Book Review: When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder is a Must-Read

Posted on September 10, 2024June 3, 2025 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

The book When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder: Practical Strategies to Help Your Teen Recover from Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating, author Dr. Lauren Muhlheim discusses eating disorders and their treatment in great depth.

If you think your child or teen has an eating disorder, this is a must-read.

Eating disorders can perplex many parents and clinicians alike. Your teen may not be acting like their usual self. It’s hard to know if this is just normal teenage angst or something more serious. If your teen has an eating disorder, they may have changed greatly right before your eyes. Including food refusal, increased anxiety around eating, or changes in mood and energy.

You may have talked with them about the importance of eating and tried to reassure them that they are not gaining weight. (In fact, they are likely losing weight.) But your child’s struggles seem to be getting worse, not better.

If your teen has not seen a doctor yet about their eating disorder, this is the first step to make sure they are medically stable.

This book can help guide you and your family in treatment while establishing an eating disorder treatment team consisting, at minimum, of a doctor and therapist.

About the Book

When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder discusses the complicated concepts surrounding eating disorders in teens in a non-clinical manner. The book provides an overview of various treatment options. It goes into depth about a unique and well-studied treatment called Family-Based Treatment (FBT).

The author of the book, Dr. Lauren Mulheim, owns a counseling and training center in southern California. She uses Family-Based Treatment in her clinic and has been instrumental in training many of the eating disorder therapists in the Los Angeles area and beyond. And she is currently serving on the advisory panel of FEAST (an organization for parents). She is a regular speaker at national eating disorder conferences.

If you are a parent worried about your child and unsure how to help them overcome their eating disorder, this book is a must-read. As an eating disorder therapist myself, I recommend this book to all of the families that I work with. It is a great resource and provides a glimmer of hope to you on your journey.

What is discussed in When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder?

When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder outlines the complexities of eating disorders and the impact that they can have on your teen (and your family’s) life.

Learn the warning signs:

Changes in eating and/or exercise habits
Frequent trips to the bathroom
Changes in body weight
Loss of menstrual cycle
Complaining of feeling cold all of the time
Lack of growth
Obsessive thoughts about food, body image
Changes in overall mood
Poorer concentration

Muhlheim highlights the importance of early detection and intervention with trained clinicians, so that the eating disorder can be addressed before it escalates or becomes chronic.

She provides the reader with an excellent explanation of how malnourishment impacts your teen’s ability to understand how the eating disorder is impacting their mind and body. Parents often feel perplexed when their bright, loving child begins to act irrationally around food. You will also learn how to separate your child from their illness, one of the basic assumptions of family-based treatment.

The majority of the book really gets to the heart of the matter: What parents really want to know when their child has an eating disorder. You might be asking yourself questions like “What do we do?”. Or, “How do we improve our child or teen’s health and get them feeling better again?”

This book can help you answer those questions. In it, Mulheim:

Outlines the path to help your child or teen heal from their eating disorder using family-based treatment (FBT).
Discusses the three stages of recovery-nutrition rehabilitation, eating independence, and relapse prevention in depth.
Provides parents rationale behind each step so parents can feel empowered to help their child.

Discover Practical and Helpful Tools to Help Your Teen in Eating Disorder Recovery

This book is a practical guide that provides effective, concrete strategies for eating disorder treatment, and examples of how to use them.

Family-based treatment helps parents become empowered agents of change amid their child’s eating disorder. The book provides general guidelines about what to feed your child and how to structure meal times. Additionally, highlights how to effectively interact with your child at each stage of treatment. Including how to be empathetic with them when they are struggling.

In addition to concrete strategies and practical steps, it also covers the challenges that parents might face during treatment. The book details what to do when your child refuses to eat. It also explains how the parents can get support throughout the difficult journey of helping their child get better. You know about The hard aspects of treatment athat they are prepared.

Muhlheim provides all of this information while also sharing real-life examples throughout the book. The stories within this book help parents feel less alone about what is going on with their child. It also provides them with a realistic picture of what they are facing. These examples make parents feel more confident about applying the practical tools needed for recovery.

