I am trained in CBTe and CBTt , which are both approaches for eating disorders and eating related problems. Eating disorders can have a devastating effect on an individual’s life. They tend to be associated with a lot of guilt and shame around food and are often connected with body image difficulties. The preoccupation with food, eating and body shape can become all consuming and negatively impact on quality of life.
Men and women can develop an eating disorder.
Binge eating disorder involves regularly eating a lot of food over a short period of time until you are uncomfortably full. Binges are often planned in advance, usually done alone, and may include special binge foods. You might feel guilty or ashamed after binge eating.
People who have bulimia go through periods where they eat a lot of food in a very short amount of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick, use laxatives or exercise excessively, or a combination of these, to try to stop themselves gaining weight.
Individuals suffering with bulimia are usually very critical about their weight and body shape and tend to experience mood changes.
People who have anorexia try to keep their weigh as low as possibly by not eating enough food or exercising too much, or both. This can make them very ill because they start to starve.
They often have a distorted image of their bodies, thinking they’re fat even when they’re underweight.
I work with people with non-underweight anorexia, with a BMI of at least 18.5.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls in the underweight range. I would recommend you seek support from your GP and your local eating disorder specialist team.