Some people don't understand this, but binge eating disorder combined with depression can make food your only friend.When binge eating ran my life, I also experienced major depression. I don't know which came first, the binge eating disorder or depression, but co-occurrence of depression is common among those with eating disorders (Depression and Eating Disorders: When Sadness Never Fades).

Something I always stress to people is that eating disorder recovery is not always a linear process and slips in eating disorder recovery happen. This is unfortunate, but something we need to be aware of. Throughout my recovery journey, I fell back into old disordered eating behaviors countless times before long-term abstinence from binging was able to occur. Here's how to deal with slips in eating disorder recovery.

There are many components to binge eating disorder recovery. In spite of this, often times, individuals with eating disorders are told to "just eat" or to "just stop eating," depending on which eating disorder they are suffering from (How To Talk To Someone About Their Eating Disorder). Recovery is much more complex than only fixing our behaviors with food. Eating disorders are both a mental and physical disease which require many different treatment components for binge eating disorder recovery.

There is a common misconception that an individual with binge eating disorder has a certain body type (What Does Binge Eating Disorder Look Like?). When it comes to binge eating disorder, as well as other eating disorders, there is not one way a person's body will look. You cannot tell just by looking at someone whether or not they struggle with an eating disorder of any type. Body type and binge eating disorder are not necessarily linked.

Secrecy in binge eating disorder is huge. I was once told that eating disorders were all about secrets and lies. As I ponder that thought, I cannot think of anything more accurate. When consumed by binge eating disorder, I did everything in secret, never letting anyone into the reality of my life. I snuck food, lied about what I was eating, and denied any comments about my behavior. I wish I would have known then that the secrecy of my binge eating disorder was only digging me deeper into my dark hole.

Holidays in binge eating recovery can make the season even more anxiety-triggering. This time of year is especially food-filled and it can be tempting to dig in full force. It is important to remember what you are working towards and keep on your path toward binge eating recovery even during the holidays.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding when it comes to food, and those food myths hinder binge eating disorder (BED) recovery. It can be what the "healthiest" thing is to eat or the latest diet fad. When recovering from an eating disorder, we need to remember that current food fads are usually not the best for us. We know better and need to ignore what the trends are and stick to the balanced eating plan which keeps us from using behaviors. Watch for food myths in your binge eating disorder recovery.

Binge eating disorder (BED) can take a toll on your body image. This can happen even when there is virtually no weight gain involved during your time of engaging in BED behaviors. When dealing with binge eating, I was living an active lifestyle so I did not experience a dramatic weight shift but it did make a difference as to how I felt about my body. Even with binge eating disorder our body image is all in our heads, so let’s be gentle with ourselves and remember to love the skin we are in (What is Body Image and How Do We Improve It?).

The grocery store can be a place full of anxiety for those who suffer from any type of eating disorder. Even in recovery I can still become overwhelmed when I have to make my weekly shopping trip. Over time I have found effective anxiety coping skills that help me navigate the aisles and lessen my anxieties.  

The restriction and binge cycle is a common occurrence when struggling with binge eating disorder. When active in my behaviors I had a tendency to cycle through this quite often. When we deprive ourselves of food, our body's reaction is to binge. With a balanced eating plan we can put a stop to this vicious cycle (Why Do I Need a Dietician on My Eating Disorder Treatment Team?).