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Stress Eating Versus Stress Fasting: Impact on Recovery
People respond to stress in a variety of ways. Individuals within the eating disorder community are more likely to adjust their food intake as a method of coping with stress, including through stress eating and stress fasting.
These behaviors can have a significant impact on an individual’s eating disorder recovery, which is why it is essential to be aware of potential stressors and equipped with alternative ways to cope. This awareness and early intervention reduce the likelihood that unusually high levels of stress will lead to a relapse.
Identifying Emotional Eating
Varying degrees of stress eating, often referred to as emotional eating, can be common among the general population. We often hear this joked about in mainstream popular culture, such as eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream after a breakup, and even on social media.
How do you know whether you are engaging in emotional eating? It can be difficult to identify emotional eating, but start by understanding the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Your answer lies in what is driving your hunger and ultimate food behaviors.
Being mindful during mealtimes can be helpful to combat emotional eating. This involves being present with each bite and having increased awareness throughout your meal. Mindful eating allows you to check in with yourself about how you are feeling, both physically and emotionally, to avoid falling into a dangerous pattern of stress eating.
A recent publication [1] explores the relationship between stress and food behaviors, indicating that stress eating might have been a survival skill during the early stages of human evolution. Now it is a maladaptive coping mechanism for which we need increased awareness, resources, and treatment.
Being able to identify your behaviors and manage them through mindful eating can prevent stress from leading to an eating disorder relapse.
Stress Fasting & Restriction
While some people engage in emotional eating to cope with stress, others find more relief in restriction. This is a dangerous coping tool, particularly for those in recovery from anorexia nervosa.
How does fasting provide emotional relief? There can be a comfort in feelings of hunger and emptiness that is seductive, giving the individual a false sense of control and allowing them to temporarily avoid confronting their true feelings. This is why many return to these behaviors when facing stress or other triggers.
Stress fasting can become a slippery slope to extreme restriction and relapse, so it is important to recognize if this is happening to you while in eating disorder recovery. As with stress eating, early intervention is vital.
When NOT to Practice Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is an end goal for many people in eating disorder recovery. This involves honoring your natural hunger and fullness cues, and includes a variety of principles to ensure you are listening to your body.
If you generally practice intuitive eating but find that you are engaging in disordered food behaviors, including stress eating or stress fasting, it can be beneficial to temporarily get back on a meal plan.
Depending on where you are in your recovery, this does not necessarily have to be a formal meal plan or overseen by a professional (unless you are currently seeing a treatment team). Just having a set number of meals and snacks per day can be helpful as you get back on track.
Listening to your natural hunger and fullness does not work if these cues are being inordinately affected by your current stress level. Meal plans can serve an important purpose in these cases. Though it might seem like a step backward, there is nothing wrong with taking a break from your intuitive eating practice to support your long-term recovery.
Treatment & Additional Resources
If you find that your disordered food behaviors have escalated to the point where you are in need of professional care, reaching out to your current or former treatment team is a good place to start. Local support groups can also be effective, in addition to online resources.
Some individuals might be in need of a higher level of care. If you are seeking inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient (IOP), search for an eating disorder treatment center near you today. Fight for your recovery.
About the Author: Courtney Howard is the Director of Operations & Business Development at Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from San Diego State University, holds a paralegal certificate in Family Law, and is a Certified Domestic Violence Advocate. After obtaining her certification as a life coach, Courtney launched Lionheart Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching in 2015 and continues to be a passionate advocate for awareness and recovery.
References:
[1]: Yau, Y. H. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2013). Stress and Eating Behaviors. Minerva Endocrinologica, 38(3), 255–267.The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on November 16, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
