Extreme Hunger in Eating Disorder Recovery (Q and A)

In this episode, I explore how to deal with extreme hunger in a Q and A format.

00:37 What do we mean by extreme hunger?
1:41 Can you avoid extreme hunger?

2:26 How long does extreme hunger last?

3:31 How does extreme hunger feel?

4:30 Physical versus mental hunger.

5:32 All-in or meal plan?

7:26 How to create safety around extreme hunger?

9:17 Could I develop binge eating disorder or bulimia?

10:36 How to deal with weight gain?

10:41 More about all-in or meal plan?

12:39 How to break the binge/restrict cycle?

13:57 What about emotional eating and other triggers?

In eating disorder recovery, going through extreme hunger is often a terrifying but essential part of the healing process. When you are chronically undereating, the body shuts down and hunger and appetite cues are offline. You can feel numb and disconnected from your natural desire to eat. As you begin to eat more and to recover, the hunger intensity can be ferocious and wild. This is extreme hunger. It is a normal, biological response to a period of restriction and undereating. It is the body’s cry for help. A signal to repair itself, restock essential energy stores and to restore the energy deficit. The deficit can be colossal, if you’ve been undereating for a long time. You can experience extreme hunger with any eating disorder or disordered eating behaviour, not only with anorexia. You can experience extreme hunger in any body shape and size, not only if you are emaciated.

 

 

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

 💬 Have you used psychological formulation? What do you think about it as a tool?

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Welcome to the official Podcast channel of Harriet Frew, The Eating Disorder Therapist.* This channel is dedicated to supporting you in finding peace with food, improving your relationship with eating, and overcoming disordered eating. My aim is to create a space that feels safe, informative, and encouraging, where recovery is not only possible, but realistic for anyone willing to take those steps.

➡️ I’m a BACP qualified therapist with over 20 years of experience working in eating disorders, and I’m also an expert by experience, having fully recovered from bulimia nervosa. This allows me to bring both professional knowledge and personal understanding into the work that I share here. On this channel, you’ll find a combination of solo episodes and conversations with guests. I speak with individuals about their recovery journeys, interview professionals working in eating disorders and mental health, and share practical tools, insights, and reflections from the therapy room that you can begin applying in your own life.

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