• Unable to Enjoy or Eat Food Without Guilt

• Feeling Trapped by Harmful or Unrealistic Eating Patterns

• Experiencing High Anxiety When Eating with Others or Not Having Choice of What You Eat

• Constantly Battling Negative Thoughts About Your Body Shape or Size

• Avoiding Looking in the Mirror or Looking in the Mirror for Long Periods of Time

• Always Body Checking Throughout the Day, Using Your Reflection, Clothes, or Hands to ‘Measure’

• Wrestling with Shame and Isolation

• Doubting Your Ability to Heal and Thrive

• Plagued with Fear, Anxiety, and Distress About What Others Think of You Based on Your Food Intake and Body Size

• Consumed with an Inner Dialogue that Makes it Difficult to Focus on Relationships That Matter Most

• Turning Down Invites to Outings that Involve Eating or Wearing Particular Clothing

• Pulling Away from Connecting with Others or Feeling Isolated Even in Group Settings

People who struggle with Anorexia Nervosa restrict or limit what they eat in a given day or week in an effort to change or control how much they weigh.
Their sense of self or worth is closely connected to how they feel in their body and/or how much they weigh.
Lastly, people who struggle with Anorexia have fear of gaining weight, which can also feel like intense anxiety.

Individuals who struggle with Bulimia Nervosa can experience periods of limiting or reducing what they eat as well as eating past the point of fullness.
Exercise, taking laxatives, or purging, like limiting food intake, are additional behaviors that they engage in, in an attempt to make up for any moments of overeating.
Low self-esteem and body image struggles are very common.

People who struggle with Binge Eating Disorder experience moments of overeating, past the point of fullness.

Typically these experiences are done in isolated settings, in a short period of time, and in response to an emotional need.
There is no attempt to make up for moments of overeating experiences and there is often intense feelings of shame.

There are many other forms of disordered eating that are considered an eating disorder. Not all carry a specific psychiatric diagnosis, but terms coined by professionals in the field to categorize the symptoms and behaviors.
Orthorexia involves only eating clean, healthy, or organic foods.
Diabulimia encompasses people who manipulate their insulin medication to change their body size and shape.
Atypical Anorexia Nervosa refers to people who restrict their food consistently, but may also purge or over-exercise to further decrease their weight or may have lost weight but are still in an ‘ideal body weight’ range.