difficult to stop on your own. I’m sure you’ve tried. There’s nothing wrong with you because this is where you struggle. Working with a professional that specializes in binge eating disorder can help you stop the cycle. It can erode your self-esteem to keep bouncing back and forth between binging and restricting. There is a way out and binge eating disorder treatment can help. 

Ready to start working with a binge eating disorder therapist in Utah?

You don’t have to keep struggling with your relationship with food. You can stop feeling anxious and not keep perpetuating the cycle of binging and restricting. Binge eating disorder treatment can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has a binge eating disorder therapist specializing in binge eating disorder treatment in Utah. To start the therapy process, follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist 

3. Begin finding food freedom

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It’s important to be able to have access to a therapist that specializes in eating disorder treatment. There are many parts of Utah that don’t have an eating disorder therapist in their town. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. It allows you to meet face-to-face with an eating disorder therapist over a video platform. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy.

Online counseling also means that wherever you are in Utah, we can work together. I work with clients in Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan, St. George, Cedar City, Heber City, and more.

Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy 

Binge eating disorder treatment isn’t the only counseling service provided at this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, eating disorder therapy, body image therapy, and anxiety therapy. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has two bachelor's degrees: a degree in psychology and a degree in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. Ashlee has a master's degree in social work from Utah State University. She has worked with eating disorders at all levels of care from inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient. Ashlee loves helping women work through eating disorder recovery and find freedom from the anxiety they feel around food. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two Goldendoodles exploring Utah.

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy

• 4 Tips to Recover From a Binge From an Eating Disorder Therapist

• Binge Eating Disorder: A Comprehensive Guide

• 6 Things Not to Say to Someone with Binge Eating Disorder 

• Binge Eating Disorder Treatment: Everything You Need to Know

3 Reasons Why You Might Love Online Eating Disorder Therapy

I’ve recently asked my clients about what they thought online therapy would be like and what some of their hesitancies were. The fear of not being able to read social cues, that it won’t be as effective as in-person or that it might just be weird. I’ve been doing online therapy since before the pandemic and was surprised that some people didn’t love the idea before they tried it. 

Despite some of the myths, you might actually love online eating disorder therapy. Online eating disorder therapy is effective, and I want you to love it because it’s so impactful to have access to an eating disorder therapist from wherever you are in Utah. 

Reasons why you might like online eating disorder therapy

There are numerous reasons why online eating disorder therapy is a good option. Here are just a few: 

1. You don’t have to travel 

I grew up in a rural part of Utah, and to get access to many normal amenities took nearly two hours. Having a specialized need like an eating disorder requires having a therapist who has the training in it. There are many parts of Utah that don’t have access to this kind of therapist. If they wanted this, they would have to drive a long distance to get to a therapy appointment. Even if you don’t live in a rural part of Utah, there’s still traffic. When you meet with an eating disorder therapist online, you don’t have to travel. 

2. You can stay comfortable 

Something important to me is that my clients are comfortable. I want them to feel safe and comfortable enough with me to open up about what they are experiencing. Women with eating disorders already feel embarrassed talking about their struggles, and I want to do anything to alleviate this. When you are able to have therapy from a place that you feel comfortable in, you are more likely to feel open to talking about your struggles. It doesn’t matter if you are in sweatpants or not because you’ll get the same treatment. 

3. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy

This is the most important thing for you to know: online therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy. It doesn’t change my therapeutic style or their ability to overcome their eating disorders. In-person therapy isn’t superior to online therapy. You certainly are allowed a preference, and you don’t have to do online therapy with a therapist if you don’t want to. However, it’s not ineffective just because it’s over a video platform. 

Online eating disorder therapy can help you with eating disorder recovery

You deserve to find relief from your eating disorder. Online eating disorder therapy can help you find lasting freedom from anxiety and from your disordered eating. Meeting with an eating disorder therapist will help you work through your negative beliefs about yourself. You may not know all that’s underneath your eating disorder but online eating disorder therapy can help. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah

You don’t have to feel anxiety about eating or feel preoccupied with your body. You can find freedom from all of your fears. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Clinic has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery 

Online Therapy in Utah 

All services at Maple Canyon Therapy are available through online therapy in Utah. This means that if you are located in Logan, St. George, Cedar City, Salt Lake City, Heber City, Provo, and more, we can work together. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided by this Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, body image therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, EMDR therapy, and birth trauma therapy. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a bachelor of science in psychology and a bachelor of science in family life and human development. Both of the undergraduate degrees she received from Southern Utah University. Ashlee received her masters in social work from Utah State University. She has been working with eating disorders for several years and has worked with women with eating disorders in inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient settings. Ashlee has had a passion for understanding and helping people with eating disorders since high school. When Ashlee isn’t in therapy she enjoys exploring southern Utah and has enjoys riding her ebike through Snow Canyon State Park.

