Remuda Ranch

I Might Have An Eating Disorder: What Do I Do?

• Acknowledge that your behavior is harmful and will negatively affect your life now and in the future if you do not choose to change.
• Be hopeful and choose recovery. There are effective treatments for eating disorders.
• Seek help from a healthcare professional or facility that specializes in eating disorders.
• Identify your feelings and internal messages before, during, and after you binge, purge, or restrict.
• Identify what triggers you to binge, purge, or restrict.
• Focus on the present rather than the past, and on the positive aspects of your life.
• Take time to nurture yourself in ways other than food (a walk, movie, hot bath, etc.).
• Enjoy your body. Choose physical activities for fun rather than weight loss, such as dancing, stretching, and swimming.
• Talk to someone rather than choosing food for support.
• Don’t wait for others to cure you. Participate in your recovery by taking responsibility for changing your behaviors.
• Work toward the point where weight is no longer something by which you rate your success.
• Think about your accomplishments, positive personal qualities, and valued relationships, and affirm yourself for these things.
• Identify goals and activities you have been putting off until you’re “thin.” Make a list and start doing them now.
• Set small goals that you can accomplish easily, and congratulate yourself for every success.
• Explore any ambivalence about giving up old habits and your fear of living without them. Take the risk to try new behaviors, without being certain of the outcome.
• Acknowledge that although your eating disorder has advantages, there are healthier and less dangerous ways to obtain these same advantages.
• Recognize your personal rights. You have the right to say “no”, to express your feelings and opinions, and to ask to have your needs met.
• Find a growth-oriented, non-judgmental community of relationships, such as a church, youth group, or appropriate 12-step group.
• Keep a journal of your experiences, feelings, thoughts, and insights. This is a safe place to be honest with yourself. The journal is for your eyes only: no one else will be reading it or judging it. The journal can also help you identify the feelings, internal messages, and triggers that lead to your eating disorder behavior, so that you may prepare yourself to choose alternate strategies.
• Don’t let the scale run your life. Remember that numbers on a scale are not a value judgment of self-worth. Throw the scale away.
• Let go of faultfinding, blame, guilt, and shame. Focus on the present, and take responsibility for what you can change today.
• Understand that shame and guilt often lead to eating disorder behavior, and eating disorder behavior then leads to more shame and guilt, creating a vicious cycle that can be broken.
• Pray for guidance and strength from God.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please call Remuda Programs at 1-800-445-1900.