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By: Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C  “I’m being bad today, so I’ll have a piece of pie.” “You look great, have you lost weight?” Diet and weight talk is unhelpful for everyone. It can be harmful for people in recovery from eating disorders, for children, and for pretty much anyone who is trying to have a healthy relationship to food and their body. It’s also just boring. As an eating disorder and body image therapist, the following are a few tips for dealing with the inevitable “diet” and “weight” talk this Thanksgiving. 1. Recognize that this says way more about the person commenting, than it does about you. If someone feels the need to comment on your body size (or other people’s bodies) or on what you are eating, it’s important to remember that this says way more about the person who is commenting and where their focus lies. Often people who are highly focused on their own bodies and eating patterns are more likely to comment on other people’s bodies and eating habits. This is typically because they are feeling insecure, unhappy, or fixated, on their own weight and body. It can be helpful to remember that their comments are really a mirror into their own insecurities or unhealthy focuses. 2. Set some boundaries. Just because someone wants to launch into a conversation about their latest diet, does not mean that you have to sit there and listen. If someone is talking about a topic that is harmful for you, it’s important to remember that you always have the option to set boundaries. Setting boundaries might entail changing the topic, asking that certain topics not be discussed, or finding an excuse to temporarily remove yourself from the room. 3. Come up with a plan in advance. It can be difficult in the heat of the moment to determine how you might cope if someone is launching into a conversation about their diet or talking about their weight. It can be helpful to come up with a coping plan in advance for who you could reach out to for support (either in person or via phone), and even some statements that you might feel comfortable saying. Tips for Shutting Down Diet Talk Here are a few ideas for things that you can say when someone is talking about dieting. · I get that you are excited to talk about your diet, but I’m working on healing my relationship to food, so I’d rather we talk about anything else. · Hearing you talk about this is upsetting to me. So can we change the topic? · So how are your kids doing? · Have you ever heard of intuitive eating? · I’m just thankful to be here and to be able to enjoy this food with people that I care about. · I think that focusing so much on food rules can actually be very unhealthy. · Instead of counting calories, I’m working on counting what I have to be thankful for. It’s making me a lot happier. Tips for Shutting Down Weight Talk · I think it’s better that we don’t talk about people’s bodies. · This house is a weight-talk free zone. · I’m just thankful that I have a body that does so much for me every day. You look great, have you lost weight? · Nope (with a smile). · Nope, I just look great. · What does looking great have anything to do with my weight? · No clue. I don’t focus on my weight. · I know you are trying to be nice, but it makes me really uncomfortable when you comment on my body. The Bottom Line Holidays can be tough enough. Having to deal with weight and body discussion can make them even harder. However, it can also feel empowering to learn how to set boundaries, shift the conversation, and even (only if you want to) educate people on how to be kinder to their bodies and themselves. If you are struggling with fixating on food and your body over the holidays, it’s important to be compassionate with yourself, and then work to shift focus to the things that are actually meaningful and important. It’s unlikely that you will look back on this holiday season in your 90s and feel regretful that you enjoyed a slice of pie, however you might regret missing out on enjoying the moment due to anxiety or guilt around food. If this is difficult for you, please consider seeking help. You deserve to have freedom around food and to feel at peace in your body. Also, it’s important to note that food and morality do not go together. You are never 'bad' for eating cake. Schedule a free 15 min consult for eating disorder therapy in MD and VA or recovery coaching worldwide. Click here. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
By Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C  You know who can make a really un-fun travel companion? An eating disorder. At the worst of my illness-I remember crying in anticipation of a weekend away. Being able to prepare my own food and stick to my rigid exercise routine was my safety blanket-and when traveling, it felt like it was being ripped away from me. I spent a huge amount of time and energy thinking about food, weight, and exercise while traveling. It was exhausting. Now-I am so grateful to be able to actually enjoy vacations (including the food!) The following are a few tips if vacation anxiety is getting the best of you. 1. Think about what you’d want your ideal vacation to look like if you were recovered. Write out what you’d want to be focusing on if the eating disorder was not invited on your vacation. What memories and moments would you want to have? Eating disorders take you away from your true values and tend to cause you to focus on food, weight, and exercise. Work to take some ‘opposite actions’ to eating disorder urges when you are traveling that are in alignment with your vision: i.e. if your eating disorder tells you to restrict or binge at lunch-challenging yourself to nourish yourself appropriately. Example: If your eating disorder is telling you NOT to have a fruity drink-order the fruity drink. I know that taking ‘opposite actions’ is not easy but over time you will create new neural pathways in your brain and the positive behaviors will become more automatic. 