Blog - Eating Disorder Recovery for Adults

Defining Restriction. Defining Unrestricted Eating

In this podcast, Tabitha talks about restriction, and unrestricted eating. Restrictive eating...

Anorexia Made Me Tell Pork Pies

To my US friends, "pork pies" is rhyming slang for "lies." (Pork pies are also these delicious little meat filled shortcrust pastry pies, which incidentally I refused to eat when I had Anorexia. Sod's law that now I am recovered and would like to eat pork pies I live...

Dr Jennifer Gaudiani: Tummy Troubles in Eating Disorder Recovery

Tabitha talks to Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani about all things gastrointestinal in eating disorder recovery!...

Eating Disorder Science: Variants in neuropeptide signaling are associated with disordered eating behaviors

In this podcast Tabitha Farrar talks to Micheal Lutter about the recently published paper titled:...

Clinicians, you do not help us recover from Anorexia when you set low target weights and food intakes!

This is the first of a series of blogs aimed at eating disorder professionals. This series was inspired by the members of the recovery Slack group. “Pampering” as a restoration component of many IP systems is particularly troubling. I have actually had IP treatments...

ARFID: An interview with an adult with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

In this blog post, I interview HELEN S. Helen is in her early 50s and has struggled with restrictive eating for much of her life Background to, and description of my condition: I have had eating difficulties all my life: from the time I was weaned as a baby and fed...

Anorexia Fears: Using Migration Science to Explain Fear of Eating and Weight Gain

This week I speak to Shan Guisinger again, and this time we are talking specifically about fear in...

Anorexia Fears: Eating More

I hated being underweight. I hated that if I left the house, schoolkids would shout "skinny freak" at me as I walked past. I hated that I couldn't sit down without it hurting. I wanted to gain weight. But, I feared gaining weight, and I feared eating more. I...

Anorexia recovery while managing a young family [Podcast]

Recovery from Anorexia is often a time of heightened anxiety and stress. Managing recovery while...

Anorexia and Kleptomania

klep·to·ma·ni·a noun a recurrent urge to steal, typically without regard for need or profit. This is a hard post to have to write. It's important as shame is a present enough feeling for a person in recovery from Anorexia as it is — thinking that you are a monster...

Shan Guisinger: Adapt to Flee Famine Perspective of Anorexia Evolution

In this podcast we talk about the Adapt to Flee Famine Perspective of Anorexia evolution with Shan...

Anorexia Recovery, Weight Restoration, and Energy Debt

I published a podcast this week titled, Energy Deficit | Energy Debt | Target Weights | Weight vs State Restoration, and I will explain Energy Debt in detail in this post. Energy Debt: The accumulation of the effects of long-term energy deficit such as lack of bodily...

Energy Deficit | Energy Debt | Target Weights | Weight vs State Restoration [Podcast]

Just me in this podcast! Responding to questions that I get frequently around Anorexia recovery and...

Slack group question answers: If you’ve had treatment for your ED, what do you find has been most helpful?

This week I was totally swamped and also finished the first draft of my next book (a complete recovery guide for adults with Anorexia). It's over 100,000 words and my head is swimming. I'm cheating this week by not writing a blog and instead — with the permission of...

Eating Disorders and PTSD [Podcast]

Tabitha Farrar talks to writer, speaker, and songwriter Jenni Schaefer about her recovery from...

I don’t care what Lily Collins or anyone else says, there is no “safe” way to lose weight if you have Anorexia.

I don't care what Lily Collins or anyone else says, there is no "safe" way to lose weight if you have the genetic predisposition for Anorexia. I'm so over the whole saga about the NetFlix film "To The Bone," but very much understand that some of you are still...

Going Sane — exposing malpractice in the mental health industry

Lisa Sabey is the woman behind the documentary "Going Sane." In this podcast we talk about:...

You do not have to be thin to have Anorexia | You do not have to be thin to be underweight

All the horses in this picture are different sizes. All the horses in this picture are respected and thought of as beautiful. On Sunday I published a podcast I recorded with the wonderful Rachel Millner on the topic of Anorexia and people in larger bodies. I...

The importance of recognizing Anorexia in people in larger bodies

In this podcast Tabitha Farrar talks to Dr. Rachel Millner about Anorexia and people in larger...

Mental health patients do not fail treatment. Treatment fails patients.

You did not fail treatment. Treatment failed you. I lose count of how many times I say this. I had to say it again yesterday to someone who was convinced that she could not make a full recovery because she had been in and out of treatment so many times. So many failed...

Podcast: Challenging intake guidelines — Dr Graham Redgrave

Tabitha Farrar talks to Dr Graham Redgrave about the research done at Johns Hopkins looking into higher...