It is normal for parents to worry about how treatment will affect their relationship with their teen. When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder emphasizes the importance of your relationship with your teen in the treatment of their eating disorder. A family culture of unconditional acceptance, respect, trust, and empathy supports your child in their recovery. Furthermore, it provides strategies of how to talk to your teen about food and body image during the recovery process.

When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder is a Great Resource For Parents

Whether your teen is struggling with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, this book is helpful for parents. This book will help you if your child is newly diagnosed with an eating disorder, in early stages of treatment, or if your teen has been through several rounds of treatment already.

This book will empower you to support your child’s recovery. If you are seeking treatment for your child, it will give you enough information to decide whether or not Family-Based Treatment is right for your family. If you decide that FBT is the best treatment option, this book walks you through how to create a treatment team that will be the best fit for your child and family.

As a therapist and parent, I appreciate how this book (and FBT in general), takes a very non-blaming stance on eating disorders. Parents aren’t faulted for the disorder and the child isn’t isolated from their family. This book recognizes the family-based treatment approach and belief that parents are the experts on their child. It emphasizes how treatment for eating disorders needs to include the family for best results and also the importance of meal support and nutritional rehabilitation for recovery. I highly recommend reading this book!

If you think your teen has an eating disorder please consult their doctor for assessment and medical care as eating disorders can be life threatening. If you are a parent and are interested in family-based treatment for your child in Texas, you can schedule a consultation with me here.

If you are a clinician looking for a book that can help you understand eating disorders and family-based treatment, you can get CEU’s for reading this book by clicking here.

*Please note this book is not a substitute for professional help from a doctor and eating disorder treatment professionals.

Can Family-Based Treatment Help My Child Recover from an Eating Disorder?

Posted on June 3, 2024June 3, 2025 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

If you are a parent or caregiver desperate to help your child who is struggling with an eating disorder, family-based treatment may be the solution.

Often, families come into my office worried sick about their child.

Your child may have lost weight or become more rigid around food. Perhaps your child has been over-exercising, using laxatives, or throwing up after eating.

Or, your child only eats a small number of foods, or eats a lot of food at once.

You may feel terrified because the doctors mention treatment centers or hospitalization.

No matter what your child’s symptoms are, you may feel frantic, frustrated, and powerless. You have tried to make things different, but don’t know what to do.

If you find yourself in a similar boat today, you’re not alone. I have worked with countless families who walk into my office feeling this way.

Many parents have been seeking help for a while. Unfortunately, they have found no real results. They often receive criticism, but no real guidance on how to help their child get better, or well-meaning doctors say they will grow out of it, and that it’s just a phase.

I’m here to give you hope.

After years as a therapist and registered dietitian, I’ve seen the positive results that come from family-based treatment. When parents are properly equipped and supported to be part of the solution, their child’s needs to get better.

Why Choose Family-Based Treatment?

Family-based treatment (FBT) for eating disorders is an evidence-based treatment for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

Unlike many other treatments that put the responsibility on the identified patient or the person with the eating disorder, FBT includes the parents. Instead of seeing the parents as part of the cause of the eating disorder, they are seen as part of the solution.

We use your expert knowledge of your child to help your child get better.

This method of treatment makes sense to parents. If your child had cancer or some other serious medical condition, you, as the parents, would be highly involved in treatment. Such as attending appointments, physical therapy, and all the steps to recovery.

It shouldn’t be any different for treating eating disorders.

Eating disorders are an epidemic in our country. According to the NIH, for teens between the ages of 13 and 18, the lifetime occurrence of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder is 2.7%. These disorders are twice as common among girls as boys. They also tend to be more common the older the teen gets.

How Effective is Family-Based Treatment?

Family-based treatment has been used in the United Kingdom for many years. It has proven to be more effective than other forms of eating disorder treatment.

With a 75% success rate, teens receiving FBT also recover faster than with other treatments. The research also shows that teens are doing better after engaging in FBT than in other treatments.

How Does Family-Based Treatment Work?

In family-based treatment, a clinician guides the parents in empathizing with the child while also holding boundaries around eating and food. Parents help interrupt other eating disorder behaviors like binge eating and laxative use.

The therapist coaches the parent on how to teach their child to eat again. The goal is for the child to eventually have age-appropriate responsibility for food intake and eating habits.

Family-based treatment usually lasts around 20 sessions and happens in three stages.