2. Lean on your support system. If you are traveling with someone who you feel comfortable talking to about your eating disorder-try sharing with them what would be most helpful. Many people want to help but often they don’t know how. For example, telling your partner: “If I’m having a hard time making a decision on what to order when we’re out to eat, can you choose for me.” If you are working with a therapist, dietitian, and/or recovery coach-you can also email them for support as well. Real talk: reaching out for support when you’re struggling is so strong. 3. Plan what you can in advance. If there are any situations that you can plan to ‘cope ahead’ for in advance with your therapist, dietitian, and/or coach-that would be one idea. It can also be really helpful to pack snacks or buy some when you get there to have on hand. However, it’s good to practice flexibility i.e. saying ‘yes’ when someone asks you to grab ice cream in the afternoon-rather than solely relying on packed snacks. 4. Practice radical acceptance. Radical acceptance is a concept from dialectical behavioral therapy. It doesn’t mean that we ‘like’ a situation rather that we stop fighting against it. Work to radically accept that some things may feel ‘out of control’ on vacation (however that’s just your ED talking) and that you might have increased anxiety. 5. Use those mindfulness skills. I describe mindfulness of your thoughts like this: -Not being mindful of thoughts is like you are outside in the storm in the rain, without an umbrella and you are totally caught in the midst of this raging storm. -Mindfulness of your thinking is like you are watching the storm raging outside from indoors behind a window. The storm is still there but it’s not impacting you as much. Remember that just because you have a thought, does NOT mean that it is true. You can practice mindfulness by visualizing your thoughts being placed on leaves as they float down a stream. Practice responding to your eating disorder thoughts with some healthier statements-and consider making a list in the notes section of your phone so that this list is easily acceptable. Example: Eating Disorder Thought: You are gaining so much weight-you need to eat less. More Helpful Thought: I want to be at whatever weight enables me to travel without guilt, fear, or anxiety. Life is about so much more than my weight. My Hope for You My hope for you is that you get to have a positive experience while traveling and that someday you get to travel completely ED free. Life is far too short to be spending your vacation looking for the nearest gym, obsessing about food, or being bogged down by negative body image. You can totally get there. Just take it one ‘opposite action’ at a time. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
By Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Outreach Coordinator  Struggling with staying off of the scale in eating disorder recovery can be difficult. If you find yourself struggling to stay off of the scale, these reasons are for you. 1. The number on the scale does not define your worth. When struggling with an eating disorder, you may feel like the number on the scale is really all that matters. Trying to get yourself to weigh a certain amount to achieve that goal or desire for yourself. If we think about a scale, it’s basically a piece of metal and plastic with batteries in it. How is it that we are allowing a piece of metal and plastic with batteries in it to define our worth in this world? You are worth SO much more than a number on a scale. Consider your values vs. your eating disorder values (check out this blog post on values). 2. Staying off the scale is a win for your recovery. Even if you have already stepped on the scale today, you don’t need to throw in the towel and think that recovery is ruined. Each chance that you have an urge to go on the scale is a new opportunity to decide if you want to listen to your eating disorder or if you want to listen to your recovery. Each time you have a recovery win, that part of yourself that believes in eating disorder recovery grows stronger and stronger. This strength can help you to choose recovery over your eating disorder in future situations. 