TL;DR If food is constantly on your mind and you’re struggling to focus on anything else, the cause may be simpler than you think. You’re likely not eating enough. Restriction triggers a primal survival response that redirects the brain’s attention toward food. It can lead to obsessive thoughts, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. These are predictable …
TL;DR The “Freshman 15” is more myth than reality. Research doesn’t support that most college students gain fifteen pounds, and the fear surrounding it does far more harm than the weight gain itself ever could. What often goes unmentioned is that some weight gain during the college years is completely normal and expected, since the …
![Joyful Eating in Los Angeles, California [Image description: drawing of 2 females joyfully eating ice cream] Represents potential eating disorder counseling clients in Los Angeles, California challenging diet rules and eating even when not hungry](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ice-cream-final1-1024x708.jpg)
TL;DR “Only eat when you’re hungry” is one of diet culture’s most deeply ingrained rules, and one of the most harmful for people recovering from eating disorders. The truth is, there are many valid reasons to eat even when hunger isn’t present, including: Eating disorder recovery: following a structured meal plan helps restore hunger and …
TL;DR If you have bulimia nervosa, being at a weight lower than your body’s natural high point ( known as weight suppression) may actually be fueling your binge eating. When the body is pushed below its natural weight, hormones like leptin drop, metabolism slows, and appetite increases, making bingeing the body’s way of fighting back …
TL;DR Weight gain is a vital part of recovery from eating disorders for individuals of all sizes, including those with Atypical Anorexia and bulimia. However, there’s a lack of consensus on how to set appropriate recovery weights. Research shows that complete weight restoration is often essential for psychological recovery, as it helps alleviate eating disorder …
Guest post by 2023-2024 doctoral extern, Vera Levi, MA Many of our prospective clients are curious about GLP-1s for weight loss. They arrive seeking therapy for their eating disorder while simultaneously pursuing a prescription for Ozempic–not to treat a medical condition– but to lose weight. Here’s what you should know. Eating Disorder Clients Seeking Weight …
![Eating Disorder Organizations in the US Supporting Diverse Bodies [Image description: purple scrabble tiles spelling "Eating Disorder Organizations"]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IMG_2658-min-1024x768.jpg)
As an important value in our practice is supporting diverse people with eating disorders, including those in larger bodies. There are many US-based eating disorder organizations and nonprofits that share our mission and do good work. Learn more about them below. National Alliance for Eating Disorders The National Alliance for Eating Disorders, previously known as …
![Sharon Maxwell shopping while fat in recovery in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a happy fat woman holding clothing at the Plus Bus in Los Angeles, CA]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/image1-768x1024.jpg)
Shopping While Fat–And Recovering by Sharon Maxwell, Practice Manager Growing up, I loved the concept of shopping. But as a fat person, I rarely actually enjoyed it. It wasn’t that I didn’t like shopping or finding new things. However, an invitation to go shopping with friends meant that the message that my body was intrinsically …
![Recovering into a Bigger Body in Eating Disorder Recovery in Los Angeles, California [Image description: a larger woman with a head covering depicting a potential fat person in recovery from an eating disorder]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Dancer8V2-1024x1024.jpeg)
Recovering into a Bigger Body Is Not Wrong Recovering from an eating disorder in a society focused on thinness can be hard to do on its own. It is even more difficult when you recover into a body that does not conform to the thin ideal. If you are in a bigger body and have …
![Curate Your Feed With Diverse Body Positive Accounts on Instagram to Support Eating Disorder Recovery in California [Image description: screenshot of instagram post from resilientfatgoddess; a trans non-binary person smiling with the title, "Curate Your Feed With Diverse Body Positive Accounts on Instagram"]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/InstagramBlog21-1024x1024.jpg)
Diverse Instagram Accounts Can Support Recovery by SJ Thompson Belmonte, Resilient Fat Goddex and Lauren Muhlheim, Eating Disorder Therapy LA It’s time to curate your feed to have a more diverse social media feed. “Body positivity can’t be just about thin, straight, cisgendered, white women who became comfortable with an additional ten pounds on their …