During the first stage, the parents are responsible for preparing and serving food. Helping their child eat as much as their body needs to nourish them back to health. Parents do the job that a nurse would do during an inpatient stay at a hospital. There is no room for negotiation around food or other eating disorder behaviors like purging, misusing exercise, or laxatives.

The second and third phases include slowly giving responsibility for food and exercise back to the child.

During the second phase, the child may return to more normal activities while being supervised by their parents for any signs of relapse.

During the third stage, the child begins to transition back on track with their developmental stage of eating.

What Makes FBT Different?

Family-based treatment is quite different from the standard eating disorder treatment.

First of all, at its core, FBT does not blame the child’s parents (or the child) for the eating disorder. One of the core beliefs of family-based treatment is that no one in the family is to blame. Really, the focus is on getting the child well instead of placing blame.

In other treatments, the person with the eating disorder receives the bulk of the treatment outside of the family system. But, with FBT, the parents, child, and sometimes even the siblings, are involved in treatment.

The parents’ care and motivation to help their child are used to make some major changes in the family’s life, especially around food. Their unique expertise on their child is used to help them get better, and parents are taught how to interact with their child around food, and other eating disorder behaviors.

This allows the family to overcome the eating disorder together.

Another difference with FBT is the focus on food, nutrition, and eating disorder behavior rehabilitation. FBT believes that a lot of the symptoms of the eating disorder will disappear when the child is better nourished and no longer using other eating disorder behaviors. So they first focus on nutrition, feeding, and decreasing other eating disorder behaviors.

Often, parents think that their child has to be “motivated” for treatment to be effective. One of the differences with FBT is that the child does not need to be motivated to change to get better. The motivation to make change happen starts with the parents.

What are the Benefits of Family-Based Treatment?

Family-based treatment has benefits for both the family as a whole and the child, including:

The child or teen usually gets better faster than any other treatment, making it one of the quickest ways to help your child and family heal.
Parents are involved in the child’s treatment, allowing them to be the child’s primary support instead of feeling powerless and at fault.
This is a good replacement for inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization, allowing your child to stay home.
FBT is an evidence-based approach, so you know you are doing the best you can for your child.

Now that you know how FBT can help, let’s look at who it can help.

Who is FBT for?

FBT has been shown to be effective for kids, teens, and young adults showing signs of eating disorders.

It has been used to help kids and teens who are struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and in some cases ARFID.

In the cases of binge eating disorder and bulimia, the family is taught to help feed their child adequately and supportively interrupt binge eating, purging, laxative use, and misuse of exercise.

FBT works both for teens who have been to inpatient multiple times and still struggle to let go of the symptoms, and for teens who have just started to engage in eating disorder behaviors, and for any child in between.

FBT is not just for teens, however. It can also be used with children and young adults still living at home. FBT can be used in all different types of families or caregiving situations (like grandparent caregivers and single-parent households).

Who Should Not Do FBT?

FBT should not be used for children and teens who are medically unstable. Always consult a doctor if you think your child has an eating disorder.

FBT is often used instead of higher levels of care, such as residential or day treatment. If the child is underweight and cleared by their doctor to stay outpatient, FBT can be a great option rather than high levels of care.

In the same way, if the child needs to be supervised for other psychiatric illnesses, then this is also a situation where FBT is not going to help until the child is stable psychologically. Family-based treatment may also not be a good option if the child has experienced certain types of trauma.

What Happens During Family-Based Treatment?

Family-based treatment may last around 20 sessions. At each session, you can expect your child or teen to check in with the therapist for mental health support.

After this, the therapist will meet with the parents and child for coaching around nutrition and other eating disorder behaviors. The coaching isn’t just about what to eat but also about how to talk to your child about eating and other eating disorder behaviors, including how to express empathy without giving in.

Unlike other eating disorder treatments, where the therapist just meets with the child, most of the time, the FBT therapist meets with the caregivers and the child.

Family-Based Treatment is Worth the Hard Work

Family-based treatment can be very intense for the whole family. In the beginning, you will be very involved in your child’s day-to-day life, as well as your child’s nutritional rehab, but the hard work will be worth it when your child learns to eat and regains their health again.