3 Topics to Address in Eating Disorder Therapy

When my clients first start therapy they admit that they are feeling nervous because they aren’t entirely sure what to talk about in a therapy session. They’re already embarrassed about their eating disorder behaviors and even just admitting they have them is a feat. What else are they supposed to talk about in eating disorder therapy? I can totally understand how difficult it is to even reach out for help and to talk to someone every week about what you struggle with. You’ll find it will get easier with time but I also know it can help to know what you’re going to focus on in the session. 

What should I talk about in eating disorder therapy?

My clients are sometimes surprised that often times we aren’t talking about the details of their eating disorder in therapy every week. My focus as a therapist is to get to the deeper root of my eating disorder, and that often has nothing to do with food. The topics you could open up about in eating disorder therapy are endless. Here are some of the common topics to consider focusing on. 

Your relationship with food 

It seems like when my clients come to eating disorder counseling they worry that I’m going to judge them for how they eat and their eating disorder behaviors. To me, your eating disorder behaviors are symbolic of so much more. A topic to address is how you developed your relationship with food. How do you view food? Do you think there are good and bad foods? What unspoken rules have you adapted to about how and what you should eat? Where did your relationship with food start to become problematic? As a therapist, I want to explore the areas of your life that have influenced you to have a problematic relationship with food. Eating disorder therapy can help you heal your complicated relationship with food but first, we need to explore your history with it. 

The negative beliefs about yourself 

Having an eating disorder often means you struggle with your self-esteem and your beliefs about yourself and your abilities. Eating disorder therapy can help you focus on identifying what these beliefs are about yourself and where they started. Many of my clients feel that they aren’t good enough and are trying to compensate for this belief by trying to control their appearance. Processing these beliefs in therapy can help you challenge what you’ve learned to believe about yourself. It may seem impossible when you think about changing how you feel about yourself but this is a significant part of counseling. 

Past traumatic experiences 

Many of my clients don’t think they’ve experienced any level of trauma when they first come into therapy. They often share they have had a normal childhood, and don’t think there is anything that they could even consider as traumatic. Trauma doesn’t have to be a word that you believe describes your experiences but there are past experiences in your life that impact your brain in the same way trauma has. Therapy focuses on being able to find out what those are and to process them so they don’t impact your life. You might not think they are impacting your life now but through counseling will be able to see the connection and overcome them. 

Eating disorder therapy can help you find freedom

It doesn’t matter if you have an eating disorder or not. If you have some disordered eating or a history of chronic dieting, eating disorder therapy can do the same thing for you. You deserve to be able to change how you feel about food, your body, and your self-esteem. You may not realize how you’ve been robbed of your freedom but the good news is you can get it back. Eating disorder therapy can help you achieve peace of mind. 

Begin working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

You can find relief from the constant thoughts about food and the fear of gaining weight. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Center has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below:

1. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah

3. Start eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It’s hard to find a therapist who specializes in eating disorders, has the training to treat them, and is located in your town. I believe you deserve to work with someone that knows exactly how to help you. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy without the hassle of traveling to a therapy appointment. 

Online counseling also means that if you’re located in Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan, Cedar City, St. George, Heber City, and more, we can work together for eating disorder recovery. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided by this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and body image therapy. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee received a bachelor of science in psychology and a bachelor of science in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She obtained her master's degree in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been working with eating disorders since 2013 and has worked at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for eating disorders providing therapy to clients at all levels of care. She enjoys continuing to learn the best practices for treating eating disorders and is inspired by the women she works with who focus on eating disorder recovery. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she is exploring Utah and spending time with her husband and dogs.

