Nowadays, more people are found to be actively choosing to take care of their diet and/or physical appearance to look better. Some of them even perceive it as a life philosophy, self-care, or even a way to feel satisfied with themselves.
However, from the moment our motivation to take care of ourselves isn’t so much driven by the desire to feel good, but rather by the fear of not fitting into what we’d like to, an issue with our body and diet can begin to develop.
Some signs that may indicate we have (or someone we know has) an issue with our body and/or our eating habits turn out to be:
- Starting many diets repeatedly
- Counting calories
- Compulsive eating patterns
- Avoiding being seen while eating
- Feeling bad about what we ate, the amount we ate…
- Attempting to compensate our intakes with fasting or physical exercise
- Avoiding looking at ourselves in front of the mirror or feeling unable to resist observing and check our weight often
- Continuously comparing our appearance with the others
- Being afraid of showing our body or any part of it
- Judging our physical appearance as undesirable
Each one of these behaviors can be perceived, by mistake, as an adaptive health behavior, so it’s important to both understand each case and put this in context in order to determine if it’s becoming an issue.
If indeed we have a poor relationship with our body and our eating habits, we may probably find ourselves fitting profiles similar to those listed in the following table.
| Anorexia nervosa | Concerns about your weight, your body image and/or your food intakes | Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder |
| Bulimia nervosa | Vigorexia | Hyperphagia / polyphagia |
| Binge eating disorder | Orthorexia | Rumination syndrome |
Considering these scenarios, the role of the psychologist mainly consists of giving support to the one that is suffering these symptoms in order to establish a functional relationship both with food and their own emotions, within a psychological well-being framework. Thus, it does not revolve around reaching a specific weight. This mainly involves a deeper analysis that goes beyond a number in a weighing scale.
Within this field, we work in an interdisciplinary manner (by collaborating with other qualified health professionals such as dietitians, nutritionists, personal trainers, etc.). Furthermore, we work under a psychonutritional view following the ‘non-diet’ culture.
The profiles that have been stated in the previous table represent the most sought-after inquiries within eating behaviors field. However, several factors can lead us to look for help. In fact, your reason for seeking psychological help may not be listed here, but if you believe we can assist you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