Not only does family-based treatment help your child stay home, as hospitalizations can last weeks or months, but it also helps to heal your whole family from the disruption that the eating disorder has caused.

While it can be hard to find family-based treatment, don’t give up! Finding someone who is trained to do family-based treatment can make the difference for your child.

At a minimum, when you are seeking FBT you will need to at least start with a medical doctor and a therapist. If your team includes a dietitian, initially, they will only meet with the parents and not the child.

As a therapist who is also a dietitian, I can help you understand what is going on from both angles. If you are in Texas and interested in working with me, click here to fill out a contact form. I would love to support you and your child on your journey to health.

When Your Loved One Doesn’t Want to Get Better: Understanding Anosognosia in Anorexia Nervosa

Posted on April 11, 2024September 26, 2024 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by severe food restriction, an intense fear of weight gain, and body image disturbance. Anorexia nervosa affects many individuals of all genders, ages, and identities worldwide.

The consequences of anorexia nervosa can be devastating, both physically and psychologically. However, one of the most challenging aspects of this disorder, particularly for family members and caregivers (and even clinicians!), is the phenomenon known as anosognosia.

What is Anosognosia?

Anosognosia, stemming from the Greek words “nosos” (disease) and “gnosis” (knowledge), refers to a lack of awareness of one’s illness. Anosognosia often can feel and look like denial.

Denial is a defense mechanism and psychological response to avoid dealing with anxiety or other uncomfortable feelings. In contrast, anosognosia in mental health conditions is better described as a lack of awareness of their own condition.

Anosognosia can affect individuals struggling with bipolar, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and other psychological disorders.

In anorexia nervosa, individuals may minimize the severity of their condition. They may adamantly believe they are not sick, or that their behaviors are justified, making it incredibly difficult for them to recognize the need for treatment. It can feel like your loved one is being “difficult” and in teenagers it can be especially confusing because during adolescence it is normal for teens to be contrary or contradictory.

Anosognosia causes a person to be unable to achieve one or more of the following:

Accept that they have an illness or disorder.
See the signs and symptoms of their condition.
Connect their feelings and personal experiences back to that condition.
Understand and agree that the condition is serious and needs treatment.

One of the most dangerous aspects of anosognosia in anorexia nervosa is the individual struggling with insight when the condition becomes life-threatening.

This lack of awareness around a loved one’s illness can further complicate the treatment plan and, many times, prevent treatment from occurring altogether.

Parents frequently ask me if they should wait for their child to want to recover.

My answer is always no, because I know that anosognosia is most likely operating, and because the devastating effects eating disorders have.

Let’s face it – no teen really wants the devastating effects of an eating disorder. Contrary to popular belief, no one chooses to have an eating disorder.

How Anosognosia May be Affecting You

It’s already difficult enough to observe as a family member or loved one suffers from Anorexia nervosa, but anosognosia can make it incredibly distressing and frustrating. Despite your pleas, watching as your loved one deteriorates physically and emotionally, while they remain unaware of the severity of their condition, can evoke feelings of helplessness and despair.

To best help your loved one, you must recognize that anosognosia is not a choice but rather a symptom of the disorder.

It is deeply rooted in neurological and psychological mechanisms impairing the individual’s ability to perceive reality accurately. This is completely out of their control, and without professional help,they may be unable to leave behind their problematic and highly dangerous behaviors.

The Role of Brain Connection in Anosognosia

Research suggests that anosognosia in anorexia nervosa may have an anatomical basis.

Brain imaging studies indicate abnormalities in brain structure and function. According to a study published in the European Eating Disorder Review, up to 80% of individuals with anorexia exhibit some degree of anosognosia.

Malnutrition, a hallmark of anorexia, can lead to significant changes in brain chemistry and structure. This potentially contributes to the development of anosognosia. These neurological alterations can impair the individual’s ability to recognize their illness and hinder their motivation to seek help. This perpetuates the cycle of disordered eating behaviors.

The good news is with nutrition rehabilitation, anosognosia diminishes.

Navigating Treatment and Recovery

Supporting a loved one with anorexia nervosa requires patience, empathy, and a comprehensive understanding of the disorder. Here are some ways you can help your loved one on their journey to recovery:

Show Compassion and Understanding

When you are speaking to your loved one about their eating disorder, it’s important to approach the conversation with compassion. You want to validate their experiences and avoid judgments, criticism, and shaming.

