7 signs of disordered eating you shouldn’t ignore

With the rise in popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss and a plethora of “what I eat in a day” videos popping up on TikTok, it can feel nearly impossible not to compare your body and eating habits to others’ these days. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to “eat healthier” or feel better in your body, sometimes those desires morph into disordered eating. 

Disordered eating is basically a catchall term for any type of unhealthy eating patterns and/or unhealthy views of one’s body. Some examples include not allowing yourself to eat certain foods, feeling guilt after meals, and feeling unable to stop eating even though you’re full. The severity varies from person to person, but if disordered eating is left unaddressed, it can turn into a full-blown eating disorder, explains Victoria Parson, LCSW-C, a therapist who treats eating disorders. 

Here, we outline some common signs of disordered eating, explain when disordered eating habits become a diagnosable eating disorder, and share what to do if you’re exhibiting any of these signs. 

7 signs of disordered eating to watch out for  

1. You’ve created rules around eating. 

Maybe Oreos were your favorite cookie, but you don’t eat them anymore because they contain a lot of sugar. Or let’s say you’ve started eating salads for dinner every night because that’s “healthiest,” and you won’t allow yourself to make anything different. These kinds of inflexible rules around food are a common example of disordered eating, Parson explains. 

Thinking about foods as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, and only allowing yourself to eat the ones you think are good and healthy is another red flag to watch out for. That can turn into orthorexia, an eating disorder where you fixate on healthy eating to a detrimental degree, says Venessa Bowers, LCSW-C, a therapist who treats eating disorders. 

2. You feel guilt or shame after eating certain foods. 

Do you notice that you feel guilty, or maybe even criticize yourself after eating foods you think are “bad”? Thoughts like “I shouldn’t have eaten that” or “I’m disgusting” after a meal are indicators that you have an unhealthy mindset around food, says Bowers. 

Having a lot of harsh thoughts about yourself and your body in general is also linked to disordered eating, Parson adds. Sometimes those thoughts are a clue that you don’t have a healthy relationship with your body, and you might change the way you eat in order to cope. 

3. Your eating habits are impacting your day-to-day life. 

If you start passing up invitations for brunch with your friends because you know it’s typically filled with sugary foods, or you make an excuse to get out of a lunch meeting because you don’t want to eat anything on the menu, that’s a sign that you’re veering into disordered territory. 

When your food rules start taking over and preventing you from living your daily life, it’s time to get help, says Parson. (We’ll discuss how to seek treatment later on in this piece.) 

4. You’re engaging in body checking. 

Things like examining how your body looks from different angles in the mirror, pinching areas of your body to see if they feel larger, measuring areas of your body, and weighing yourself multiple times a day are all examples of body checking. It’s become normalized in some forms—videos showcasing how women’s bodies look from various angles are fairly common on TikTok, which can lead to unhealthy comparison and negative body image. 

And comparison aside, a study published in the Eating Behaviors Journal found that people who engage in frequent body checking are more likely to have disordered eating habits. 

5. You’re eating to cope with your emotions. 

We all have our favorite comfort foods that we like to indulge in, but if you’re turning to that comfort food on a daily basis or using it to avoid your emotions, that’s a sign of disordered eating. 

If you turn to food as a way to cope with emotions that you don’t want to feel, or don’t know how to deal with, you’re engaging in emotional eating, Bowers explains. “Sometimes people binge eat when struggling with their emotions and feeling dysregulated,” Parson adds. That means eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often going way past the point of being full. 

6. You’re obsessing over food and/or your body. 

Near constant thoughts about food, what you’re going to eat next, whether what you’re eating is healthy, and if what you’re eating will make you gain weight are a clear indicator of disordered eating, says Bowers. Measuring out the exact grams and portions of every single meal you consume, or religiously counting calories are other ways that obsessing over food can manifest. 

Similarly, constantly thinking about your body and comparing the way it looks to the people around you is generally a sign that you’ve entered disordered territory, she adds. 

7. You’re overexercising. 

Disordered eating isn’t just limited to your mindset and behaviors around food. It can also be related to how you exercise. Since disordered eating is ultimately about body image and trying to manipulate how you look, sometimes it shows up as overexercising, Bowers explains. 

If you’re working out for multiple hours a day every single day, exercising even though you’re injured or sick, or not allowing yourself to take rest days, that’s an indicator that you’re overexercising. 

‍When does disordered eating become an eating disorder? 

Once you start developing some of the habits above, they can quickly turn into a full-blown eating disorder if you don’t make some changes. There are seven types of eating disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), and each has its own set of criteria that you need to meet in order to be diagnosed. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, the most common ones are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED). The symptoms for each one vary, but include things like fasting, an intense fear of gaining weight, vomiting to prevent weight gain, eating until being uncomfortably full, lack of interest in food, and avoiding certain foods. 

You have to meet with a physician or mental health professional in order to know whether your disordered eating habits are technically an eating disorder. But the National Eating Disorders Association does offer a confidential screening tool if you want a preliminary answer ASAP. 

When should I seek help for disordered eating?  

If you’re exhibiting any of the signs listed above, it’s worth checking in with a therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. It never hurts to get a professional’s opinion—they’ll be able to help you figure out whether you have a problem and what the best course of treatment is, says Parson. 

Sometimes starting therapy can feel intimidating, so another option is to make an appointment with your primary care doctor first if that feels more comfortable, says Bowers. They can help you figure out whether your eating habits are an issue and point you in the direction of an expert who can help if needed.