3. An urge to weigh yourself typically means something else is going on. What prompted this urge? Did you get a bad grade on a test? Did you get in a fight with your partner? Understanding what event contributed to the urge to weigh yourself may help you get in touch with the emotion that you are experiencing. For example, if you get upset at a friend, you may feel angry or disappointed - and those feelings are valid!! If you are able to identify those emotions, by thinking, “I feel angry,” you can then decide what action you want to take based on that emotion. You could go weigh yourself. Or instead, you could journal about your feelings of anger and why you got upset at that friend. Here, we see that there are two actions that we can take for the same emotion. One of the actions, weighing yourself, is most likely aligning with your eating disorder values and the other action, going to journal about your feelings, is most likely aligning with your recovery values. You can also check out this blog post on coping with eating disorder urges, as journaling doesn’t have to be the only option that aligns with recovery when you have an urge to step on the scale, purge, restrict, binge, or exercise. If you are hesitant to not step on the scale, remember that so many people struggling with body image and eating disorders feel urges everyday to step on the scale. You are not alone in this and this process can be really scary! You got this! The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
*Disclaimer: The information is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for your independent medical decision-making nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. By: Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C  Eating disorders are the second deadliest mental illness. Every 62 minutes, someone dies, as the direct result of an eating disorder. Cardiac or respiratory arrest is one of the most common causes of death for individuals with bulimia. Heart disorders are the most common cause of death for people with anorexia. About half of the deaths caused by anorexia are due to sudden cardiac deaths. Additionally, morality rates for OSFED are just as high as for individuals with anorexia or bulimia. Since binge eating disorder was only more recently added as a diagnosis to the diagnostic and statistical manual, there is less data regarding mortality rates, however it is just as serious as other eating disorders. Eating Disorders and Suicide Another prevalent cause of death for people with eating disorders is suicide. The following are a few factors, which help to explain this.
How to Cope with Suicidal Thoughts First off, if you are struggling with an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts, I want to send so much compassion to you. This can feel so incredibly painful and exhausting-it’s can almost be hard to put words to. The fact that you are reading this article, shows me that there is part of you (even if it’s a tiny part) that doesn’t want to die. Here are a few important steps to take: 1. Reach out! The worst thing that you could do would be to continue to hold this inside and tell no one. If you are not sure if you can keep yourself safe please go to your nearest ER, call 911, or contact the nearest suicide hotline via chat or phone. If you feel that you can commit to keeping yourself safe, but are having suicidal thoughts-reach out to your therapist, doctor, member of your treatment team, the suicide hotline, or another supportive person in your life. If you aren’t meeting with a therapist, consider finding someone who specializes in eating disorders/depression in your area. Seeking help when you are struggling is a sign of true strength, not weakness. 2. Feel your feelings and talk back to your thoughts. When you are struggling with an eating disorder and/or depression-your mind has been hijacked. It’s kind of like you are wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, which color your perception of the world around you. When people are struggling more intensely with eating disorder or depressive thoughts, their perception of reality may be very skewed by the eating disorder/depression. It’s as if they are viewing things through a pair of “eating disorder” or “depression” sunglasses. Through therapy we can slowly work to take the sunglasses off, so that they can start to view things in a healthier way. It’s so important to practice talking back to your unhelpful thoughts. I will often assign clients to dialogue between their “eating disorder self” and their “authentic self” (always trying to end on the authentic self). An Example Eating Disorder Self: It seems unfair that I have to keep living like this. I just don’t know if I can keep living like this. It’s so exhausting. Authentic Self: You’ve felt this way before and things have gotten better. These feelings are only temporary, but dying is a permanent solution. Suicide isn’t a solution-it would transfer your pain onto the people who you care about the most. Why don’t you give this recovery and improving your life thing a shot? Eating Disorder Self: But what if things don’t get better? I’m scared that I’ll be trapped in this cycle forever. I’d rather die than live with this for the rest of my life. Things are already falling apart. I’ve gained so much weight and I don’t think I can tolerate gaining any more. Authentic Self: Suicide or sinking back into your eating disorder, will only create more pain and suffering, either for the people that you love or for yourself. Neither of these things are the answer, and you shouldn’t have to struggle with all of this without support. Why don’t you reach out to the suicide hotline to talk to someone? I guarantee if you reach out for support, do something relaxing, and then get some