• Is there a connection between food & your mood?

  • Is your relationship with food or your body image becoming unhealthy?

  • Do you feel anxious about making food choices?

  • Are you bouncing between different diets?

  • Do you find yourself following rigid food rules?

  • Have you noticed the way you perceive your body image is different to the way others perceive you?

 

 

Body Image. These two simple words carry both positive and negative connotations depending on how we look at them. Have you ever noticed the way you perceive your body image is different to the way others perceive you?

Body acceptance is a topic that has been broached many times over the years, but we do not always recognise the signs of negative change. It can be difficult to recognise when your behaviours towards food become a pattern and when your relationship with your body becomes unhealthy. Seeking help is an important and brave step in recovery and is the simplest way to take back control over your mental wellbeing and body image.

Having a negative outlook on your body image can lead to disorders such as:

  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  • Muscle Dysmorphia
  • Gender Dysmorphia

By building a positive body image you can increase your self-esteem and your self-acceptance. A positive body image feeds your physical and mental wellbeing and quality of life – it also protects against developing an eating disorder. Balanced nutrition and exercise, along with therapy, can be the most effective prevention for eating disorders by building a positive body image before developing any unhealthy behaviours.

Eating Disorders are complex mental health illnesses. They are not a diet gone too far or a lifestyle choice but an issue that stems from multiple risk factors that spill over into everyday life. Eating Disorders are often misunderstood and underestimated – emotional eating, yoyo dieting, fussy eating, following rigid diet rules, over exercising, and anxiety around mealtimes are sometimes overlooked but can be the warning signs for an underlying problem. These disorders can have serious effects on all aspects of your life and coexist with other mental health issues such as anxiety, body dysmorphia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

There is no one cause for developing an eating disorder. Risk factors include:

  • Environmental factors – major life changes or stressors, trauma
  • Physical illness
  • Societal and Cultural factors
  • Genetics and Personality traits

Eating Disorders can warp how you perceive your appearance which can cause psychological distress. These thoughts do not reflect reality and having help from a professional such as a psychologist can be beneficial in changing the mindset that places these thoughts in your head.

There are eight identified types of eating disorders:

  • Anorexia Nervosa – restrictive eating that leads to being unable to maintain a normal and healthy weight.
  • Bulimia Nervosa – repeated episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviours such as purging or excessive exercise.
  • Binge Eating Disorder – episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short span of time with no compensatory behaviours.
  • PICA – an uncontrollable urge to eat things that are not food.
  • Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder – a person who presents with symptoms of an eating disorder but does not meet the full criteria to be diagnosed in one category.
  • Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder – a person who presents with symptoms of an eating disorder but does not meet the full criteria to be diagnosed in one category. However, the clinician does not specify why the criteria are not met.
  • Orthorexia – an obsession with healthy foods or “clean eating”.
  • Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – highly selective eating habits, disturbed feeding patterns, or both.

Alliance Rehabilitation takes eating disorders and your concerns about body image seriously. Eating Disorders are treatable and manageable with the right care team. We offer a person-centred approach to therapy with your mental, social, and emotional wellbeing as our main goal. Finding the right treatment for you is an important step in your recovery which is why having a multidisciplinary approach is the best option. We provide in depth consultations and assessments to get to the root of the problem together. Our goal-oriented therapy is customised to each individual, so you are receiving the best care for your situation and needs. We want to provide you with a safe environment for you to explore your relationship with food, eating behaviours, mental well-being, and body image.

Our dietitians, psychologists, and exercise physiologists provide evidence-based treatment that is designed to improve your quality of life and confidence in the community.

Alliance Rehabilitation’s team of dietitians/nutritionists ensure you are receiving the proper fluids and vitamins while helping you explore your relationship to food in a safe and supportive environment. They are wholly focused on your goals and are there to develop techniques to assist you in your recovery without judgement.

Our team of psychologists can work through different strategies to discover what works best for you in adapting your mindset. They will work through your patterns of thinking, emotions, and motivations using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and other treatments to manage and treat your disorder. They will help you to externalise your disorder and separate it from your true identity.

An Exercise Physiologist can be a helpful part of your multidisciplinary team as an eating disorder can put a lot of stress on your body. They can help you to normalise your behaviours around exercise by creating associations around it that do not relate to weight loss or punishment.

By engaging with a multidisciplinary team in your community you will find that prevention and recovery are within reach. Alliance Rehabilitation are here to help you live a healthier and happier life. Contact us to find out more – Call (07) 4772 1219 or email reception@alliancerehab.com.au

 

 

If you need to talk to someone now, call:

  • Emergency 000
  • Lifeline 13 11 14
  • Butterfly Foundation 1800 33 4673

 

Reference List:
Eating Disorders Queensland. (2024). https://eatingdisordersqueensland.org.au/types-of-eating-disorders/
Intro — River Oak Health. (2020). Updated 23 September 2024, from https://www.riveroakhealth.com.au/services
Support for Australians Experiencing Eating Disorders – Butterfly Foundation. (2020). Retrieved 23 September 2020, from https://butterfly.org.au/

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