Encourage Professional Help

Although it may be difficult for someone with an eating disorder to want to receive treatment, it is still important for you to encourage it. Most success is found in early intervention. When the illness is treated, early on, there are often better outcomes than for those struggling without help for years.

Educate Yourself

One of the best things you can do to support your loved one if they are struggling with anorexia and/or anosognosia is to educate yourself on the facts. This should include the common signs and symptoms, possible treatment options, and debunked myths. This information is powerful in helping you better advocate for your loved one and their well-being.

Foster Open Communication

Create a safe and supportive environment where your loved one feels comfortable discussing their thoughts and feelings. Encourage open communication and active listening, allowing them to express themselves without fear of judgment or criticism.

Practice Self-Care

Supporting a loved one with an eating disorder can be emotionally and physically draining. Take care of yourself and prioritize your own well-being, seeking support from friends, family, or mental health professionals if needed.

Be Aware of Triggers

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that even those deep into recovery can and will experience triggers. You can avoid adding to these by educating yourself on avoiding phrases and conversations, such as calorie counts or weight loss.

Expert Eating Disorder Treatment

If you think that a family member, child, or friend of yours is struggling with an eating disorder, it is important to consult a professional. With proper treatment, individuals can overcome their eating disorder and live a healthier life, both physically and mentally.

I am Alison Pelz, a psychotherapist and registered dietitian with over 16 years of experience. I specialize in treating eating disorders in Austin, TX.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. To learn more about expert eating disorder treatment and schedule a consultation with me today. I am here to help you and your loved ones reclaim their lives and break through the chains of disordered eating.

Are you a clinician? Sign up for my mailing list and CE course!

Sources:

Impaired Awareness and Anosognosia in Mentally Ill: Study Summaries (Mental Illness Policy Org)
Anosognosia Condition and Anorexia (verywellmind.com)
European Eating Disorders Review | Eating Disorders Journal (Wiley Online Library)

When Exercise Becomes Too Much, Could It Be Exercise Addiction?

Posted on May 10, 2023June 3, 2025 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Here are some possible signs of exercise addiction. Do you…

spend a lot of mental energy thinking about exercise?
think about when and how you are going to fit in?
have excessive worry or guilt if you don’t exercise?

If any of those sound familiar to you, they could be signs that your exercise routine has become problematic.

Generally speaking, exercise is a good thing for you.

Exercise is not only fun, but it can improve physical and mental health and bolster self-esteem. Exercise can also be social. Participating in sports, whether recreationally or competitively, has numerous benefits like introducing you to other people, giving you space to connect with your body, and improving your concentration.

However, too much of a good thing, like exercise, can lead to major health issues.

Exercise becomes problematic when exercise negatively affects your physical health and interferes with other aspects of your life. If exercising gets in the way of your social life, your family life, work, or school, you might be overdoing it.

When exercise becomes so rigid that it is harmful to your well-being it has shifted from healthy to compulsive exercise. Some people refer to compulsive exercise as an exercise addiction, because the urge to exercise often feels very strong and it can be uncomfortable to ignore it.

Are you wondering if you’re addicted to exercise? Here are six signs that you’re dealing with compulsive exercise:

There is rigidity around your exercise routine.

You may find it hard to deviate from your exercise routine. The rigidity that often accompanies exercise addiction can include the time of day the exercise is done, what type of exercise, and for how long you exercise.

Exercise is often excessive.

You spend a lot of time exercising. Usually, the length of exercise increases over time. You may be spending much of your free time exercising or thinking about exercising.

Not exercising makes you feel guilty, depressed and/or anxious.

If you have to miss your regularly scheduled exercise it makes you have intense negative emotions. You may spend significant mental energy thinking about how to “make it up”.

Exercise interferes with your social life and relationships.

You may turn down social invitations because it interferes with your exercise routine. For some, this can lead to significant feelings of isolation. You may even lie or hide how much you exercise. Work or school obligations can suffer because so much time and energy is spent on exercise.

You exercise despite feeling sick or if you have an injury.

When you are sick or injured you exercise anyway. You feel afraid that you will lose ground on your fitness level or you won’t return to exercise if you take time away.

