Do I Have an Eating Disorder or A “Complicated” Relationship With Food?

By: Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C, Therapist and Founder of The Eating Disorder Center

She tells herself it is not that serious.

She eats. She functions. She goes to work, shows up for her family, and keeps her life moving forward. From the outside, nothing looks alarming.

And yet, she spends 70 percent of her time thinking about food and her body.

She thinks about what she ate yesterday and what she “should” eat today. She feels proud when she follows her rules and deeply disappointed when she does not. She second guesses herself constantly. Some days she restricts. Other days she overeats or binges. Almost every day, food takes up far more mental space than she wants to admit.

So she wonders. Is this actually an eating disorder? Or is this just a complicated relationship with food?

At The Eating Disorder Center, we work with adults across Maryland and Virginia, including Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase, Rockville, North Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Arlington, McLean, and Alexandria, who ask themselves this exact question.

Eating Disorders in Adults Often Look Different Than You Expect

Many adults assume eating disorders are obvious. They picture extreme behaviors or a visible crisis. In reality, adult eating disorders are often quiet, internal, and may be hidden behind someone who appears to be “doing well.”

An eating disorder is not defined by weight, appearance, or how “together” your life looks. It is defined by the role food and body image play in your emotional world.
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You may be struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating if:

• Food and body thoughts dominate your mental space
• Eating feels stressful, rigid, or guilt inducing
• You follow strict food rules that feel hard to break
• Your self worth rises or falls based on how you eat
• You feel “out of control” around food
• You feel anxious when routines or plans change
• You rely on food, restriction, or exercise to cope with emotions

Many adults minimize these patterns because they are still succeeding professionally or caring for others.

Functioning does not mean you are not struggling.

“I Should Be Able to Handle This on My Own”

Adults with eating disorders are often highly capable, insightful, and self aware. This can make it even harder to ask for help.

You may tell yourself:

• I am too old for this to be an eating disorder
• I should know better by now
• Other people have it worse
• I am not sick enough for eating disorder therapy

These thoughts are incredibly common. They also keep people stuck in an exhausting and miserable mental illness.

Eating disorders thrive on self doubt, comparison, and the belief that you should handle everything alone.

When Food Becomes a Coping Strategy

For many adults, disordered eating develops gradually. It may begin as a way to manage stress, emotions, trauma, or a need for control during uncertain times.

At first, it can feel helpful. It may provide structure, relief, or distraction. Over time, though, the relationship with food often becomes exhausting and painful.

You may notice that:

• Your world feels smaller
• Social situations feel harder
• Spontaneity disappears
• Your inner critic grows louder
• Food decisions feel emotionally charged

None of this means you are weak. It means something inside of you is struggling and trying to cope.

Do Adults Benefit From Eating Disorder Therapy?

Yes. Absolutely! 

Eating disorder therapy is not only for teens or people in crisis. Many adults benefit from therapy that is thoughtful, nuanced, and tailored to their lived experience.

Eating disorder therapy for adults can help you:

• Untangle rigid food rules and beliefs
• Separate your true self from the eating disorder voice
• Develop healthier ways to cope with emotions
• Reduce shame and self criticism
• Build a more peaceful relationship with food and your body

At The Eating Disorder Center, we specialize in working with adults who want evidence based care in a compassionate, non judgmental environment.

You Do Not Need Certainty to Reach Out

You do not need to be sure that you have an eating disorder to seek support. Curiosity and concern are enough.

If you are questioning your relationship with food, that question matters. It may be your intuition telling you that something is not working and that you deserve support.

Early intervention can prevent patterns from becoming more entrenched and can help you reconnect with yourself sooner.

Recovery Is Possible for Adults Too

I have worked with many adults who believed they would always struggle with food or body image. With support, they learned to eat with more ease, trust their bodies, and live without constant food related anxiety.

If you are an adult in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., or a variety of other states that we serve, and wondering whether your relationship with food might be an eating disorder, you do not have to figure this out alone.

Help is available. And yes, recovery and freedom is possible for you too.

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, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy
🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide

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Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C (she/her), is an award-winning eating disorder therapist and the founder of The Eating Disorder Center, a specialized therapy practice for eating disorders and body image concerns. Jennifer uses ACT, CBT, and DBT to help clients find freedom from eating disorders and body image struggles.  Jennifer is recognized as a leading eating disorder expert and was named one of the top professionals in the field by a premier treatment center. She is the recipient of the Best of Bethesda Award for Best Individual Therapist (2025) and the Best of Rockville Award (2020–2024). She helps clients to live full, meaningful lives, beyond food and body image concerns.

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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 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