sleep-things will feel a bit better in the morning. The only reason that you would not recover, is if you stopped trying. You’ve already come so far. Don’t give up on your recovery (or yourself) now. 3. Be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up for struggling with an eating disorder and having suicidal thoughts, will only make you feel even worse. It’s not your fault that you are struggling with this. No one would choose to have an eating disorder or suicidal thoughts, because both things are so painful and exhausting. I’ve seen people who once felt totally trapped by their eating disorder and suicidal thoughts, who are now in strong recovery or recovered-and who feel much more hopeful overall. Even for those whose depression persists after recovering from an eating disorder, there are still things that you can do to learn how to better cope with and change your relationship to your depressive thinking-so that it doesn’t have so much power over you. Recovery Is Possible No matter what your eating disorder might be telling you, recovery is possible. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts please reach out for help and support by contacting the suicide hotline, going to the ER, or calling 911. You are so not alone in this, and help is available. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
*Disclaimer: The information is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for your independent medical decision-making nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. By Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C  Why is it important for clients with eating disorders to see a specialist therapist vs. a generalist? Eating disorders are the second deadliest mental illness, so the consequences of not receiving specialized treatment can be dire. They are highly treatable, however in order to effectively treat clients with eating disorders, therapists must have specialized training. This training is not typically offered in graduate school and is something therapists have to seek out on their own. Additionally, we are all raised in diet culture and in a society that is steeped in systems of oppression. It's critical that therapists have done their own work around this in order to treat folks with eating disorders. Think of it this way, you wouldn't see a primary care physician for brain surgery. And someone could be an excellent primary care doctor with no knowledge of how to do brain surgery. A personal story When I was first struggling with an eating disorder, I was seeing a generalist therapist. He was a great therapist but had no knowledge of eating disorders. He seemed perplexed as to why I was crying in his office about a weekend away where i'd have no control over the food asking me "is this about something deeper?" He didn't seem to get that I was hysterical about the food and while of course this masked deeper issues-I was in the beginning stages of an eating disorders. When I switched to an eating disorder therapist, recovery coach and dietitian, it was like a breath of fresh air. I felt understood in a way that I hadn't before and they were trained in how to talk to me and how to effectively help me. Had I never sought specialized help, i'm not sure that I would have gotten better. My own journey is why I founded The Eating Disorder Center and am so passionate about providing specialized eating disorder therapy. Eating disorders are treatable and folks deserve specialized support and recovery. By Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Outreach Coordinator  When people reach out to us for help, a common question they have is about the difference between therapy and recovery coaching. Here’s the difference in a nutshell, although it can be more nuanced and on a case-by-case basis. If you aren’t sure what service would be best for you, you can always contact us through our contact form and a team member will be able to assist. What is the difference? Recovery coaching focuses on changing behaviors and building a life outside of your eating disorder. It encourages self-compassion, body positivity, and food freedom. Coaching utilizes a present-focused, goal-setting and skill-based approach to push through limiting beliefs and behaviors. We typically require coaching clients to be working with a therapist. However, coaching can be a stand-alone approach for someone with subclinical disordered eating or body image issues, or for someone further along in their recovery. We are able to offer coaching services to anyone over the age of 13 years old. Coaching is available worldwide via Zoom platform, whereas in therapy, the client must be physically in the state that the therapist is licensed in during the time of the therapy sessions. So, would coaching help me? Here are some scenarios where a coach may be helpful: 1. You are a family member of someone who is recovering from an eating disorder. You may have questions about the process or how to best support the person in recovery.
2. Let’s say a college student is in recovery from an eating disorder and working with a therapist and a dietitian. The student seems to be struggling more and more with the eating disorder thoughts and urges. The student would like additional support with their recovery journey so they can stay in school and avoid a higher level of care.