Exercise feels like a chore or an obligation.

Initially, exercise starts off moderately but can slowly get more extreme. After a while, exercise no longer feels like something you want to do, but something that you have to do.

We may all experience some of these signs of compulsive exercise from time to time. However, the tell-tale sign of compulsive exercise is the persistent and consistent thoughts of exercise. In addition to the constant thinking about exercise, you might also experience intensely negative feelings when you miss an exercise session.

Compulsive exercise isn’t just about the exercise itself, it’s also about the enormous amount of thought and effort that goes toward thinking about exercise. Besides the time spent exercising, there is a lot of mental energy that goes into thinking about when, and how to exercise, and after a while that can be very draining.

The connection between athletes and compulsive exercise

It probably comes as no surprise that athletes are at a higher risk for developing a compulsive relationship with exercise.

Studies show that about 3% of the general exercise population struggles with compulsive exercise. Athletes are far more likely to struggle with exercise addiction. As many as 14% of endurance athletes and up to as high as 34.8% of elite athletes struggle with compulsive exercise. Compulsive exercise might feel necessary to keep up with the demands of their sport, but it has detrimental effects on physical and mental health.

The connection between eating disorders and compulsive exercise

Athletes aren’t the only people who struggle with compulsive exercise. There is a strong connection between compulsive exercise and eating disorders. Research has shown that 39% to 48% of people with eating disorders engage in compulsive exercise.

Often compulsive exercise is used to “make up for eating mistakes” or binges. In the eye of the eating disorder, it can give the person with an eating disorder permission to eat. Exercise is used in efforts to obtain or maintain a certain body weight or physic.

You can’t tell by looking at someone if they compulsively exercise. People with all different body types compulsively exercise.

What are the consequences of exercise addiction?

There are several physical consequences of compulsive exercise. They include:

- Reduced bone density (osteopenia and osteoporosis)

- Loss of menstrual cycle

- Chronic muscle soreness, bone, and joint pain

- Overuse injuries such as stress fractures

In addition to the physical effects, compulsive exercise has a major effect on mental health. Compulsive exercise is associated with decreased overall life satisfaction, negative mood, low energy, and increased rates of depression and/or anxiety.

How can compulsive exercise be treated?

If you’re struggling with compulsive exercise, you’re not alone, and help is available. There are ways to treat compulsive exercise, or exercise addiction. Therapy is an important tool for treating compulsive exercise.

In therapy, you can explore some of the problematic thinking that leads to compulsive exercise. Therapy can also help you learn how to resist and reduce the urges to compulsively exercise. Finally, working with a therapist can help you improve your relationship with exercise in order to enjoy it with both your physical and mental health in mind.

Are you concerned about your relationship with exercise? If you’re struggling with compulsive exercise, working with a therapist can help. Get in touch today for your free consultation.

Free Resources for Eating Disorder Recovery

Posted on April 12, 2023June 3, 2025 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Eating disorder recovery is tough. Learning about eating disorders can help. I have a great list of free resources.

Are you just getting started with eating disorder recovery? Or do you have a treatment team in place, but are looking for some extra support? Does your teen have an eating disorder and you’re looking for ways to support them (and yourself)?

Many of these free eating disorder recovery resources are in the form of support groups and mentorship programs.

Besides being free, the emphasis on connection is another reason why I love these resources. Eating disorder recovery doesn’t occur in a vacuum. We are social creatures, and connection can be especially healing in hard times.

Eating disorders are really hard to understand. Support groups can help you learn more about eating disorders while feel seen and understood. Eating disorder groups are filled with folks who are going through what you are experiencing and who can relate to your ups and downs.

Additionally, support groups reduce feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety, depression, and isolation. Attending an eating disorder support group can help you find new ways to cope during recovery.

If you or your teen is in eating disorder recovery, check out these 5 free eating disorder recovery resources:

1. National Alliance for Eating Disorders

The National Alliance for Eating Disorders is a great resource with lots of information about the treatment of eating disorders.

According to their website, “The National Alliance for Eating Disorders (formerly The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness) is the leading national nonprofit organization providing referrals, education, and support for all individuals experiencing eating disorders and their loved ones.”

