Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from anorexia, a life-threatening mental health disorder rooted in the fear of gaining weight. It’s no surprise then that it’s so frequently blogged about. From recovery stories to resources, here are fifteen anorexia blogs to help you or a loved one find the care you need.
1. The Emily Program
The Emily Program is a multidisciplinary team-based program that evaluates each patient and provides specialized care for anorexia. Their blog is often news and updates on their center, but also often features recovery stories and helpful advice. It includes stories like Lisa Whalen’s, who wrote a memoir on her experiences with the Emily Program and a writer’s workshop she attended.
“If my story had a villain, who would it be?” she wrote. “The answer was obvious: An eating disorder had been my foe at every turn. I considered how ED functioned and how it had affected my life. ED, I decided, is a possessive boyfriend like the main character in Netflix’s You.”
2. Center For Discovery Blog
The Center for Discovery is another treatment center with a helpful blog. Like the Emily Program, they help determine a personalized care program based on your needs and offer recovery support through life with their aftercare program.
This blog is good for awareness, education, and learning how to deal with common triggers, like tuning out New Year’s diet ads. “Remember what is truly important for supporting your health when it comes to food and exercise: a healthy relationship with all foods and joyful movement that helps you feel good both physically and mentally.”
3. Walden Behavioral Care
Walden’s blog often highlights success stories from their patient treatment program, but that’s not the only good thing they’re sharing. You can hear from a patient directly on what virtual treatment is like or how COVID-19 impacted one person’s recovery journey.
“While under Walden’s care, I held myself to a high standard of healing,” former patient Miranda S. writes. “Not an immeasurable, unrealistic expectation to never realize that the eating disorder was proposing a behavior to engage in, such as only eating one spoonful of peanut butter, but instead a prioritization of compassionate, mindful learning that acknowledged the behavior proposed and was confident enough in other options to turn away.”
4. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
ANAD is a non-profit offering free support resources to those suffering from an eating disorder. Blog topics include battling diet culture, finding healing, and the prevalence of eating disorders in the LGTBQ+ community.
“A 2015 study that looked at eating disorder prevalence in college students found that 1.85% of cisgender, heterosexual women had been diagnosed with an eating disorder in the past year, while 15.82% of transgender individuals had been diagnosed with an eating disorder,” one blog states.
5. Eating Disorder Hope
EDH offers resources, support, and more on its website. The Hope Blog is a place for support stories, advice, and news about eating disorders, including advice on how to support someone with an eating disorder.
“Avoiding or ignoring the topic of disordered eating is not helpful to resolving the issue, but direct and honest communication is. Being compassionate and open with your loved one about your concerns could be the beginning of recovery for them.”
6. The Hunger Artist
Emily Troscianko, Ph.D. is a recovery coach and researcher who writes a blog for Psychology Today. The Hunger Artist isn’t a blog about not eating. “It’s concerned with the complex art and science involved in learning to listen, and respond, to your many hungers again after an eating disorder has made you forget how.”
The Hunger Artist is a comprehensive resource on recovery, some fundamentals you should know, what recovery looks like in the long term, and more. Recent topics include the issue of thinking you’re not sick enough for recovery.
“It might be nourished by considerations like “I know so many people who have more extreme versions than this,” “I’m not emaciated and I’ve never been tube-fed, so who am I kidding,” “I’ve been hiding it so well hardly anyone realizes there’s anything wrong—so maybe there isn’t,” etc,” she writes.
7. National Eating Disorders Association
NEDA is dedicated to access to care, prevention, and support. Their blog focuses on inclusivity and welcoming all voices in: everyone has a seat at the table. One mother writes about seeing her daughter’s ED as a beast to be slain, and how it helped them both recover.
“Fighting an eating disorder in your child doesn’t have an option for you to be a conscientious objector; you have been conscripted into this battle,” JD Ouellette writes. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a parent who felt prepared for this fight, and many of us have worked hard to parent in a way that is quite the opposite of what fighting an eating disorder requires.”
8. National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC)
Canadian-based NEDIC is about as anti-diet as they come. They also understand that weight is not an effective measurement of health. NEDIC provides care and resources for clients of all walks of life and financial backgrounds. The NEDIC blog features loved ones’ perspectives, treatment, recovery, and many more. There’s also room for personal stories of on-going recoveries, such as why one recovering woman doesn’t sweat her coffee creamer habit.
