Orthorexia Therapy & Nutrition Counseling
See Orthorexia treatment FAQs here.
The pursuit of healthy living has taken over your life.
Orthorexia is a lesser known eating disorder, that looks like very controlled “healthy” eating and/or “disciplined” exercise behaviors from the outside. The internal experience of this disorder is a different story.
At Austin Center for Eating Disorders (ACED), we understand how frustrated and tired you are. Disordered eating and body image distress are lonely and demoralizing issues.
We’re Here to Help
What is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia is a fixation or obsession about only consuming “healthy,” “pure,” or “whole” foods. It may involve cutting out entire food groups, counting and tracking macronutrient grams, having “cheat days” that feel out of control, or following a rigid eating plan. Exercise can also be excessive or extreme, and not exercising as planned may create intolerable anxiety and distress.
The way that Orthorexia shows up in each person is unique, which is why our language defining it tends to be soft. That said, here are some hallmarks of the disorder.
Orthorexia Signs & Symptoms
Obsession with healthy eating
Perception of superiority because of “disciplined” food and/or exercise choices
Strong moral judgment about good vs. bad foods, having an “active” lifestyle, or body weight/shape
Extreme limitations in food choices, often avoiding entire food groups (fats, carbs, sugar, non-organic, meats, gluten, dairy, etc.)
Moderate to severe anxiety and distress when plans change regarding meals or exercise
Strong sense of identity regarding food, body, and/or exercise lifestyle routines
Orthorexia is a Complex Issue
Your food journey likely began as a way to pay closer attention to your health. It has since turned into something much more, and you find yourself unable to engage in your life the way you used to. It’s really tough, or even impossible, to go to restaurants that don’t have their nutrition information available, to skip a workout, or to connect with loved ones and old friends that just don’t get your lifestyle. It’s exhausting to be hyper-vigilant about your food, and your grocery bill has gotten really expensive.
Your identity is wrapped up in your “healthy” lifestyle; it can feel like who you are. That fact alone makes it feel impossible to change, since you may not know what to do with yourself, or where you fit, without your disorder. Perhaps you do have a deeper understanding of your reasons for extreme dieting, for example, you may limit your calories or food groups in an effort to feel in control, productive, superior, or to attain some sense of perfection. Your eating disorder can feel like your best friend: the one thing you can depend on for self-esteem, safety, and fulfillment. Despite having this awareness, you are here because you’re ready to take make some changes to reclaim the parts of your life and yourself that you have lost.
Oftentimes, eating disorders can become a set of coping tools to deal with the stressors of life and intense or distressing emotions.
The Compliments Make it Hard to Stop
People comment on your lifestyle, body size, or disciple often, and it feels really validating and boots your self-esteem. Until you aren’t “perfect,” and then you feel like a total worthless failure (you’re not). This is one way that your health obsession gets imprinted into your identity- your self-perception is somewhat dependent on the opinions and judgments of others. This can make it extremely difficult to give up your ways… even when it starts to hurt you.
You are feeling alone and exhausted by your constant thoughts about numbers, body fat, or obsessions about your routines. The anxiety about potential weight gain gets in the way of your ability to live your life fully. And, perhaps you are concerned about the harmful consequences of restricted food intake and/or overexercise on your physical health.
We Get It
At Austin Center for Eating Disorders (ACED), we understand how anxious and tired you feel. Eating disorders can be invisible illnesses that start from genuine interest in health and wellness.
Orthorexia, or any type of eating issue, can make you feel both invincible and worthless, and occurs across all body sizes.
Contributing Factors in Orthorexia and Eating Disorders
Suffering with an eating disorder is overwhelming, and effects everything in your life— your relationships, your work or school, your body image and physical health, your emotions, your mental health, your capacity to pay attention, and your sense of self. Anxiety skyrockets. Complicating matters is your fear of loss of control, or any health and medical problems, that likely kickstarted this whole mess in the first place.
On top of all of this, we can imagine that someone in your family also struggles with food, body image, and/or exercise. Eating disorders have a strong genetic component and tend to run in families. If you grew up in an environment of dieting, appearance-focused comments, and/or overexercise, you are more likely to struggle in these ways as an adult, especially if you have the genetic predisposition. We’re not here to blame your family at all, even though they may have accidentally contributed to the development of your eating disorder. Your parents’ parents likely passed these things down as well, and so goes the cyclical nature of trans-generational food and body image issues. That is, until someone finally heals it. We hope that person is you.
Many People Struggle With Eating Disorders
No matter where you are in the process of recovery, you deserve to be heard and get support. Struggling with an eating disorder does not mean that you are inferior in any way, and you are certainly not alone. Eating disorders are treatable mental and physical disorders that affect people of every age, sex, ethnicity, gender, race, and socioeconomic group. National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in the USA will, at some point in their lives, have an eating disorder.
Eating disorders can negatively affect every organ system throughout your body, and seeking professional help is necessary. The earlier you seek treatment, the greater the likelihood you have to fully recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. For more information about the health hazards of Orthorexia, click here. Oftentimes, full recovery from an eating disorder takes multiple attempts, and this is not your fault. We live in a culture that reinforces disordered eating and applauds over-control which infinitely complicates the process of recovery.