The Alliance offers free support groups for people with eating disorders and those who love them. Support groups meet in-person and others meet virtually.

Click here to learn more about the free support groups offered by the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. For any readers in Austin, TX, there is an in-person group held weekly.

2. F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered And Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders)

F.E.A.S.T. is an international network to help support caregivers and parents who have a teen with eating disorder.

The organization was started by parents to help other parents: “We are here because we have been there! F.E.A.S.T. is an international non-profit organization of and for parents and caregivers of loved ones affected by eating disorders. Our free programs and services offer families much needed support, information, skills, and tools to help them on their journey. F.E.A.S.T. is about parents helping parents, about paying it forward, and about being there for families at a time when they need us the most.”

Be sure to visit the services tabs on their website which links you to forums, guides, videos, and much more. The videos from F.E.A.S.T. are one of my favorite resources. There are videos of family members, who are going through the exact same thing as you. There are also videos from highly regarded eating disorder treatment professionals talking about various treatment topics so you can learn more.

Be sure to sign up for F.E.A.S.T. 30 Days. It’s a free program that sends you one email a day for 30 days, each including a brief lesson on how to support your teen during recovery.

3. ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)

ANAD, or the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, is a non-profit whose mission is to provide free peer support services to anyone struggling with an eating disorder.

Their website states, “Recovery is possible. ANAD is here to help. ANAD is the leading nonprofit in the U.S. that provides free, peer support services to anyone struggling with an eating disorder, regardless of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or background. Our nationwide network of volunteers understand first-hand the ups and downs of the recovery journey—because they, too, have lived the experience of an eating disorder. ANAD empowers volunteers to help others through their own recovery.”

ANAD has a helpline where you can get referrals to treatment and get emotional support. In addition to the helpline, ANAD offers a free mentor support program. You can get matched with a peer mentor who has recovered from an eating disorder to help support you through the recovery process. Having a mentor who has already been through it can be extremely helpful in bolstering support, motivation to change, and instilling hope that recovery is possible.

ANAD also offers free virtual support groups for folks with eating disorders. They offer general support groups as well as groups for specific identities including LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Older Adults, Teens & Young Adults, and People in larger bodies.

4. Project HEAL

Project HEAL helps to find eating disorder treatment. Access to quality healthcare is not always easy, and there are lots of reasons why most people who deal with eating disorders do not get treatment. The goal of Project HEAL is to help those who the system fails find treatment for eating disorders.

According to their website, “Project HEAL’s vision is to create a world where everyone with an eating disorder has the opportunities & resources they need to heal. Our programs break down systemic, healthcare, and financial barriers that millions of people in the U.S. face when trying to heal from their eating disorder.”

They provide free services to help you find treatment including:

Clinical Assessment Program which helps determine a diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and referrals.
The Treatment Placement Program offers free or very discounted treatment via vetted treatment providers.
Cash Assistance Program Offers recipients a one-time cash assistance grant to help cover the costs of treatment.
Insurance Navigation Program. This program helps people navigate the complexities of insurance.

5. FEDUP (Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations: A Trans+ & Intersex Collective)

FEDUP is a collective that is made up of trans, nonbinary, intersex, and gender expansive people who view eating disorders through a social justice lens. Their work is focused on eating disorders in marginalized communities – understanding them, treating them, and preventing them.

Their mission is “to make visible, interrupt, and undermine the disproportionately high incidence of eating disorders in trans and gender diverse individuals through radical community healing, recovery institution reform, research, empowerment, and education”.

They have a wealth of information on their website. A list of free virtual support groups. FEDUP has an approved list of providers who provide affirming care, and a Treatment Scorecard which scores some of the largest treatment centers in the US on various accessibility criteria. In addition, they provide training and workshops for treatment facilities to become gender-literate. They also have a guide to gender-affirming surgeons with consideration of BMI limits for each surgeon.

This is just a short list of free and reliable resources to help support you in your eating disorder recovery. I encourage you to explore these resources to see if one is right for you!

Part of eating disorder recovery is working with a treatment team, which includes a psychotherapist. For more information on how I can help with eating disorder recovery, send me a message.

Book Review: More than a Body

Posted on September 21, 2022June 3, 2025 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Book Review: More than a Body: Your Body is an Instrument, not an Ornament

More than a Body is a vital read for those struggling with a negative body image.

