Tips for Eating Disorder Recovery: When Folks Around You Are Going to the Gym or Are on Diets4/7/2025 By: Megan Samuels, MSW, LCSW-C, Trauma and Eating Disorder Therapist  One challenging part of eating disorder recovery is when people around you are focused on going to the gym or losing weight/being on a diet. Diet culture and gym culture is a major societal focus right now, which can contribute to the development and maintenance of eating disorders and struggles around body image. Diet culture has ingrained so many myths that society lives by that brings up challenges in recovery. However, there are ways to learn about these myths and overcome the "societal standards.” I first want to take some space and just validate how difficult and frustrating this experience can be. I’ve been there - whether I’m out with a friend or taking a training or class and somehow diet culture weaves its way into the conversation. The Eating Disorder Center provides eating disorder therapy for children, teens, and adults in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland for children struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, ARFID, orthorexia, and compulsive exercise. We also have therapists who specialize in eating disorders co-occurring with trauma, OCD, and mood disorders. Some of the work that we do as eating disorder therapists includes helping folks navigate conversations with other people who may not share similar recovery-oriented values. Here are some tips on maintaining eating disorder recovery in the midst of being with folks who may have values that do not align with your recovery: 1. Set boundaries. This can be a tough thing to do and can be a powerful way to support your recovery. Setting boundaries could look like having a conversation with your friend before meeting up and saying something like, “I’m really looking forward to seeing you tonight! I would appreciate it if we didn’t talk about diets or types of food as I’m currently doing a lot of work to support my own relationship with food.” If you don’t feel comfortable setting a direct boundary, it is also perfectly fine to excuse yourself and say that you have to use the bathroom and leave the room briefly. You do not have to sit there and continue to subject yourself to diet culture conversation. 2. Change the subject. Changing the subject can be another way to navigate a conversation with another person when they start talking about the diet that they are on. This could look like interrupting them and saying, “Have you seen this new movie that just came out?” You could also change the subject by asking about someone’s pets, interests, etc. By changing the subject, you are able to divert the conversation away from diet culture which can be soothing for your nervous system and can also strengthen your recovery values. 3. Find some other friends who may share similar values. If you notice that you are in a lot of spaces where diet culture or gym culture is prevalent, consider thinking about other areas of your life or other groups of friends who hold similar anti-diet, eating disorder recovery-oriented values. If you do not know of any spaces in your life that fit this framework, consider reaching out to your eating disorder therapist to inquire about support groups or other ways to support your recovery outside of individual work. 4. Grounding. There may be parts of yourself (specifically eating disorder parts) who may jump on the occasion to discuss dieting and diet culture. When these parts get activated and are working against your goals of eating disorder recovery, I invite you to practice some grounding exercises to lessen the intensity of those parts of self who may not be helping you reach your long term goals around food and body image. Practicing grounding exercises can help you to stay present and in the moment and access the DBT state of mind known as “Wise Mind,” which is a combination of reason/logic and also values/emotions. From there, you can make a more informed decision about your next step in terms of navigating a difficult conversation or situation with another person that has to do with diet culture. The Bottom Line: Although some folks may be on the diet culture bandwagon, it doesn’t mean that it has to negatively continue to impact your recovery in significant ways. Our therapists and coaches at The Eating Disorder Center would love to help equip you with the tools needed to navigate these tricky situations! Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, 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, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. 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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By: Megan Samuels, MSW, LCSW-C, Trauma and Eating Disorder Therapist  As a trauma and eating disorder therapist, I am very passionate about connecting others to local trauma-informed resources. Trauma and eating disorder recovery can be so challenging at times, and it’s helpful to find as many supportive resources as possible, to not go through it alone. The following are a few trauma-informed resources in Rockville, Maryland. 1. Haven 101 Haven 101 is a yoga and wellness studio that offers trauma-informed yoga classes. Yoga can be a way to explore your relationship with your body. They offer a restorative yoga class that involves fewer poses and a slower pace than traditional yoga classes. This type of yoga class can be particularly healing for individuals with a history of trauma or an eating disorder. In addition to yoga classes, Haven 101 offers meditations, workshops, and other alternative/complementary medicine practices (such as massage therapy). If you have a history of an eating disorder and/or trauma, I encourage you to talk with your therapist about your relationship with movement and your body and discuss if yoga could be a healing option for your recovery journey. 2. Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. (MCVRC) supports victims of crime throughout the state of Maryland. Services include legal representation, support groups, compensation, advocacy, and mental health services. In addition, they provide advocacy services in multiple different languages. For individuals struggling with the aftermath of crime, MCVRC can provide wrap-around services to support someone getting “back on their feet.” They have an advocate line on their website if you are interested in moving forward with their services. 3. The Eating Disorder Center The Eating Disorder Center provides EMDR therapy and other trauma-focused therapies for clients wanting an evidence-based trauma treatment to relieve symptoms of trauma for clients. In addition, our therapists, coaches, and administrative staff are trauma-informed, to provide clients and potential clients with options, choice, and autonomy in terms of treatment methods and modalities. Our team understands that it can be difficult to find clinicians who are trauma-informed. The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland, provides trauma-informed therapy for individuals of all ages, from children (7+) to adults, who are struggling with a range of eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, ARFID, orthorexia, and compulsive exercise. Our team is also skilled in treating eating disorders in conjunction with trauma, OCD, and mood disorders. We offer virtual therapy sessions throughout Maryland, including Rockville, Maryland. Many of our therapists bring a personal understanding of eating disorders, whether through their own recovery journey or by supporting loved ones. If you are interested in a trauma-informed way to heal your relationship with food, body image, or past traumatic experiences, feel free to reach out to us and get connected with a clinician on our team. We would love to support your healing journey. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, 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, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. 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.
We also provide eating disorder recovery coaching to people worldwide via Zoom. Click here to book your free 15 minute phone consultation! Phone: 301-246-6856 Email: [email protected] Archives
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