Eating disorders are mental illnesses, and although they revolve around eating and body weight, they aren't entirely about food but also about feelings and self-expression. READ MORE

I Struggled With Obesity. Then I Lost the Weight … and Nearly Died From Anorexia and Bulimia.

These eating disorders may look like opposites from the outside, but they are two sides of the same coin

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Thanksgiving Will Always Be Difficult For Me. Here’s How I Cope.

The holiday that celebrates food is triggering when you're overcoming an eating disorder

Real Women, Real Stories

8 Ways to Manage Body Image Anxiety After Lockdown

Engaging with people who accept and appreciate your body as it is can help you feel more at peace with how you look

Lifestyle

Suffering in Silence: Middle-Aged Women and Eating Disorders

Shedding light on a condition that's more common than you think

Self-Care & Mental Health

I Recovered from Obesity and Bulimia Triggered by Sexual Abuse Once. And I Can Do It Again.

My childhood abuse caused disordered eating and weight gain, but I learned how to heal

Real Women, Real Stories

You Can't Put a Band-Aid Over a Bullet Hole: How I Healed From Sexual Trauma and Substance Abuse

I realized I had to deal with the painful secrets and trauma underlying my addiction in order to find a pathway to recovery.

Real Women, Real Stories

I Didn’t Know I Had an Eating Disorder

For 30 years I suffered from compulsive overeating, never realizing that food was my coping mechanism.

Real Women, Real Stories

How I Overcame the Shame of Anorexia and Learned to Celebrate Food

I enjoyed the high I felt when I skipped a meal and soon became addicted to that dopamine rush. Starving myself gave me a sense of success and control, when I’d previously felt helpless.

Real Women, Real Stories

Eating Disorders in Midlife

You may think only young women struggle with eating disorders, but the fluctuating hormones and stresses of midlife also put women at risk for eating disorders.

Menopause & Aging Well

Menopause and Eating Disorders

Women are more vulnerable to eating disorders during periods of reproductive hormone change, so when estrogen falls during menopause, eating disorders rise.

Menopause & Aging Well

I Recovered From Anorexia in My 20s, but I’m Still Coping With the Damage to My Bones at 50

I’m 50 now, and I have osteopenia, which is low bone density that’s less severe than osteoporosis. I have it because I had an eating disorder starting when I was a teenager, for about ten years.

Real Women, Real Stories
Related Articles

Eating Disorders and Your Teen

Does your teen show signs of eating disorders, such as extreme dieting or severe overeating and purging? If you think your daughter could have anorexia or bulimia, find out how to recognize the signs and what you can do to help.

Lifestyle