Anorexia Recovery: Becoming Recovery-Body Proud

Last week I wrote about The New Body Problem in Anorexia recovery. Today I am writing about the other side: becoming recovery-body proud. Here is the paradox, before I started recovery, and even when I was supposedly at a "recovered" BMI, the thought of being in a...

Exercise Trackers, BMI, Obesity, and Anorexia Treatment

In this podcast Tabitha Farrar talks to Courtney Simpson about the work that she is doing looking at fitness...

Anorexia Recovery: The New Body Problem

New Body Problem = the thoughts and feelings that arise when we move through physical change in Anorexia recovery. I got an email this week from a person in a state of despair because he has weight restored somewhat and doesn't like his weight-restored body. Mostly...

How ARFID differs from AN/BN — science of picky eating

Tabitha Farrar talks to Hana Zickgraf about a recently published research paper titled: Adult picky...

Do you need talk therapy in order to recover from Anorexia?

The short answer here is "No." You do not need talk therapy in order to reach full remission from Anorexia. However, you might want it, in which case you should have it. Before we get into it, remember that weight restoration is one step in recovery, and re-wiring...

Stomach problems in Anorexia recovery

As if recovery wasn't already difficult enough from a mental standpoint, there are often physical discomforts too! This blog post is about stomach in Anorexia recovery. Reading this blog post will not make your tummy feel better, but it may provide you with some...

Anorexia Recovery: The problem with “intuitive eating”

I'll preface this blog post with this: this post is about intuitive eating and Anorexia recovery. If you don't have Anorexia, go ahead and do all the intuitive eating that your intuition asks you to do —this post is not about you. I agree that intuitive eating may be...

Anorexia Recovery as an Adult: Sustaining recovery when life happens

Recovery from Anorexia certainly becomes easier to maintain with time, however, large and stressful life events can make even the most solidly recovered individual feel dodgy all of a sudden. When the shit hits the fan, even the most dormant Anorexia behaviors will...

Anorexia and Exercise 2: The lower-level movement trap

I wrote about Anorexia and exercise last week and the case for cold turkey. This post is the follow up to that and it addresses lower-level, movement. If you read the last post and thought "well that doesn't apply to me because I don't exercise excessively," this post...

Exercise and Anorexia: The Case for Cold Turkey

Dr: "Are you eating?" Me: "Yes" Dr: "Hmm ... Well. you are still very underweight, so maybe try eating a bit more?" Me: "Sure, I'll try that." What my Dr never asked me about was the extent that I was exercising. I was eating, but that was on the condition that I...

Anorexia Recovery as an Adult: Letting go of nutritional science

I have a nutrition qualification, but I don't use it. In fact, what I was taught about nutrition on that course set me back a good couple of years in recovery. I was taught that fat was bad, calories should be minimized, meals should be planned as to balance...

Anorexia is a Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder and should be treated as such …

While it may be broadly understood that effective knowledge, diagnostics, treatment and resources for eating disorders are lacking, I think that until certain parts of this system are conceptually overhauled we will continue to only see change and improvements happen...

Anorexia recovery and food rules: Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better

Anorexia: You can't have that bagel for lunch. That would be a breach of Rule #382 Me: Rule #382? Anorexia: Yes, rule #382: Bagel for breakfast cannot be followed by bagel for lunch. Rule #382 Me: Since when did that rule exist? That wasn't there before. Anorexia: You...

Adults in Recovery Workshop Coming Up!

Not a usual post from me. I just want to tell you about the upcoming Boulder, Colorado workshop I am offering May 20-12. Actually first of all I want to tell you about a free ED-ucation on Eating Disorders Seminar that I am presenting at in Canada next week. I have...

Anorexia Recovery as an Adult: My body is not a calculator … and mental hunger counts!

When we start trying to control weight, food intake, and energy balance artificially we are messing with a system what we know too little about. Nutritional science is too immature to really know how and when the body uses energy and for what. In recovery from...

Anorexia Recovery: What about when I am not hungry?

I got the below email and decided that I would answer it in blog post because I think that these are questions that many adults in Anorexia recovery will have from time to time. Other than removing the writer's name I have posted the email in it's entirety. My...

The trouble with target weights in Anorexia recovery: Living paycheck to paycheck

There are certainly problems that arise with "target weights" in Anorexia recovery. The biggest, overarching theme is that they are set too low. I wrote about this in length in this post titled Anorexia Recovery: Why is it that treatment seems to serve my eating...

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Anorexia Recovery: Why is it that treatment seems to serve my eating disorder better than it serves my recovery?