3. A person in their 40s with no history of an eating disorder may be struggling with their body image. They may be sick of dieting and wanting to make peace with their body. They may have anxiety around the way that their body looks.
4. You have a past history of an eating disorder. You may consider yourself in strong recovery, but some eating disorder thoughts and urges are creeping back in.
5. Let’s say you are a teenager who is recovering from an eating disorder and you are stepping down from a higher level of care facility and establishing an outpatient team. You found a therapist already, but you think that you could use some additional support throughout the week.
6. A 65 year old person is working with a therapist for anxiety and depression. Through talking with the therapist, this person has realized that they may have an unhealthy relationship with food or their body. Their therapist is not an eating disorder specialist and feels unable to address the food and body concerns.
The bottom line. These examples help to point out that there is no one size fits all answer to who can benefit from recovery coaching! Our team members are also trained to ask new clients questions to determine if recovery coaching would be a good fit. We also offer free 15 minute coaching consultations with one of our fabulous recovery coaches, so you can get a feel for their style as a coach and ask any questions that you might have. During this consultation, coaches will also assess to make sure that coaching is a clinically appropriate level of care. If therapy is needed, we will be happy to provide you with personalized recommendations based on your treatment goals. Our two recovery coaches are amazing and have backgrounds as a therapist and an RD. What People Are Saying About Coaching!
The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia, as well as in D.C. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com *Disclaimer: The information is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for your independent medical decision-making nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product.
By Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Outreach Coordinator  Relapse can be a natural part of recovering from an eating disorder. If you are a friend or a loved one of someone who is struggling with an eating disorder relapse; these tips are for you. 1. Be there.
2. Ask them what they need.
3. Encourage them to be honest with their treatment team.
4. Remind them that they are not where they started.
Here are some questions to have your loved one or friend consider or journal on if they are struggling with relapse from an eating disorder:
We have immediate openings right now for eating disorder therapy in: Maryland and Washington D.C. And recovery coaching worldwide. Click this link to schedule a free 15 min consultation. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
By Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Outreach Coordinator  Challenging fear foods can be a crucial part of eating disorder recovery. In order to help your brain and body understand that all foods fit, we have to include all types of foods into what we are eating (barring medical concerns or allergies). This often includes incorporating carbs and foods with fat into our daily life to make them not as scary.
All Foods Fit? Yup, you read that right! Despite what the media says, all foods can fit into our lives! Check out this guide that explains more about this concept. Diet culture often demonizes certain groups of food, in an effort to perpetuate diet culture and support the weight loss industry. It’s important to know that all food groups play an important part of our physical, mental, and emotional lives. Also, check out this blog post with a helpful video explaining that all foods fit! Where do I start? Usually, you would start by talking to your therapist or coach about foods that the eating disorder has told you that you can’t eat. Eating disorders often limit people of eating carbs and foods that are high in fat (such as bread, cookies, candy, etc.). You can also make a list of all of the foods that you feel like you cannot eat because of the eating disorder. Your therapist or coach would help you to create a fear food hierarchy, which is essentially a list of the fear foods from most distressing (really scary to eat) to least distressing (not as scary to eat). Typically, a therapist or coach will start with the foods that are the least distressing. Your therapist or coach will work with you to create coping skills and ways to handle emotions that may come up during a food challenge. It’s a continuous process! Oftentimes, clients will think that because they have challenged a food one time, let’s say that food is a donut, that it’s over with and they don’t need to challenge it again. The thing about exposing yourself to something that is scary is that it needs to be done again and again and again until it’s not scary anymore. This concept is known in therapy as habituation, which is essentially the scary thing becoming less scary. Habituation comes from learning theory, or behavioral theory, where we can change our behaviors through learning, modeling, punishment, and reinforcement. That being said, challenging the fear food of a donut may look like having a donut in session with your therapist or coach every week for awhile, until the thought of having a donut is not as anxiety producing. And everyone is different - so there is no expected timeline to know when you will be able to eat donuts without anxiety or eating disorder thoughts. Want more? All of our therapists and coaches at the Eating Disorder Center have experience and training when it comes to challenging fear foods with clients. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com By Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C Eating disorders and mood disorders, such as depression or bipolar disorder often co-occur. I have a lot of experience working with clients who struggle with both and there are some important considerations when it comes to treatment and recovery. Eating disorders and depression Living with an eating disorder and depression is exhausting. Depression can impact motivation for recovery and it can also impact appetite. When depression is causing a loss of appetite, this adds another layer of challenge to eating disorder recovery. Restricting food and not getting enough nutrition to meet your energy needs can also serve to increase feelings of depression. In How to Thrive, Expert Tips for Coping with Depression and an Eating Disorder by Jennifer Rollin, Nicole Cruz, RD, says, ‘recognize that depression is a change in brain chemistry and to keep the brain functioning at its optimal level we need to maintain appropriate nutrition. In other words, we don’t want to contribute more to the depression and negative thoughts due to low nutrient intake. Cruz also states that, ‘carbohydrates are the primary source of energy to the brain and low carbohydrate diets are highly correlated with depression.' Quality treatment focuses on treating both the depression and the eating disorder. When you’re in a depressive episode it can feel hopeless and like it will last for forever. Both depression and eating disorders tell a whole bunch of lies and it’s so important to have a skilled therapist to help you to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns. Eating disorders and bipolar disorder Depression, hypomania and mania can all impact appetite, which can add a layer of challenge to eating disorder recovery. Additionally, while it’s so important to note that eating disorders are NOT choices-often they are in part a coping strategy and for some a way to feel a (false) sense of control. Living with bipolar disorder can feel very out of control so it makes sense that eating disorder behaviors may for some be attempts to try to regain a (false) sense of control when their mood is unpredictable. While bipolar disorder never goes away, it can be effectively managed. Full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. The Bottom Line There is hope and it’s possible to reclaim your life and to live according to your true values. Both mood disorders and eating disorders are highly treatable and it’s far harder to address an underlying mood disorder when you are constantly battling eating disorder thoughts in your head. It’s so critical to work with a therapist who has experience with eating disorders and mood disorders if you are struggling. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, reach out to The Eating Disorder Center via the link here. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
By Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Outreach Coordinator  The relationship that a person has with movement and physical activity is important! Doctors, friends, and family may constantly be telling us about the benefits of movement. And yes, there are benefits to movement. Moving your body can release serotonin, the “happy hormone” in your brain. This can help people who may be feeling anxious or depressed. Movement can also help us connect with other people (or pets too)! It can be a good way to decompress after a long day at school or work. There is a side of movement though that may not be considered healthy. Imagine someone who is at the gym for multiple hours a day, fixated on the way that their body looks. Or the person who can’t take a day off from their swimming routine during their family vacation. This rigidity in thinking is expressed in the way that we are controlling the movement of our bodies. Oftentimes, this can lead to someone getting stuck in an endless cycle of anxiety, compulsive movement, and body image distress. And it can be so so tough to get out of that cycle! If you are reading this blog post, you may be questioning your relationship with movement. You may also be concerned about a friend’s relationship with movement. Either way, we are glad that you are here exploring this topic with us, it’s an important one! Here are some questions to think about as you explore your relationship with movement:
The Bottom Line: Just as humans are complex individuals, so is our relationship to movement. There may be no cut and dry answer as to if your relationship to movement is healthy, and it may be an ongoing assessment of seeing how you are feeling while you move your body for awhile. No matter where you think your relationship to movement falls, you are deserving of a fulfilling and nurturing relationship to movement; whatever that looks like to you. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California, serving those in cities including Palo Alto, San Francisco, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, San Jose, and Beverly Hills. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
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The Eating Disorder CenterWe are a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center in Rockville, Maryland. Archives
November 2022
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