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Let Us Help
With the help of a skilled, specialized therapist and/or dietitian, you can develop the insight and compassionate self-care needed to sustain the long journey of healing. We can provide the support you need:
You will receive a personalized treatment plan that is highly specific and aligned with your unique needs and goals
Tools and skills to manage and diminish eating disorder behaviors
Support in developing insight and understanding in your relationships with food and your body, and about yourself in general
Education about the science behind eating disorders and trauma
Help learning to regulate and soothe your intense emotions
Coping skills to advocate for yourself, especially when it comes to difficult relationships and diet culture
Nutrition support, education, and guidance
Tools and guidance in dismantling the restrictive food rules and obsessions that take over your life
A meal plan, if necessary, with a specialized Registered Dietitian
Inspiration, motivation, and accountability
So much love and compassion
See eating disorder treatment FAQs here
Orthorexia Treatment Can Repair Your Relationship With Food and Body
Psychotherapy and Nutrition Therapy can be an extremely effective method to heal your relationship with food, your body, and your life. We’ll guide you to develop insight into your dysfunctional patterns of thinking and coping by giving you the skills and space necessary for empowered change. Therapy can give you a refuge, a place where you can be vulnerable, and trust that you will be unconditionally accepted, respected, and loved. Working at your own pace, you can find your voice, reconcile unaddressed emotions, and summon the power and courage required to take charge of your life.
We will help you to understand the science behind eating disorder behaviors if you desire this information, and help you understand why these behaviors harm more than help. Together, we will explore your unique history of relationships, food and body image, and any trauma to help you figure out how your eating disorder helps you. You’ll need to know this information so that we can find better ways of getting you what you need without your eating disorder, when you’re ready to let go. We’ll identify potential triggers for eating disorder behaviors, underlying activating emotions, and major stressors to clarify your needs.
Our Collaborative Approach Toward Eating Disorder Recovery
Depending on your symptoms and needs, we will refer you to a registered dietician and/or therapist specializing in eating disorders to assist us on our journey together. Working with a specialized dietitian can be very important, and we will collaborate to make sure that you are getting the best care possible.
We will also refer you to a specialized medical doctor to check in about your physical health. Again, we want to do our best make sure that you have everything you need to recover from your eating disorder.
Another option and recommendation we’ll likely provide is to join a therapy group that focuses on eating disorder recovery, so that you can connect with others who share your goals and struggles.
We’ll also look for other possible mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma, that may be complicating or intensifying your need to cope using disordered eating behaviors.
We utilize a number of therapeutic modalities to aid in your unique recovery process:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Family Based Therapy (FBT)
Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Psychodynamic Theory
Feminist Theory
Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating
Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work
Relational Cultural Theory
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
We Cherish Your Autonomy
You and you alone (given that you are an adult) are in charge of your body. You make decisions based upon what you believe is best for you. We will have plenty of recommendations (see above) to aid your recovery process, and if your symptoms are more severe, we may be more directive in nature. However, you are always free to agree or disagree, to come and go as you please, and do what you believe is the best thing for you.
We believe that you must make your own decisions to get the most out of therapy, and we support you in doing so. We cannot make you do anything, and you simply will not change unless you want to. We unconditionally accept you for who you are, right now.
You may be considering Emotional Eating Treatment but still have some questions or concerns…
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Investing in your physical and mental health is one of the most valuable and important investments you could possibly make. Orthorexia typically involves immense feelings of loneliness, shame, and feeling like a failure, and this can destroy the quality of your everyday life. We realize that treatment is expensive, but the costs to your wellbeing if you don’t get help can be even greater. If you simply cannot afford treatment, please reach out anyway, and we can look at alternatives through other programs.
If you are noticing worrisome physical symptoms, improving your relationship with food now might prevent costly medical treatments down the line. Furthermore, compensatory behaviors (e.g., compulsive overexercise, unprescribed medications, laxative use, etc.) can damage the health and functioning of your body in multiple ways. By engaging in therapy for Orthorexia, it’s possible to learn to better care for yourself, cope with challenges successfully without resorting to eating disorder behaviors, and create the life that you truly want to live. The benefits of seeking treatment are infinite and although it looks different for everyone, recovery is possible.
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It can be incredibly scary to face the unknown or hidden parts of yourself, especially when it comes to food and your body. Your eating disorder serves a beneficial purpose in your life, and understanding that purpose is essential to evolving the way you think about food and feel toward yourself. We want you to find better ways to deal with anxiety, emotional pain, and body shame that don't cause you harm. Whatever your situation may be, we will proceed as slowly as needed, and we will be there for you as a loving support, a source of strength, and a compassionate voice of reason.
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We understand that you're really busy. The demands of work, family, and life in general (along with all of your “healthy living” routines) can make it seem as if there is no time left in the week just for you. However, restricting self care and time for yourself might play a role in maintaining your eating disorder. We encourage you to make time for yourself, and make your healing a priority in your week. Your mental health and the quality of your life matters so much. We can help you to develop healthy coping skills to deal with stress, and guide you toward creating a life that you can truly love.
Help Is Available for Orthorexia.
We’re here for you. Schedule a complimentary phone consultation to ask all of your questions, and see if we might be a good fit for you.
