Written by:
Sandra Calzadilla
LMHC
Written by:
Sandra Calzadilla
LMHC
Recovering from eating disorders can be difficult and painful, but you’re not alone. From personal stories to resources written by industry professionals, wherever you are on your journey, these blogs on eating disorder recovery are here to provide information and support.
Blogs for Anorexia Recovery
Anorexia is a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by fear of weight gain disordered eating. These blogs will help you or someone you know cope with this serious illness.
1. And Then She Recovered
Poetic and earnest, Ruby took to blogging after suffering from addiction and anorexia in 2012. While it seems she’s shelved the blog for now with a few sporadic updates, combing through her blog entries gives a first-hand account of what disordered eating does to a person and what exactly it takes to recover.
Entries like this poetic account of a doctor’s visit are especially poignant:
“If I let every little thing bother me I wouldn’t get very far
But I guess it just goes to show
Now these comments don’t bother me
Whereas a couple of years ago
They would have sent me over the edge.”
2. Tabitha Farrar
Farrar is a recovery coach who overcame her own battle with anorexia. She works to help others better understand their relationship with food and create healthy patterns and behaviors. Her blog is frank and unapologetic, like this post she wrote on why policing childrens’ lunchboxes is a terrible idea.
“If only you could unlearn all the judgment and therefore lose the anxiety that accompanies it (you can). It makes me sad to think that [children] under 10 now don’t even have that long. They have until they start primary school if they are lucky, before the food-stress starts.”
3. Walden Behavioral Care
Walden works with those struggling with eating disorders to provide them and their families with resources and support for recovery. Their recovery blog is broken down into categories, including anorexia. Blog posts include symptoms, how anorexia affects other eating disorders, and why anorexia is more than just a “choice.”
“Lack of education or awareness of the illness can often lead friends or family to ask “is anorexia a choice?” For those not living with an eating disorder, it can often seem that it is. While some eating disorders may develop out of a conscious choice to improve health (eating “healthier” foods, increasing exercise or cutting out certain food groups) for those predisposed to eating disorders, these lifestyle choices can become obsessive and spiral out of control. By the time someone’s behaviors have escalated to the point of a diagnosed eating disorder, they no longer have much choice in their own actions.”
4. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD)
ANAD’s blog is a helpful source for information, resources, and support regarding anorexia and other eating disorders. It was founded in 1976 by a nurse whose own daughter suffered from anorexia with no support or help at the time.
Today, the organization works to provide that necessary support with its awareness efforts and blog. Unsurprisingly, a good place to start is their recent entry on why peer support is so important in recovery.
“What I didn’t realize when I signed on to be an ANAD mentor is that I receive so much more from my mentee than I give. I have been handed a gift of gratitude as I see the strength, dedication, and trust that my mentee continues to show. ANAD has given me a platform to pursue my passion of helping others impacted by eating disorders,” one volunteer shares.
Blogs for Bulimia Recovery
Bulimia is a serious and sometimes deadly eating disorder in which a person fluctuates between eating a large amount of food and purging it to avoid weight gain. Read on for our recommendations on best bulimia blogs.
5. Bulimia Free
Model Julie Kerr seemingly had it all: a successful modeling career that took her all over the world. But she was struggling for years with her weight and body image, leading to chronic bulimia problems that eroded her life, relationships, and self-esteem. After recovering, she decided to become a life coach to help others recover too. She created her bulimia recovery blog to allow others to find resources, information, and most importantly, compassion on their recovery journey.
“And so, you’ll discover information to inspire and support your own recovery in the posts here on your Bulimia Recovery Blog,” she writes. “Information and insights either from my own personal experience and research or from mentoring and coaching others, along with any news and views from other experts in the field of eating disorders and beyond.”
Blogs for Binge Eating Recovery
Binge eating disorder involves eating a large intake of food, often to the point of physical detriment. The following blogs can help someone with this disorder recover.
6. Make Peace With Food
Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin’s prior history and liberation from eating disorders inspired her to do this work. She knows what it’s like to struggle and she knows you can overcome it. Her blog, Make Peace With Food, encourages readers to enjoy all that life has to offer, including food, diet, and weight loss, with compassion and expertise.
7. Eating Recovery Center
This treatment and recovery clinic focuses on all aspects of disordered eating, but we especially appreciate their recognition of how serious binge eating is. “Back then, binge eating disorder didn’t exist,” writes Kara Richardson Whitely on their blog.
“Well, to be clear, binge eating (the behavior) existed, but we didn’t know that it was an eating disorder that could be treated — or even what to call it. It wasn’t until recently (2013) that binge eating disorder even had a diagnosis.” ERC offers resources, information, and guidance for all aspects of recovery, including binge eating.
8. Healthy Place
Healthy Place is a website dedicated to finding and providing mental health information and resources, including several category blogs on things like disordered eating. Their binge eating recovery blog, which follows along with authors recovering from binge eating and what recovery looks like going forward. Virginia Peel-Yates writes on everything from discovering a love of fitness to understanding shame’s huge part in recovery.
9. Break Binge Eating
Australian doctor and senior research fellow Dr. Jake Linardon writes on binge eating to help others make sense of the disorder, whether they know someone struggling or are personally affected. “Part of my reason for providing free, important, and easy-to-read information on eating disorders was to help the community understand what people with eating disorders go through, how they can be helped, and what you can do to support them,” he writes.
General Blogs for Eating Disorder Recovery
If you’re looking for a most general guide for eating disorder recovery, these blogs will be sure to help.
10. Magnolia Creek Treatment Center Blog
This treatment center treats all forms of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Their Creek Speak recovery blog is a haven for treatment, understanding mental health within eating disorders, and tackling difficult seasons like holidays or special events.
Dive right in with their recent blog on being kind to yourself on the road to recovery. “You might think it’s impossible to learn how to discover self-love or self-neutrality in eating disorder recovery but you can do it,” they write. “What are some actions you can take to cultivate love and understanding for yourself?”
11. Recovered Living: Eaters Digest Blog
This Australia-based group of eating disorder coaches also hosts an eating disorder recovery blog with advice, tips, and things to consider when working towards recovery. It’s not just about eating disorders either; their blog on moving to find joy, not lose weight, is a compassionate reminder of how disordered eating may affect your thinking when it comes to exercise.
12. Eating Disorder Hope
Eating Disorder Hope started with professors and other organizations specializing in eating disorders. They use their site to offer resources, information, and support for those struggling with eating disorders and their families.
Their blog is more scientifically focused, with topics ranging from physical activity among women with eating disorders to risk factors associated with disordered eating and perfectionism.
When to See a Therapist for an Eating Disorder
If you find yourself lapsing into old habits or struggling with your recovery, a trained therapist can help. Healing is a non-linear journey, and there’s nothing wrong with needing a bit of extra help. Find a therapist in your area today.
