Disordered Eating & Eating Disorders
What is Disordered Eating?
Disordered Eating is different from an eating disorder which will have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist or doctor. People with disordered eating may be a healthy weight but are often overweight and may have tried many different diets and know a lot about healthy eating but still struggle to maintain a balanced diet.
If you have disordered eating, you may experience guilt and shame when you eat certain foods. You may feel anxiety when you’re faced with an invitation to go to dinner or a special occasion involving food. You may feel that you are driven to compulsive eating which feels uncontrollable. You may sometimes eat compulsively in large volumes. You may also notice that you rarely eat because you’re hungry but mostly for emotional reasons.
Disordered eating can mean that you are expending a large amount of your mental energy on thinking about food and your body while still struggling to maintain a healthy diet.
What is an Eating Disorder?
Eating disorders can be very different from one person to the next. Ranging from disordered eating thoughts to binge eating, here is a short summary of some of them:
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Anorexia Nervosa is the most commonly known eating disorder. Restrictive eating, weight loss and excess exercise can be some of the symptoms. Typically you want to lose more and more weight.
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Bulimia nervosa is when someone has binges where they feel out of control and eat large amounts in one go, then they may purge (vomit, use laxative or diuretics) afterwards.
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Binge eating disorder is when you regularly have binges but do not make yourself sick afterwards.
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Orthorexia can be when you aim to eat healthily but this spirals out of control, with more and more food rules and restricting more food groups.
There can also be a mix of multiple disorders, so you may not fit into any of these categories. Whilst knowing what is wrong can feel helpful, the most important thing is to reach out and get help. The quicker you start working on recovery the better.
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How We Can Help: Meet Our Specialist Dietitians
Sophie Medlin, Disordered Eating
Sophie has a wealth of experience in supporting people with disordered eating to improve their relationship with food and enjoy freedom from the anxiety and guilt associated with disordered eating.
What to Expect From Your Disordered Eating Consultation
Sophie has a wealth of experience in supporting people with disordered eating to improve their relationship with food and enjoy freedom from the anxiety and guilt associated with disordered eating.
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At your consultation, Sophie will take the time to explore your relationship with food and how and when it became disordered. She will support you to develop better habits, coping strategies and food choices. Sophie uses techniques from intuitive eating practice which avoids strict rules and diet plans and guides healthier, self-directed food choices and lifestyle management.
Pricing
Developing a better relationship with food takes some time so we usually recommend booking a six appointment package. This will give you the time you need to develop new habits and for them to begin having an effect on your mental and physical health. Our six appointment package is £510, which gives you six appointments for the price of five, saving you £90. If you prefer a pay-as-you-go option, this is also available.
Priya Tew, Eating Disorders
Award-winning TV presenter and dietitian Priya has worked within the NHS in an eating disorders unit as well as in a private hospital. She now works in private practice helping people with disorders eating patterns and eating disorders to find their path to recovery.
What to Expect From Your Eating Disorder Consultation
Priya can help you find a structured way to eat whilst you work on your food beliefs and think about others ways to manage your emotions. It is likely you will also need therapy, and having you dietitian and therapist work together can give you a supportive team to help you recover. Priya will take time to thoroughly understand your history and will assess your diet and dietary beliefs. You will work together to understand how to better manage your emotions and find recovery.
Pricing
We usually recommend booking a six appointment package for eating disorders. This will give you the time you need to get started on the road to recovery. Our six appointment package is £510, which gives you six appointments for the price of five, saving you £90. If you prefer a pay-as-you-go option, this is also available.
Testimonials
"I'm a big fan of Sophie! Firstly, she genuinely cares about your situation. She's calm, empathetic and listens to everything, without judgement or criticism. She's optimistic and confident in helping educate you through understanding your disease, as well as the best ways to approach it through diet and lifestyle."
"On the basis of the experience and professionalism of the Team outlined in the City Dietitians’ website I was confident that I would be able to access the advice I was looking for and I was correct."