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I Think I May Have An Eating Disorder

Coming to an understanding that you may have disordered eating patterns or an eating disorder takes courage and insight. Well done for making this first move!

The information here will help you better understand what you are going through. Eating disorders are about much more than food and losing or gaining weight – they also involve your thoughts and feelings.

You may feel awkward or embarrassed about seeking treatment. It might help to remember that there are many people who, at some time during their lives, deal with disordered eating or an eating disorder. Another important fact is that no matter how long you have had an eating disorder, you can benefit from treatment. Recovery can begin at any age and any stage.

Basic Information
Where should I go from here?
Eating- and weight-related behaviours
Food and weight-specific thoughts and feelings
General thoughts and feelings
Physical signs of eating disorders
What are the elements of a successful recovery process?
Where can I find out more about eating disorders?
Where can I get treatment in Manitoba?

Basic Information

Some basic information on eating disorders can be found on this site under the following links:

Where should I go from here?

Talking to someone you trust is an important part of recovering from an eating disorder. This may be a challenge if you have become used to covering up symptoms and disguising what you eat and how you feel.

You may have trouble exploring this difficult issue by yourself, and you may also have difficulty believing that some of these things are happening to you. That is very normal. You may find it helpful to print off the following questions and discuss them with a trusted family member, friend, school counselor or teacher.

Eating- and weight-related behaviours

Do you…

think about food constantly
weigh yourself frequently (ex: daily or more often)
vomit or take laxatives after eating
avoid social interactions involving food
cancel social outings if you feel fat
avoid eating certain foods (ex: high-fat or high-carbohydrate)
know the caloric value of all the foods you eat
stop eating for long periods of time following a binge
punish yourself for eating more than you intend
exercise to burn off calories
read diet books or magazines
go on fad diets
find yourself becoming very secretive (especially around what you have or haven’t eaten)
fear that secretive food and weight behaviours will be discovered
have difficulty with money because you spend lots on food
shoplift food or laxatives or steal money to buy food

Food and weight-specific thoughts and feelings

Do you…

have a preoccupation with your weight, especially fear of being fat
fear losing control over your eating
feel unhappy with your current size or shape of body
wish you were thinner and spend a lot of your time thinking about this
equate how you feel about your body with how you feel about yourself
feel very guilty and shameful about eating
have black and white thinking about food (ex: ‘good’ food & ‘bad’ food)
feel very anxious around food and meal times
think in extremes (ex: if I'm not thin, I'll be really fat)

General thoughts and feelings

Do you …

have trouble feeling good about yourself
often feel ineffective
try to be perfect
struggle with periods of depression
have trouble concentrating
have trouble sleeping through the night
feel hopeless and out of control
have a decreased interest in activities you used to enjoy

Are you…

very sensitive to criticism from others
very critical of yourself

Physical signs of eating disorders

Have you noticed that …

our energy is low
you feel physically unwell
you sometimes/often feel dizzy
your weight fluctuates a lot
you feel physically cold no matter the climate
the hair on your head is thinning
you have fine raised hair on your body (lanugo)
you feel bloated
your face is puffy from vomiting
your skin is pale, dry or yellowed
under your eyes are reddish purple
your menstrual periods are irregular or have stopped all together
you have stomach cramps and/or irregular bowel patterns
your hands and feet look blue/purple some/most of the time

It is important to remember that these questions cover a range of eating disorders. You do not need to have all of them – or even most of them – in order to have a problem with disordered eating or an eating disorder.

Perhaps the key consideration is that after answering these questions, you realize that your focus on what you eat and what you look like is interfering with your day-to-day functioning and seriously decreasing your enjoyment of life. If your answers indicate that this is the case, then you may wish to think about talking to someone and seeking help.

What are the elements of a successful recovery process?

Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and compulsive eating are all treatable illnesses. However, it is helpful to remember that the development of an eating disorder takes time, and so does recovery.

Research into what works best for individuals with eating disorders consistently shows that, while treatment may vary somewhat from person to person depending upon their needs, the following are some of the elements that are beneficial to the recovery process:

A respectful collaborative approach. A collaborative relationship with health care professionals has been found to be a great help to the recovery process. You will need to play an important role during treatment because recovery requires that you be involved in the process. A successful treatment approach will make you feel that you are a valued participant in your recovery, not a passive recipient.
An emphasis on building self-esteem, developing coping skills and resilience. Research has shown that improving self-esteem and coping skills can be very helpful to the recovery process.
A multi-disciplinary approach. Depending upon the complexity and severity of your eating disorder, treatment may be multi-disciplinary (ex: medical treatment, psychological counseling, nutritional counseling, creative expressions) so that it can successfully address the physical and underlying emotional and psychological aspects. You may receive a combination of supportive therapies such as:
- medical assessment and monitoring of your physical health status
- individual counseling to help you address core issues (ex: trauma and difficult relationships) and express your feelings, especially those of anger and sadness
- nutrition counseling
- support groups
- family counseling
- prescribed medications to reduce depression, anxiety and impulsive behaviour
- hospitalization may be required to address medical issues
- creative expressions (ex: art, dance) to help you express yourself in non-verbal ways

Self-help may also be a useful addition to treatment, particularly in less complicated cases of bulimia and binge eating disorder. However, it is not recommended as a replacement for other treatment.

If you decide to get help, your family doctor may be the best place to start. If your doctor is knowledgeable about eating disorders, he/she may be able to help you work toward recovery. If your doctor is less familiar with treating eating disorders, you can request to be referred to another doctor or health care practitioner with expertise in this field.

Your treatment plan will depend upon your situation and may include any of the following:

support and medical monitoring from your doctor while you maintain everyday responsibilities (ex: school, job)
self-help resources in addition to monitoring by your doctor
other therapies such as individual and/or family counseling, nutritional counseling.
referral to a specialist or program with expertise in disordered eating and eating disorders

If more in-depth treatment is required, you may be referred to a specialized program offering more intensive supports (ex: residential treatment). Hospitalization may be required if your health is seriously compromised.

If you don’t have a family doctor, you can be connected with a family physician living in your area by phoning the Family Doctor Connection Phone Line at 1-866-690-8260.

The Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders Service and the Adult Eating Disorders Program will also provide referrals to physicians. The child and adolescent program can be reached at 1-204-787-7218 and the adult program can be reached at 1-204-787-3482. For information on available programming, you may also contact the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s (WRHA) Disordered Eating Program Specialist at 1-204-940-2653.

Where can I find out more about eating disorders?

The following are some websites that provide information on body image, disordered eating and eating disorders:

National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) or toll free 1-866-633-4220
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Inc. (ANRED)
Eating Disorder Association (UK)
Mirror-Mirror

Where can I get treatment in Manitoba?

Manitoba Health has compiled an inventory of treatment resources in Manitoba, organized by regional health authority.

For more information, please contact:

Manitoba Healthy Living
Mental Health and Addictions Branch
300 Carlton Street
Winnipeg MB R3B 3M9
ph: (204) 786-7101