I don't expect everyone to read this and agree with it. The TL;DR is that I believe that there is a fear that infests many eating disorder treatment approaches and this leads to inadequate intake prescriptions and target weights that do not serve individuals in...

Finding Recovery Motivation — Scrapping the Anorexia Identity

One of the questions I get asked the most by both sufferers and parents/partners of sufferers is; "how did you find the motivation to recover?" often followed closely by, "how do I find the motivation to recover?" or "how does he/she find the motivation to recover?"...

Anorexia Recovery As An Adult: School Of Failure

I'm not someone who berates herself for not getting everything right. Contrary to popular belief about people with Anorexia, I am not a perfectionist, not Type A, and don't really care if I get an A, B, or C so long as it is a pass. I don't like failing through. Who...

Eating Disorder Recovery and Family Life: Picky Eaters and Innocent triggers

Today I am going to look at a somewhat awkward but nonetheless important idea: the notion that the eating behaviours of children could in fact act as triggers or stumbling points for the a parent in recovery from a restrictive eating disorder such as Anorexia. ...

Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2017 Roundup

Phew. That was a busy week. In case you missed them, here is a recap on the podcasts and other projects we put out there this week. I've listed the podcasts out below. I think that the most exciting thing that came out of this week for me personally were the things...

[Video] It is okay to eat a lot of food in Anorexia recovery

I am excited to announce that this week we launched Active Eating Disorder Recovery for Adults (AEDRA) Meal Support Service. This is a worldwide service where any person can receive support at a mealtime to help overcome anxiety. We also have post meal support slots...

Anorexia Recovery Eating: There is never too much food

This blog is based on my personal experience. We are all individuals, and you should always do what is right for your own body. When I went through extreme hunger in my recovery from Anorexia, my eating disorder told me that nobody on earth had ever experienced this....

Anorexia Recovery Binges: You do NOT have Binge Eating Disorder!

This blog is based on my personal experience. We are all individuals, and you should always do what is right for your own body. This is just a short blog. In my book, Rehabilitate, Rewire, Recover!, I have chapters and chapters on the concept of feasting after a time...

My Daughter is an “Ethical” Vegan (With Anorexia) …

I got the following comment on a post, and I woke up this morning realizing that by trying to be too kind in my response. I had done this women, her daughter, and any other readers an injustice. Here was the original question: My daughter is a vegan who is receiving...

Extreme Hunger in Anorexia Recovery: What Happens with the Meal Plan?

Meal plans can be very helpful in recovery. I never used one, but some people do. If you are using a meal plan, you have to be very careful not to treat it like a maximum. It should be a minimum. If you are hungry for more or can eat more food, then you must! But what...

Eating Disorders and Family Life: Household Triggers

In the last two posts I have looked at the way that eating disorders operate in a family setting when a parent is the sufferer in recovery. The first post addressed how to continue with mealtime support. The second on mealtime tension and shopping etc. This post looks...

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Why Weight Watchers can go to hell with their “FREE” teens membership

Where to start with this one? You've probably heard the news that Weight Watchers is targeting teenagers now with a free membership. Looks like they are on the hunt for more lifelong members. Lifelong...

Stop gaslighting eating disorder patients (and parents)

Gaslighting = manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity. Gaslighting is usually thought of in a domestic abuse setting but also happens in many other settings — including therapy. This sort of behaviour is not limited to eating...

Recovery Stories: Elisa Oras, feast eating, and coming out the other side [Podcast]

In this podcast Tabitha talks to Elisa Oras about recovery. Topics covered include: - Anorexia in...

Recovery Stories: How allowing my parents to refeed me saved my life [Podcast]

In this episode, I talk to "Simon's Cat" a woman in recovery from anorexia. She shares her story about going...

Question/Answer: Why is it so difficult for me to eat more?

Here's a question I got via email today. I will write here my opinion on this question. I would like to remind readers that my opinion is just that, and that we are all unique individuals so it would be impossible for my general opinion on anything at all to be...

Rachel Millner: School Dinner Policing, BMI Report Cards, and the importance of a HAES approach for kids

In this episode, Tabitha talks to the wonderful Rachel Millner about fat-phobia in schools: BMI report cards...

Podcast on eating disorders and yoga

I recently was interviewed for The Connected Yoga Teacher. You can listen to the podcast here: We cover my story with anorexia, men with eating disorders, veganism, the words that we use around body size, food, and diet, in the yoga studio and the world, and a ton...

Why recovery blogs (such as this one) should be read with discretion

I write a recovery blog, so I understand the irony of this post. I need to write it anyway. When I had "active" anorexia, I never read a thing about it. I remember a couple of times people trying to send me a newspaper or magazine clipping on...