What to Expect from Eating Disorder Therapy

You know that you struggle with food and anxiety but you aren’t sure if it’s bad enough to need to go to therapy. Besides that, you don’t know what eating disorder therapy would be like and you avoid things that make you anxious. I completely understand your hesitancy. It’s vulnerable and scary to open up to someone about what you are struggling with. I want to provide some reassurance that I’m genuinely interested in helping you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think your eating disorder is as bad as other people, you still deserve help. I would never minimize your struggle nor would I wonder why you were reaching out for therapy. I pinky swear I’m here to help, and no matter what, you deserve help. 

If it helps you make your decision to go to therapy, I want to give you some ideas on what are the common themes for me in working with women with eating disorders. 

What’s the focus of eating disorder therapy?

There are plenty of areas to cover in eating disorder therapy. This is why eating disorder therapy generally takes 18 months to two years. These are the most common themes that are addressed with my clients. 

To learn to practice self-compassion 

If I only had one sentence to sum up what eating disorder therapy comes down to it would be: therapy helps you learn to be kind to yourself. If you struggle like my clients do this probably sounds impossible to you right now. You might also think that having kindness and self-compassion will make you lazy and complacent but research proves the opposite is true. Eating disorder therapy will help you learn to practice being kind to yourself. Self-compassion is the most healing practice, and it might sound hard right now but I can help you. 

To talk about things you didn’t expect to talk about 

I’m gonna be honest, we aren’t going to talk a whole lot about your eating disorder and your eating disorder behaviors. Of course, we will address those but more than anything we will be talking more about the negative beliefs you have about yourself, and how your past experiences have shaped you. We will also focus on helping you learn to cope in healthier ways. The work that I do is more than just what shows up on the surface. I’m here to dive in deep and help you do deep healing. 

To learn how to feel all of your emotions 

Your eating disorder has helped you numb your emotions. You probably didn’t consciously realize you were trying to cope with anxiety, stress, or feeling unworthy when you started using eating disorder behaviors. Even as you read this you might not be able to see it, and that’s ok. Eating disorder therapy helps you learn to feel your emotions again. Part of healing is being able to feel all of the things you are avoiding feeling. I know this is scary because it feels like once you start to feel things you’ll never stop feeling them. It might feel like that at first but eventually, you’ll feel more settled and better than before. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

You don’t have to figure this out yourself. You don’t have to be overwhelmed by anxiety. Eating disorder therapy can help you leave your eating disorder behind. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist who specializes in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It can be difficult to find access to a therapist that specializes in eating disorders where you live. Utah has a lot of rural places in it and unfortunately, that means many people in those places will have to travel to eating disorder therapy. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. It’s effective and convenient. 

Online counseling also means if you live in Salt Lake City, Logan, St. George, Cedar City, Heber City, and more, we can work together. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided by this Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include body image therapy, anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, and binge eating disorder treatment. Schedule a free phone consultation to see how I can help you. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed therapist at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has been working with eating disorders since 2013 and enjoys helping women in their journey to eating disorder recovery. Ashlee believes in helping women achieve body neutrality by using a health-at-every-size approach. She has a bachelor's in psychology and a bachelor's in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. Ashlee also has a masters in social work from Utah State University.

Other blog posts you might find helpful

• A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy 

• 5 Reasons to Go to Eating Disorder Therapy 

• Online Eating Disorder Therapy: A Therapy Guide

• Everything You Need to Know About Eating Disorder Therapy

What I Love About Being An Eating Disorder Therapist

When I was a graduate student at Utah State University, I had an internship at the counseling center on campus doing therapy with other college students. It was then that I had my first client who had an eating disorder. Seeing her struggle with an eating disorder was heartbreaking. She was lovely and inspiring, and I wanted to do everything I could to help her. I didn’t have the training to help her. As you can imagine a graduate student's wages were pretty spare but I wanted so badly to make sure she got the treatment she needed. I spent a good chunk of change as a college student on an eating disorder professional training over the course of the weekend. 