“I know this is not considered a healthy habit. I know sugar causes inflammation and inflammation is the route to all pain and health problems,” she writes. “I know I am taught to feel guilty about these foods in order to encourage better eating habits, and I know if I think too much about it, I may spiral. I can choose healthier options, or reduce my intake, but I really can’t think about it too much.”
9. Project Heal
Project Heal is here to break down systemic barriers to eating disorder treatment. Of the 30 million affected by an eating disorder, only 20% of them receive treatment, Project Heal states, due to financial ability or lack of access. So they set out to break down those barriers and provide care and resources to those who need it the most.
Their dedication is evident in their blog, which ranges in topics from debunking common ED myths to sharing diverse personal journeys.
10. Break Binge Eating
Dr. Jake Linardon is a Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He started this blog to provide free, easy-to-digest information on eating disorders. He’s passionate about ED research and has published multiple articles on evidence-based strategies.
One of our favorite posts of his is how to stop body checking, where he writes that these behaviors can have serious consequences. “To recap, body checking behaviors can become a problem when practiced obsessively because they can reinforce an overvaluation with weight and shape, and encourage extreme weight control behaviors.”
11. Follow the Intuition
Elisa is an eating disorder recovery coach who started her blog after battling an eating disorder and over-exercising. She focuses on welcoming, non-judgemental treatment designed to get people back to intuitive eating. “My approach to recovery is combined with nutritional rehabilitation, intuitive eating practices, the brain retraining, and un-brainwashing from diets and restrictive behaviors,” she writes.
Most of her work is done through her YouTube channel, but you can see her entire host of work through her blog as well. A good place to start? Her “Health At Every Size” post discusses the detrimental effects of diet culture and how it can yo-yo into an eating disorder.
12. UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders
The University of North Carolina Eating Disorders Program was created in 2003 after one mother decided no family should ever have to go through the hardship her family did when seeking treatment. Since then, it has grown to become a model evidence-informed, comprehensive, university-based program for eating disorders and recovery.
Most of UNC’s blog posts are tuned towards medical information and research, like this article on the dangerous mix of diabetes and eating disorders. “The need to closely monitor nutritional intake and blood sugar, which is essential for managing T1D, “ the blog states, “can often feel particularly challenging for people working toward recovery for eating disorders. Developing effective strategies for co-managing T1D and eating disorders can ensure both physical and psychological well-being.”
13. Newbridge Health
Newbridge focuses specifically on eating disorders in children and teenagers, providing care and resources from their treatment house in England. Their blog is still a valuable resource, however, for those looking for more information about Newbridge or about eating disorders in general.
14. Beating Eating Disorders
Beating Eating Disorders is a collection of user-submitted blog posts on a variety of eating disorder-related topics, from dealing with family members who don’t understand to navigating recovery during COVID-19.
One woman’s reflection on why she doesn’t know her body weight is particularly important: “For an anorexic (and I suspect for most people suffering with most ED’s) that number on the scale becomes unintentionally your whole wide world. The power it holds over your increasingly unwell mind becomes second to no other brute force you can ever imagine. It has the ability to bully you, scare you, dictate to you, starve you, make you miserable, make you ecstatic, bring relief, bring comfort or bring fear.”
15. Jenni Schaefer
Jenni Schaefer is a motivational speaker and author who’s been writing on eating disorders for years, including the journey of her own recovery. Her writing frequently covers adjacent topics like body image, trauma, and perfectionism.
She recently wrote about why self-regulation is more important than ever, especially in light of the pandemic. “To maintain self-regulation, you need to develop the ability to process rather than shut down feelings, to understand your inner world rather than push it away,” she writes.
When to See a Therapist About an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders like anorexia, if left untreated, can lead to very serious health concerns. A therapist can help you get to the root of your eating disorder and find healing. Certified Eating Disorder Specialists are specially trained to treat eating disorders and can make recommendations for specific treatment.
If you or a loved one suffers from an eating disorder and are looking for treatment, don’t hesitate. Find a therapist today.
