How To Eat Normally After An Eating Disorder

Seeking help for an eating disorder is a big step.

During the recovery process, you’ll heal your relationship with food and learn how to overcome disordered eating thoughts and behaviors. 

While the thought of “normal eating” may feel overwhelming, it’s part of eating disorder recovery and is something you can achieve with the right tools and support.

Continue reading to learn how to eat normally after an eating disorder.

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What is Considered "Normal" Eating?

In eating disorder recovery, “normal eating” is a term used to describe a healthy relationship with food and is one of the end goals of recovery.

While there isn’t one standard definition of normal eating, you can think of it as being the opposite of disordered eating. 

While eating disorders often involve skipped meals or irregular eating patterns, normal eating means prioritizing regular meal and snack times throughout the day.

It means eating from a variety of food groups and trusting your body to tell you what it needs. 

It’s common for rigid food rules to develop during eating disorders, such as “no sugar allowed” or “no eating after 7 pm.”

This “all or nothing” mindset can get in the way of enjoying food and fueling your body properly. 

‍Normal eating is flexible instead of rigid. It means learning to enjoy all your favorite foods without guilt and shame. 

Finally, normal eating involves considering the nutritional value of different foods without it dominating your thoughts. 

How to Eat Normally After an Eating Disorder

Eating normally after an eating disorder can feel daunting, but there are some steps you can take to start building healthy habits and reframing old mindsets around eating. 

For example, normal eating looks like: 

• Prioritize three meals per day plus snacks. 
• Learn to listen to your natural hunger and fullness cues. 
• Avoid labeling foods as “off limits” or morally “good” or “bad.”
• Reframe thoughts of guilt and shame around eating certain foods or amounts.
• Practice being flexible with your food choices. 

These are all examples of concepts taught in eating disorder treatment programs, and it’s important to continue practicing them even after recovery. 

7 Steps for Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food

Developing a healthy relationship with food and learning to eat normally after an eating disorder is a journey. 

It will look different for each person, but it typically involves finding the right support, learning to trust your body, and developing new habits. 

1. Seek Professional Help

Fostering a healthy relationship with food will often involve professional help.

If you’re concerned you might have an eating disorder, it’s important to talk to your doctor about a diagnosis and options for treatment. 

Eating disorder treatment is multidisciplinary, meaning you’ll have a team consisting of a doctor, dietitian, therapist, and other healthcare professionals.

Your team will work together to help you overcome your eating disorder and heal your relationship with food.

Even after you’ve completed eating disorder treatment, you may find it helpful to continue care with a dietitian and therapist on a weekly or monthly basis.

This will allow you to build on the progress you made during treatment.

2. Learn About Your Body's Needs

Part of normal eating is being in tune with what your body needs.

If you’re used to restricting your food or binge eating, it can take time to learn how much nutrition your body needs. 

Additionally, your hunger and fullness cues may not be the most reliable in the early stages of eating disorder recovery as your body adjusts. 

A registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders can help you understand how often and how much you need to eat to fuel your body properly. 

During this time, it can be helpful to avoid weighing yourself when possible.

It’s important to continue honoring your body’s needs even as your weight fluctuates. 

3. Practice Mindful Eating 

Mindfulness is the art of paying attention on purpose.

‍Mindful eating involves tuning into your natural hunger and fullness cues.

It also means practicing awareness of the food as you eat and noticing how it makes your body feel. 

You can work with a dietitian to learn and practice mindful eating strategies such as: 

• Eating when hungry and stopping when full. 
• Noticing the taste, texture, and aroma of your food. 
• Eating without distractions, like the TV. 
• Slowing down eating to savor your food.
• Practicing non judgment towards your food choices. 

Because it takes time to learn how to listen to your hunger and fullness signals after an eating disorder, it’s important to prioritize eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day during this process. 

4. Focus on Balanced Meals and Meal Planning

It can be helpful to plan your meals and snacks in advance so you have food options available at regular times throughout the day.

In general, try to plan for meals that include whole grains, protein, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables.

This balance of food groups will help you stay energized and fuel your body throughout the day. 

However, your meal plan and food choices need to be flexible.

Not every meal needs to be perfectly balanced, and it’s okay for your meal plan to change if something comes up. 

The goal is to have a basic plan for what you’ll eat so that you can give your body what it needs and prevent skipped meals.

5. Challenge Negative Thoughts 

It’s normal to have negative thoughts about food, eating, and body image during and after eating disorder treatment.

The important thing is recognizing and challenging these thoughts. 

This may involve strategies like reframing negative thoughts or repeating positive affirmations to yourself. 

For example, if you catch yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t be eating carbohydrates,” you can reframe it by saying, “Carbohydrates provide my body with the energy it needs.”

Try writing positive affirmations on sticky notes and posting them around your house, on your mirror, or in your work area. 

Examples may include: 

• “My body is worth nourishing.”
• “I can trust my body to tell me what it needs.”
• “My body is strong.”
• “I will be kind to my body today.”

A therapist can teach you strategies like these and guide you in challenging negative thoughts. 

6. Surround Yourself with Positive Support 

It’s important to find your support system in your journey to heal your relationship with food. 

This will look different for everyone but may include: 

• Asking for support from trusted friends and family. 
• Unfollowing unhelpful social media accounts. 
• Participating in eating disorder support groups. 
• Scheduling more frequent follow-up appointments with your dietitian or therapist. 

7. Be Patient With Yourself

Most of all, know that recovering from an eating disorder and healing your relationship with food is an ongoing journey.

It’s normal to experience ups and downs during this process.

Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways to think about food, eating, and your body image.

The most important thing is to keep moving forward even if you make mistakes along the way. 

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How to Cope with Triggers and Avoid Relapse

An eating disorder relapse happens when a person falls back into old disordered eating thoughts and behaviors after recovering from an eating disorder.

This is more common after stressful life events, like moving or starting a new job. 

It’s important to catch a potential relapse in the early stages before it progresses.

If you notice warning signs like binge eating, skipping meals, or having obsessive thoughts about food, ask for help from your support system and treatment team. 

You can also work with your therapist or dietitian to identify your triggers and develop a plan for handling them. 

Meal Planning Tips

There are several things to consider when creating your eating disorder recovery meal plan. 

Your meal plan should provide a structure of when and what you plan to eat at each meal and snack.

It can be as detailed as you like, but it should avoid things like calorie counts, grams of fat, and other food rules.

A balanced meal plan for eating disorder recovery isn’t restrictive and should include a variety of foods from different food groups. 

Your plan may change throughout different stages of recovery.

Work with a dietitian to create a meal plan that meets your nutritional needs and helps challenge disordered eating thoughts and behaviors. 

Takeaway

Normal eating is a term used to describe an unrestricted, flexible eating pattern following eating disorder recovery. 

Learning to eat normally after an eating disorder may include listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, planning balanced meals, and challenging negative thoughts. 

The journey to normal eating will look different for each individual.

Your dietitian and healthcare team can help you take steps to make peace with food and recover from your eating disorder. 

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How a Dietitian Can Help

A dietitian can help you nourish a healthy relationship with food throughout every stage of eating disorder recovery.

This will likely involve ongoing visits during and after eating disorder treatment. 

Your dietitian may help you eat normally after an eating disorder by: 

• Teaching mindful and intuitive eating strategies. 
• Creating a nutritionally balanced meal plan.
• Encouraging regular eating times. 
• Challenging disordered eating thoughts and behaviors. 
• Collaborating with other members of your treatment team to provide optimal care. 

Find a dietitian specializing in eating disorders who can support you throughout your journey through recovery and beyond.