Recovery & Eating Disorder Support

Fear of weight gain is one of the most common, and most distressing parts of eating disorder recovery. Friends and families of those suffering may feel confused by how intense it is, particularly when there desperate for there loved one to get better.

To understand this, let’s look at what’s happening in the body, the brain, and the world we live in.

Fear of weight gain isn’t just about weight

For most people, this fear isn’t really about a number on the scale. It’s about what weight gain represents.

Meal plans are commonly used in eating disorder recovery, yet they’re often misunderstood. Many people worry that following a meal plan means they’re becoming more rigid, dependent, or moving further away from intuitive eating.

From a dietitian’s perspective, meal plans are a clinical tool used to support nutritional adequacy, reduce anxiety around food, and help the body move out of survival mode.

Why are meal plans used in eating disorder recovery?

“I didn’t expect recovery to feel this overwhelming.”

This is something I often hear from clients and it’s really understandable. From the outside, recovery is often measured by eating more regularly, weight restoring, medical stability improving. Which is good news.

But inside, many people feel more anxious, more emotional, more unsettled than they did before.

There is a reason for this. And it makes sense.

Adequate nutrition changes the way the brain and body function

I thought long and hard about what I would call this business when I renamed it in 2022.

I actually began my private practice back in 2015 under the name Mind to Nourish. That name was born from a genuine desire to help people change the way they eat by addressing their thoughts and attitudes around food. In many ways, it captured where I was at the time.

However, I often received calls asking if I was a psychologist, which, made sense! Mind to Nourish does sound like psychology.