Eating disorder therapy saves people’s lives

Ever since that experience, I have never wanted anything more than to work with eating disorders. That student has no idea that she inspired my entire career and life. One of the reasons why this became my life passion is because I saw what a significant change that can take place in the right place. The challenge with eating disorder therapy is that there are often health issues that accompany them. Not only the physical and medical issues but the horrible mental and emotional strain has on people experiencing disordered eating. Being part of something that can release women from the mental and physical prisons that they are in is all I have ever wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

You deserve the help of an eating disorder therapist 

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, I want you to know you deserve help. The most important thing to me is that you get the support that you need. You might think that your disordered eating isn’t bad enough to seek help but trust me, you deserve the help now. I can’t speak for every therapist but I can promise you that I would never think what you struggle with isn’t enough. Wherever you are at with your mental health and with your eating disorder, you deserve to find relief. You deserve to feel ok, and it’s completely possible. 

Start eating disorder therapy in Utah 

You don’t have to keep feeling anxious when you eat and are paralyzed by the fear of weight gain The scale doesn’t have to control your life. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Treatment in Utah 

Having access to a therapist that has specialized training in eating disorders is essential in being able to help you in eating disorder recovery. However, there are many parts of Utah that don’t have a therapist in their town who has experience in treating eating disorders. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. It’s just as effective as in-person therapy but prevents you from the hassle of trying to travel to a therapy session. 

Online counseling means that if you are located in St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Salt Lake City, Heber City, and more, we can still work together. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service at this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, and anxiety therapy. Reach out for a free phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker at Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a psychology degree and a family life and human services degree from Southern Utah University. She obtained her master's in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been treating eating disorders since her graduate internship in 2013. She since has had extensive training in eating disorders and has worked at an inpatient treatment center for eating disorders. Ashlee uses a health-at-every-size approach to helping women recover. When Ashlee isn’t in therapy, she enjoys exploring Utah and has been enjoying riding her ebike through Snow Canyon State Park in Southern Utah.

A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy

I work with women who have a wide range of issues with food, eating, and their bodies. Some share they are emotional eaters while others struggle with disordered eating and an eating disorder. All of it feels significant to me. When clients reach out to me they are afraid that their struggle is won’t be enough to warrant help. I start to notice the common themes that show up in my sessions regardless of where my client is on the disordered eating spectrum. 

A common fear is present with my clients when it comes to eating disorder therapy. “My body can’t be trusted”, they tell me. They fear that if they start eating they will never stop. They will never stop eating, and their body will never stop gaining weight. They are terrified to start this experience because they have learned to believe that their body has to be controlled. They can’t trust its hunger and fulness cues. 

The truth about eating disorder therapy 

Do you want to know the truth? Maybe for a while, your body will send you signals to eat more often than you’re used to. You might gain weight, and that might be scary. Neither you nor I get to decide what your body does to heal. You might not trust your body, and your body might struggle to trust you back. After not having access to the food it needs, and having repeated a diet and weight loss cycle more times than it wants to then it might rebel. Remember part of healing is learning to gain the trust back of your body that has kept you alive since your heart started beating when you were only a few weeks old. 

Eating disorder therapy is worth it 

What you learn about yourself in the process of eating disorder therapy will change your life. You deserve eating disorder treatment. You will learn to trust your body again. Your body will stop sending you the signals to keep eating when it knows you’re not going to withhold food again. Your body doesn’t know when it’s just a diet versus when you are actually starving. The fears you might be feeling now won’t always be fears. You’ll learn to be comfortable with your body and with food. This is not how it will always be. 

Start working with an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

You don’t have to keep struggling with your body and with food. You don’t have to feel anxious about what you eat and be terrified that you’ll gain weight. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a Utah therapist 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It’s important for you to have access to eating disorder treatment, and unfortunately, many people living all throughout Utah, don’t have access to a therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy lets you meet with a therapist that knows exactly how to help you without you having to travel long distances. It’s convenient and just as effective as in-person therapy. 

Online therapy allows me to work with clients all over the state of Utah. This means if you are located in St. George, Cedar City, Salt Lake City, Logan, Heber City, and more I can help you. 

Other mental health services offered at Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided by this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, and birth trauma therapy. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a bachelor of science in Psychology and a bachelor of science in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She earned her masters in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been working with women with eating disorders since 2013 and knew right away that this is the population she wanted to work with. She loves helping women learn to use self-compassion and to be kind to their bodies. Ashlee believes there is much more to eating disorder recovery than just learning to eat without anxiety. Outside of therapy, Ashlee enjoys spending time outside with her husband and dogs.