Ask Dr G: Anorexia, malnutrition and your bones

In this podcast, Dr Jennifer Gaudiani talks about your bones, and what the effects of malnutrition caused by...

Dr Laura Hill: Motivation to Change in Anorexia Recovery [Podcast]

In this podcast Tabitha talks to Dr Laura Hill about motivation to change in anorexia recovery. But...

Recovered. Not perpetually “in recovery.” Not forever “recovering.”

I believe that full recovery is possible for every person who is currently suffering from or in recover from anorexia. Here's my two cents on why I don't thing that the the "in recovery," or "remission" rhetoric is particularly helpful. I'm sometimes glad I didn't...

Recovery Feast Eating [Podcast]

Saying goodbye to 2017, and looking back over the year and what I have learned. In this podcast I talk about...

Why BMI is Bullshit

Oh, the magic "BMI 19." "Get to a BMI 19 and you'll be healthy," they tell us. Bullshit. Utter crap. Hear me out... Body Mass Index (BMI) is a very basic, and arguably erroneous, way to estimate the amount of fat that a person has on their body based on their height...

The State of Science: Sugar Addiction [Podcast]

In this podcast Tabitha talks to Maggie Westwater, one of the authors behind a study looking into...

Event Restriction [Podcast]

In this podcast Tabitha talks about what she refers to as "event restriction." Event restriction is when you...

You can be underweight at any size

Underweight = being at a weight that is lower than the weight that your body would be if you did not suppress it with restrictive eating or exercise. So, taken from my definition of what...

Why eating without restriction really is the healthiest option

There was a heated discussion on Facebook after I posted a podcast on orthorexia last week. It seems that many people interpret the message of "it is okay to eat "unhealthy" food without restriction" as "all you should eat is "unhealthy" food all the time." And it is...

Don’t be the martyr! Relax! [Video]

When I was in a state of malnutrition I was forever running about doing chores. I never felt okay about sitting and relaxing. As I explain in this video. Life doesn't have to be like that! Did you know I have a YouTube channel? [sm-youtube-subscribe] ...

Happy Thanksgiving 2017!

I know this is a tough day for many of you. I made a little video to cheer you along, and to also remind you of the importance of not doing what I call "event restricting." Event restriction is when you "save" calories for later. You perceive that you will eat more...

Dr G: Hormones (and how eating disorders affect them!)

In this podcast Tabitha talks to Dr Jennifer Gaudiani from the Gaudiani Clinic in Denver about the important...

Orthorexia: Why it’s healthy to eat “unhealthy” foods. Unrestricted.

In this podcast Tabitha talks about orthorexia and why it is important to be able to eat all kinds of food...

Defining Mental Hunger

There is a podcast about mental hunger here if you prefer listening to reading: http://tabithafarrar.com/2017/10/defining-mental-hunger-important-anorexia-recovery-podcast/ What is mental hunger? Mental hunger is thinking about food. You might not even be thinking...

Dear Doctor … [Podcast]

People with eating disorders, parents, and doctors share what they think doctors should know about...

A note for yoga instructors, about eating disorders

A couple of recent podcasts …

I'm skiving off publishing a podcast this week because I am on holiday with family in England. We were in Manchester for my sister-in-laws wedding last week, and now are down in Wiltshire staying with my parents in a tiny village. I've basically spent the last...

Ask Dr G: Eating Disorders and Metabolism [Podcast]

In this podcast, Tabitha talks to Dr Gaudiani on the topic of metabolism in relation to anorexia and other...

Defining Mental Hunger And Why It Is Important In Anorexia Recovery [Podcast]

In this Podcast Tabitha talks about mental hunger. We look at: - What mental hunger is - What mental hunger...

Male vs Female Treatment Experiences in Eating Disorder Treatment

In this podcast Tabitha talks to Philipa Hay about recent research that looked into male...

How do I stop comparing what I eat to what other people eat?

Email question from a reader this week: I would appreciate your advice concerning the difficulty to stop comparing with others when it comes to exercise and the amount of food they eat. I know that my worries are not reasonable and that I have to care only for myself...

Before recovery vs. after recovery

In this podcast Tabitha answers questions about life before recovery versus life after recovery from...

Anorexia Recovery as an Adult: Teenage Brat Syndrome

Me before Matt is home from work: I miss Matt. Hope he gets home soon. He's so lovely. Matt: "Hey Babe, how was your day?" Me: OMG why are you always asking me questions. Can't you just leave me alone! I wasn't much of a teenage brat when I was a teenager. Probably...

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