Authors Dr. Lexie Kite and Dr. Lindsay Kite (not only sisters, but also identical twins!) are well versed in body image research. The authors provide a great discussion of what body image is, and how it developed. They deliver an extensive discussion on the influence of society on our body image.

What is this book about?

Lexie and Lindsay provide a framework of body image disturbance. And postulate that objectification, both historically and currently, of women is one of the main causes of body image disturbance.

That is, we are trained to focus on how our bodies are seen by others versus what our bodies can do.

In turn, we internalize this message and begin to self-objectify our own bodies. This self-objectification shifts our attention to how our bodies look instead of how we feel in our bodies.

As you can imagine, self-objectification can lead to being preoccupied with the way our bodies look. This may increase body comparison and body checking in mirrors.

This shift of our energy and awareness from how our bodies feel to how our bodies look takes up a lot of time and energy. And leads to feeling badly about yourself and your body.

It often starts from a young age. A lot of media promotes cultural standards of beauty, even in 2022. The message has always been that it doesn’t matter how you feel in your body. Rather it matters how the world around you sees your body.

Women are conditioned to first define themselves by how their body looks and second, that they are people with inherent worth.

In a way, the messaging is getting more troubling. Slowly but surely, companies are starting to get the message that appealing to old-school body insecurities doesn’t create as much of a profit as it used to. Instead of being loud about weight loss or fat shaming, companies now try to appeal to people by using language taken from the body positivity movement.

We’ve seen brands like Weight Watchers change their name to WW in an attempt to move their image away from weight loss to “lifestyle change”. But, they are still promoting intentional weight loss and a disordered approach to eating. Everything is still reduced down to the way people look. And not their inherent value as humans.

In order to heal from negative body image, the authors urge us to internalize that we are people first. And our bodies know that we are inherently good.

What did I like about this book?

Importantly, the authors do acknowledge that most body image research is done on cis, white, and often straight-sized bodies. They also discuss weight bias and its harmful effects. In addition, there is a discussion on historically marginalized bodies.

The authors’ discussion of the body positivity movement is especially insightful.

They acknowledge that the body positivity movement has expanded the types of bodies (read: size) that are deemed socially acceptable. However, the body positivity movement is flawed because it still focuses on the objectification of women’s bodies.

The idea itself that bodies are to be looked at and objectified is problematic. Who we are as people goes so far beyond what our bodies look like. Having more bodies that we decide as a society are acceptable to look at does nothing to solve the problem of objectifying bodies. Rather, it adds to the objectification taking place.

The Drs. Kite propose that the only way to improve body image is to eliminate self-objectification and connect with our bodies for what they do for us over how they look. This can be pretty tough to do in the age of social media advertising and diet culture.

The tagline of this book, “Your body is an instrument, not an ornament,” resonates with me as a woman and in my work with clients.

It is a great mantra to keep at the top of your mind to shift your focus from how your body looks to what your body does for you.

The book is lengthy and provides more of a framework of why we are fraught with negative body image rather than provide solutions for body image problems. I appreciated that the authors used vignettes to explain their work, and they often cite research.

If you want to learn more about where negative body image comes from, this book will be an interesting read for you. If you’re looking for actionable solutions for body-image problems, this book doesn’t provide that.

Who should read this book?

I would recommend this book to:

clinicians who treat people with body image disturbance
parents & caregivers who want to learn more about how to raise children with a healthy body image
those who suffer from body image disturbance
folks who are in the later stages of eating disorder treatment

Although this book is better than some at expanding the body image discussion past cis, white, straight size, abled bodies, the fact that it is more than likely aimed at this audience (rather than the marginalized bodies it briefly focuses on) is one of the limitations of the book.

The authors have developed an online course as another body image resource. But, I also hope that they consider developing a workbook to accompany this book. A workbook would help people through the difficult process of connecting with our bodies for what they do over how they look.

Are you curious to learn more about the authors of this book and their perspective on body image?

Here is a link where you can hear Dr. Linsday Kite speak on body image – this video also gives a solid introduction to the book.

Understanding your body image and where it comes from is key in eating disorder recovery. If you’re looking for more support in changing your body image, please click here to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with me.